Great season opener at Summit...and a big thanks...

[Mark in Baltimore]

Thanks Potomac for putting on another great Summit event. Despite the wind, cold and, um, snow, I had a wonderful time and somehow posted my fastest(!) ever lap time (almost broke into the 26's). Too bad I'm as inconsistent as the electrical system in a Lotus. It was great to see Rick, Charlie, Pari and Ted. Oh, and thanks Tony K. for your awesomely quick reflexes while I tried to fit my rear tow hook into your driver's side key hole after brain fading on my exit out of turn 8 and thinking that the middle of the track was a good place to apex into Turn 9. Nice move keeping us both out of the body shop. :wink:

[Parenn911]

Mark, it was nice to see you at the track. I enjoyed the company of Rudy, he is a awesome mut. Congrat's on the fast lap time! Nice driving out there, I was watching you on turn ten haulin a@$ :o . The weather Saturday was an unpredictable mess.



Hat’s off to Bob Novas, he is an exceptional instructor, and an amazing driver :shock:. After getting a ride in his Carrera, I now know what a 911 is capable of :D . Thanks for two real fun DE days Bob, I really appreciate you teaching me new driving techniques, heel &toe is cool. 8)

[John Barreto]

I enjoyed meeting many "dorki" at the DE. A big thanks to Marc A. for helping me with front pads. Had it not been for the attention, I would have been metal to rotors. Got Pagid Orange and now I can stop where I want!
I'll try to catch the May fun run if my kids' schedule allows. Have fun at VIR.

[KJinDC]

Definitely a good first weekend! Well, apart from the oil leak I discovered. But all 911s do that don't they. Even the watercooled ones! :P

Mark, it was fun running with you when you were in red. I think I like the Dunlop SSRs, but they definitely aren't as grippy as the Michelins. I don't miss the way it takes Michelins 1-2 laps to warm up though.

Looking forward to more events this year and meeting more Dorkis.

-KJ

[bettyc]

"Hat’s off to Bob Novas, he is an exceptional instructor, and an amazing driver"

Oh Pari. And here I thought I was your favorite instructor. Now I find out in such a public forum that I was but a fleeting fancy....Oh the agony...the humiliation... :cry:

That's okay. There are lots more Dorkis to ride with. :wink:

Greg, Ted and Paul, thanks for the rides. Great fun!

[Mackpipes]

What a fantastic weekend. Congrats to those who got promoted to White, Doug (Mr. Smooth) and Greg (The Beastmaster). And was that }{arliquin who was getting a check out ride in BLUE at the end of the day? Way to go guys, well deserved. Thanks to those who helped me bleed my brakes this weekend. Gota love the Dorki Brotherhood. :D
I had a great weekend with Betty as my instructor. She helped me "find" alot of speed where I was relaxing or lifting before. I managed to "pop my cherry" and had my first real spin in turn 9 on Saturday. Early apexed it and pinched it at the top. Tried (and failed) to save it, but managed to keep the motor running. actually managed to keep the thing on the track though the whole spin. I did drive off after seeing traffic coming my way. :shock: Sunday ended with a checkout ride with Gary Church, in White. If you feel you've reached a plateau in you're driving skill and need a little nudge, Gary's the instructor you want. He'll definately push you where you need to be pushed. He had his GPS in the car for the check out ride and he clocked a 1:29 lap time. :shock: To give you an idea of how significant a drop that is. Last time I was at SP in October, I was running consistant 1:36's. :shock: Betty was a blast to ride with, as was Gary, I'd recommend them all day long. Thanks to both for a great learning experience.

[cmartin]

1:29 lap time :shock:

OK, that explains it.

Great weekend guys! Good to see the veterans advancing their skills and the enthusiasm of the new guys is contagious! Big thanks to TK.

My lesson of the weekend. If the car doesnt feel right, come into the pits. I had a low rear tire and was fortunate to make it in safely.

[Mark in Baltimore]

Pari - Thanks for letting Rudy do his "bidness" while you were tending to him.

