Welcome to Space Coast!
Welcome to the Space Coast Region of the PCA serving members in the East Central Florida Counties of Brevard, Indian River and Volusia. We are part of PCA Zone 12. Not a member? Join PCA here and don't forget to select "Space Coast" as your region!
Escape
Velocity Magazine
- February, 2010
Some Recent Event Pictures:
Amelia Island Concours
Sebring HSR Race
Smithsonian Marine Station Tour
Valkaria Air Show
Tech Session at Porsche of Melbourne,
Blake
David
Kelly
48 Hours of Sebring
Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona
Roar before the 24 at Daytona
HSR Race At Sebring
2009 Holiday Party
HSR Race At Daytona
Flight Deck
Details on Upcoming Space Coast Events
Now
INFO Sunrise to Sunset Rally 5, register at
register.pca.org;
actual rally dates are April 24-25, 2010 with Blue skies and Green
lights kickoff party at Porsche of Melbourne on April 23rd.
Event FlyerNow INFO PCA Parade in St. Charles, IL, register at parade2010.pca.org; actual Parade dates are July 3-9, 2010. Watch for more details on a drive to the event leaving July 1st that will include a run through the famous "Tail of the Dragon".
Sat, Mar 20 TOUR/TECH 12 Hours of Sebring Drive, 58th running of the historic ALMS event, drive to race departs Sam's Club at 192 in Melbourne at 5:45am, race starts at 10:30, detailed race information and tickets available at http://www.sebringraceway.com/. Please RSVP to David O'Neal at doneal@cwisdom.com . The Porscheplatz opens early so there is no plan to stop for breakfast and keep in mind that the lines gets a little crazy at and around the track.
Tue, Mar 23 SOCIAL Drive and Dine, Inlet Harbor Restaurant & Marina at Ponce Inlet, 133 Inlet Harbor RD, Ponce Inlet Florida 32127, Phone 386-767-5590. Menu at http://www.inletharbor.com/. RSVP to Andre at amartineau2010@hotmail.com. Central/South crowd will leave Lowe's in Rockledge at 6PM and head north, plan is to be at the restaurant in Daytona around 7PM. Event Flyer
Sat, Apr 10 TOUR/SOCIAL Tax Day Rally, prep for the Sunrise to Sunset rally by returning a traditional event to our schedule. Plan is to start at POM at 9AM and end up at MeMaw's in Indian Harbor Beach for dutch lunch and awards presentation. Also adding a Poker Run element to the mix. Awards for top two rally finishing teams and top poker hand team. Keep checking back as we firm up the plan.
Sat, Apr 17 SOCIAL Kaffeeklatschen @ Panera in Eau Gallie, Vero Beach and Daytona Beach, 9:00am.
Fri. Apr 23 SOCIAL Blue Skies and Green Lights SRS5 Kickoff Party, Porsche of Melbourne at 6:30PM, includes check-in for rally, safety inspection of cars and refreshments courtesy of Porsche of Melbourne. Parking and inspection across the street in the hotel lot. Special guest Derek Bell. Open to all club members. Event Flyer
Sat. Apr 24 TOUR/SOCIAL Sunrise to Sunset Rally 5, register and reservation information at register.pca.org; starts with breakfast and sunrise at the Crown Plaza on Melbourne Beach at 6:30AM. Rally begins after breakfast/sunrise. Lunch stop in Tavares where once again we will have an autocross competition where awards will be earned for the drivers and navigators who can turn the closest times to each other. The event will end at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater Beach for dinner, sunset and the awards presentations. Breakfast and Lunch are being provided by our event sponsor Porsche of Melbourne. Event Flyer
Other activities of interest…
Thu-Sat, Mar 18-20 SOCIAL/TECH 12 Hour of Sebring Porscheplatz, Get an early look at the ALMS teams during practice sessions where drivers are readily available to the public. Porscheplatz opens on the 18th and we will need some volunteers to help throughout the event. please contact David O'Neal at doneal@cwisdom.com if you plan on going and are willing to help out.
Sat-Sun, Mar 27-28 TECH AutoGeek Detailfest, Stuart, Florida, 5th annual detailfest includes everything you would ever want to know about detailing your car. Several of us have attended in the past and it is always an informative event. More details at http://www.autogeek.net/detail-fest.html.
Sat, Mar 27 SKILL SFL DE at Sebring, register for event at register.pca.org
Sat-Sun, Apr 17-18 SKILL FCR DE at Roebling, register for event at register.pca.org
Any Questions? Contact Events Chair Steve Hoffman at
steve1rob2@aol.com
See our Calendar tab for all the details
Flight News: 2/3/10
Parade 2009 Revisited
Will we see you in 2010?
By Cole Scrogham
Registration opens March 9 and continues
through June 20
Colorado in July, sounds kind of backwards doesn’t it? Most people head to the Mountain West to take advantage of powder snow in the winter, but not much snow is to be found in the summer months. “Most people,” however, are not Porsche people; where the location is just an excuse to get together with friends that share a love for the Porsche car. PCA holds its annual Porsche Parade each summer at locales around the US and even Canada from time to time, alternating east, central and west coast destinations. The Parade is the premier event for our club, and as PCA grows the Parade has also been growing over the past decades into a world class event that is not to be missed, and the 2009 edition in Keystone, Colorado was no exception.
