Porsche Club of America
Golden Gate Region

January 2009. Volume 49, Issue 1

In This Issue

President's Message

Letter from the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Competition Corner

Board of Directors

Membership Report

The Power Chef

New Porsche Museum

Porsche Sales--Ouch!

Zone 7 Awards Ceremony

Charity Auction

LA Lit & Toy Show

Quick Links

Event Calendar

Classified Ads

Join PCA Now
Nugget Archive
More About Us
Zone 7 web site
PCA web site
Great Links

Dear Porsche Enthusiast,

Welcome to The Nugget, the email newsletter of the Golden Gate Region, Porsche Club of America.

If you have any trouble viewing this email, you can click here to go to the online versions of this newsletter. For comments or feedback, click here to email the editor.

Thanks for reading.

Click the button to subscribe (The Nugget is free!), and click here to join the Porsche Club of America.

Pawlina Paraskova CG
Executive Editor of The Nugget

GGR Award Banquet Jan. 11

Join your fellow GGR members to celebrate at this year's Year-End Banquet Sunday, January 11, 2009.

The event will be held at:

The Hiller Aviation Museum.
601 Skyway Road
San Carlos, CA 94070
Sunday, January 11th, 2009
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

The event will feature:  

• A display of members' Porsches
• A museum full of vintage and futuristic aircraft, photos and models
• A Catered Gourmet Lunch, A No-Host Bar, Awards, Door  Prizes ...

All for the amazing low price of $49 per person!!
Children under 12 pay only $12 each!

To Register send your check payable to PCA-GGR to:

Mark Powell, PCA-GGR Social Director
P.O. Box 23038
San Jose, CA 95153-3038

Please include:
Your Name ________________________
Number of Adults ___________________
Number of Children _________________
Car to be displayed _________________
e-mail address _____________________

For more information, click here to email Mark Powell.

Registrations must be received by Saturday, January 3, 2009

President's Message

--by Bill Dally, GGR President

Happy New Year!

It's that time again to look back at what we have accomplished during 2008 and to look forward and make resolutions for how to make 2009 an even better year.

Each year about this time I make a point of reflecting on the past year and setting short- and long-term goals for myself.  The one-year goals become my new year's resolutions.  These resolutions are typically grouped according to topics: professional, family, relationships, health, financial, etc.  To be meaningful, a resolution needs to be measurable and realistic.  For example, a resolution to keep my weight under 160lbs is easy to measure (I step on the scale), and realistic - if I eat reasonably and work out several times a week.

A good starting point in this process is to review last year's goals.  Many of the long term goals are carried over with little or no modification.  For the one-year goals, we can see how we did against each goal - and congratulate ourselves for the goals we met.  For the goals we didn't meet, its useful to diagnose why we failed to meet the goal.   Sometimes factors outside of our control block our goals.  For example, I set a goal to have my retirement savings reach a certain level; instead,  these savings were nearly halved by the crash of the financial markets.  This was largely outside of my control - although I could have been more conservative with my investments.  Other times, the goal is largely within our control.  If my weight or cholesterol is out of my target range, it's largely because I have eaten unwisely or been too sedentary.

Some 2009 resolutions are based on 2008 resolutions.  I plan to set a new goal for retirement savings - starting from the new baseline - and to continue to set goals for healthy weight and cholesterol.  Other resolutions represent new initiatives: new professional directions, new relationships to be developed, a new skill to acquire or perfect.

For those of us who are fanatical about our Porsches, it is fitting to have a few Porsche-related resolutions.  At the very least, these should include getting involved and attending club events.  Some example resolutions include:

1. Attend at least two GGR social events in 2009
2. Compete in at least half of the GGR autocrosses in 2009

These are both measureable and realistic goals.  They also represent things that are really fun to do.

Resolutions may be performance related.  For example:

3. Take top-time-of-day at a GGR autocross.

This is borderline realistic, but you are allowed a few long shots on the list.  A more realistic version may be to finish in the top three, or to get within a half second of the top time.

Resolutions may involve car improvement.  For example:

4. Replace the worn 1st gear synchro ring on the '73 914.
5. Have paintless dent repair remove the 2008 door dings.  (Too bad they can't remove the dent in my retirement savings.)
6. Reduce the weight of my autocross car to under 1700lbs.  (Easier in some ways that keeping my own weight under control.)

Depending on how mechanically inclined you are, these sorts of resolutions may represent a therapeutic evening project or a trip to a specialist.  Either way, you can take pride in keeping your Porsche in top condition.

Resolutions might also involve service to the club:

7. Organize a GGR event.
8. Run for a position on the GGR board.

We have a really great club because a number of people have stepped up and volunteered to run events and serve on the board.  However, it has been largely the same group of people year after year, and we badly need some new blood.   Get involved.  Organizing an event is even more fun than participating in one, and you will be working with a great group of people.