KJ - It was fun running with you on Friday. Hope to do it again soon.

[Parenn911]

"Hat’s off to Bob Novas, he is an exceptional instructor, and an amazing driver"

Oh Pari. And here I thought I was your favorite instructor. Now I find out in such a public forum that I was but a fleeting fancy....Oh the agony...the humiliation... :cry:

That's okay. There are lots more Dorkis to ride with. :wink:

Greg and Ted, thanks for the rides. Great fun!
Aw Betty, you know I still got love for you :wink: . I requested you this time around, but Ted had to hog you all to himself. I guess he was afraid that I would have been promoted to White also if I had you as my instructor :P :lol: .
Don't worry Betty, this little guy is for you only, http://img189.exs.cx/img189/3962/bowdown5rj.gif !
I hope I'm lucky enough to get you in the right seat for Mid-Ohio. (hear that Dorki's, the line starts here!)
BTW, thanks for taking care of my bro Paul. :D


Congrat's to all who got promoted, Ted (Mr. White), Doug, and Greg, oh yeah and that guy who has green duct tape, green socks, green belt buckles, and green shoelaces :mrgreen: . Good job Dave, give Charlie a run for his money in Blue :twisted: .

[Vicegrip]

Betty, don’t let this get you down, the rest of us still love you, pink Keds and all. I guess Pari falls in love with whoever is in the right seat (except that first guy, but the first time is always a little painful) :shock:

[BobNovas]

Ain't friends wonderful? :roll:

Thanks Pari - I enjoyed the ride! :D

[bettyc]

Pari, I know you're trying to "make-up" but I won't be at Mid Ohio this year. VIR is our April event with Zone 2 and then back to Summit in May. After MO I'll pass my crying towel on to Bob N. as I have a feeling he will be joining me in the "yeah they were great but I'm on to better things" group! :P

[Parenn911]

Betty, don’t let this get you down, the rest of us still love you, pink Keds and all. I guess Pari falls in love with whoever is in the right seat (except that first guy, but the first time is always a little painful) :shock:
Nope not all, I only fall in love with those in the right seat who actually teach me something, rather than someone in the right seat who gives me a bunch of crap (first guy).

After MO I'll pass my crying towel on to Bob N. as I have a feeling he will be joining me in the "yeah they were great but I'm on to better things" group!
Yeah right, I don't think that will ever be the case with me. There will always be a place on my pedestal for the both of you :D.

[}{arlequin]

Congrat's to all who got promoted, Ted (Mr. White), Doug, and Greg, oh yeah and that guy who has green duct tape, green socks, green belt buckles, and green shoelaces :mrgreen: . Good job Dave, give Charlie a run for his money in Blue :twisted: .
You know... GREEN is the new black :twisted: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em... :roll:

I want to thank my instructor, Chris Brady. He deserves all the praise. He quickly showed me where to get speed but on the straights he said I'm on my own ;)

If it was deliberate, I'd like thank the person who matched up a longhood instructor w/ a longhood student. It seemed like I had different track placement than most cars, but thanks to Chris' knowledge, for me, it was the *right* places to be.

Thanks for a fun and safe weekend!

[BillJ]

There is a bit of that in the magic brew of student/instructor assignment. Each student is carefully considered and combinations are quite often deliberate.

For example, they usually pair the problem, er promising, students with Betty :lol: :D :) :twisted:
(joke inserted above)

While there certainly is a classic line at each track, there are differences in what can (and perhaps should) be done dependent on the wheels and nut behind them combination. Potomac has top notch leadership and it really shines in the DE program. HAving run with 4 different regions over the years, this is the best.

[bettyc]

Alan Herod is the magician behind the student/instructor matchups. He's also the one to talk to if you want a check out ride for a higher group or need to change your instructor assignment.

He has a big job and does it very well!

[Mackpipes]

Bill wrote:
For example, they usually pair the problem, er promising, students with Betty

Bill, my grade school teachers always told me I was a problem child. I guess some things never change. :lol:

[TD in DC]

Great first event for me at Summit Point (apart from HPDC on Jefferson Circuit). It was great meeting everyone. Thanks to all.

