Downshift

High Desert PCA's photostream

2012-02-15T10:22:00.001-08:00

High Desert PCA's photostream on Flickr.

Rolex 24 at Daytona as seen by Brumos Racing Champion Leh Keen

2012-02-12T20:43:00.001-08:00

via youtube.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

World Debut for 911 Carrera Cabriolet with innovative roof concept

2012-01-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

DETROIT – January 9, 2012 – Springtime arrives a little early today at the North American International Auto Show with the introduction of the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet and Carrera S Cabriolet.

Development of the new, seventh-generation 911 Carrera and Carrera S Coupes began with a new aluminum-steel body; the Cabriolets continue the evolution with the addition of an all-new, unique top that retains the characteristic 911 coupe roof line. The intelligent lightweight design makes use of magnesium for weight reduction, improved performance and lower fuel consumption. As with the new 911 coupe, Porsche has managed to make the new Cabriolet models up to 132 pounds lighter than their predecessors.

By completely redesigning the convertible top for the new 911 Carrera models, Porsche engineers created a flexible roof comprised of a heated glass rear window with three integrated top elements. Comprised of magnesium bows covered in fabric, they make the convertible top very stable and particularly light.

A water channel on the convertible top helps keep rainwater from dropping into the entry when opening the doors. Actuated by a button on the center console or by the vehicle key the top and opens or closes in approximately 13 seconds, at speeds over 30 mph.

“The USA is and remains an important market for Porsche with good growth prospects,” said Bernhard Maier, Porsche AG Board of Management Member for Sales and Marketing. “Detroit was deliberately chosen for the world premiere of the new 911 Cabrio because the USA is far and away our largest 911 Cabrio market.” The Coupé variant of the sports car classic will be available in the USA starting in February 2012 with the Cabriolet following a few months later, providing a fresh impetus.

The two new Cabriolets feature the same engine as its Carrera Coupe counterpart. The rear of the 911 Carrera Cabrio houses a 3.4-liter flat six-cylinder engine generating 350 horsepower (hp) (257 kW) driving the rear wheels through a seven-gear manual transmission. The open-top Carrera S comes with a 3.8-liter flat six-cylinder engine developing 400 hp (294 kW) and also has a standard seven-gear manual transmission. The Cabriolets have the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) available as an option, helping to deliver even lower fuel consumption and shorter acceleration times.

The new, 2012 911 Carrera Cabriolet will sprint to 60 mph in as little as 4.4 seconds with the optional PDK, accelerating on to its top-track-speed of 176 mph. The 911 Carrera S Cabriolet with PDK will perform the same deeds in as little as 4.1 seconds and reaches a top-track-speed of 185 mph.

With a 3.9-inch longer wheelbase over the outgoing model, a wider front track and the new electro-mechanical power steering, the new Cabriolets offer even sportier driving characteristics, greater precision and agility. Depending on model, there are other standard and optional active control systems available to further enhance the driving dynamics.

The 911 Carrera Cabriolets will be available later in the spring of 2012. The new 2012 911 Carrera Cabriolet will have a base MSRP of $93,700, while the 2012 911 Carrera S Cabriolet base MSRP will be $103,800 (excluding destination).

Panamera GTS

The Panamera GTS is the purest expression of a sports sedan in the Porsche family with a clear focus on performance. The new Panamera GTS is based on the Panamera 4S and includes more power, upgraded brakes and a body lowered by ten millimeters with new sportier chassis tuning coupled to air suspension and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). These technical modifications make the Panamera model even more capable of cutting it on the race track without sacrificing practicality. The sportiest of all Panamera models also conveys this to occupants and the outside world by its striking sound. In terms of looks, the new Panamera GTS includes distinctive design features at the front, side and rear as well as black highlights. The interior is also tailored to its sporty personality with adaptive sports seats, SportDesign steering wheel with shift paddles and exclusive GTS leather interior with Alcantara surfaces.

