Slipstream - September 2013

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Five-Speed Chatter: What Happened to the Germany Region? By Ash Seidl-Staley This might be old news to some people, but to me it is still relatively new. The PCA’s 140th Region no longer exists in Germany. As of July 2004, and after two years of grueling work on both sides of the coin, the National Headquarters for the PCA declined reinstatement of the Germany Region’s charter. The region, which was originally established in 1963, was created by and for military servicemen living in Germany who owned, lived and breathed Porsche. Deployed officers and enlisted men alike were brought together into a club organization that linked them back to the United States they loved and fought for. The reasons for the deletion of the charter are pretty simple to explain verbally but are a hardship to report. At the time within the club, there was a growing sense of distrust, controversy, animosity, and neglect that was felt by some of the members of the region. All of these feelings were being directed and unleashed towards PCA’s HQ and then National President Tom Bobbitt, just as the population seems to dump its frustrations out on Congress and the President of the United States. During the peak of confrontation, rumors surfaced insinuating that, since the bulk of the membership of Germany Region were no longer US Citizens, including the acting Germany Region President, PCA HQ didn’t want to reinstate their charter. Though this accusation has no physical validity it didn’t stop the snowball from rolling. With the help of our National PCA Historian, RJ Wilmoth, and the countless other people behind the scenes, I was able to get my hands on the very minutes of the Board Meeting that hammered the final nail in Germany Region’s coffin. To my surprise, the first thing I noticed was that the dreadful decision was made right in our own backyard, Fort Worth! In the luxurious Renaissance Worthington Hotel, board members and National Officers met to weigh in on the situation. Reading the Germany Region car badge minutes, I found that it wasn’t a prejudice of nationality that killed the Region, instead the death of the club came from money; more specifically, insurance money issues. Beginning in 2003, PCA HQ changed their insurance underwriter club-wide, and in the process eventually learned that the Germany Region was not covered in the policy, as it only covered the US and Canada. In truth, the region hadn’t been covered for quite some time, but was fortunate enough not to have made any claims. Many attempts were sought to resolve the insurance issues, but unfortunately all of them failed. Photo by the Author First up as a quick fix, the Germany Region tried acquiring their own insurance, which they used for the rest of that year. Unfortunately, the contract was in German, and after intense review by the PCA Legal team, it was deemed not good enough as coverage, and a halt to all region activities was soon issued. Another remedy initiated by the PCA was to create a PCA-run corporation in Germany, which, being a business, could provide coverage for the club. This idea, along with Tom Bobbitt’s plan to create a subsidiary group overseas, were scrapped when the legal aspects of both were investigated. One of the main issues with providing coverage came from the fact that Germany Region wasn’t able to hold events on military bases anymore. With the heightened threat levels the military experienced post 9/11, having non-US citizens on posts racing cars was not a feasible possibility. With nowhere to hold events, no one to sponsor them or organize them, and without the backing of PCA HQ, the last year of the Region’s Charter was literally uneventful! The residing President and Vice President both resigned their posts. hoping a US citizen would take the reins of the club and fight with HQ for a solution to reinstate the charter. Unfortunately this did not happen. PCA Headquarters and the National Officers of the time really did try everything in their power to solve the issues faced by Germany Region, but ultimately were unsuccessful. This story hits home for me on many levels. My Grandfather was the president of the Germany Region in the early 1990s, and was 10 <strong>September</strong>
very active. He recruited members, raced, wrote for the Regional Newsletter, Blinken Blat, and even enlisted the help of my Nana, who became the Treasurer of the club. Together, the pair led the region in the organization and operation of numerous social/charity functions which kept the club afloat financially for years. These days it’s hard to find any information on the “inter web” about the Germany Region, and even our National archives have limited quantities of relics. It is as if Germany Region has become a footnote in the history of PCA. All I have to prove that the club existed are two shirts, some stickers, a few miscellaneous papers, some unmarked videos, and a few boxes of pictures that document just a small window of time. It saddens me to see that we as a National Club no longer have a represented charter in the country in which our prestigious cars are built. Well, I guess I will have to change my retirement plans of being the President of the Germany Region and driving the Nurburgring everyday in my 3.8L twin turbo 935. Would you like to have your restoration project featured in an upcoming issue of <strong>Slipstream</strong>? If so, contact me at ashseidlstaley@gmail.com so that we can put together an article about it. 2700 B WEST PIONEER PKWY (125 FEET S. OF PIONEER, ON THE W. SIDE OF CORZINE ST.) ARLINGTON, TEXAS 76013 817-366-1678 Experience Your Porsche in a New Way! By driving on a real North Texas racetrack Eagles Canyon Raceway is the beautiful culmination of years worth of research, planning & design into the rolling hills of North Texas near DFW. Eagles Canyon Raceway features 2.55 miles, 4 straights over 1,300 feet long, 11 turns, and 340 feet of overall elevation change. Eagles Canyon is a true driver's track, and is planned to host all classes of events from the top level racing series to club racing and private HPDE days. We are proud to receive PCA events including Club Racing and look forward to each and every event! With an EC Membership you can enjoy driving on a track that is quickly becoming history in the making. We offer all that you need including a challenging track, high octane fuel & a grill for lunch. Join us by signing up at www.eaglescanyon.com or call for information at 940-466-9775. 940-466-9775 www.eaglescanyon.com 11
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Slipstream - September 2013

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