October Magazine - Issue 25-10 by Porsche Owners Club

Worn by Orlando Bloom.

From the Editor:

Here we are, ten months into the year and I’ve only been able to attend the Annual Banquet, two track events and the Morning Shift at PECLA. It’s the first time in my over 20 years with the POC that anything like this has happened. Thankfully, editing Velocity has kept me up to speed. This month, Angela Avitt, Steve Eisler, Calvin Joon Park, Paul Wren and yours truly fill us in on the latest happenings. Steve Town details Bob Mueller’s Maniball Tequila, one of our favorite sponsors. Thanks to Luis Vivar and Don Matz, Velocity is the best-looking publication on the net!

Comments? Suggestions?

VELOCITY Staff

Editor

Andrew Weyman

Art Director

Don Matz

Contributing Writers

Andrew Weyman

Paul Wren

Steve Eisler

Steve Town

Angela Avitt

Calvin Joon Park

Don Matz

Contributing Photographers

Luis Vivar

Don Matz

Steve Eisler

Angela Avitt

Calvin Joon Park

POC Board of Directors

John Momeyer President

Karen Robinson Secretary

Jim Salzer Treasurer / PDS Chairman

Joe Wiederholt Member at Large

Dwain Dement Chief Driving Instructor

Eben Benade VP Motorsports, TT Director

Steve Town Sponsorship

Cover Image: Luis Vivar & Don Matz

Porsche Owners Club 2026 Event Schedule

Nov 8-9

Dec 13-14 Willow Springs Int’l Raceway

Jan 10 Streets of Willow / Motorsports Safety #2

Jan 17 Awards Banquet at PECLA

Jan 30-Feb 1 Spring Mountain

Mar 7-8

11-12

May 16-17

Sep 12-13

Oct 10-11

Oct 31-Nov 1

Dec 12-13

Buttonwillow CCW

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway

Willow Springs Int’l Raceway

Buttonwillow Circuit

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway

Willow Springs Int’l Raceway

A Topsy Turvey Weekend at Buttonwillow

Buttonwillow

Mother Nature gave us a spectacular weekend, just perfect dry sunny conditions with comfortable temperatures in the 70s.

Photo: Luis Vivar

A Topsy Turvey Weekend at Buttonwillow

PAUL WREN

Friday practice was wide open and pretty sparse, so anyone that wanted track time could get all they needed. A couple of fast non-Porsche cars showed up (a Ferrari 488 Challenge, and a built Viper V10) but there’s no substitute for Porsche. By my clock, the familiar green Cup car of Mike Monsalve was unbeatable even though Mike was three to four seconds off his quali lap last year. Two new 992 Cup Spec cars made an appearance but were no match for the track knowledge of Monsalve, although Ana Predescu shadowed him pretty closely during one session. A couple of drivers mentioned the bumps were getting worse overall particularly for a stiffly-sprung Cup car, with several ripples that could throw you into a spin in the braking zones, and a new bump entering the Bus Stop. A few dust clouds indicated where people were taking chances (or making mistakes) but the day was smooth overall.

Saturday morning warmups provided the familiar crackle in the cool overcast morning air as the Red and Orange groups made their way out on track to get familiar again with the classic clockwise configuration. Cloudy but dry conditions made for a cool track, a contrast to Friday’s warm sunshine.

Qualifying for Orange was a little more sparse than usual. Relative to the class record lap of 2:03 the cool track provided a little less grip with the top three times of 2:04.3 by Nick Maloy, 2:04.7 by Rob Walker, and 2:06.8 by Nigel Maidment with some huge dust-clouds resulting from two-wheels-off on the final turn. Bill Durant led the GT5 field with 2:07.0, and Mike Porteous headed GT7 with a 2:12. Sole entrant In the Spec 2.7 class was Vivek Hazari with a 2:11.

Qualifying for Red followed with lap times also just off class records. For example, the 911.2 Spec Cup cars have gone 1:49.2 and GT3 has done 1:51.5. Pole in the 991.2 Spec class was taken by Mike Monsalve in the 87 car at 1:49.8, followed by Bob Mueller at 1:50.2 and Brian Van Noy at 1:50.8. In GT3 Brett Gaviglio led the largest field of the day with a 1:52.7 followed by his usual nemeses Ryder Liu at 1:53.5 and Brad Keegan at 1:55.1. (Your author had to sit out the weekend with a broken transmission). Eric Olberz in a striking new 992 Cup car turned a 1:52.4 as the sole entrant in his class. In GT2 the trio of entrants was headed by Darrell Troester at 1:56.3.

Photos: Luis Vivar

Orange started off the wheel-to-wheel action with Race #1 for 11 laps. The clockwise configuration is a little more forgiving than CCW for the pack at Turn 1 but it’s still quite a sight to see the tightly matched pack attack the first lap. The tight slow turn three also has an accordion effect. The top two of Walker & Maloy separated off the front of the pack and showed a clear speed advantage, but Maloy stopped with a mechanical out of turn three in the second lap. There were many battles throughout the field in small groups but in the end, it was Walker that stayed well clear alone at the front for the win, with Maidment and Wunderly in their own battle coming 2nd and 3rd.

Orange Race #2: was a near-replay, with Rob Walker stretching out the field and getting away solo. The best battle was a group of six cars fighting for 5th place, led by Alisha Wray. That battle would last until lap three when heavy contact in turn one sent the 486 car of Scarcello skyward then disabled off-track. Everyone stayed on four wheels but the 228 car of Larry Haase had to retire. Finishing order was the same as race one for the top three despite another close battle between Maidment and Wunderly for 2nd and 3rd.