The Panamera GTS powered by a modified 4.8-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine, delivering 430 hp at 6,700 rpm, increasing the output over the Panamera S/4S by 30 hp. The maximum torque also increases by comparison, from 369 to 384 lb. ft. At the push of a button, thanks to the standard Sport Chrono package, the 7-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) transmission transmits the engine output to the all-wheel drive system without interruption to the power flow. This collaboration enables the Panamera GTS to sprint to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, accelerating on to its top track speed of 178 mph.

The GTS is equipped with the latest Porsche dynamic driving dynamic control systems, including adaptive air suspension including Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). This system constantly calibrates settings to suit specific driving challenges, from regulating leveling, height and spring rate to electronic damping. With the suspension set at “Normal,” the GTS sits an aggressive ten millimeters lower than any other Panamera model.

The distinctive sound of a Porsche engine is music to any enthusiasts’ ears, and the Panamera GTS adds a new dimension for appreciating the GTS exhaust notes at the push of a button. The Porsche Sound Symposer is an acoustic channel that picks up the intake vibrations between the throttle valve and the air filter, transmitting them as engine sound via a membrane into the A-pillar.

With the option of infusing the GTS cabin with the sound of a race car, it’s only fitting that interior appointments reinforce the car’s competitive DNA. The GTS comes with a full range of luxury and high-performance appointments, including a standard sport steering wheel with shift paddles and 18-way adjustable sport seats.

The 2013 Panamera GTS base MSRP will be $109,900 (excluding destination) when it goes on--sale later in 2012.

Driven: The New Porsche 911

2012-01-10T14:37:00.001-08:00

via youtube.com

Porsche Reveals More Details On 918 Production Version

2012-01-09T08:33:00.001-08:00

Porsche has recently revealed a handful of new details on the upcoming production version of the 918, which it published in its own in-house magazine, Christophorus.
Porsche says it will use a modified version of the new LMP MR6 4.6 liter V8 engine adapted for use in the production 918. Initially, the 918 concept featured a 3.4 liter gas engine, and has increased the displacement to 4.6 liters.

Read the rest at 9magazine.com

9 New Year's Resolutions for the Porsche Enthusiast

2011-12-28T09:50:00.001-08:00

It’s that time of the year again, and like every year, this year really flew by! As we bid welcome to 2012, sip the bubbly, and enjoy the holiday season, we ponder how we can make 2012 better than 2011. We’ve comprised a list of New Year’s Resolutions for the Porsche faithful to entertain you.

1. Join The Porsche Club Of America (PCA)
Resolution #1 is a must. If you are not currently a member of the PCA, you have no idea what you are missing! If you desire the comfort of good friends and good conversation with like minded individuals at events geared toward the finest automobile in the world, then PCA is for you! The club has grown to 139 Regions throughout the United States and Canada. The annual cost is minimal and the benefits are tremendous. We highly recommend you join this year!
2. Test Drive The New 911
The new 991 series Porsche 911 is set to make it’s grand entrance in early 2012. They should be in dealer showrooms by the end of January and in the early weeks of February. Get down to your local Porsche dealership and check it out! Take a test drive! Experience a seven-speed manual transmission! Who knows, maybe you’ll drive away with Porsche’s latest and greatest!

3. Perform Your Own Maintenance
It’s easier than you think! If you don’t already, doing maintenance items on your Porsche is very fulfilling. Doing routine maintenance is a fun way to get to know your car and save money. Changing the oil and replacing spark plugs are straight forward procedures and easily accomplished at home with just some simple tools. Make a date with your car and enjoy the time.

Read the rest at 9magazine.com

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East

2011-12-27T11:19:00.001-08:00

via youtube.com

Flying Lizard No. 45 Porsche Enters 2012 Rolex 24 At Daytona

2011-12-19T07:41:00.001-08:00

Flying Lizard Motorsports announced today the entry of the No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in GT for the 2012 Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 28-29. The No. 45 will be run in conjunction with Wright Motorsports.
The driver lineup is Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), Patrick Long (USA), Mike Rockenfeller (Germany), and Seth Neiman (USA). Bergmeister and Long are Porsche factory drivers and co-drivers of the team’s No. 45 Porsche in the American Le Mans Series. Rockenfeller has been an Audi Factory driver since 2007; this will be his first race with the Lizards since the 2004 Rolex 24, in which he finished second in GT in the No. 74 Porsche. Neiman is Flying Lizard team principal and drives the team’s No. 44 ALMS Porsche.

