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Porsche Club of America
The Northeast Region

By Dave Weber, GT3Cup@PorscheNet.com
NOR'EASTER Online - April 2002

Seat belts save lives. How many times have we all heard that phrase, and yet some people continue to ignore the advice. Next time you’re on a major highway, keep track of the number of cars you pass that contain unbelted occupants. I suspect you’ll be surprised. This past week one of my company’s employees was driving in the left hand lane on Route 128 near Gloucester. She had her two daughters in the car with her, and all three of them were wearing their seatbelts. Their car was struck in the rear by another car that was traveling at 80-90 mph. Apparently the driver of the second car could not gauge the consequences of her closing speed, and did not slow in time to avoid hitting my business associate. Her car ricocheted off the inside guard rail and outside guardrail, destroying the car front and rear. Fortunately their seatbelts kept them in place, the air bags deployed providing additional protection, and they avoided serious injuries. Had they not been wearing their seatbelts, who knows how badly they would have been hurt.

Susana recently engaged in a discussion with an individual working on our home. He asserted that situations could occur where the use of seatbelts would be detrimental. When asked what those situations might be, he struggled to think of one. The usual argument is that being thrown clear of the car may sometimes be a good thing to have happen. I’ve yet to read a story in the paper concerning an accident, that contains good news about passengers surviving accidents because they were thrown clear of the car. Usually unbelted occupants are launched through windshields, ejected from the car, killed when the car rolls over them, or they come in contact with an unforgiving solid surface.

On a brighter note, Susana and I once again attended the Zone 1 hosted Tech Tactics event in Springfield, MA. I was particularly interested in attending this year, because Phil Hill was scheduled as the dinner speaker. He raced in the 50’s and 60’s, and was the first US driver to win the Formula 1 Championship. He’s now in his late ‘70’s, looks very fit, and has a very sharp memory. His presentation was terrific, complete with lots of pictures (most of which he took). He was at LeMans in the pits directly across from where the horrible accident took place that resulted over 88 deaths and Mercedes withdrawal from sports car racing for many years. He raced against all the famous drivers of the era, drove on the Avus Ring, and the Monza high banking. He drove for Enzo Ferrari, and said he never liked the famous man. He co-drove winning cars at LeMans on three separate occasions. He has for years been engaged in restoring vintage automobiles, and still owns the car he was driven home in when he was born. He raced when racing was a limited budget affair, and the driver’s frequently had to drive to the track in the cars they would race. He crashed heavily in the Carrera Panamerica race in Mexico, and took a classic picture of his wrecked racecar, that I’ve seen published. He continues to drive in historic racecar events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed. And now his son is racing professionally, and will race this year at LeMans.

I found his presentation positively spellbinding, and I doubt anyone in the room wanted it to end. He’s led an extremely interesting life, having traveled the world, driven on the great race tracks of the era, spent time with the historic motorsports personalities, and experienced life in a way that few ever get the opportunity.

I’m always surprised that more region/zone members don’t attend Tech Tactics. Maybe the name for the event scares off many of you who don’t think you’re “technically inclined.” But if you have an interest in motorsports or things related to Porsche you really ought to attend. Over the years we’ve met famous racecar drivers like Phil Hill, Hurley Haywood, and Elliott Forbes Robinson. Spent any absolutely fascinating couple of hours over cocktails with Norbert Singer, Porsche AG’s expert on racecar construction and designer of the all-conquering 956/962 and 935 Porsches. We’ve listened to Porsche’s current motorsport manager Herbert Ampfherer, and heard factory presentations on brake design, and engine development from other factory experts.

Add to that mix a number of highly informative presentations on all manner of things related to our Porsches, their construction, maintenance, restoration, and operation. The event is supported by a number of sponsors and exhibitors, and I never fail to find something I just have to purchase. This year it was new communicators to use when we’re teaching at driver’s education events. The communicators we’ve been using are prone to failure, and don’t work well when they are working. The new ones are much more substantial with real connectors and well designed parts.

Next year spend the first weekend in March in Springfield, MA attending Tech Tactics 2003. I don’t have a clue as to the program, I just know it will contain something well worth my and your time.

Porsche Club of America The Northeast Region

Porsche Club of America
The Northeast Region