"Downshift"

HDR New Website

2014-12-09T12:01:00.002-08:00

Our new website is now located at highdesertpca.org

Our HCPCA Activities Photos Are Now On The Internet

2013-11-21T11:32:00.000-08:00

From Your Historian:

The entire world can now see our club’s photos on the internet (if they know how to find them).

It was important to me that our members did not have to join a photo sharing website in order to find photos of club activities, so I chose Google+/Picasa. You don’t need to join anything. Anyone can now find our 2013 photos using a basic Google web search. You do have to use a correct search criteria. The format for Google searches to get to our photos is as simple as 1,2,3:

1. First enter: HDPCA

2. Then enter the event title: (this is optional, but will help the search accuracy)

3. Then enter the date in this format: X/XX (sample: 5/13)

As an example, to find photos from our Charter Dinner of May 2013:

Usually, all you need to search on is: HDPCA 5/13. This will show multiple events for that month if there were more than one event, like this year.

However, the most reliable search is: HDPCA Charter Dinner 5/13.

So, here’s a list of all of the 2013 photos with their complete event titles to put into your Google search. The event titles have sometimes been abbreviated. Club members can always find specific photos if they use the complete event title in their Google search:

HDPCA Holiday Party 12/12

HDPCA Chili 2/13

HDPCA Unplugged 3/13

HDPCA Tech + Skid 4/13

HDPCA A&D 5/13

HDPCA DE PIR 5/13

HDPCA Charter Dinner 5/13

HDPCA A&D 6/13

HDPCA Ridge 6/13

HDPCA Car Show 6/13

HDPCA Wings & Wheels 7/13

HDPCA Yachats 9/13

HDPCA Festival of Cars 9/13 (not up because I need more photos)

Events In November

2013-10-31T15:46:00.004-07:00

11/2 at 9am - Arrive and drive: For those of us who can’t get enough, one more Arrive and Drive! We are good, weather wise, for what appears to be the last “last” A & D of the year. Hey, you never know about the weather. Remember these words to live by, “If it don’t snow, we go”! We have added a lunch stop at the end of the drive so we can enjoy this as long as possible. Meet at the Starbucks near Best Buy in plenty of time for the 9am drive.
11/20 at 6pm - Monthly meeting: Join your fellow HDPCA members for an informative monthly meeting at Broken Top, every third Wednesday of the month. Heavy appetizers, $15 per person.

Events In October

2013-09-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

10/5, 9am Monthly Arrive and Drive: Leaves from the Starbucks North parking lot. Please arrive between 8:30-8:45am for timely departure.
10/12, 9-10am Adopt-a-Road: Final pick up for 2013 - Highway 20 at Fryrear Rd. between Bend and Sisters.
10/16, 6pm Monthly High Desert PCA meeting: This event is held monthly at Broken Top. Join your fellow HDRPCA members for an informative meeting every third Wednesday of the month. Heavy appetizers, 15.00 per person.
10/24-10/27: PCA escape to L.A. Details available at the event's website: escape2013.pca.org
10/29, 6pm Board meeting at Club Carrera.

For more information visit the club calendar: http://highdesert.pca.org/events.html

15%-Off Coupons To The HDRPCA Goodie Store

2013-09-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Christmas is coming and in spite of the weight of the goose - it is time to start shopping at our Goodie Store for those great gifts for your loved ones.

To inspire you we will have some 15% Discount Goodie Store Coupons at our October Meeting Raffle on October 15th.

Save the Date: PCA Holiday Dinner and Auction

2013-09-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

This year’s Holiday Dinner and Auction will be Saturday, December 7, 2013 at the Oxford hotel in Bend. The two co-chairs, Nancy Farnham and Linda Friscia, are eagerly working on the details of this winter event.