Read the rest at 9magazine.com

Testing the 2012 Porsche Carrera 911

2011-12-12T18:19:00.001-08:00

via youtube.com

Porsche Celebrates Its Return to Le Mans

2011-12-08T14:11:00.001-08:00

via youtube.com

Kelley Blue Book Names Porsche 911 '2012 Best Redesigned Vehicle'

2011-12-08T10:50:00.001-08:00

Kelley Blue Book Names Porsche 911 ’2012 Best Redesigned Vehicle’

December 8, 2011 by Admin
Filed under Latest News

Kelley Blue Book, the leading provider of new and used vehicle information, today announces the 2012 Porsche 911 has been named 2012 Best Redesigned Vehicle.
Redesigning an icon like the Porsche 911 is tricky business, but the latest rendition deftly walks that tightrope. The 911′s exterior and interior have tastefully evolved, supported by enhanced performance, improved economy and clever engineering to make the 2012 Porsche 911 a compelling sports car, worthy heir to the 911 throne and our Best Redesigned Car for 2012.
“Porsche’s designers and engineers were faced with the very difficult task of redesigning an icon while keeping all the aspects that made an icon intact,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst, Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com. “They accomplished that task and more, creating a car that looks and handles better than its predecessor and is more fuel-efficient to boot.”
The Best Redesigned Vehicle accolade honors the vehicle that best demonstrates improvement and superiority relative to its predecessor and competitors. In judging, the kbb.com editors consider exterior and interior styling, technology, comfort and convenience features, performance/capability, driving dynamics, safety, fuel economy, overall refinement and, of course, value.

Read the rest at 9magazine.com

The Fun Begins…

2011-12-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

Story and Photos by Bren Hirschberg

The fifth chapter in the ongoing saga of 356 Restoration is here! The car is home now, all metal and paint work is finished. I will tell you, even though it took seven months, the accomplishment and end results are extraordinary!! Alan Martino, at Deschutes County Custom, did a SUPERB job – definitely worth the time invested- the guy is an absolute miracle worker. Alan estimates that around 50% of the car is new metal. We had to replace all the lower 6 inches of the car, plus the nose, hood, roof, bumpers, battery box and many wheel well and interior panels. The stuff that didn’t need replacing needed repair. All the doors and deck lids had to be reworked to get the gaps right and the surfaces smooth. But, as Shakespeare said, “All’s well that ends well”!

Once the metal work was done, it was smoothed, body worked, “skinned”, smoothed again, epoxy paint applied to all bare metal, seam sealed, primed twice with different compounds, sanded in between each coat, and then finally painted. I had obtained the Certificate of Authenticity from Porsche so I could put it back to the way it had originally been two other paint jobs ago. It was originally “Silver Metallic, #5706” with black leatherette interior. I decided to use the original paint formula even though many silver cars are switched to a different Porsche silver or even non-Porsche silver colors in the pursuit of a more brilliant color, but I wanted it to be original. After color sanding, it was given a clear coat. The original paint was single stage in 1959, but the clear coating really helps the metallic paint look better.

Tim Hagner, who had been making multiple trips to the shop with me over the past seven months helped me bring it home. Still on the dolly I built for it a year ago, we wheeled it into the trailer and then back into the shop at home. WOOHOO!! I let Alan keep the rotisserie I built for the restoration (an absolute necessity) so if you have a car that needs his expert work, he’s all set.

Now the Fun begins! I should say “my part” of the fun – Alan is taking a break. Since it is just a shell, a perfect shell, but still a shell, there is much to be done. I have been rebuilding and reinstalling the wiring harness this past month. A slow and often confusing job that was made easier by Fred Nielsen having the correct color wiring diagram AND a “donor harness” where I could find wires of the correct colors/stripes to recreate the correct connections. Why do people chop these harnesses apart when they take them out??

