RENNSPORT REUNION 7 PART 1; THE INFIELD

A FOUR-DAY CELBRATION OF PORSCHE HISTORY AND RACING STORY AND PHOTOS BY DENNIS POWER

PREVIOUS PAGE: The introductory display with representative cars whetting our appetites

ABOVE: The main stage with talks, presentations, and live videos of races

No media pass this year: I was deeply disappointed. Although applying for media credentials as soon as the application window opened last spring, I was denied this time. There went the opportunity to be trackside, inside the chain link fencing, and get closeups of the cars and drivers in action. I had a media pass in the past for historic races at Laguna Seca. I called the communications manager to appeal my case, explaining, as I had in my application, that as editor of a regional Porsche Club magazine we’d planned to include a story. “That explains it,” I was told. Requests such as this were turned down by Porsche. That would be PCNA and, if true, it may be they wanted to control what was written in Porsche magazines. But, whatever the reason, it definitely turned out for the best! Steve Geldman, one of Santa Barbara Region’s premier motorsports photographers, DID get a media pass. As a result, the trackside images we will feature in Part 2 of this story well be better than I could have captured and we can show more of them. The current edition of the magazine will feature the infield, garages, paddocks, and the crowds.

The first “icon” I ran into was Patrick Long, here with his family. Patrick makes his home in Westlake Village (our region!). At Rennsport Reunion 7, Long served as one of the co-Grand Marshals. He also competed in several races, including the Weissach Group in the 1977 Interscope 934.5 (the sister 1979 935 is pictured on the following page). Other races were the Stuttgart Cup in the 1988 962 C Leyton House, the Werks Trophy in a 1964 904, and in the Eifel Trophy in a 1928 911 T/R. You may have heard of Long in other capacities. He is a successful businessman and entrepreneur, the co-founder of Luftgekühlt, a popular aircooled Porsche festival, and has his own line of racing apparel and merchandise. Long is a true Porsche ambassador. He represents the best of the brand, both on and off the track.

FIRST ROW: Patrick Long and family greeting attendees and a 1979 Interscope Type 935

SECOND ROW: a1982 962 and a 1976 Type 934 next to the 1979 Type 935 Kremer K3

THIRD ROW: 1969 917 “McQueen”

TOP ROW: 1984 Type 954 SC RS and 1958

356A Carrera GT Speedster

SECOND ROW: 1949 356 SL Gmünd Type 514 and, to bring us up to date, a 2023 Porsche 963 Hybrid GT

The doors opened on Thursday, September 28. The days following featured parade laps for enthusiasts, Porsche Club Racing, and various races of classes intended to group cars according to their heritage: the Gmünd Cup (550, RS60, 904, and 356), the Eifel Trophy (914 and 911 up to 2.5 liters), the Weissach Cup (3.0 RSR, 2.1 Turbo, 934, 935, 936, 924 GRTS and GTR, and 911 over 2.5 liters), the Werks Trophy (904, 906, 910, 907, 908, 909, and 917), the Flacht Cup (964, 993, 996 GT, and 997 GT), and the Stuttgart Cup (956, 962, GT1, WSC, and RSS Spyder). There was also a very competitive Porsche Carrera Cup North America race for 992 GT3 Cup cars. Other on-track activities included a GT Exhibition and ePerformance Highlights. Stunning displays, opportunities to meet personalities, and autograph sessions took place in the infield. Mainstage features included interviews, Porsche in Art and Porsche in Photography presentations, an Exclusive Manufaktur Design Talk about Colors of Porsche, and, I especially liked, the Driven by Design presentation: “You dream it, we build it.”

They were long days filled with rich experiences. Drivers and enthusiasts had gathered to celebrate racing and pay tribute to the people and cars that have helped build the Porsche legacy.

TOP: An active paddock with Brumos livery, all active racers

MIDDLE: Curated display of iconic cars

BOTTOM: SBR member and motorsports photographer Steve Geldman captures the action.

There’s more to come. With Steve Geldman’s fine photography in the forthcoming January/February edition of Der Auspuff, we’ll get to see what it was like on the iconic Laguna Seca track. Whether in the paddocks or on the track, it can easily be said that Rennsport Reunion 7 was a successful celebration of the Porsche community. It was a chance for fans to come together and share their respect for the brand, and to meet the drivers and engineers who have made Porsche one of the most successful racing marques in the world.

Dennis Power has been a member of PCA since 2004. He is editor of Der Auspuff and drives a 2003 Porsche Carrera 4S in Arctic Silver Metallic