Abarth Carrera
Most Parades for me have been an opportunity to take the family on a nice summer vacation, AFTER the competition is over! This is going to sound really weird to most of you, but the Concours is what I really enjoy. It’s not just seeing all the beautiful cars lined up on some beautiful golf course, or all the people that are around enjoying the sight or even the opportunity to get to see something very unique in Porsche’s history. For me, I really enjoy competing in this event, whether with a restoration of a unique Porsche car or a newer model that requires an eye for detail (and very small fingers)…I love the competition. Years ago I was a little more serious about it than today, but that fire still burns enough once a year to make me think about new projects.
This year was a different story. No project, no car and no competition. I thought about not going at all, but after a lot of prodding by my son Michael we were thinking about turning Parade 2009 into a guy’s trip with just the two of us. I was lucky enough to be asked to judge the 356’s, so that at least gave me enough of a “job” to put me over the top. There were lots of rooming options, so we opted for a small condo that had a kitchen, pull out sofa and most amenities other than air conditioning. Turns out that omission wasn’t a big deal until faced with one of the warmest rooms I can remember, but no matter as cool nights and a few electric fans perched on the window sills made it all OK. Why would you need a room with AC in the Colorado Mountains anyway?
Abarth Carrera rear view
It was a surreal experience to walk around the Concours prep area and not have anything to work on. I always enjoyed it when people would come up and comment on your car and ask questions, so I guess now it was my turn. The prep location was a tad bleak in terms of lighting (note that this year Concours entrants will be treated to an indoor facility for prep) as it doubled as a parking garage, but you could still enjoy looking at the cars and catching up with friends. Some of the cars were really nice, and it was a pleasure to actually meet some first timers without looking out from under a car with sweat dripping off my nose! We actually went to the Goodie Store and had time to hang out in the Hospitality area before the Concours, which was pretty interesting with lots to look at and served to take my mind off not participating in the competition.
Michael was having a blast! He had a chance to catch up with some friends he made at the Charlotte Parade the previous year, was up and ready for the continental breakfast in the Hospitality suite each day, and had a great time helping some friends with last minute preparations on their 356 Roadster. On the day of the Concours he helped babysit the Roadster for Jim and Leann Huestess while I judged, and managed to fall asleep in a chair on the field. When he woke up, he said he was pretty sure he could feel the skin on his face frying in the sun, and had the sunburn to prove it!
Orange Boxster Special Edition
After the judging was over, he took the camera to the historic display and took some photos of cars that he liked. He settled on a nicely restored 550 Spyder and an original 906 that Jim Perrin has owned since Nixon was president, I think, but the Abarth Carrera really caught his attention with its louvered Italian body and classic shape. On the judging field he found a beautiful Blue Cayman with the Aero Kit and one of the Orange special edition Boxsters that stood out in a field of gorgeous cars. We were called back to our friends with the Roadster, it turned out they were chosen to participate in final judging so we helped Jim and Leann arrange the car on the field for a few last minute details. They were so excited to have won the Preservation Award trophy in the 356 class, while the overall award went to a very nice 928.
Each day we managed to feed ourselves lunch by making sandwiches from some goodies purchased at a local store, with no girls around that meant white bread with mayo and turkey, and an occasional beef jerky stick with a side of cheese ball and a Dr. Pepper to wash it all down. I wasn’t sure if we were having lunch or getting ready for a Super Bowl party! One day we decided after our gourmet guy lunch that a trip to the Continental Divide was in order, and although the rental car protested we made it to the top in only a half hour or so. We managed a short walk up some stairs to take in some beautiful scenery, but had to stand there for a minute to catch our breath at that altitude. It was amazing how quickly you became winded and had to pace yourself physically for just a few stairs. On the way back down we took another break and were getting our breath when we saw one of the riders on the US Cycling team come pedaling to the top. Pretty embarrassing…they were getting a final test in before the Tour de’France began, and we could barely make it back to the car.
Michael at Continental Divide-
I wanted to try and stick around for the Tech Quiz, but we had to get back home early and so we settled for a quick trip to the Autocross instead. I didn’t need Michael getting any ideas, but a Parade Autocross is a pretty big deal with the number and variety of cars involved. Usually the Autocross takes several days just to get through the run groups, and the competition can be pretty fierce for those seriously into this sport. The same can be said of the Rally, I guess it boils down to everyone can participate and have a great time at any level, but these events can also be extremely competitive. I love it when first timers show up, they always have such a good time just being there and taking it all in, asking questions and getting a lot of help from those more experienced. It is easy to see future friendships taking place, some of which will last many, many years if not a lifetime. Those friendships really come home to me when we follow the tradition at the Parade of recognizing long time Parade goers. I won’t spoil the surprise if you have not seen it before, but suffice it to say when Mike Robbins has been to over 50 Porsche Parades (most of them in the same 356 Speedster!) that is quite an accomplishment. Won’t you join us this year in St. Charles, IL for your first one?
Parade registration opens in early March. If you have never attended and are wondering what it is all about, check the Parade website at http://parade2010.pca.org. The 2010 venue is a “resort” Parade at beautiful Pheasant Run in St. Charles, IL, which means everything you need is close at hand and most events are within walking distance. The central location should give Porsche owners from both coasts an opportunity to attend. Priority registration is n March 9th through 11th to give everyone an even start and not overwhelm the server, and continues through June 20th. So put those dates on your calendar and join your Porsche friends for a great time!
For discussion opportunities, please join our forum at:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/spacecoastpca/
And Visit Our Sponsor: http://www.porscheofmelbourne.com
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