| Unless
you've been climbing Mt. Everest without your satellite system for the
past year you're well aware of the various special interest groups that
have been lobbying against and denouncing any vehicle that doesn't get
50 miles per gallon. It seems that one of these groups' crusade has even
taken on overt, religious tones...but I'm not going into that quicksand,
no way.
It probably wouldn't do any
good to suggest to these people that it's impossible to tow a trailer with
a car, or two cars, or a boat, with a Toyota Prius because they'd just
tell you to get rid of the track car and trailer. Hell, a good friend (I'll
never tell) can even have you rolling on the floor with laughter relating
his first trailering experience with a Discovery II. I was with him going
to Canada and remember that the front end was so high off the road that
he had to steer by either dragging his feet or his passenger's feet. He
quickly traded that dog for a good truck.
Anyway, giving the devil
her due, it is a scientific fact, according to Dr. Farouk El-Baz - and
a myriad of other scientists - that the carbon dioxide content of our atmosphere
is definitely increasing. Joyce and I had the pleasure of listening to
Dr. El-Baz (a geologist by training), Director and Research Professor of
the Center for Remote Sensing at BU, last night at The Museum of Science
as part of The Museum's 'Quest for Immortality' exhibit, showing the largest
selection of antiquities ever loaned by Egypt for exhibition in North America.
He has spent the past twenty summers in the North African desert studying
the geologic evolution of the region.
He was a fascinating speaker
and showed through satellite pictures and high altitude x-rays (the radiation
of the x-rays will penetrate extremely dry sand and showed ancient river
beds now 20+ feet below the desert surface) the changes from wet to dry
to wet periods of from 5,000 to 20,000 years each. A very short time in
geologists' frames of reference.
When it came time for Q&A
I asked, "If there were no SUVs, smoke stack industries and other modern
day polluting influences to create 'global warming' 5,000 years ago, what
caused these wet to dry changes?" "Good question", he said, and went on,
"Little changes in the earth's rotation around the sun and angle of it's
own axis, suns spot activity, and volcanic activity are the main causes
of these dry to wet cycles." Further, "What we humans are contributing
to the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere is infinitesimal...in geologic
and scientific magnitude."
Sooooo, we can drive our
SUVs and trucks in comfort knowing that we're not going to cause the Northern
African desert to flood in our life time.
The Track Committee has put
together an excellent series of DE events for the 2003 season with four
(4) events in Canada at Mosport and Mont Tremblant, three (3) of them on
weekends. These are wonderful, world-class tracks in lovely vacation areas
where the whole family can have a fun time.
There is absolutely no reason
for any driver, new or experienced, to have any trepidations about 'crossing
the border'. There was a recent front-page article in The Boston Globe
about the long lines of trucks waiting at the border crossings for many
hours. Our rigs, even though we may call them 'trucks,' for those of you
towing, do NOT fall into the commercial truck category. Our rigs use the
normal passenger vehicle lanes just like the big RV buses and little Priuses
and you'll zip right through customs, no problem.
I've made the crossing four
(4) times since 9/11/2001 and I don't think it's ever taken more than 15
minutes, and usually only 5 minutes. Just remember, DON'T get in line behind
the 18 wheel commercial rigs, as that will take you several hours. Don't
hesitate to contact me for further information on the Mosport and/or Mont
Tremblant venues.
April 13, 2003 is our first
ever NER Instructor/Advanced Driver Seminar, to be given by a Skip Barber
Racing (Driving) School professional. The morning session is aimed at Instructors
and those with thoughts of becoming an instructor. Following lunch provided
by Ira Porsche, the afternoon session will discuss advanced driving techniques
and concepts, and is open to all PCA/BMWCCA drivers.
You'll find further details
elsewhere in this issue and on line at www.PorscheNet.com/SkipBarber.html.
If you're considering the morning session as an aspiring Instructor, please
contact me to find out if you qualify.
And speaking about Instructors,
we're always looking for new mentoring candidates to become Instructors.
Bill Chadwick our Chief of Instructor Development would love to hear from
you at InstructorDevelopment@PorscheNet.com if you have any thoughts about
joining the NER Instructor corps. Remember that you may enter the Mentoring
program before you have the requisite number of track days in the Black
run group. That way, you're preparing for and gaining the necessary experience
to be an Instructor while fulfilling the track days required.
Joyce and I are off to Daytona
for The Rolex 24 to root on both Mark Greenberg's #99 also driven by Barry
Brensinger and Kevin Buckler's #66. Are those numbers a coincidence? It
should be an exciting time in the pits and I'm sure you'll be reading about
it in the next issue from both Dave and me.
Newspaper Headlines
in 2035
-
Baby conceived naturally...Scientists
stumped.
-
Castro dead at age 112, Cuban
cigars are now legal in the US, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned
all smoking.
-
35 year study: diet and exercise
are key to weight loss.
-
IRS sets lowest rate at 75%.
-
Spotted Owl plaque threatens
Northwestern US crops and livestock.
-
US Postal Service raises first
class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.
-
Massachusetts officials tar and
feather, and banish last remaining conservative.
-
Microsoft announces Windows 36
is perfected; it crashes before installation is complete.
-
Supreme Court rules punishment
of criminals violates their civil rights.
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