I have also been tearing down the engine, cleaning those parts and getting ready for its rebuild. I sent the heads off to be redone and Fred ( my main go-to-guy, in case you hadn’t caught that) also had a used set of 86mm pistons and cylinders that should work to upgrade the engine performance a bit. The next phase will be rebuilding the suspension and steering, reinstalling the transaxle which has been rebuilt by Ken at German Transaxle, rebuilding the brakes and getting the car back on the ground.

I am constantly trying to keep track of parts I already have, parts I need, parts that need repair or restoration and parts that I thought would work, but now don’t quite meet up to the standard that has been set by the terrific body and paint work! Wish me luck. If you need me, you know where to find me!

Fall Tech Session

2011-12-04T12:00:00.001-08:00

Story and Photos by Tim Morris

The High Desert PCA, fall tech session was held at German Master Tech on Saturday Oct. 22. @ 9AM.

Members and 21 Boy Scouts were welcomed to the High Desert PCA Fall Tech Session by Tim Morris. This was a mixed group of Scouts from many Troops in the Crater Lake Council. Scouts attending ranged across the Boy Scout Ranks including four Eagle Scouts! After coffee (adults) and doughnuts were consumed thing got going about 9:30.

Theme of the day was "The Automotive Maintenance Merit Badge". The Scouts were broken into four groups with Members and Tim's crew leading the way thru the requirements. One group had the pleasure of working with Blake Viens, GMT's Master Porsche Technician, on Roger Sander's 996 Turbo. Once in the shop all the boys went to that station and sadly most had to go to work on "other" cars. Mike Simmons headed up the group with the 72 BMW 2002. Josh Gallaty had a group on the X5 and Tim's group on the shops Toyota Pick Up.

The requirements were quite in depth, from basic knowledge of cars, simple repairs, where to fine information to diagrams of vehicle systems. Also the final requirement was to do a "Vehicle Budget" work sheet. The worksheet covered areas of expense: buying the car, insurance & maintenance, etc. This exercise made the Scouts well aware of the financial responsibilities of vehicle ownership. (I'd like to recommend this work sheet to a few people I know.) If the reader is interested in the requirements check "The Boy Scout Trail" online and go to merit badges.

Results: nine scouts earned the badge that day!

Thanks to all who showed up and participated!

New Website

2011-12-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

Our new website is live at highdesert.pca.org. Check it out and let us know what you think below in the comments.

Presidential Ramblings December

2011-12-01T20:31:00.001-08:00

I know the year is winding down because this is my twelfth Rambling. I’d like to thank Sue for reading every one!

What a year it has been for the High Desert Region. I counted 42 region events for this year. That doesn’t include Board Meetings or non-region events that we participated in. I had to review the calendar to refresh myself. I forgot about some of the events we had and I put them on. It has been a busy year.

Remember the Winter Driving Skills event at the Deschutes county driver training facility? That was way back in January. How about the snow cat ride to Elk Lake for Dinner? What a way to start the year. Did you tour the COCC auto facility to see our donations at work? Where you “shocked” at the electric car tech session? Did you enjoy the people and the cars at the Le Mans party? Where you one of the 55 cars on display at our first car show?

Did you drive in the wet and cold Drivers Training event at Hoodoo? Test your “couple” skills on the Photo Rally and eat German food? Meet new Porsche friends from the Cascade Region on our joint Drive and Dine? Did you join in the celebration of our club at the Charter Dinner? Taste some wine in Walla Walla? Immerse yourself in Porsche at Rennsport? Eat too much at a Supper Club event? Eat Pancakes at the Pancake House? These are just some of our events this year. Not to mention the track days at ORP sponsored by Carrera Motors. Yes, it’s been a very good year!

Thank you to all that put in the effort to make these events happen.

Thank you to all that participated in these events.

Without all of you we would not have the great club we have. We are a group of active, fun and friendly Porsche Club members. Hopefully we will be able to maintain our momentum and continue to improve and grow in the coming year.

“It’s not the cars, it’s the people.” I look forward to seeing YOU at the Holiday Dinner (I know there will be no cars)!

