February Velocity Magazine - 22-2

WillowSprings

Note from the Editor:

There was a huge turnout this month at Willow Springs for the first POC races of 2022. Read all about the action in our feature article which includes a successful launch of a new Enduro Race series that will consist of five 45-minute races to be held intermittently throughout the year. Be sure to link into what appears to be something very exciting happening with Porsche. Did someone say Formula One? Finally, check out the results of our recent SIM races at Silverstone and Road Atlanta.

We hope you enjoy the issue, and we look forward to seeing you in early March at Buttonwillow.

Don

VELOCITY Staff

Editor / Art Director

Don Matz

Production Manager

Matt Hollander

Contributing Photographers

Luis Vivar

Don Matz

POC Board of Directors

John Momeyer President

Scott Craig Treasurer

Nathan Johnson Secretary

Joe Wiederholt VP Motorsports

Matt Hollander Marketing Director

Eben Benabe Time Trial Director

Steve Town PDS Director

Willow Springs In

WillowSprings

Let’s start by saying the chilly season opener at Willow Springs February 5 and 6 was a big, big weekend. Most participants enjoyed two days of spirited, competitive driving, but for an unlucky few it was borderline calamitous.

The robust turnout included 36 Orange racers, 30 Red racers, 12 PDS drivers, and 36 Time Trial drivers split evenly into two groups (one with open passing and the other with point-by passing). The club has resumed in-car instruction for the non-racing groups, which is a welcome aspect of our driver development program. President and Competition Director John Momeyer pointed out that “The lifeblood of the club is having PDS drivers come all the way through the learning process and ultimately becoming cup racers.” He noted that statistically one in nine first-time PDS drivers returns for a second event, and one out of 20 actually becomes a licensed racer.

“So we want to encourage all 48 non-racers driving at the event to keep on coming,” John added.

The most significant addition for the weekend was the inaugural 45-minute Enduro race, which kicked off a five-race series this year. The Enduro replaced Saturday’s normallyscheduled second Orange race, and it was open to all licensed Cup racers.

The one and only Ross Bentley, author of the must-read Speed Secrets book series, graced the club with his talks throughout the weekend. Topics included “Three Ways to Drive Faster,” “Mental Approach,” “Racecraft,” “How Best Racers Learn,” and “Using Technology to Race.” If you haven’t listened to a Ross Bentley talk, you have really missed out.

Dwain Dement of Vision Motorsports displayed his usual magnanimity by hosting a dinner Saturday night attended by 150 members and friends at his facility next to the track. At the dinner Garmin, which was there for the weekend to demonstrate its Catalyst Driving Performance Optimizer, gave out a free system by lottery.

Just how cold was it Saturday morning? It was 17 degrees!

Ask Darin Moore how cold it was. Before the very first practice session of the weekend, Darin, who took 3rd place in the GT3 championship last year, told his son Ryan, a Boxster Spec driver, that he should go out slowly and cautiously in his session because the track and tires were so cold. Then at 8 a.m., with the temperature at 26 degrees and the wind howling 18 mph, Darin headed out in his car with the Red group. He gently squeezed the throttle, but the car slid and spun—maybe there was ice—and hit the left wall while still in pit lane. The impact caused just enough damage to end the car’s weekend.

Photos: Luis Vivar

But the temperature rose and the wind calmed throughout the day, and eventually we were basking in the sunshine of 62-degree semi-warmth. Sunday was even warmer, hitting a high of 68 degrees. The weather always plays a role in track performances at Willow, and this weekend the temps rose high enough, but not too high, for drivers to run blisteringly fast. Charlie Persico pulled a 1:19.009 in Sunday’s qualifier in his prototype car. While Mike Monsalve’s fellow GT1 drivers were turning impressive 1:21s, Mike ripped a rogue 1:18.758 in Sunday’s qualifier. That was the fastest time by any car all weekend, even faster than Charlie Persico’s 1:19.009 in his prototype car.

Top GT3 drivers regularly turned in mid-1:25 laps, and Brad Keegan qualified Sunday with a 1:23.886. It was nice to see former club president Ron Palmer, whose car hasn’t been right in forever, screaming around the track in a 1:25.6 (and completing both races!). In Boxster Spec class Anders Hainer ran a 1:31.608 lap in Sunday qualifying, nipping James Mcloughlin and his 1:31.757. Chet Kolley in GT4 displayed massive improvement, turning a 1:29.018 in the Sunday qualifier. Scott Matz, son of our beloved but evil, whip-cracking editor Don Matz, came all the way from Pennsylvania to drive his dad’s recently rebuilt and still unclassified car to his personal best: 1:33.855. And that’s just a sampling of fast laps seen in all classes in the invigorating February air of Willow.

