QUOTE(Randal @ Nov 2 2006, 11:17 AM)
In the Bay area we're blessed with many different Porsche clubs where we can run AutoX's.
This last year Bill and I ran with GGR and LPR primarily, but want to do others next year - (Redwood Region (RED), Diablo (DIA), SCV (Sacramento) and the Fresno people (SEQ).
What was your experience and what did you like about the clubs you ran with and what didn't you like?
Comments on organization, rules, venues, driver/social interaction, fees or whatever you want to mention would be appreciated.
I for one really miss the Reno people doing their yearly Stead AutoX. This was a fun group of people that got together in the evenings for social events and generally didn't take themselves too seriously.
I also greatly enjoyed our trip up North for the Hoopa Hillclimb (Redwood Sports Car Club). Driver interaction up there was great....seems like most everyone was into meeting new people, even if they were from the Porsche Club.
What's your opinion?
Loma Prieta and Redwood would have to be my top picks, although the last time I was at the Shultz the guy who was teching got to my car and said "sure are a lot of VW's here today. Too bad it isn't a 914 course" Except for the Bayless 912 they all got spanked by the '14s of course because as Trekkor says "they're all 914 courses".
Loma Prieta is such a nice place to go. I love Marina
I hate our own. But that is because I have to get up at 4:30am and tow a trailer 50 miles and then set up a course and assemble timing and such. We have good courses though. Then I have to tow the trailer back to Sac and park it in the dark without smashing the
out of Mike's Karmann Ghia or knocking down his shed.
Charles Schultz is a rough course with a lot of bouncy bouncy going on. But it is fun and interesting. I have a long drive to get there. People are freindly. Competition is good. They try to get people to come to dinner and such after.
Marina is a great course. Rough on tires. But with that much room you have to have a good course designer or you can stink up the place. The guy with the supercharged Miata designed a course that I had more fun with in the rain than any course I have been on in years. Bar none, Loma Prieta is the most welcoming group I have seen in a long time. A couple of years ago LPR and GGR did a weekend and I went down for both days. Although they picked a resteraunt with not enough room, we all got together for pizza which was cool.
Stockton is small but smooth. We try to stay out of the heart of the summer but if you plan ahead, bring sunscreen, water, and a little portable shelter, Matt designs great courses which a group of us critique and modify. We gave out Halloween candy on the 29th!
GGR has the best locations of anyone I know of on the face of the earth. I feel so hammered from the drive down that it makes it a little harder to have fun. Once again, with that much room for your courses you have to design well or it can suck. The one thing I have heard said about GGR that concerned me regarding courses the most is that people "high up" in the club modify your couses after they have been set. I would skin anyone but a safety steward and even he or she had better have a good argument. It cannot be easy to run events that are that big every time. That in itself is a challenge. I want to run more GGR events next year. I have to modify my schedule a bit because working Friday and getting up early Saturday has not worked out for me.
What would be cool is if we could as a 914 bunch somehow host each other on the night before events so we aren't driving for hours to get to the course. I certainly have room for cars and trailers. We just need to get a venue in Sac so we can take advantage of it.
As for the rules. I don't care about them. It is just fun to go out and run. I find SCCA rules much more rational but we don't have the variety of cars they do so they don't work for us.
I am out of time. Got to work I guess.