Today, I returned from a great weekend in Daytona Beach for the 24 Hours at Daytona race. Several Regions of Zone 12 man the Porsche Corral at the race, and our responsibility was for the 4-hour time span from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Several Suncoast members joined us to help man the tent, and my thanks go out to each of them. This is a lot of fun, and I intend to involve more Suncoasters next year.
After great qualifying efforts and good early positioning, Porsche was unable to get a class win in either GTLM or GTD, but finished on the podium in both classes. The performance of the new Porsche GT3 RSR and the GT3 R give the marque a lot of hope for more success later in the year. The 12 Hours of Sebring is right around the corner (March 19), so the Porsche teams get another great opportunity to get the year off to a good start.
As I write this message, I am preparing to go to the 48 Hours at Sebring for the club race. The weather is expected to be excellent, and I’m looking forward to another great event. This is the largest club race on the PCA calendar, and it takes an army of volunteers to make it happen every year. If you didn’t attend, you missed a great show! Next month’s Profile will have more information on the event.
On March 6, our autocross season continues with an autocross at Desoto Speedway. Our autocross program is skillfully headed by Brian West. If you have never participated in an autocross, you have missed a really good time, and one of the best schools in car handling you can attend. I encourage you to come out and join the fun. Register at clubregistration.net.
Our March “Date Your Porsche” social event returns us to one of our most popular venues: Bahama Breeze in Tampa on March 23. If you want to meet some fellow club members and discover for yourself what the PCA motto, “It’s not just the cars, it’s the people,” really means, come join us.
There is one non-PCA event that I want to mention, and that is the Patrick Long Pro-Am “Karts 4 Kids” event that is held every year on the Sunday after the 12 Hours at Sebring. This event benefits All Children’s Hospital, and raises significant funds to support that great hospital. Each year, many of the drivers that participated in the 12 Hours of Sebring join Patrick to team with local amateurs for the 1½ hour enduro. In 2015, the driver lineup included Colin Braun, Jordan and Ricky Taylor, Katherine Legge, Jan Heylan, and Dr. Jim Norman. The race is held at Anderson Park in Palmetto, and features a car show, an auction of auto memorabilia, and entertainment by the local band Benjamin Road. The cost to attend for spectators is $25.00 per person. The format of the event is that 4 amateurs team up with one or more pros to drive a kart. The cost for the team of amateurs is $1,200. For more information, go to the website http://kart4kids.com/
In order to promote more camaraderie among Porsche owners, I want to encourage each of you to flash your headlights at other Porsche owners you pass on the road. If it has a Porsche badge, it deserves a flash!
Enjoy your Porsche and your club!