Now is also a good time to set some 2009 goals (call them resolutions) for the club.  These include:

1. Offer Porsche events, both competitive and social, that meet the needs of the club members.  We plan to continue to offer autocross and TT/DE events that give our members an opportunity to drive their Porsches near the limit in a safe environment.  In 2009 we will expand our offering of competitive events by putting on three PCA club races.  We will also put on social events, like the picnic, year-end banquet, monthly brunches, and tours, that give us an opportunity to meet and spend time with others who share our passion for Porsches.  All of our events will be run in a safe, fun, and welcoming manner.
2. Keep the club finances in order.  To do this we need to continue to run our competitive events on a break-even basis.  This may be a bit challenging as attendance at events drops due to the economic downturn.
3. Find a long-term solution to the problem of autocross sites.  Finding safe and economical venues for our autocross series continues to be a challenge.  Under the leadership of our autocross chairs, Carl and Matt Switzer, we continue to look for a good long-term autocross site.

If you stick to some of your Porsche resolutions I will hope to see you at an upcoming GGR event, and perhaps to interact with you on the board.  In any case, I wish you a very happy 2009.

Bill

Letter from the Editor

--by John Celona, Nugget Editor


We Got Another Letter

Thanks very much to Douris Reed for sending in a letter to the editor. That makes two months in a row! Let's make it a streak.

To submit a letter, just click on my photo or here to send me an email.

Hope to see you at the awards banquet on January 11. I know Mark Powell has been putting in a lot of work on it. Should be fun!

As always, thanks for reading.

Letters to the Editor

Re: letter from Mike Sherman

Yea Mike What Happened! I bought my 911 in 1969. Waving and honking was a big part of the fun of driving my Porsche! I so enjoyed the recognition of my fellow Porsche drivers, after all 'we knew something' other drivers did not know!

Well, in 2005 I bought my Cayenne Turbo and not a honk, wave, or nod...nothing!!

I am with you Mike, BRING BACK THE WAVE, BLIP OR/AND HONK!

Douris Reed, San Francisco

www.highperformancehouse.com

Competition Corner

--by Wayne Van Norsdall, Competition Director


Wayne is presently in Mexico. We expect extradition proceedings to be completed soon! --Ed.

Board of Directors

--by John Celona, GGR Secretary


The Annual Joint Board Dinner was held in December, but there was no board meeting. See you at the Awards Banquet on January 11! --Ed.

November Membership Report

--by Jeff Kost, Membership Director

Total Members:  2423
Primary:            1404
Affiliate:             1018
Life:                       4

New Members: 8
Transfers In:    3
Transfers Out:  7

New Members

Anniversaries

35 Years

25 Years

20 Years

15 Years

10 Years

5 Years

The Power Chef

New Year's Resolution-Not!

--by John Celona, The Power Chef®

This is the time of year when everyone seems to be considering their New Year's Resolution. For me, it's simple: the same as last year. I've no interest in purchasing a new HD TV and Blue Ray Player. We're perfectly happy with our existing 50-inch plasma TV and, considering it took me a week to get it working with the DVD player and cable box, I don't even want to think about what new boxes would require. Besides, I think it far more important to have a pause button for bathroom breaks than to get a better look at which stars have or have not had their faces lifted.

On the other matters people normally resolve for the new year, I'm much of the same mind. Improve my diet? Exercise more? Geez Louise. I'm trying to keep going with what I have.

Certainly, if one lives mainly on potato chips and chocolate cake and only gets sweaty when the air conditioning breaks down, resolutions for betterment along those lines are perfectly reasonable. The trick is to make them sustainable so you can stick with them. Most folks go on a diet, lose weight, then go off the diet and gain it all back. I try to make food that doesn't taste like diet food so I can have it today and every day and not feel deprived.

It's the same with exercise: any exercise program has to be one you can stay with. And, especially when you're getting to need five fingers or more to count the decades of your life, it's really important not to try too much too fast and to stick with it. I've a number of friends who gone from doing nothing to joining a program to train for a half-marathon(!), only to be totally sidelined after a number of weeks with hip and knee problems.

Much better to start with a little, stick with it, and go from there. When I started running, I would run a half-mile, walk for a bit, then run another half-mile. After a few weeks, I worked up to running the whole mile. Two months out, I went up to 2 miles, then stayed there for a few months. And that's when I was a teenager. The aches and pains seem far more resilient these days.

Personally, I think if people could get themselves to stick with 3 hours per week (30 minutes cardo, 30 minutes strength training, plus a little stretching), that would make a world of difference in itself. Anything beyond is great if you're enjoying it, and poisonous to your resolution if you're not.

This is not to say that my New Year is totally without resolution. My friend Peter has a number of chickens (he calls them "the girls"), and they lay utterly fantastic eggs-far better in flavor than what one can buy in the store. I suspect Peter pampers them in ways that would make a chicken farmer blush.

So my resolution for this coming year is to support Peter and the girls in any way possible so he continues to give me some of these wonderful eggs. I used the last ones I had on hand this morning to make the "Fry Tatta" below. The easy-over consistency of the eggs showcases their flavor much more than if they were scrambled.

