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Activities
Nor'easter News
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Porsche
Club of America
By
Win Perry,
wperry@winbro.com
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Unlike May, June is not shaping up as much of a driving month, at least for me. My Boxster came back from the shop with a new clutch, flywheel and rear main seal. After a couple of days driving, the check engine light came on, or, more accurately, came back on. I had it reset in April after the fault was read as a faulty catalytic converter. 40,000 miles seemed too early for a bad cat. I assumed that it was somehow caused by the car having slept in the garage all winter. Indeed, the light stayed off - for a while. However, if the gods choose to smile my way, this may be covered by the federally mandated 8 year 80,000 mile emissions warranty. Wish me luck. Also, despite the new seal, I am seeing a few drops of oil on the garage floor. So much for my theory that if you drive a fairly recent (2001) Porsche, you shouldn’t have all those problems encountered by drivers of classic models! As I write this, my car is half way through a two day DE at the Glen, in this case, without me. My son Luke’s birthday is on June 17 and he wanted to visit his college friends at RIT in Rochester (he has transferred to Northeastern this year). Turns out Schattenbaum region was hosting a DE at Watkins Glen on the following Monday and Tuesday. I’m sure no one can guess what he thought would make the perfect birthday present! So, since my wife and I were attending a three-day swing dance weekend in scenic Cleveland that weekend, the idea of arriving home late Sunday night and getting to Watkins Glen at 6:00 AM Monday morning was a nonstarter. This birthday present is my vote of confidence in PCA’s DE program as well as a faith in my son’s driving. I’ve always maintained that with our corps of instructors, driving at a DE, especially in either of the two instructed classes (green and yellow), is safer than driving on the highway. Today went fine; the driving was great, even with a brief heavy shower, and all systems seem to be intact. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow. From what Luke described on the phone, I think he’s likely to be signed off for solo driving. This is always a big moment in the progress of any track rat. The other reason I couldn’t do the DE is that I am flying out on Tuesday evening for two days at VIR. Last year I took the three-day performance driving school with the Bertil Roos Racing School at Pocono Raceway. This was my first experience with open wheel formula cars and I had a blast (and hopefully learned something as well). This year, I’ve signed up for the two day advanced course, covering racing strategy and passing. After all I’ve heard from NER buddies about the track, it wasn’t too difficult a decision to choose the sessions at Virginia International Raceway rather than return to Pocono. I’m really looking forward to driving this track and no doubt my experiences there will fill up my column next month. As I probably mentioned in a previous column, I commute to work on my bicycle during the months of daylight savings. It helps keep my waistline almost under control, and generates some stress-relieving endorphins, especially during the ride home in the evening. I also get a chance to observe local driving habits and styles. At each intersection, I try to establish eye contact or at least make sure the driver seems to be looking. I may have the right of way, but the laws of physics favor motor vehicles. People talking on cell phones are especially dangerous. Mostly, when cars and trucks pass me, they give me plenty of room. For some reason, pickup truck drivers seem more courteous than SUV drivers. A minor problem is timid drivers, often senior citizens, who beep their horns to alert me before passing. This is well intentioned, but primarily serves to startle the cyclist. Finally, like in the ancient days of sports cars, when cycle commuters pass, we still wave. Have fun and stay cool. |
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