Now let’s get to the racing. What we’re about to describe can’t be swept under the rug. Even though Velocity correctly strives to be cheerful and positive in its articles about our events it’s important that all members be cognizant of what happened in the first turn of Saturday’s Orange race, but we’ll keep it brief and then move on to sunnier topics.

At the start of the race, midway through the first turn, a mishap occurred. In an attempt to improve his position, one of the drivers accelerated to pass but with little room to negotiate he made contact with another car causing the driver to lose control. The second car was initially forced off but then returned back onto the track. Three more cars got involved and in the end there were 5 cars and a lot of debris spread across the track between turns one and two.

It was possibly the worst multi-car crash in the club’s history. Four of the cars appeared to be wrecked beyond repair. Most of the drivers involved were bruised and some are still sore, but nobody headed directly to the hospital. A couple of drivers went for medical examinations in the following days and learned they had suffered mild concussions. All in all though, everybody’s safety equipment worked as well as could be expected, and we’re thankful for that.

The race was black flagged immediately. After a long delay to tow the broken cars off the track and remove the debris, the race was restarted, in single file, and it finished without further incident. The Boxster Spec winner was James Mcloughlin, followed five seconds later by Anders Hainer. John Momeyer, who had qualified 4th, managed to pass Bryan Van Noy on the outside of Turn 9 in the final lap to take 3rd by .027 second.

Other winners in Saturday’s Orange race were Paul Barnes by a wide margin in the three-car Carrera Spec class; in the four-car GT5 class, Don Kravig by 11 seconds; and Paul Young, in the three-car GT7 class, also by a wide margin.

In Saturday’s Red race, the usual GT1 suspects scorched the track. Mike Monsalve, who had qualified 1st in GT2, apparently changed his mind before the race about which class to run in. He took off his restrictors, dropped his added weight, and ran in GT1 against his arch rivals Dan Aspesi and Alexandra Hainer (who also switched from GT2 to GT1 after qualifying). Mike took the win from Dan, beating him by 1.36 second. Alexandra took 3rd, a bit farther back.

In the suddenly depleted GT2 class, the perennial POC champ Eric Olberz easily prevailed. In GT3, at first it looked like the number three qualifier Nathan Johnson had won, but his car came in underweight at impound, and he was DQd. Eben Benade was thus awarded 1st place, followed by Alex Filsinger. Third place went to Bayan Salehi, who commendably rose from 7th on the grid. Brad Keegan, who had qualified on pole, dropped to 4th. But Brad would have another chance on Sunday.

The 45-minute Enduro race grid was determined by earlier race qualifying times. Forty-five drivers, from 10 different race classes, started the race. All drivers were allowed to use a fresh set of tires for this race, if they so desired. Among the Red racers in higher horsepower cars who aren’t used to running three races in a weekend, there was serious deliberation about whether or not to break out a new set of expensive slicks just for this race. Many chose to save the $2,200-plus (you read that right) and squeeze in all three weekend races on one set, knowing that as a consequence they would be much slower in Sunday’s race. Other Red racers, rather than face that decision, chose to forego the Enduro altogether.

Boxster drivers are required to run all three of their weekend Orange races on one set of tires, so Red racers receive no sympathy from them. Yet it’s a fact that the lighter, slightly less speedy Boxsters don’t use up the grip and rubber as fast as the Red racers’ cars do. On the other hand, since the spec-mandated Boxster Toyo tires are so much less expensive than the Michelins and Yokohamas that the Red racers run, some of the Boxster drivers may have opted for a new set for the Enduro.

The top three finishers in the Enduro were able to complete 30 laps in the allotted time. Atop the heap was Charlie Persico in his prototype, naturally. Placing 2nd and 3rd were Eben Benade and Alex Filsinger. Everybody else seems to have gotten lapped at least once. Many of those who were lapped, lapped others. Some of us were lapped a few times. The whole thing was a lap dance. All in all, it was a blast, with considerably less pressure than one normally feels in the Red and Orange races.

