Larry Sharp presents special gift to Rich WyettThe 2008 Christmas Party was SNR’s last event for the year. Seventy-one Sierra Nevada Region members enjoyed the festivities and a delicious meal at the Atlantis Hotel and Spa Casino. This was a night to celebrate and highlight the 18 events we enjoyed this year.

Zone 7 representative, Larry Sharp, and his wife, KC, joined us to help with the celebration. We were also joined by Scott McAllister from Bill Pearce Porsche. Most 2008 board members and many past presidents were in attendance.

Dave and Linda Delbridge with Cindy Wyett at the PorscheplatzLaguna Seca – the name conjures up memories of famous drivers, innovative cars, fantastic races on a world famous track and this year’s Sports Car Championships were no exception. The weekend consisted of a series of races, the featured race being the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) season finale. Porsche was well represented with the Penske Spyders in the P2 class challenged by the Acura teams and the Flying Lizards 911 RSR’s fighting it out with the Ferraris F430’s in GT2 class. The sights and sounds of the racing arena at Laguna Seca were carnival like with the roar of race engines, highly colored cars and thousands of race fans.

New 911 Carrera S, Courtesy of PCNAThe morning was cool and the sky was clear and blue. My wife Tammy and I walked out of our house to Blackie, our black ’77 911S, and got in. Blackie was excited to go for a drive and see his newest family members. He has had a rough life and shows his age, but is still a willing partner when the road throws him a curve. Blackie’s trusty flat six fired to life with a few complaints (making use of his pop off valve), but quickly settled into a low idle. After a few minutes of warming up, we pulled into the street and with a mechanical whir from the engine bay and roar from the tail pipe we were off. Blackie pulled strongly as we zipped through the spaghetti bowl heading towards the Tamarack Junction. The loud mechanical and visceral noises filled the cabin of the old 911 like the warmth of an old friend. Little did I know the strong contrasts that would be made later as I drove Porsche’s newest 911 Carrera. The rest of the drive was uneventful, save for the few glances Tammy gave me every time I encountered a stoplight and ran through the gears to the redline.