Nancy: nsfarnham@gmail.com
Linda: lindadeah@hotmail.com

PCA Escape 2013

2013-09-16T11:46:00.002-07:00

Visit escape2013.pca.org for more information

Watch The 918 Spyder Take The Record Lap At The Nürburgring

2013-09-10T12:11:00.001-07:00

HDRPCA Events In September

2013-08-30T09:52:00.004-07:00

9/7 Saturday: Monthly Arrive and Drive - Leaves from the Starbucks North parking lot at 9:00am, please arrive between 8:30-8:45 for timely departure.
9/7 Saturday: Skamania Lodge Tour - Leaves from the Starbucks North parking lot at 9:00am Please see the HDRPCA calendar for details.
9/13-9/15 Fri-Sun: Oregon Festival of Cars - This event is being held at Broken Top in Bend. Please see the HDRPCA calendar for details.
9/18 Wed: Monthly High Desert PCA meeting - This event is held monthly at Broken Top. Join your fellow HDPCA members for an informative meeting every third Wednesday of the month. Heavy appetizers, $15.00 per person.
9/20-9/22 Fri-Sun: The Oregon Coast Tour - This event is being hosted by Pete Olson, and will be a great time. Please see posting on the HDRPCA calendar and contact Pete Olson at visach9@gmail.com.

The New GT3: A "Feast For The Senses"

2013-08-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

The man responsible for the team that developed the new GT3, Andreas Preuninger, describes what makes the new model so special for the driver.

Join Us At Skamania Lodge To Celebrate 50 Years Of The 911

2013-08-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

by Tim Hagner

Life is full of choices, a three-hour tour (you know what happened to them) or a day tour. Saturday, September 7th you get to choose your drive! Will you enjoy the regularly scheduled Arrive & Drive or will you take the day tour to Skamaina Lodge for the Oregon Region’s tribute Commemorating 50 Years of the Porsche 911?

Oregon Region will have over 100 Porsches on display for our viewing pleasure and enjoyment, so why not join the fun?

We’ll leave Bend at 9:00 am from the same old Starbucks and wave “so long” to those going on the A & D. We’ll go north (Porsche roads) cross the river (Columbia) and arrive at the Skamaina Lodge in time for lunch. There we’ll continue enjoying the cars, the people and the day. When we decide it’s time to head south we will include a dinner stop along the way. We’ll be back in Bend in time for my bedtime!

Please email me if you are joining us for the Skamania Lodge tour or have questions, thanks.

What’s Skamania Lodge? A magnificent mountain resort nestled on 175 wooded acres, located in the spectacular Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. In 1986, Congress passed an act that created the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. This scenic area was created to protect natural, scenic and cultural resources and to stimulate the economy of the Gorge region. The mission statement within the act called for a lodge and meeting center to be built - Skamania Lodge. Construction began July 16, 1991. The Lodge opened its doors on February 26, 1993.

High Desert PCA's donation to 'skid school' featured on KTVZ

2013-03-27T10:41:00.001-07:00

Click here to watch KTVZ's news report

2013 Cabin Fever Tour

2013-03-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Friday April 19- Sunday April 21

Contact: Kevin Neary 541-848-7056 or 06kmns@gmail.com

Time to give your trusty steed some exercise after a long winter’s nap!

We will depart Bend Best Buy/ Starbucks parking lot at 8:04 AM Friday April 19 for a scenic 6+/- hour drive to the Silver Legacy Hotel & Casino in Reno Nevada.

After check-in and freshening up we will drive 15 minutes to a late afternoon (approx. 4:30-6:00PM) tech session at EBS Racing (see p. 23 of your May issue of Excellence Magazine). The tour will be hosted by Jon (the owner) and EBS engine builder Don Weaver. This is a relatively small shop and we will enjoy a very relaxed, low-key tour. Our hosts have assured me that cold adult beverages will be provided!

Late Saturday morning we will have an Arrive & Drive type of event enjoying some of the scenic twisties of the Reno/ North Tahoe area. There is a chance we may be joined by some of our local clubmates, although they may be worn out following their scheduled ballroom dancing event on Friday night. All High Desert Region ballroom dancers have been invited, please contact me if you need info…

Saturday afternoon a tour of the National Automobile Museum (Harrah collection) is on tap. Only a 5 minute drive from our hotel, this museum focuses on the automobiles and the automobile lifestyle through the decades. About 2 hours for this.