Sunday’s Orange race was a very close two-car shootout in Boxster Spec between James Mcloughlin and Anders Hainer. Anders had outqualified James by a nose to take pole, but James was glued to his tail throughout the contest. In the 13th and final lap, James got a good run on Anders in Turn 9 and passed him on the inside. In the drag race to the finish line, James held on to beat Anders again, this time by less than half a second. John Momeyer, who had qualified 5th, once again moved up in the race to finish in 3rd place. Thus, Sunday’s podium was an exact replica of Saturday’s. In other Orange group finishes, Kip Waterhouse beat Mike Takaki by the slimmest of margins--.137 second—in the two-car Carrera Spec class, Hambis Charalambous won the threecar GT5 class by 9 seconds, and Paul Young managed to lap his two other competitors in GT7.

In Sunday’s Red race GT1 class, Mike Monsalve, Dan Aspesi, and Alexandra Hainer qualified 1-2-3 and finished in the same order. Mike nipped Dan by less than a second. That result was a replica of Saturday’s podium. In the scarce-car classes it was the same story: Eric Olberz again dominated in GT2, Chet Kolley won in GT4, and Charlie Persico was 1st (and last, you could say) in Prototype.

The GT3 class, with 15 racers, comprised the majority of the Red group once again. Brad Keegan again qualified on pole with that sizzling 1:23.886, and in this race he found redemption, beating Nathan Johnson by a half second. Alex Filsinger took 3rd, holding off a charging Ana Predescu by half a second as well. If we hadn’t had the debacle on Saturday, we would have called the season opener at Willow Springs a classic Porsche Owners Club weekend with lots of great racing, camaraderie, and laughter under beautiful desert skies. We should always remind ourselves that we’re amateurs. We’re out here to have fun. We can’t let ambition exceed our skills. Winning is always secondary to safety. Most of us can’t afford to wreck our cars, much less our bodies. In the immortal words of POC legend John “Otto” Williams: “Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly.”

See you all at Buttonwillow!

Photos: Luis Vivar

NO COMPROMISES.

Porsche News

Porsche & Red Bull Nearing Deal

Over Formula 1 Partnership

Porsche Close

Porsche and Red Bull are at an advanced stage in talks over a Formula 1 partnership that could be finalised as early as March, Motorsport.com has learned.

The Volkswagen Group has been weighing up a potential F1 entry under the next generation of power units arriving in 2026 for some time, with officials from its Porsche and Audi brands playing a key role in high-stakes meetings.

Porsche has been linked with a potential Red Bull tie-up since the departure of the team’s former power unit partner, Honda, and the formation of a new powertrains division by Red Bull in Milton Keynes.

to Re-entering F1

Sources have indicated to Motorsport.com’s sister publication MotorsportTotal.com that talks between Red Bull and Porsche are now so advanced that any deal only requires approval from the supervisory bodies within the VW Group.

This could be given as early as March, providing there are no late stumbling blocks, and secure Porsche’s return to the F1 grid as a power unit supplier. Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko and fellow Austrian Fritz Enzinger, Volkswagen Group Head of Motorsport, are believed to have been instrumental in drafting the partnership.

Read this entire story by clicking below.

Season

SIMRACING 4

GT3 RSR

1st Travis Brown 4th Matt Hollander

Jan 3

Jan

Jan

Feb

(90 Minutes)

Jul

Minutes)

Minutes)

2nd Tom Layton 5th Corey Latvala 3rd Michael W. Johnson 6th Doug Boccignone

1st Michael W. Johnson 4th Matt Hollander

2nd Corey Latvala 5th BJ Fulton

3rd Jacob Abrams 6th Andrew Beckner

1st Tom Layton 4th Michael W. Johnson

2nd Corey Latvala 5th Michael Oest

3rd Travis Brown 6th Matthew Sipek

1st Tom Layton 4th Michael W. Johnson 2nd Travis Brown 5th Paul Newton 3rd Michael Oest 6th Jad Duncan 1st 4th 2nd 5th 3rd 6th 1st 4th 2nd 5th 3rd 6th 1st 4th 2nd 5th 3rd 6th 1st 4th 2nd 5th 3rd 6th 1st 4th 2nd 5th 3rd 6th 1st 4th 2nd 5th 3rd 6th 1st 4th 2nd 5th 3rd 6th 1st 4th 2nd 5th 3rd 6th 1st 4th 2nd 5th 3rd 6th

GT3 RSR

Silverstone

Road Atlanta SIMRACING

SIMRACING

All club members with track experience or online sim racing experience are invited to participate – however, you will need an iRacing Membership and a simulator.