Each run seemed a little more fun, and I was happy to have made it through my first solo drive without any rabid racoons jumping through my window and causing me to spin right after 10 (you know who you are :lol: ).

I had a chance to watch the video that I took, and it looks great, particularly on a normal sized screen! Two runs are particularly nice: (1) the run where Dennis Hermann was driving my car (of course) and describing the line and (2) the video of my solo run. The snow run is kinda cool too.

As promised, I will be posting them next week after I return from the Big Easy. If any of you is particularly good at video editing, please send me a PM. I have a few questions.

Thanks,

TD in DC

[}{arlequin]

I'll be on the lookout for your targa around the city. Can't wait for the vids.

[Cliff Claven]

Given the weather forecasts, the weekend sure turned out far better than everyone expected. Awesome, especially after so many months of waiting. My car sure enjoyed it. She was happy and growling and wanting to run this morning as I drove her to work. I had to hold her back, with promises that Schattenbaum SP was less than two weeks away, and VIR only a week after that.... Awesome.

[photoeditor]

I have to get in on the love-fest...

EXCELLENT weekend learning experience. Very humbling too. I'm couldn't fight off the cold that nagged me all weekend so I'm sorry I'm slow in posting some photos.

I'll post a few that Richard Curtis shot, then a few of mine. I'll try and get serious about the photos when I feel better.

Great to meet everyone and thanks to my instructor, Don!

Cheers,

Michael

[Mackliet]

Thanks to everyone for making this an enjoyable experience.

- Potomac and all the folks that worked so hard behind the scenes.
- Marc and Bob Mulligan for helping me diagnose those puddles behind my left front tire.
- Bob Mulligan for being my instructor, twice now.
- Michael for the cool Dorki stickers and the serious camera equipment.
- Richard L. for some extra insight on China. Some of which is a little scary.
- All those taking and posting pictures.
- The rest of the gang, of course!

[call911]

What a super weekend! My freshly rebuilt engine ran flawlessly...I wish I could say the same about my heel/toe :roll: It was great to finally be able to put faces to some of the names I've been seeing on the board. Thanks to everyone for making me feel welcome. It's so nice to meet a group of people who own these cars for the "right" reasons (i.e. wrenching, spirited driving, and the track) instead of just waxing and hoping to be seen driving them around town! I took a bunch of photos and will try to get some posted next couple days.

[87turbolook911]

Sounds like you all had a great time. Wish I was there.. :(

Hopefully I'll get to participate in the June DE...that's when my schedule actually starts to clear :oops:

I look forward to hearing more of the details in person.

[}{arlequin]

Bruce, your car rocks! That is one awesome machine. When they "die" and return, it's what all RSA's wish they could be!

[Jazzbass]

This was my first DE weekend. What a freaking blast. I had a great instructor and learned so much. I especially learned that I have sooooo much to learn. The best part was chasing and being chased by my fellow green Carreras and SCs. Todd, Bruce, you guys suck with your powerful cars, but I really enjoyed working on my passing signal with you.

It was also great watching all the other drivers and being able to understand what they were doing. I was most impressed by the guys in white running what were basically stock cars (Dave, Doug) and driving the absolute crap out of them. And watching the 935 eat people for lunch in red. Wow.

I was great to meet many of the *new* guys on the board - those that are new or haven't been to a lot of gatherings. Problem is that now I know eveyone's real names, I have to try and associate them with the posts here.

Can't wait for MO.

[TD in DC]

Todd, Bruce, you guys suck with your powerful cars, but I really enjoyed working on my passing signal with you.

He He. I have one example of a middle finger point by on tape. It shows up when you watch the video on the big screen. Pretty funny. :lol:

[Parenn911]

Hi Todd, it was nice running around the track with you this weekend. See you at MO!

