What’s New
All right, not really but that sounded cool. Actually what happens at our events at the Meadowlands is talked about, debated and argued for several months after each event. We use what we learned to tweak our cars, our attitudes and most of all our reputations albeit strictly in our own minds. Yes, we can tell our friends and loved ones how incredibly fast we are and how knowledgeable we are but sooner or later the results (granted mostly later and sometimes never) get posted. OK boys and girls, this is one of those times when if you read all of our articles on preparation and strategy and got a good nights sleep in advance of the event and put your heart and soul into it, you actually have the right to brag that you are the fastest in your class (not kindergarten) on any given Sunday, especially July 31, 2011. Oh yes, these are actual results from that event. And by the way a special thanks to our X class and Audi Club drivers for bringing it and laying it all out there. Most of all the course setters for us this season were led by Perry Adlebaum of SCCA fame and our own Robert Ida.
One of the joys of owning a Porsche or other sports car is actually driving the car. Many times I have volunteered to go get that gallon of milk or pick up that bag of dog food (I have two 100 plus pound Bernese Mountain Dogs so it is more frequent than you might think) just so I could get the car out on the road. Now, driving the car and raising money for a good cause only makes it all the more worthwhile. Hence the idea for our fundraiser for Somerset Hills Learning Institute (SHLI) on July 24. SHLI is a school for children and adolescents with autism and is our designated charity for this year.
On September 10, NNJR Concours hosted the second annual Red Mill Museum Concours d‘Elegance. This event was an outrageous success, with over 50 Porsches in attendance. Fortunately, we were bestowed with reasonable weather in light the horrible rains that dominated late August and early September. People came from as far north as the Hudson Valley and south to Philadelphia. Cars ranged in age from as far back as 1957 up to 2011. Almost the entire lifespan of the Porsche automobile was represented. This event was also open to the public and over 200 people came to the event to enjoy the beautiful vehicles on display. The location of the Mill along the Raritan River allowed the vehicles to be majestically displayed and provided an incredible back drop for some magnificent photography.
Join us for Northern NJ Region-Porsche Club of AmericaAnnual…
NNJR is fortunate to have a number of long-time supporters. One of those is Paul Miller Porsche in Parsippany. They have been very good to us over the years, and this season was no exception. Paul Miller sponsored the track dinner at our August DE event at Watkins Glen, and also provided hats, model cars, and a cool desk clock that were given away at the dinner. This was in addition to their dinner sponsorship of Ladies Day at Pocono and for our annual picnic in August. Next time you are near the dealership, stop by to say 'thank-you' to Paul Gavel and the rest of the Paul Miller staff.
Well, here comes the slippery slope. As soon as the average driver begins to learn their way around the course and their car control skills begin to improve – guess what happens next? How can the car be improved as I am surely being held back by my car….. Let’s forget the seat time, experience factors for the moment and focus on sliding down the absolutely justified slippery slope of car improvements. While some of these improvements really are justified and really do help, other modifications may not actually help and may even hinder improvement. This article will cover some of the more basic (and less costly) improvements and future articles will cover items to add to your Holiday wish list.
The most basic and least expensive changes that are available to all Autocrossers are tire pressure and alignment. The other two most common improvements yet cost some bucks are adjustable sway bars and adjustable shocks (height and damping). If you are new to Autocross, these are often not too expensive, very effective at changing the car’s handling and easy to adjust as conditions change.
