Copyright © 1999

Porsche Club of America Out For A Spin July, 1999 Bruce Corwin Bruce968@PorscheNet.com

Usually I write my column sitting at my desk typing on a computer, but this month things are quite different. I'm sitting in a Chateau in France sipping champagne, and attempting to write the old fashioned way with pen and paper. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me back up a couple of weeks.
 
I enjoy various sports as a participant, but I'm not a very good spectator, so I don't go to see automobile races very often. Our May monthly meeting though was at Seekonk Speedway, which afforded a wonderful opportunity to watch a race with some good friends.
 
This past weekend was a bit different, as Kathy and I watched the 24 hour race at Le Mans in person. You see, it was our 15th anniversary and never having been to France, we decided this would be the year. We flew into Orly airport and as we disembarked, we were greeted by the smell of cigarettes and a policewoman with a machine gun. We knew we were in France.
 
After finding our baggage we went to rent a car. The man spoke some English and asked if a Civic would be okay. "Sure, that's fine," I replied. I went into the parking lot looking for a Honda, but didn't see any. I quickly learned that our car was a Renault "Scenic" not a "Civic." My god, what a piece of crap that car is. The pedals are way too close together and feel cheap and wimpy. The steering wheel is almost horizontal and so far forward you have to drive with your arms stretched way out.
 
The French roads are excellent and the countryside beautiful with rolling acre upon acre of farmland and quaint villages. Kathy and I stopped at a roadside restaurant and not speaking French, we used our electronic translator to carefully decipher the menu. We didn't want to end up with a plateful of snails! After much research, we chose pork and potatoes, which sounded like a safe bet. When the meal arrived, we discovered that we had ordered two plates heaped with liver!
 
I had a great time watching the races at both Seekonk and Le Mans and you'll see articles and photos of both events in this issue of the NOR'EASTER. Kind of makes a guy want to buy a racecar. But that story will have to wait till next month. Time to hit the hay - hot air ballooning tomorrow at 6:30 am. Bon Soir!