[VaSteve]

I had a good time. Good to hang in the Dorki ghetto and nice meeting some of the lurkers - lurk no more! I wasn't sure what I should have expected of myself or the car. The car ran really well for having been worked on by my hands and seemed to run a little better on the way home. :)

Learned a lot:
1. I shift too early
2. I brake to soft.
3. I don't go fast enough.
4. I don't know what the car can do and don't trust it to slow or not step out at inopportune times.
5. It's nerve wracking to be on the track with other drivers - especially those of you I know.
6. 25 minutes is a long time and the last run session is a tough one. (I have never seen my concentration fade so fast!).

War stories I will no doubt tell for the next 20 years.
1. Driving through a pack of deer between 9 and 10.
2. Awesome countersteer save in 3 when it was snowing. (I'd like to think it was carryover knowledge from HPDC, but probbaly more luck.)

[Don Wohlfarth]

It's nerve wracking to be on the track with other drivers
I don't understand, weren't you all going in the same direction? :lol:

[Jazzbass]

I don't understand, weren't you all going in the same direction? :lol:
Most of the time, although I can think of one notable exception coming out of turn 10. :D

[Trak Ratt]

It's nerve wracking to be on the track with other drivers
I don't understand, weren't you all going in the same direction? :lol:

Except the 951, put he was doing an engine swap :wink:

[}{arlequin]

I don't understand, weren't you all going in the same direction? :lol:
Most of the time, although I can think of one notable exception coming out of turn 10. :D
It's actually very helpful to get a different perspective on a corner and see it from all angles...

[Mackpipes]

Hey Steve, I thought the only thing you "Carried over" from the HPDC was a reciept from the tow truck driver. :P

I almost turned that 951 facing uphill in turn 4 into a hood ornament for my car! :shock:

[Parenn911]

Hey Steve, I thought the only thing you "Carried over" from the HPDC was a reciept from the tow truck driver. :P
ROFL :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Nice one Ted! :D

[TD in DC]

Hi Todd, it was nice running around the track with you this weekend. See you at MO!

Ditto. I really appreciate the friendly treatment I received from the ghetto dwellers. It will be great to coordinate the next events and watch everyone become better drivers over time. I can't wait for MO.

[VaSteve]

Hey Steve, I thought the only thing you "Carried over" from the HPDC was a reciept from the tow truck driver. :P



Ow, Ted. That hurt more than the reaming I got from the Tow Truck Driver. :shock:

































:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Spike]

Hey I have to join in and let everyone know I had a great time. It was good to see you guys I was on last Fall's fun run with, or those I was at HPDC with, again. It was great to meet the rest of the 'gang' for the first time.

I HAD A BLAST!

I was really bummed when I thought I might not be able to drive when I started snapping my lug nuts off, but I'm glad it all worked out. I guess
Anti Seize really is good to use on those things - plus don't tighten them
up after a tense work week :o

I had Gregg Wilson as an instructor and though I do not think he is a Dorki, I would quickly recommend him to anyone who is looking for good feedback and advice. I learned a lot from him and I think we both had a few laughs over the course of the two days. Hats off :!:

My biggest mistake was on the Green run when they said we had 5
minutes but then sent us out in like 30 seconds! I was so busy getting
my d*mn helmet and gloves and microphone on I forgot to strap
myself in! I can tell you that lap was a bit sloppy as I held onto the
wheel like the Skipper use to on the opening scene to Gilligan's Island.

Pari, thanks for showing me the short cut home. I'll give you a call this week for lunch.

[VaSteve]

Pari, thanks for showing me the short cut home. I'll give you a call this week for lunch.

Heh heh. Speaking of Short Cuts... don't drive Snickersville Turnpike as a shortcut home. After a day of high intensity driving you have to be on full alert for suspension snapping pot holes. A dirt road would have been a better choice. :roll:

[swftiii]

It was a great start to the season, mostly. Good to see many of the normal crew there as well as hang out in Dorkiville for a little while. You guys had a great setup with the circled wagons to protect the village.

Rick - love the new SC

VA Steve - glad to see you bitten by the track bug - it gets better/worse depending on how you look at it. Look forward to see you at the track more often.