Saturday evening we can make a reservation for our group to have dinner at one of the hotel restaurants.

Sunday we will depart about 9:30AM, planning to arrive Bend about 4:30PM.

Important Hotel Details: Due to a city-wide Volleyball tournament, Reno hotels are very busy
this weekend. I have a limited number of rooms (King/ no smoke for $159/nt) held under my
name & credit card. Please contact me ASAP for instructions to secure one of these rooms. I
plan to release any unclaimed rooms April 5. (If we book all of the rooms we may get a better
Saturday night rate). Individuals (you) would still be able to cancel a room until April 18.
Thanks!

Carrera Motors Driving Experience At P.I.R.

2013-03-20T09:33:00.001-07:00

by Tim Hagner,
Club President

Carrera Motors is sponsoring another track day this year and we, the High Desert Region, have been invited to join. We have participated in these annual events in the past with great success and I’m looking forward to this year. This year we will be traveling to PIR (Portland International Raceway). The Carrera Motors Driving Experience will be Thursday, May 9. We will be traveling to Portland on Wednesday, May 8. Your entry fee will include dinner on Wednesday night, the track day and lunch at the track. Carrera has arranged special hotel rates for us at the Phoenix Inn in Vancouver, Washington. I hope to see you there. These events allow you to drive your Porsche in a safe and controlled environment.

Here’s what you need to know:

Prior track experience is required to participate as a driver.
Driving participants will be limited to 40 drivers total so that the run groups are not crowded.
Ride-alongs in new Porsches are free, but require sign-up so we can plan for food.
Please contact the hotel directly at 360-891-9777. Your hotel room is NOT INCLUDED in the registration fee. Use promo code “Carrera Porsche” when calling the hotel for a guaranteed room rate of $75/night plus tax (which includes continental breakfast). The reserved block of rooms will not be held beyond March 23.
You must bring your own for helmet, driver or ride-along passenger.

CLICK HERE FOR THE CARRERA MOTORS DRIVING EXPERIENCE REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION FLYER

Tentative Schedule:

Wednesday, May 8 – Porsche sponsored Dinner 6:30 pm - Beaches Restaurant in Vancouver, WA

Thursday, May 9 - Carrera Motors Driving Experience

7:30 am - Check-in at PIR for wristbands
8:00 - 9:00 am - Welcome Meetings - Track Rules
9:00 - 11:30 am - Morning Sessions
11:30 am - 12:30 pm - Lunch served trackside
1:00 - 4:30 pm - Afternoon Sessions

Visit Our Sponsor

The new Porsche 911 GT3: First official driving shots

2013-03-08T15:38:00.002-08:00

Redmond (Flag City USA), Firecracker Fourth of July Parade

2012-05-16T09:41:00.002-07:00

Mark your calendar to participate in this great "Home Town Parade."

We will need to check in around 8:30, the parade starts at 10. Flags and decorations are encouraged. We need a few volunteers to march in front of our group carrying our club banner. After the parade we will have a short "arrive and drive" ending with a 4th of July lunch at Brand 33 Restaurant at the Aspen Lakes Golf Course. They will have reserved parking for us and a separate dining room with a balcony. Grilled hamburgers or hot dogs will be served along with potato salad, baked beans, and condiments, all for $15 each.

RSVP to Larry Johnson, lrjkona@gmail.com or 541-639-6401 by June 18 or sooner. Please include your email address,

the number in your party and the year and model of your car. Also, you are encouraged to invite any non-member Porsche owners that you know so they may participate in a club event and meet our fantastic members.

Thank you,

Larry Johnson

Visit Our Sponsor

Should You Fill Your Tires With Nitrogen Rather Than Air?

2012-03-27T16:07:00.000-07:00

by Pedro P. Bonilla

If it hasn’t happened to you already, when you purchase and mount a new set of tires on your car, you will likely hear from the tire shop: “Nitrogen-is-better-than-air for your tires” ... and “we offer the nitrogen-fill option at only $$” (generally $5 - $20 per tire).

