President’s Post for August
Dear GGR Members,
Car Week in Monterey just came and went like a whirlwind, with Werks Reunion being the main event for PCA members from across the country. It’s pretty cool that Werks is an event that happens within our Zone. An award was given at Werks, the Zone 7 Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to Sandy Provasi. Sandy and Tom Provasi have been instrumental in making Werks the outstanding event it has become. All the Zone 7 Presidents kept this a surprise, so when her name got announced on the PA system, Sandy was still busy at work and was totally surprised. I believe her exact words were “Are you kidding me…?!?!” So congratulations to Sandy for being such a long-time dedicated PCA member!
Above: Zone 7 Rep Brian Adkins and National Executive Director Vu Nguyen handing the award to Sandy Provasi.
On a different note, I did not realize that sports cars (with many of them being Porsches) and twisty roads has become such a contentious national debate, with communities, cyclists, motorcyclists, and even within the car hobby itself. I just assumed that our beloved sports cars carving up the Santa Cruz mountains was just our own little hotbed of car culture. But it happens everywhere there is a twisty stretch of road in this vast country of ours and the consequences have not been great. From momentary loss of car control, to wrecks, to collisions, to death.
Things really came to a head when cyclist, Jakub Solovsky, was struck head-on by a 991 on Skyline Blvd in July. Based on the skid marks, the 991 lost control, crossed lanes and struck Jakub who was riding on the other side of the road. This is just not acceptable!
Apparently horsepower sells, so newer Porsches just get more and more powerful. Yet if you think about it, modern driver’s skills are not improving at the same rate as the cars. Most drivers are not really better drivers than decades before, it’s the same skill driver that is being put in faster and faster cars.
With GGR being one of the largest PCA Regions in the country, I want to remind you to enjoy your beautiful Porsches, but at a safe pace. If you really want to develop as a driver and experience your Porsche at the limits, I really encourage you to attend our Autocross and Track events. You will be in a controlled environment, with excellent instructors, wearing a helmet, car has been inspected, in a place where you are encouraged to go as fast as you can go. Don’t seek cheap thrills on public roads, if you want to impress me with your driving, finish in the top 5 of your Autocross or Time Trial class, now that would be excellent driving!
Sincerely,
Howard Yao