President's Message

Hello again fellow Porschefilles,

Its that time of year when not a lot of Porsche related things are taking place so it’s a good time to look back at what's happened as well as look ahead at what's to come.

This year has been full of good times for my family and I as far as PCA has been concerned. We have attended so many events both locally as well as in other regions that its hard for me to even recall them all. I do know that I’ve been up and down the whole East Coast, including Canada, a couple of times since January, just going to these events. And that’s not just for Club Racing either. I can honestly say though that the events that our region has put on would rival any other regions and certainly come out on top in most cases. Starting with last years After Holiday Party, this was a great time chaired by Ellen Beck and emceed by the Bob and Manny show. Followed by the, long standing “kids event”, Slot Car Night this also shined once again thanks to Andrew Toth and his helpers. Moving forward into spring means the New Member Party, which was again graciously hosted by John Cochran. Not too long after by the region's premier event the Chesapeake Challenge, which Kristen Allen did such a wonderful job with. All of these events just seem to keep getting better as time goes on. Throughout the spring, summer, and even into the fall, there were the ever present autocrosses going on at Ripken Stadium. This series has become a Chesapeake Region success story due to all the hard work and dedication of all those involved especially Derek Schwarz and Joe Zuramski along with their contingent of volunteers. Another on going tradition that we do here are the Drive and Dines. We are blessed to live in a part of the country where pretty much all you have to do is drive a few miles one way or the other to get a completely different type of scenery. I think Steve Kinsley’s drives are doing a very good job in capturing those different views. Its nice to hear people in other regions speak of our region and all the wonderful events that we have. Please keep in mind though that none of this would be possible if it weren’t for all the hard work and dedication of those who volunteered their time and hard work so that we could all have fun with other people who share the same passion for Porsche cars as you do.

The upcoming year promises to offer more of the same of what we have been enjoying. The After Holiday Party is right around the corner, (make sure you’ve sent in your registration since there is a limit to the number of people the hall can accommodate), as well as Slot Car Night. Believe it or not it won’t be too long before all the driving events start back up and we can all get back to enjoying our little Pcars. With new events like the Fall Foliage Tour, which was such a huge success, and new venues for established events like the Chesapeake Challenge next year should be another great time to own a Porsche and be part of The Chesapeake Region of PCA. I hope all of you enjoyed yourselves at the events this year as much as I did and I hope we will all be together next year to share some more good times. Don’t forget it doesn’t happen by magic it all takes volunteers so please do so as often as you can.

My family and I have been very busy since the last time we spoke. This month was just chocked full of PCA things to do. The beginning of the month we were up at Summit Point Raceway to participate in the “Octoberfast” club race. The weekend was put on by our neighboring Potomac region and as usual they did a great job. Unfortunately the weather gods didn’t cooperate for the whole time but we did have a great last day and once again all the Chesapeake racers showed their stuff. This year our region was represented by not only a very large contingency of seasoned drivers but also a large number of “newbies” out for their first club race. Even though the weather on Friday and Saturday was lousy just being at the track and hanging out with lots of friends is still good stuff. Thanks to everyone who braved the weather Saturday, and all who lucked out on Sunday, for coming up and showing their support. I hope everyone who did come up enjoyed themselves as much as I did and congratulations to all the rookies that received their provisional licenses and to Manny Alban for winning the coveted Workers Choice award.

Following that weekend Kim and I joined fellow club members Drew and Karen Hollingsworth for a trip to Daytona. The Hollingsworth’s were gracious enough to let us share their condo from which we made day trips which included a full day at Daytona International Raceway where we all enjoyed watching PCA’s first ever club race. What a beautiful sight to see all those colorful Porsches running the high banks and challenging infield. I was pleased to see a very good friend of mine, and fellow “G” class competitor, Mike Iapaluccio, totally kick butt in his sprint race and the next day in the enduro. I figured that since I had already run Daytona I would let him get some practice so next year when we’re there together he’ll have no excuses when I kick his butt. While in Florida we also hooked up with Manny Alban and his family for a magical day at Disney World. There is nothing like being in a place like that when you’re with kids. I know Kim and I would have enjoyed going to Disney anyway but when you’re with little kids it completely changes your whole perspective.

Lastly this past weekend we participated in the regions newest great event, The Fall Foliage tour. Tour Master extraordinaire, Steve Kinsley, did a great job promoting this event and bringing together a very large group of members new and old. What a wonderful event with a great turnout. I believe there were about 50 Porsches and an additional 10 non-Porsches present. I think we ended up having about 65 members join us at the end of the hour long drive for a wonderful dinner at Friendly Farms Restaurant. The folks at the restaurant could not have been more accommodating and since the reservation grew from 25 people in the beginning to over 50 when I called on Sunday afternoon I think they did a wonderful job. The weather was perfect the tree lined country roads, that my wife Kim chose, and the beautiful fall colors all made for a very nice drive. Next year we will have the banquet room reserved and I hope we have another huge turnout. If you missed out this year plan on attending next year, I assure you you wont be disappointed.

I hope you all have checked the website to see the contestants for the new region’s logo. Please send in your vote on the easy to use voting form that our webmaster Andrew Toth has come up with. Also up for vote are all the Board positions. If you have any suggestions for any of the board positions please do your “duty” and send them in. Keep an eye on the website for more upcoming events and don’t forget to volunteer as often as possible.
Hope to see you at an event soon!

Tim