For many years now, nitrogen has been used to fill aircraft tires, including the Space Shuttle’s and also tires on race cars, but it’s use on street cars is relatively new and somewhat controversial.

The tire shop will tell you that nitrogen in your tires:

•Improves steering
•Improves handling
•Improves braking
•Reduces the chance of tire failure
•Dramatically slows pressure loss from permeation
•Improves fuel economy
•Reduces tire oxidation
•Eliminates interior wheel corrosion
•Reduces running temperatures
•Decreases false alarms and activation of your TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system)

As with most marketing there is a little truth to it but the rest is mostly HOT AIR!

Read the rest at pedrosgarage.com

Presidential Ramblings

2012-02-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

by Tim Hagner,
Club President

Hope you are continuing to have a good new year.

We had our first meeting of the new format and it was good and not so good. The 48 members in attendance were very much the good! Thank you for your support. The not so good was food and space. Lesson learned for Tetherow and us. We have made changes to correct these problems. This month we are having the Valentines Day Dinner/Meeting at Club Carrera. I’m sure you know all about this.

The Zone 6 Presidents meeting that we where going to host has been cancelled. Our zone rep, Dave Cooley, has had a knee replacement and will be out of action for a while. In fact, the meeting is now in April and we are meeting in Montana, bringing the Mountain to Mohammad so to speak.

The new 911 is here in Bend and I wonder how long before we have our first one in the club. Will it be a current member or a new one? We also have the new mid-engine line-up (Boxster and Cayman) later this year. Lot’s of “new” from Porsche.

The Porsche Parade is coming. Are you going? This year Salt Lake City will host the Parade, July 8 - 14 and High Desert Region is going. Sue and I have been to four Parades and are looking forward to number five. It’s like Rennsport only for street Porsches and we get to drive. Everything and everyone Porsche in one spot for a week - it’s great. There is something for everyone between the social events, driving tours, tech sessions, quizzes, autocross and rally (Sue and I have done very well at Parade Rallies over the past and look forward to this year). The Parade Concours is an event worth the drive all by it’s self, quite something to see. Registration opens March 13th. Start planning now so you will be ready to go when it opens. Have questions about Parade? Ask Sue or myself and we’ll answer them for you. More correspondence to follow as we get closer and start making plans.

It’s time for me to get out in the garage and go over the red car. Need to modify the drivers seat to get more headroom, finish fixing the idle, go to 7’s & 8’s from 6’s & 7’s and the complete “once over” so I’m track day ready. This weather is making it hard not to start dreaming of driving!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Rolex 24: Triple Victory for Porsche

2012-01-30T11:35:00.001-08:00

Rolex 24: Triple Victory for Porsche

January 29, 2012 by Admin
Filed under Motorsport News

Porsche Teams Fill Top 3 GT Podium Spots at the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona

The 24 hour race in Daytona remains Porsche territory: At the cliff-hanger 50th anniversary of the long distance classic in Florida/USA, the Zuffenhausen sports car manufacturer celebrated a convincing triple triumph in the GT class against strong opposition from the likes of Audi, BMW, Corvette and Ferrari. Victory went to Porsche works driver Richard Lietz (Austria) in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by Magnus Racing with teammates René Rast (Germany) as well as Americans Andy Lally and John Potter. After a thrilling finale in front of record crowds on the Daytona International Speedway, Lietz saw the flag 9.412 seconds ahead of his factory pilot colleague Wolf Henzler. The previous year’s winner from Germany shared the cockpit of TRG Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), Marc Goossens (Belgium), Spencer Pumpelly (USA) and Steven Bertheau (USA). Scoring third place was Porsche works driver Marc Lieb (Germany) with Americans Hurley Haywood, Leh Keen and Andrew Davis in the legendary starting number 59 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup run by the Daytona-winning squad Brumos Racing.

Read the rest at 9magazine.com

Watch 100 Drivers in 24 Porsche 911s Race at the Rolex 24 at Daytona Live

2012-01-27T11:15:00.001-08:00

Reverence for the past while chronicling the present best describe SPEED TV’s upcoming live, multi-platform coverage from this year’s historic 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona. The broadcast from Daytona International Speedway begins Jan. 28 at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT, with green-flag action following at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT.

