SThe “all girl judging team” at work includes Jordan & Bernadette Gersh, Cindy Wyett and Sharon Neidel. (Photo by C Kugler)ome of the best advice Larry Sharp gave me as the incoming Zone Rep was not to miss the Silver State Concours Weekend. After attending this event I can see why. Julia & Buzz Lynn and the volunteers from the Sierra Nevada region put on a well organized and totally enjoyable event.

David and I arrived Saturday afternoon to find none other than Larry Sharp washing his car. A few sprinkles of rain didn’t deter the last minute cleaning. We had just enough time to clean up both ourselves and the car before joining the welcoming reception. I met a lot of very nice people at the reception and just out in the lot finding out about their beautiful cars. So many people have very interesting stories behind the ownership of their Porsche. I even took the tech quiz.

A few of the 20 Porsches on the prowl around Lake Tahoe. (Photo M Kugler)It was a typical summer weekend at Lake Tahoe with thousands of visitors enjoying the great weather and activities as the Sierra Nevada Region gathered for a drive and dine around her shoreline. It was Saturday, August 22nd and over 20 magnificent machines, their drivers & guests departed the Montbleu Casino Resort & Spa and drove counter clockwise around the lake. Before departing we observed a moment of silence and dedicated the drive to Roy Bennett, a new member that accompanied us on the Tour of Nevada and the Mammoth Weekend, who had passed away the week before.

2009 Cayman S (Photo courtesy of Porsche AG)The US car journal Motor Trend has chosen the Porsche Cayman S as the "Best Driver's Car" of the year 2009. At virtually the same time, the Cayman was also picked by British car journal Auto Express as "Best Sports Car" in their New Car Awards 2009. In both cases Porsche's mid-engined coupé convinced the test experts in particular through its driving dynamics, precision, feedback and response.

Featuring PDK, the Porsche Double-Clutch Gearbox, the Cayman S proved all its strengths in the tests conducted by Motor Trend both on regular roads and the race track, making its way to the top against nine other thoroughbred sports cars. The test team including the two professional racing drivers Massimiliano "Max" Angelelli and Randy Pobst took their decision on the title at the Laguna Seca Race Track in California, lauding in particular the surgical precision of the car's steering, Porsche's mid-engine sports coupé thus scoring yet a further title in a most demanding contest.

With its circulation of 1.1 million copies and 7.6 million readers, Motor Trend, an internationally renowned magazine, is acknowledged as one of the leading car journals in the USA.

Question: I have read several articles about RMS and MidShaft seal leaks on early model Boxsters. My vehicle is a 2006 Boxster(987) 2.7 engine 5 speed transmission. Is this a problem with just early year Boxster (1997-2004) and was this problem corrected by the factory on 2005 and up Boxster. Also is this something I should have checked at every servicing by the Porsche Dealership. My other question is, if I have a Preformance Chip installed, will it hurt the engine and will I notice a increase in power and are cold intake boxes and K&N type airfilters worth the investment on a street driven vehicle. Thank you, Carlo V. Graziani MSgt.USAF

I finally had a chance to add this video of the Mammoth Tour to our web site. It was taken by Steve Speidel, a friend of Mark Coronado. Click here to see a second video taken from the inside of Mark's Cayman S. I also posted photos of the Tour taken by Steve Speidel, Craig Kugler and Richard Chew at http://picasaweb.google.com/snrpca/2009MammothTour#.

Mary Lou & Craig Kugler, co-host Mark Coronado and Curtis Fong pose after the gondola ride. (Photo by Alice Strom)Sometimes it just all comes together. The weather is beautiful, the car looks great and the roads are clear. The food and accommodations are ready on time. All the planning pays off and everyone has a blast!

We were delighted to be a part of one of the best events of the year – the Mammoth Tour Weekend! Hats off to Craig and Mary Lou Kugler, our hosts, for organizing and running a fabulous Porsche experience!

A few of the 17 Porsches on the tour wind through the high country near Mammoth. (Photo by Alice Strom)Sixteen of the prettiest Porsches all gathered together at the Starbucks in Carson City. Familiar faces and new faces, young (Madeleine and Gabrielle Earl) and old (many of us!), even guests from Diablo Region (Anthony and Maiko Mendoza) took off after our leader for a scenic run down US 395 to Mono Lake. We stopped at the Visitor’s Center to learn more about the lake’s early history. Native people harvested fly larvae from the lake for food. (didn’t know that!) LA took the water going into the lake for years, but no longer can so it’s coming back up. Brine shrimp love the salt water and flourish here (they’re harvested for fish food). Tufa rocks made of Calcium Carbonate make up the weird looking white formations we see from the road. Very interesting!

Q: I just found out I have a small amount of oil in the coolant and a small amount coolant in the oil. I have owned the 996 C4 Cab for 3 years, and the only symptom is I need to add a quart of coolant after a 500 mile drive. The car seems to run good, however, I have been told it is either a leak in the heat exchanger or an engine gasket. I am the second owner and the car has 63000 miles. Most mechanics tell me I need to replace the engine. Any advice would be helpful.

Racing legend Sir Sterling Moss at the Pebble Beach Concours. (Photo by F Nelson)My wife and I attended this year's Concours at Pebble Beach and fortunately we had Porsche VIP guest passes which gave us preferred parking and admission to a fabulous Porsche hospitality suite at the Del Monte Lodge with a balcony directly above the cars as they paraded by to get their trophies at the end. It's hard to put in to words the week long experience in Monterey and Pebble Beach which culminates on the third Sunday of August. With the pre-Historics, the literature fair, the Quail, Concorso Italiano, the Historics, the numerous auctions and the Concours at Pebble, it is impossible to take in everything.