Hitting Apexes…… Jan 2014

Wow, time does really fly when you are having fun. I can remember the day when I first joined the PCA as this coincided with me purchasing my first Porsche (a 1997 Guards Red 911 Cabrio with the Cashmere leather interior). . What a car and what a day that was! For the first couple of years I would mainly wash/wax/drive/repeat my 911. I then learned about AutoX and started to participate in more and more events, attended a Porscherama and started noticing this DE thing going on all around me. Hmmm, that looks like fun. Well, time to add a roll bar, racing seats and harnesses to my then 1997 Black 911 Cabrio . The hook was clearly planted and I was well on my way down the slippery slope. During this time I also started volunteering to “help out”….. Next thing you know, I am Chairing the AutoX program along with Tom DePascale, doing this for a few years, becoming your Treasurer and now you VP/DE Chair. I do remember being “recruited” to Chair AutoX and Howard Mintz telling me, “don’t worry Tom, you will have plenty of help”. Howard then went off to Florida for the next months……
Five Porsche’s later, I now drive a somewhat track prepared 2007 GT3 (aka TRAKRAT) and I am TOTALLY addicted to this HPDE stuff. I AutoX as much as I can, totally enjoy planning/teaching at our annual Car Control Clinic and I average 27 plus DE track days each year. If all goes as planned, I will hopefully be Instructing DE in 2014 (while running the DE Program?! What am I nuts?!). My wife Lisa just started to participate in our DE’s in 2013 and I am sure you will now see her at a few more events going forward. I knew she was hooked when she finished her first DE (Ladies Day at Pocono) stating that she now knows what I was talking about when I would go on-and-on about my GT3 and that she hates to be passed. LOL!!
As I am writing this article in November and this is our January issue of P4Us, the main activity is planning and organizing our 2014 DE Program as well as our “Intro to Performance Driving” and “High Performance Instructor/Driver” seminars. On Sunday January 26 we will conduct our Intro to Performance Driving seminar at The Villa. At this event we introduce DE as well as AutoX and our annual Car Control Clinic to new members and drivers. Then in early February (February 9) we will hold our High Performance Driving Seminar for our Instructors (morning session and by invite only), have a nice lunch and then in the afternoon of the same day, we hold a seminar for all other drivers. I am very happy to report that this year’s seminars will be led by Bryan Sellers a Pro Racer from Team Falken!! Please check the ad in this issue for more details.
Well, what about our 2014 season? Well, we have a great season in the works and can give you a peek at the 2014 calendar of events. It is similar to 2013’s schedule with a few minor changes to work around some Pro Races that are held at our favorite tracks. Here is the DRAFT version:

Like most of our NNJR Programs, there is a Chair and then legions of volunteers behind the scenes that are the ones that really make it all happen. As this is my first year chairing our DE program, I am just learning about all the fantastic people that do what they do that enables us to have the best program in the nation. So far in the planning stages, I want to give special thanks to Drew our outgoing DE Chair for all his help in ensuring a smooth transition and imparting all the nitty gritty about our DE program (and for loading up my home office with stacks of paper, Instructor and Student Cards, file folders, a very very slow PC and one huge laser printer). I also want to thank Bob Michaelson our past President (twice over) and past DE Chair for all his help and knowledge about the tracks, the main contacts, locking in dates and getting the contracts to us. Thanks Bob!
Well, there is not all that much more to write about at this point, but if you have not DE’ed, AutoX’ed or participated in our Car Control Clinic, please do, you will not be disappointed. If you have any question at all, please feel free to contact me at: (862) 206-9610 or at trackchair@nnjr-pca.com
In closing, I leave you a few pictures of my 2013 season and having fun and enjoying the best of times with friends and NNJR members.

Tom