  In total, SPEED and SPEED.com are covering more than 25 hours of activity starting with a one-hour, pre-race show featuring all the great heroes, cars and festivities that have helped color this great event for the past 50 years. Then at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT, duties are handed off to SPEED.com, where strategically positioned cameras and a live timing-and-scoring ticker keep overnight action up to date. On Sunday morning (Jan. 29), starting at 9 a.m. ET/ 6 a.m. PT, SPEED rejoins the race with full production to its conclusion.

Here’s the schedule:  

Saturday, Jan. 28 
Pre-Race: 50th Anniversary Celebration 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (Live)
 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona 3:30 – 11 p.m. (Live)
 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona 10 p.m. – 9 a.m. (SPEED.com; Live) 

Sunday, Jan. 29 
Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Live)

via drive.porsche.com

Made By Hand: 1960's-Era Porsche Factory Tour

2012-01-25T11:07:00.001-08:00

via 9magazine.com

Why We Love Our Porsches

2012-01-20T11:53:00.001-08:00

via youtube.com

Cobra Crash at 130 mph

2012-01-18T13:46:00.001-08:00

via youtube.com

Presidential Ramblings January

2012-01-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

This is the “new” time of the year. It’s New Year and I hope everyone is having a great new year. There is the “new” 911 (stay tuned for information on the introduction party at Carrera Motors later this year). We also have the “new” monthly membership meeting starting in January. It’s now the second Tuesday of the month, starting at 5:30 pm at the Tetherow Club House. Thanks in advance for your support of our “new” monthly meeting. Has a “new” Porsche made its way into your garage? Ed?

We now have our “new” printed membership list, it was available at the Holiday party but I forgot to pass it out. They will be available at all club events, if I can remember to bring them!

So just like most of the club I put the Porsches under covers in the garage, aired the tires to 50psi, plugged in the battery maintainers and reduced the insurance right before Thanksgiving when the snow started to fly. The Blue car is now uncovered, tire pressures set, maintainer unplugged and back to full coverage. How many of you have taken your Porsche out? I’m lovin’ the weather! So sorry for the skiers, so happy for the drivers. I’m even out riding my bike, my non-Porsche passion. Anyone interested in an impromptu Arrive and Drive? This is a happy new year!

Good Luck to Rick Johnson, of Carrera Motors, at the 24 Hrs of Daytona this month. He’s one of four drivers in the Patrick Dempsey RX-8. Hope you are the first non-Porsche across the line! Can’t wait to see and hear all about it when you return.

Ann and Mike Sampson, thanks again for a great Holiday Party this year. Everyone had a great time and we raised lots of money for Charity. So thanks also to the members for your GREAT support.

We voted in the Board at the Holiday Dinner with no changes. So we will be the same Board as we ended the year. Was this a vote of confidence or didn’t you want the job? I’ll choose to believe it was a vote of confidence. Thank you to the Board members for your effort and energy in helping to maintain the stewardship of our club.

Did you know that the tube frame of a Porsche 917 weighed only 47 kilos and the fiberglass body of the Porsche 904 weighed only 100 kilos? I’m thinking about weight now, after the Holidays, and kilos are so much lighter than pounds!

Auf Wiedersehen!
tim

2013 Boxster Unveiled: First Official Photos

2012-01-12T13:51:00.001-08:00

January 12, 2012 by Admin
Filed under Latest News

The new Boxster generation – the mid-engine roadster from Porsche

Never before in the history of the Porsche Boxster was a change of generation so comprehensive. The open-top two-seater car is being marketed with a completely new lightweight body and a completely revamped chassis. Considerably lower weight, longer wheelbase, a wider track and larger wheels significantly enhance yet further the mid-engine sports car’s driving dynamics, already far and away the best in its class, supported by the new electro-mechanical power steering. The new Boxsters boast superior performance and are also up to 15 per cent more fuel-efficient. Depending on model, they get by with significantly less than eight litres of fuel per 100 kilometres.

Read the rest at 9magazine.com