Hopefully the next event will allow us to not break out the ski wear and to actually feel our fingers and toes. That is important....

-Skip

[call911]

Fellow Dorki. I finally got some new pics up on the gallery link this am from the weekend. Hope I matched everybody up ok with their cars/names/call sign! Lot's of great new people/cars for me to learn. :D I'll get some more up later...

http://www.dorkiphus.com/porsche/modules.php?set_albumName=PCA-Potomac-Summit-Point-March-12-13-2005&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=vi ew_album.php

[Chopper Dropper]

Seriously missing a blue 914/6 with white front and rear deck lids!!!!
Dirk

[call911]

Dirk,

It was nice meeting you and Dean with Sandy over a beer at the end of the day on Sat. I'll post more pics over the weekend. Unfortunately, I seem to have a rear engine bias in my photo journalism :lol:

[Chopper Dropper]

Hey Henry, mine is behind the cockpit!!
Dirk

[Parenn911]

Hey Henry, mine is behind the cockpit!!
Dirk
Yeah but mid technically isn't in the rear :wink: .

Gallery updated. Note to self, time to find a digital camera with a competent zoom :roll: .

[Chopper Dropper]

:P Parri, but thanks for the photo :wink:
Dirk

[John Barreto]

Henry,
Very nice. Thanks for the picture!

[call911]

Dirk, nice looking 914-6! I saw Hurley Haywood driving the orange "59" Brumos car at the Jeff 500 a couple years ago. He was dominating the field.

John, glad you liked it. You were very smooth through T8/9.

Posted a few more pics for everybody. Enjoy!

[Chopper Dropper]

It is a factory 914/6, still have the original 6 but PO put in a "88 3.2, and I had to put in a 915 box. Pretty much rust free, but does need some cleaning up of the body,FG flares hope to have it painted sometime before Mid Ohio. Fun little thing,and have historic plates for it.
Dirk

[photoeditor]

A few more photos added to SP March 12,13 DE gallery... :D

Anyone want a high res, let me know.

Cheers,

Michael

[VaSteve]

A few more photos added to SP March 12,13 DE gallery... :D

Anyone want a high res, let me know.

Cheers,

Michael

Michael,


Great stuff!! Did you or Richard get any nice high res shots of me on the track? Maybe you could photoshop the background to look like my car was actually moving fast. :)

[Jazzbass]

Nice pictures, Michael. I especially liked this one:

http://www.dorkiphus.com/porsche/modules/albums/PCA-Potomac-Summit-Point-March-12-13-2005/Got_tape.jpg

[call911]

(Nice pictures, Michael. I especially liked this one: )


I don't know.....looks like I just missed a podium finish :lol:

[photoeditor]

But Henry, you win for the most sophisticated color sceme! :lol:

Cheers!

Michael

[photoeditor]

Great stuff!! .... Maybe you could photoshop the background to look like my car was actually moving fast. :)

Careful what you ask for. :twisted:

(check the gallery :roll: :roll: :roll:

[Vicegrip]

new ajustment layer, slect tool, blur, more blur, merge down?

[VaSteve]

Now that's what I'm talking about!!!


http://www.dorkiphus.com/porsche/modules/albums/PCA-Potomac-Summit-Point-March-12-13-2005/fassssVaSteve.jpg

[Jim Richards]

Now that's what I'm talking about!!!


http://www.dorkiphus.com/porsche/modules/albums/PCA-Potomac-Summit-Point-March-12-13-2005/fassssVaSteve.jpg
Steve, those weren't pixels, they were bits coming off your car just prior to being black flagged. :P

[VaSteve]

You can clearly see the stuffing coming out of my Targa top. It's like a smoke screen to keep the drivers behind me at bay. :lol:

[photoeditor]

Kurt, you've got it. (used filter, blur, motion on background; used filter, stylize, wind. on car) :wink:

Jim and Steve, that is some RICH commentary!! :P :P

Cheers,

Michael