I'm sure it would also be very good with store-bought eggs-I just haven't had to make it this way yet!

Keep your fingers crossed for the girls this coming year. I hear there's occasionally coyotes around.

Bon appetit,
The Power Chef

Peter's Fry-Tatta

The Gist

Sauté whatever you have on hand for vegetables, add cheese, then eggs on top, and cook covered over medium heat until the eggs are just barely set. Serve an egg and stuff on top of dry whole wheat toast.

Ingredients

2 Tb. butter or leftover bacon fat
1 yellow onion, diced
2 leftover baked potatoes, diced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 cup diced ham or smoked turkey
1/2 cup grated robust cheese (such as swiss or Gruyere)
a few eggs (your choice on the number)
dry whole wheat toast

Method

Heat the butter or bacon fat in a sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid. Over high heat, sauté the onions until crisped and brown. Add the potatoes, jalapeño peppers, salt, and pepper, turn the heat down to medium, and continue cooking and tossing until the potatoes are warmed and browned. When you're not actually tossing, cover the pan to help warm the potatoes and the cover.

Add the ham or smoked turkey, toss, cover and let cook for a minute or two. Make the whole wheat toast while things are cooking.

Add the cheese, place the eggs on top of everything, and cover. Cook covered for 1-2 minutes until the eggs are just set but the yolks are stil soft.

Serve an egg and stuff on top of a slice of whole wheat toast.

Notes

One of the eggs in the photo broke. Oh, well.

The dry whole wheat toast adds fiber, crunch, and keeps  the overall fat content and calories in balance.

Porsche Museum to Open

New Porsche Museum to be opened on 31 January 2009

Stuttgart. In the new Porsche Museum the final preparations are made for the opening on Saturday 31 January 2009. At last, now that the scaffolding has been removed, it is possible to see to the full extent the bold architecture of the building at the head office premises of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG in Zuffenhausen: The 5,600 square metres of exhibition space are supported on just three so-called cores of reinforced concrete - hence just seeming to hover in space. Inside the building the majority of approximately 80 exhibits are already in place.



In the other areas of the new building - amongst them the museum workshops, the museum shop, the Porsche archive, an exclusive restaurant, a bistro and the capacious event areas - a team of experts are busy putting the finishing touches. Three days after the ceremonial opening, which takes place on Wednesday the 28 January 2009, the doors of the new Porsche Museum will be flung open to welcome the first visitors. On a daily basis, apart from Mondays, the exhibition can be viewed for an admission price of eight Euros (reduced price: four Euros). Children up to the age of 14 get free admission when accompanied by an adult.

The restaurant on the second floor - which has both a view through the glass facade onto the Porscheplatz as well as through the glass partition into the exhibition itself - has its own separate entrance and is also open at hours different from those of the museum itself.
With the new museum and its range of catering facilities additional capacity for conferences, company and private events in exceptional surroundings will come into being. We have already received hosts of inquiries.

Interested parties can get more detailed information from the internet on www.porsche.com/museum.

Porsche Sales--Ouch!

Porsche cannot escape the downward trend in North America

Stuttgart . Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart sold 1,493 vehicles in North American in November. Of these, 1,378 went to the United States and 115 went to Canada. The decline of 46 percent in comparison with the same period last year clearly shows that the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer cannot escape the general resistance to purchasing that exists in North America. For the Boxster series, the decline of 73 percent also has to do with the product life cycle; the new generation of the mid-engine sports cars will make its debut in the United States and Canada in March 2009.

In November 2008, 161 vehicles of the Boxster series were sold, including a total of 76 units of the type Cayman and Cayman S. For the 911, there were sales of 551 units, which is 37 percent less than in the same month last year. Sales of the Cayenne fell 40 percent to 781 units.

Due to the general economic crisis, Porsche has already undertaken measures to adjust production to reduced demand. Until the end of January 2009 no work will be done on eight work days in the main factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.

Zone 7 Awards Ceremony

Charity Auction

LA Lit & Toy Show

26th Year
Porsche & Vintage VW Literature, Toy/Model, and Memorabilia Swap Meet
Los Angeles Airport Hilton Hotel

CALIFORNIA:  Los Angeles, Saturday March 7th, 26th Annual Porsche Literature, Toy/Model, and Memorabilia Swap Meet at the

Los Angeles Airport Hilton Hotel
5711 West Century Blvd.

• 9:00 A.M. - 2 P.M. 
• Admission $10 at 9:00 A.M. or early bird $30 at 7:00 A.M. 
• Over 225 tables of collectibles. 

Vendor info:

Wayne Callaway
1504 East Cedar Street
Ontario, CA  91761
phone 909-930-1999

or go to the website at www.LALitAndToyShow.com.

Happy New Year! Wait-isn't it a holiday today? Time to go!

As always, thanks for reading.

John Celona
Porsche Club of America-Golden Gate Region