Back to Back - Space Coast Region - Porsche Club of America

2011 Porsche Parade Primer
A Planning Guide for the 56th Annual Porsche Parade in Savannah
Article by Ron McCall
Photos by David Wilks, RaceShotsResource.com
It’s time to start planning for the 2011 Porsche Parade which is being
held in Savannah, Georgia, July 31st through August 6th. Parade is
PCA’s annual convention and the largest gathering of Porsche owners
in the world. A week-long event may seem like plenty of time for
everything, but there is more to do than one can fit into that actionpacked
period. You will have to be ready to make some choices
when on-line registration opens on March 8th. To help complete
the registration process smoothly, download the schedule from
http://parade2011.pca.org/.
2 volume 5, Issue 1
The Welcome Party, Banquets and Hospitality Area
These events are absolute musts where you have the opportunity to
meet other Parade attendees and Porsche dignitaries. You’ll soon
appreciate the motto “it’s not about the cars, it’s about the people.”
Driving Tours
Several interesting destinations are selected for on-your-own driving
tours. Travel at your own pace and see the area. Last year, one of the
tours was to Road America and included a lap of the track. Check the
details listed for each tour before you register.
Volunteering
A multitude of volunteer opportunities exist, and it is the very best
way to get involved and experience Parade. Last year, Libby and I
volunteered for the Michelin Drive and Compare and the Autocross.
We not only got to watch others go through the Michelin Drive and
Compare, but we had the opportunity to do it ourselves when the
crowds thinned out. A must do.
Concours d’ Elegance
Okay, this event is for the serious Q-tippers out there. Professionally
restored and prepared vehicles reside mostly in the Restoration and
Preservation Groups. For the rest of us with newer vehicles, the
Preparation Group has separate classes for Full and Touring (where
undercarriage is not judged). Plan on arriving early
when the Concours prep areas will be open.
Time Speed Distance Rally
During a TSD Rally, competitors travel a prescribed
rally route through a series of checkpoints at a
set speed. The TSD Rally is for serious-minded
competitors; I’m talking on-board Space Shuttle
computer here. We entered this last year, but did not
realize that because our Cayenne had navigation,
we were automatically in the Navigational class. We
also found out that TSD really stands for “Toward a
Speedy Divorce.” So, we were a “Did Not Start” (or
Did Not Split-Up). If you are going to give this a
try, plan on attending the Rally School.
Michelin Drive and Compare
In Chicago, two new Porsche Boxster Spyders
were fitted with different tires from Michelin, and
participants got to test drive them on an abbreviated
autocross course. This activity is scheduled
throughout the day over a two-day period, so you
can fit this in between other events.
Autocross
This fun event is spread over two days so that there
are more runs available for each participant. Even
if you don’t enter this event, plan on volunteering.
You will have a great time, learn why certain drivers
do better than others, and possibly find out why
914’s are so fast. If you are an autocrosser, you have
to sign up for this.