911 Design is a full-service repair and restoration facility located east of Los Angeles in the city of Montclair.

In addition to offering standard service, repair and restoration for all Porsche® models, we are known for and specialize in custom fabrication, design and performance upgrades.

All of our services are vertically integrated which means we keep all repair, fabrication and auto-body in-house.

The place for Porsche Owners Club members and friends to list their Porsche cars* and parts.

Ads may ONLY contain:

• Year

• Make and Model

• Two to Four Lines of Features

• Price

• One JPEG Photo

• E-mail Address.

For more information contact Matt Hollander at: Marketing@porscheclub.com

* “Non-P” cars also considered.

2019 718 Boxter GTS

RWD 7-Speed PDK. 2.5 liter H4

Turbo. 365hp. 20/26 City/ Highway MPG. Transferable warranty. Ammenities too many to mention. perryn59@gmail.com

Asking $91,900.00

PORSCHE FIEDS

Porsche 914 six

Engine and transmission built by Marty Metarian twin plug (2.7) w/901 Box w/ Factory Porsche limited slip. Winning GT5 car. gtgraphics2@gmail.com

$45,000

Package deal available; 2005 Chevy Duramax Diesel and Pace Shadow Daytona GT Enclosed 28’ and The Race Car: $72,500.00

2016 Porsche

PDK, Sport Chrono Package, PASM, PTV, Sport Exhaust System and Sport Design Steering Wheel. Naturally aspirated. CPO warranty until July 2022. Odometer reads 19,000 miles. Never commuted or tracked. wantmorekoi@yahoo.com

Asking $61,981

1989 944S2 chassis

With full roll cage and SCCA log book. Vehicle missing engine and transaxle. All other components still with car. 2 sets of 17x9” Porsche wheels. Body is rough but it’s all fixable. No rust as far as I can tell. bajabuzz@yahoo.com

Asking $3000

Backdraft Cobra

As nice as they come with bored & stroked 427 small block, Tremec 5 speed, Wilwood disc brakes, BMWM3 suspension, indigo blue with black int. California registered, smog exempt. It will blow your socks off. kwaterhousejr@gmail.com

Asking $65,000.

2007 Cayman S

Gorgeous and rarely for sale Guards Red Cayman S 6-speed manual in exceptional condition. Loaded with options and accessories. dalemaustin@gmail.com

Asking $26,000

1987 911 Targa

Full roll cage and SCCA log book

Fresh 3.2 Liter, G50 Trans, and clutch, all less than 4 hours, Limited slip, Adjustable sway bars, R2 racing seats, maintained by AASE Motors, Suspension Specialties. eelling@msn.com

$31,500

Package deal available with new 2021 Futura Super Sport 19’8” trailer…+$12,000

2022 Race Schedule

Jan 8-9 Streets of Willow Springs

Jan 22 POC Awards Banquet

Feb 5-6 Willow Springs Int’l Raceway

Mar 12-13 Buttonwillow Raceway

Apr 16-17 Spring Mountain

May 13-15 Willow Springs Int’l Raceway

Jun 4-5 Streets of Willow Springs

Jun 10-12 Utah Motorsports Campus

July 16-17 Sonoma

August No Event Scheduled

Sep 3-4 Auto Club Speedway

Oct 1-2 Chuckwalla

Oct 28-30 Spring Mountain

November No Event Scheduled

Dec 3-4 Willow Springs Int’l Raceway

UPCOMING

Buttonwillow March 12-13

Great track, for many, it’s their favorite. Open to all series PDS, TT and Cup. Also, our first Racers Clinic for 2022 will be held at this event. Sign up early!

Registration Now open

Spring Mountain April 16-17

It’s time, again, to venture out to Pahrump. Spring Mountain is one of our favorites...it’s long and it’s fast. Don’t be left behind. This event wiill fill up fast!

Registration Opens Soon

Be sure to check out the POC website for our 2020 schedule of events and to stay current on PDS, Time Trial and Cup Racing standings.

And, don’t miss the Official POC Facebook Page with photos, videos and comments from our members.

E-Velocity designed by Don Matz Graphics