Here we are at the beginning of a new year, with a shift in roles on the Board and a calendar filling with activities. Please take a look at the upcoming events below in our Calendar section to get a preview of our first few months.

I would like to start this year in a spirit of thanks and acknowledgement. The contributions of all Board and Committee members are an intgegral part of the Region's success, and at this time I want to give special recognition to the efforts of a few of these individuals:

Greg Maissen, our most recent Past President - Greg unexpectedly inherited the Presidency over a year and a half ago, stepping into a big job well ahead of the time it would have naturally occurred. Greg took on the task with gusto and determination. He has left us with the legacy of competent, talented, committed Board members. Thank you, Greg!

David Bunch, Autocross Director - This man has done it all, and holds an unshakable commitment to the Region and PCA in general. David is a Past President, most recently held the position of Secretary, has managed the Goodie Store for years, is a past Autocross Director, and is back at that job this year. We are so lucky to have you, David. Thank you!

Kurt Fischer, last year's Past President - Kurt's friendly, welcoming manner piqued my initial interest in the Club, and made me want to get more involved. I am very happy to have his continued support and involvement in events for 2012.  Some of you may have noticed the way that I have tried to make contact with each and every one of you that attend our events. This 'working the room' philosophy comes from Kurt's tutelage. Thank you, Kurt, for continuing to bring your efforts and energy to our Region!

I also want to welcome our new Board Members, and those now filling new positions:

Chris Harrell - Our new VP and continuing Newsletter Director. 

Mike Hinton - Our new Secretary. Mike will also be continuing his standing column in der Riesenbaum, The Midfield Report.

Simone Kopitzki - Our new Sponsorship (formerly Advertising) Director. Simone is gathering a small committee around her to finalize this year's relationships between our Club and its sponsors.

Thanks and welcome to you all!

This year sees us once again with an opportunity to attend PCA's biggest national event, the Porsche Parade. The 2012 Parade will be held in Salt Lake City, and many on the Board and in the Membership are planning to attend. If you, like me, have yet to attend a Parade event, please know that we will not only be planning a caravan of Redwood Region members, but also a workshop on 'How to do Parade'. I have found in my two trips to Escape that knowing what to expect, and planning what/how much to attend, can make the experience much more enjoyable. Please contact me at rogersvern@hotmail.com if you have an interest in attending this year's Parade.

Let me end with a few words to carry into the year: fun, camaraderie, great people, great cars. I am looking forward to seeing and talking to each and every one of you this year.  This club is its people.

Many Porsche owners store their cars in a garage for the winter. Of course, in the midwest and northeast, this is a common yearly tradition. It's great that in our area we don't need to do many of the items that those cold souls do in theirs. However, many of us here in Northern California may drive our Porsches only on weekends and during the winter months maybe two or three times a month (Anita and I don't drive the 914 or the 912e as much in January and February, but we drive the Boxster daily). Whether you are storing your autocross car or your weekend driver collectible, I would suggest you try to do following with your Porsche in the wintertime:

A. Change the oil and filter. Oils become acid over time, so even if you haven't run the car, the oil could be picking up moisture, which in turn oxidizes.

B. Fill the fuel tank with fresh, premium gasoline. Condensation in the tank is a problem in stored vehicles. If you can get non-ethanol gasoline, it is best. Gasoline can become "gummy" over time, so it is useful to add a gasoline stabilizer, which is available for lawn mowers and other seasonal yard equipment. Yes, a lawnmower additive can save your Porsche's gas tank! 

C. Check all coolant levels, if applicable.

D. Inflate the tires to proper pressure, or over inflate while in storage for a longer duration. Doing so can help the tires from developing flat spots. The best way to avoid this completely is to put the car on jack stands, but in many cases that is impractical. Just expect a thump for a bit once you get the car back on the road.

E. Clean and wax the car. This should include under the car and wheel wells. Clean the interior extensively; get rid of those McDonald's french fries and old Krispy Crème doughnut pieces. By the way, food leads to mold in a car's interior. Not good! Do not use Armor All® or any preservative products; if you are in a cold environment, the moisture from these chemicals expands and causes cracking!

F. If your garage is always in a moist environment, you might consider placing a sheet of vapor barrier plastic under the car on the floor. This will prevent water vapor buildup in a cold, unheated garage. Oh, and also you get to see where the oil is leaking from when you drive away!

G. Open a window slightly, but not enough to allow small animals inside. Put the top up if it's a convertible. Stuff a rag into the air intake and exhaust to prevent animals from nesting, covering this with a metal screen (911 and 912 owners, don't forget the smuggler's box - I always have squirrels leaving acorns in mine). Once I put a moving blanket inside the smuggler's box around the steering, my rat and squirrel problem went away.

H. Use a battery maintainer if the car will be stored for more than a month. If you do this, check the car manual to be sure you can use the charger without disconnecting the battery (old cars with first and second-generation alternators can sustain alternator diode damage from almost any type of charger). To be on the safe side, disconnect the battery and charge. There are cheap quick-disconnects out there, so you don't need to pull the battery out of your car. Be sure not to confuse the onboard computers, and be sure you have written down any needed access codes for devices such as the stereo or alarm. As an alternative, starting the car regularly and letting it run for 5 minutes might keep the battery up during this otherwise dormant time.

I. Place a piece of plastic wrap or cloth on the windshield, under the wiper blades. This will prevent the rubber from sticking to the glass and leaving ghost marks. 

J. Release the parking brake. If the brake is left on, the brake pads can stick to the rotors or hubs. Place chocks under the tires to prevent movement. Two-by-fours work on a level surface too.

K. If you live in "one of those neighborhoods", you will want to lock the doors. It will deter someone from stealing your car or something inside it.

L. Use a soft cotton car cover if indoors. Be sure it has ventilation (mine is so old it has plenty of holes for ventilation). Outdoor covers can cause condensation, which is not good after all the work you've done to your car.

Finally, make a note to yourself outlining what you did and what you might need to do to make the car road ready. (e.g., remove rags, change the air in the tires, reconnect the battery). Put this note on the dash before you lock the car.

OPTIONAL: If you are a basic mechanic, you could remove the spark plugs and spray a small amount of oil into the cylinders to prevent rusting...but only if you are storing the car over three months. Special "fogging oil" is available for storing boats and will work well for this application. I always use a copper anti-seize lubricant on the plugs when I reinstall them. Iron to Aluminum can cause threads to stick and ruin the heads, which you don't want!

When the weather permits, you will have a nice, clean Porsche ready to take out for Redwood Region events in 2012!

Bob

Great holiday party and New Year's Day drive! I guess we should call ourselves the "Fun Great Run Region". I want to mention to all who saw the slideshow at the holiday party that it would not have been possible without the photography of John Jackson and Barbara McCrory. It was fun putting together so many great photos of our members. Our "Fun Run" on New Year's Day was a reminder of how lucky we are to live where we do! Thanks, Chris and Michael.

It was wonderful to see all the new members' hands go up at the drivers' meeting on New Year's Day. New members: keep checking the calendar on the Redwood Region website as new events will start to be posted after the calendar meeting this month.

Are you planning on going to this year's Porsche Parade in Salt Lake City? It sounds like a lot of fun. Stay tuned for more information about Redwood Region's plans to caravan to Salt Lake City....

Just a final reminder to please keep your contact information up-to-date with PCA National.