Rich O’Larey, Jan Snickars, Jackie Aynesworth and Nancy Giannini at the Tahoe Ridge Wine Bar. (Photo by C Kugler)After a great morning technical session and a light lunch, we assembled for a 1 PM departure from Gilson Autobody to see how our favorite machines were going to handle a drive rather than sitting in our garages !! Curtis Fong prepared an ambitious drive for us and we headed south toward Virginia City via the Geiger Grade. Ascending the winding mountain road, normal Saturday afternoon traffic prevented us from clearing all the cobwebs from our beauties but even at normal speed the “twisties” had a beneficial effect on man and machine. Upon reaching Virginia City, it was obvious something big was going on – motocross bikes everywhere. Only the Virginia City Grand Prix with about a 1000 riders!! We made our way slowly thru town – and over some nice dirt and rock sections for the racers – and cruised down towards Carson City on Alt 341 (think Ferrari Hill Climb). We got on Hwy 50 West, turned south on Deer Run Road and made our way through the back side of Carson City out to Hwy 395. At that point, Curtis knew we couldn’t do the planned Lake Tahoe loop and make our scheduled stop in Minden, so we went south again and took Jack’s Valley Road to Genoa.

ATLANTA - May 12, 2010 - The time: seven minutes, 18 seconds on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.The power: 620 hp. The weight: 3,020 lb (1,370 kilograms) in road trim with all fluids on board. The car: the new 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS.

Courtesy of Porsche AG

The latest 911 is the fastest and most powerful road-going sports car ever built in the history of Porsche. With horsepower (hp) up by 90 and weight down by 154 lbs (70 kilograms) in comparison with the previous 911 GT2, the new 911 GT2 RS has a power-to-weight ratio of just 4.9 lbs (2.21 kg) per horsepower, by far the best power/weight ratio in its class. These are the ideal ingredients for an ultra-high-performance sports car with supreme agility and truly blistering performance on the road.

Ron and denise Lewis watch from separate vantage points as Preston Rasmussen demonstrates the NAJA system. (Photo by C Kugler)You have probably heard stories from friends or may have even experienced it yourself: your right rear tire is wearing strangely but the alignment appears to be okay; or your car looks fine but it just doesn’t feel or drive right. In the past the tools the repair industry had to work with forced shops to “guess” whether suspension or frame components were within original “spec”. With the rapid improvement in computer capability, manufacturers began modeling all the key frame and suspension points and created chassis databases for each car. This allowed for perfect measuring locations and the data has now filtered down for use at the repair shop level.

Porsches on the prowl with Jim Hodos in the lead and the majestic snow-capped mountains beyond. (Photo by M L Kugler)On March 27th, our eastern Sierra foothills were blessed with one of the few beautifully clear days of the year to date. To take full advantage of the event, seven intrepid souls engaged in a Spring Cleaning and Impromptu Picnic Drive. As this was a non-SNR/PCA event, it was truly serendipitous that the cars involved were worthy representatives of The One and True Marquee from Stuttgart. Amazingly, Jack Calvert, Ron and Lanette Petersen, Mary Lou and Craig Kugler and even Ellen and Jim Hodos are all members of The Faithful.

Terry Zaccone “helps” his car, Marcel, around the final turn on his way to top PAX time on Saturday at the Zone AX. (Photo by C Kugler)The first two rounds of the Zone 7 Autocross series were hosted by the Redwood Region and held at the Charles Schultz Sonoma County Airport. The advance weather reports sounded great so we committed to go. With the event just north of Santa Rosa, we naturally left Friday morning to enjoy the drive and take advantage of the proximity of the Russian River wine area. There are several routes to this area but we took the quickest to maximize our afternoon in the vineyards. Stopping at several smaller wineries we were able to enjoy the familiar family feel that we’re accustomed to, in an area of gorgeous rolling hills and green valleys. For those unfamiliar with this area, let me just say the wines tend to be more refined and food friendly, with Pinot Noir being particularly good. Based on a recommendation from the folks at Deloach Vineyards, we had dinner at Willie’s Wine Bar. Only 5 minutes from our Santa Rosa hotel, Willie’s, a California “tapas” style restaurant, had selections which were extensive and the four “plates” we selected were equally good. An early return to the hotel allowed a little prep for the morning and a chance to get a good night’s sleep.

Dick Bottom and Randy Looney fill their plates as Paul & David Raferty wait their turn at the breakfast table. (Photo C Kugler)We arrived early with various trays of food, coffee and juices in tow, but we couldn’t believe our eyes as we entered the showroom at Porsche of Reno. The normal vision of gleaming Porsches in Carrara White, Basalt Black, Speed Yellow and Guards Red had been transformed overnight into a fine dining setting with 5 large round tables covered in restaurant white tablecloths and accompanying chairs. The showroom, with near life size sepia images of historic Porsche racing scenes, was fantastic, but we couldn’t stop to savor it as our hungry guests would soon be arriving for the New Member Breakfast.

Betty Hollman, Mary Lou Kugler and Ken Hollman admire the “spread” as Brian Lowder drinks his coffee.After Ken and Betty Hollman, Rich and Karen O’Larey and Craig and I set up the serving tables, the coffee started brewing and we eyed the variety of goodies we would shortly be serving and what a spread! Homemade Fiesta Breakfast Rings, Strada, egg dishes galore, fruit crisp, and more; muffins, Dough Boy donuts, fruit salad and assorted pastries were laid out on several tables; coffee, tea and orange juice completed the panoply of gastronomical delights.

On display, a set of factory tools worth “big money” for use on the latest Porsche engines. (Photo by C Kugler)Piggy backing on the New Member Breakfast, we took advantage of the hospitality of Porsche of Reno’s Service Manager, Jeff Leathers, in providing our members with the first tech session of the year. The subject matter was certainly “technical”, featuring Porsche’s DFI and PDK technology. Seated with more than 40 members and guests in the Porsche shop area, Jeff introduced the program with a few announcements regarding his service department’s capabilities and interest in supporting our members. Jeff introduced Service Writer and long time Porsche tech Dolf Van Kesteren and Porsche Certified Master Technician Jess Lattin, Jess has attended all the Porsche Service schools and has been rated at the top of his class – good news for local members.

The snow-covered heights overlooking Caples Lake on our Highway 88 drive through the Sierra Nevada. (Photo ML Kugler)The late March weekend weather looked promising and after a long winter of wind, snow and cindered mountain roads, a chance to get an early start on the Autocross season sounded like a great opportunity. Sacramento Valley Region (SVR) was hosting a Sunday Autocross in Stockton and even a three hour drive didn’t seem too daunting to spend a day “running the cones”.