Auf Wiedersehen!

tim

57-Story Porsche Designed Highrise Features Amazing Car Elevator

2011-11-30T09:48:00.001-08:00

A $650-million, 57-story highrise designed by Porsche is going up in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida and will feature a robotic car elevator that takes condo owners directly to their door while still in the vehicle. That...sounds convenient. Convenient and terrifying. I guess that's the price you pay for not having to carry groceries. Carry groceries, LOL -- units are $9-million.

Read the rest at geekologie.com

The Green Hell

2011-11-27T16:13:00.009-08:00

"An Old Country Toll Road"

Story and Photos by Roger Sanders
This summer, Mary and I traveled to Germany and Ireland. Part of our time was spent touring the Porsche factory and going through the new Porsche museum with friends which is a separate story. I also had the opportunity to spend an interesting afternoon on an old German road that many Americans have heard about but few have driven. So, for those who haven’t been there:
What do you get when you mix...

A place nicknamed “The Green Hell," or the “Ring."
A place where every car manufacturer in the world brags that their cars are tested.
A cash strapped business with $480 million dollars of EU debt.
A 4,000 ft. long roller coaster that accelerates from inside a monster grandstand to 135 mph in 2.5 seconds.
A world class Formula One track with new hotels and restaurants.
An old county toll road from the 1920s called, "Nordschleife," (north loop) that’s open to the public and costs $35 to drive on its short, one way road.

What you get is the Nurburgring Motorsports Park with its Nordschleife of today.
For car enthusiasts around the world, the Ring (or Green Hell) is all about driving that old county toll road and not about all the expensive improvements that created their $480M debt. So what’s it like to drive the Ring? To answer that you need to know a little about the track itself and about what it takes to be qualified to drive on such a difficult road course at unlimited speeds. So picture this:

A 13 mile race track with 174 turns and non-enforced speed limit signs.
Almost the entire track has a deep, dark pine forest right up to the track edges.
Armco steel barrier is on both sides to severely damage cars instead of having them hit trees.
Almost no runoff areas and only about 28 feet wide with constant uphills and downhills.
Hundreds of skid marks going off track. A dozen deaths and hundreds of serious injuries occur there each year.
No vehicle safety checks, safety equipment, driver training or helmets are required.
There are no speed limits and passing is allowed almost anywhere you can get away with it.
Car to car racing goes on and you can find many “20-something” competitors in the pits.
You can take passengers in your car.

With all that in mind, after paying our toll my long time friend Willi Jastrob and I entered the Ring in his new 2011 Boxster. For those that have driven at speed on our Oregon Raceway Park (ORP), the Ring is a never ending and narrow ORP, tightly lined with Armco in a deep dark pine forest. Yah, we got blown off the track but are you going to argue with a bunch of sweaty “twenty-somethings” on “crotch rockets” and in hot rodded sports cars that are passing you any place and any time? To our credit, Willi, a skilled driver, did pass a couple of cars. Even at the speeds a new Boxster is capable of, you spend all your time looking in the rear view mirrors.

About half way around the track we suddenly came upon a man on the left side of the road madly waving for us to slow down. As we entered the apex of that right hand turn a group of people were hanging over the Armco and peering out into the very dark forest. When we slowly exited this right hand turn, on the right side, there were about 10 parked cars with a big crotch rocket motor bike laying on its side. Apparently, a motor bike driver either hit a car setting up for the turn or totally misjudged the braking point and crashed into the left side Armco at the apex of the turn. The rider flew over the Armco and likely hit a tree at high speed while his bike bounced off the Armco and slid over the right side exit of the turn.

In spite of this serious crash, we continued to get blown off the track on the way back to the exit. After a short break it was my time to drive. As we entered the track entry point race control officials said that the track was now closed for the day due to the accident. So there I was, ready to lap the Ring and it closed.
The Ring, with all its new facilities is all that you’ve heard about and much, much more! It’s totally different than any American road racing track. Its nickname, “The Green Hell,” is for real and it can scare the hell out of you. With serious drivers, their challenge is to lap the 13 mile Ring in under 9 minutes, or maybe even under 8 minutes. With me, my challenge is to just drive the Ring.

Maybe next year I can do it in under 12 minutes!