Sat 4/20             Redwood Region Lunch Run  (note date change)

Sun 4/21           Zone 7 Concours Preparation & Judging School 

Mon 4/22            Sears Point Autocross Event Trackmasters

Sat 5/4             Redwood Region Autocross #3

Sat-Sun 5/4-5    Zone 7 Sequoia Autocross #3 and #4 Kerman

Thu-Sat 5/9-11  American Le Mans Monterey Porscheplatz Laguna Seca

Tue 5/28           Redwood Region Board Meeting

Those of you that have come out for Redwood Autocrosses know that we have one of the best venues for this type of event. The vast majority of sites are simply flat open expanses of concrete or asphalt, and the courses laid out on them create the appearance of a sea of cones. Our site on the other hand has two clearly defined road surfaces connected by smaller roads, mostly at 90 degree angles. This gives us the advantage of much clearer layouts and the feeling of being on a track instead of a parking lot.

 

Last month I announced that we had chosen a contractor for our planned repairs to the 'go-cart' section of the course. I am chagrined to tell you that we have run into a snag in the approval process for this repair. Our Board was informed this week that Sonoma County's Risk Management Department will not allow the work to go forward as planned. Please see below for the text of their letter:

 

Subject: Track Repair Project

 

Risk Management has provided the following feedback regarding the paving project:

 

The absence of a contract between the County and the paving contractor puts the airport and County at significant risk.  We will not have the protections afforded by our standard agreements, the most important being the contractor's obligation to indemnify us.  Although SBI will provide evidence of insurance, it will have no contractual obligation to indemnify us for losses.  The indemnification language in our agreements obligates a contractor to indemnify us for all losses, to the extent permitted by Section 2782 of the California Civil Code, even if the losses are outside the scope of the contractor's insurance or in excess of the policy limits. 

 

Unfortunately, this means that the project cannot go forward. The County would first have to get an engineer to evaluate the site and provide a scope of work for the project. The Airport would then have to get at least 3 bids for the project, which means that it isn't possible to enter into a contract with SBI unless they are the lowest bidder.

 

We are probably more disappointed than the car clubs; it sounded like such a great idea.

 

Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport

2290 Airport Blvd.

Santa Rosa, CA 95403  

 

Our approach for the time being is to let the dust settle a bit, and then begin to explore ways in which we can proceed with at least some of the proposed repairs. As you might imagine, engineering studies will likely present a significant increase in costs. Also, the Airport was unable to provide us with a list of County approved contractors.

 

On the one hand, since the two car clubs, PCA RR and ESCA, were planning to pay all costs for the repaving, the County's requirement for additional bids seems unwarranted.   On the other hand, government agencies do have reason to be concerned with liability. The fact is that we do not own our autocross site, but lease it on a one event at a time basis from the County. This being the case we are forced to play by their rules. I do not, however, have to be happy about it and I am not.

 

Let me be absolutely clear that with or without repairs to "go-cart", our AX site remains superior, and a great basis for many really fun and challenging courses. We will continue to design and run these as we develop plans for the future. I love our site, and I love Autocross. I look forward to seeing you there.

 

That's all for now. Down the road.

 

Vern

With winter behind us and spring starting to break out wherever we look, it's time to roll your Porsche out of its garage and into the sunlight. There are many opportunities to drive your Porsche to a PCA event in the coming months. This issue highlights several autocrosses, a concours judging school, a lunch run to Napa, Porscheplatz at ALMS Laguna Seca, Sonoma Historics at Sears Point (with a car corral on Sunday ONLY), and a GGR DE/TT/Club Race at Buttonwillow. Plenty of great activities to choose from ... or choose them all!

You will also find for your reading pleasure a report on the Whale to Whale Tail Rallye by new member David Spenser (thanks David), The Seven Most Important 911s of the Last Fifty Years, Kurt's Korner and of course a message from our President.

March issue: the photo credit for "Happy Seller and Buyer" should have been attributed to Ronald Breeze.

The 3rd annual Redwood Region Whale to Whale Tail Rallye was held on March 23rd. About 25 drivers and riders in 15 or so cars met at the Cafe Mocha to begin the day. Following introductions by Bob, Anita, Don and Vern, a brief history of the Whale to Whale Tail Rallye, and a rundown of the ground rules, the group set out for River Road and the run to the coast.

 

Before reaching Jenner the group made a quick pit stop in Duncan Mills. This was a well thought out and strategically placed stop to allow everyone the opportunity to get rid of some of their morning coffee before we hit Highway 1; there aren't many stops along the way. It also gave members the time to check out the variety of vehicles. I actually saw people getting down on the ground to check out the exhaust system on one of the 911s!

With the coffee gone, we set out once again. Upon reaching the coast and traveling a ways further north, we made another stop at a bend in the road large enough to allow all the vehicles to pull off the road. There we learned a bit more about the various whales we might see migrating along the coast. A bit more talk, a bit more ogling, and back to the road. Next stop, Point Arena.

 

The drive along the coast was beautiful. Following the recent rain we had a clear, crisp, sunny morning . I was particularly impressed with the number of intrepid souls driving with tops down. But then, what's the point of driving a convertible with the top up? On a personal note, I'm a newbie Porsche owner and I've got a lot to learn about driving my Boxster. Traveling behind more experienced drivers brought that point home quickly. Those drivers seem to have an aversion to using their brake pedals, opting (I assume now) to use their gears to control speed when going into turns. I, however, was making constant use of that pedal. A good argument for participating in future track events.

We finally reached Point Arena about 11:30 in the morning. Although clear, it was cold and windy at the Lighthouse. With some minor technical difficulties (The wind was knocking over the Jeopardy basket), we were able to play a spirited game of Rallye Jeopardy. The winners received some fabulous prizes that Anita and Bob had obviously spent a lot of time obtaining.

Winners of the jeopardy game:

• Bob Sherwood
• Mac and Becky Cranford
• John and Libby Fitzgerald
• Robert Porter

With the game over the Rallye officially ended. Some members had brought lunches and so sat down to eat. Others toured the museum or climbed the steps to the top of the Lighthouse. With appetites and curiosity satisfied, the group slowly disbanded and began the trip home.

 

.................................................  

 

A brief history of the Lighthouse. It was first constructed in 1870. The 1906 earthquake damaged the lighthouse and Keeper's residence so badly that they had to be demolished. A new lighthouse was constructed by 1908. It's 115 feet tall and has a 1st Order Fresnel lens. The lens is over 6 feet in diameter and weighs more than 6 tons. It flashes twice every 6 seconds, and was built in France.

RSVP:                                      MotorsportReg.com

Lunch Menu :                           Redhen Cantina Menu

Questions?   Don Magdanz:    don@olsinc.com

Event Flyer here

510.501.9278

Mike Hinton, Vice President

707.525.8623

707.995.5082

415.577.0647

415.258.9619

707.478.7962

415.258.0242

415.299.7563

Barbara McCrory, der Riesenbaum interim Co-Editor
barbara@ground-speed.com
916.747.1447
Jerry Gladstone, der Riesenbaum interim Co-Editor
redpca@sonic.net
707-525-8623