Red Cup Race Saturday: Contrary to most weekends the fast group was also the largest field on track at once. 21 cars total, with very competitive fields of eight GT3’s and nine Spec 911.2 Cup cars. The race went largely in qualifying order until Van Noy got by Mueller on lap two and steadily closed on the leader Monsalve to pass for the lead on lap nine only to overcook Star Mazda and fall back to 2nd on lap 11. But Monsalve would then slide off-track dramatically at Cotton Corners on the last lap, allowing Van Noy, Mueller and Selby to pass, making that the podium for 911.2 Spec. In GT3 Gaviglio and Liu pulled away steadily from the rest, with Evan Gold rounding out the podium. The GT2 race followed their qualifying order exactly, with Troester winning over Schmidt by a wide margin.

Sunday morning dawned crystal clear and chilly, just 49 degrees when Red rolled out at 8am. New day reset on yesterday’s (or practice) tires set the times back by 3-5 seconds versus yesterday’s sweet spot. Both warmups a little more sparse as some folks saved tires or otherwise slept in. In the Orange group times were closer, probably because the DOT tires don’t lose as much grip on a cold track versus the slicks in the Red classes.

Red Qualifying: Efficiency seemed the order of the day with most cars seeming to take one warmup lap then go hard; too hard for Duane Selby who spun off at the left approach to Phil Hill in a huge cloud. Quali was done for Selby since he needed

Photos: Luis Vivar

a tow. Monsalve headed the field at 1:53.9 but Van Noy benefited from a second push lap to take 2nd with a 1:54.0 ahead of Mueller at 1:54.3. The times show the impact of used tires as they were about four seconds slower than yesterday’s Quali. The second half of split qualifying was delayed by the rescue of Selby from the weeds, but upon restart the GT3 contenders had their moment. Timing seemed to miss Gaviglio’s first hot lap but his second at 1:55.9 headed the field. Gold took second at 1:56.6 and Liu third in 1:57.4, a slight reshuffle of yesterday’s race. The spectacular blue lone 992 Cup car of Dan Aspesi set the fast lap of the day at 1:51.9.

Orange Qualifying: The familiar players from yesterday took their places, again with an inversion for the livestream with the faster cars in the 2nd split. One or two dust clouds showed that cars were pushing the limits. “Live” timing was definitely missing laps, hopefully official timing results were more accurate. The familiar names were in front in Boxster Spec, with Rob Walker besting his time from yesterday on pole at 2:03.9, Nick Maloy 2nd at 2:04.9, and Chris MacDuff 3rd at 2:06.3. The lone Porsche of Bill Durant in GT5 vanquished the Miata competitor with a 2:07.2, while Vivek Hazari in the lone 2.7 Spec car posted a 2:16.1 showing tire wear versus yesterday’s 2:11.

Orange Race 3: The swarm into turn one was tightly packed but civil, and the pecking order established by Quali held fast, except that Walker was relegated to 13th on the grid so he would be moving through the field, up to 6th by Cotton Corners, and 2nd by midway the second lap. By the third lap he had the lead and pulled away, going into tire-management mode while groups of 2 and 3 behind formed and fought. In the end it was Walker over Maloy, then MacDuff for the podium.

Red Cup Race 2: No matter how many times you see it, the thundering howl of a pack of Cup cars into turn one continues to impress. The first wave of Cup cars is sure to be exciting with Selby starting last after his Quali incident. He was up to 6th by halfway through the first lap but fell back in an incident on lap three. Van Noy resumed his chase of Monsalve from yesterday, close and hunting, while the top seven all stayed close as Monsalve appeared to be managing tires and backing the pack up. Van Noy finally passed on lap five and opened a gap. Monsalve would retire shortly after. Mueller would also retire, putting Predescu and Gerrit Wesseling in 2nd and 3rd.

Photos: Luis Vivar

The GT3 field strung out in Quali order but by lap three Gold was right on Gaviglio looking for a way by. The order was maintained though as Gaviglio also appeared to be managing pace, turning 1:58s compared to his 1:55 Quali. Incidentally those 1:58s were matching the pace of the Cup field in front before Van Noy broke free! Drama in turn three of lap seven though as Gaviglio was hit by Liu and spun around, putting Gold out front solo! Gaviglio restarted but well back, and Liu subsequently retired with front end damage. Jim Salzer inherited 2nd a half lap back, while Gaviglio worked his way back up to 3rd. Gold finished it off for the win. A topsy turvy race.

Unfortunately, a red flag halted everything on the last lap as Wesseling crashed heavily in the Esses while battling for 2nd chasing Predescu, though he emerged unscathed from the car after a dramatic triple-roll over the tire barrier and fence. Reminder that it’s all fun and games but the stakes are very real. Luckily the racecar and roll cage did their job and he walked away.

In the final results for 991.2 Spec, Van Noy was relegated to 5th place, so the official podium is Ana Predescu 1st, Bob Mueller 2nd, and Thomas Stone 3rd. In GT2, Roland Schmidt was victorious over Barnes and Troester.

A spectacular weekend that ended on a little bit of a down note but at least the only damage was to bank accounts, and no one was hurt. See you all at Chuckwalla in November.

Photos: Luis Vivar

BUTTONWILLOW (clockwise) TIME TRIAL

STEVE EISLER

Well, we did make it to Buttonwillow. After all the adventures getting to Laguna Seca and again getting to Willow Springs with a rented tow car and a rented race car, the Racing Gods were not quite done with me. I found a 2022 Chevy Tahoe with the factory tow package in Arizona and had it shipped to Escondido. Had it checked at the local dealer and all the 40,000-mile service recommendations done. They did not see that the OnStar and the navigation screen did not work, so it was back to the dealer for a Communication Module that had to be ordered. Of course, it was not ready in time, so we made the trip to Buttonwillow in another rental SUV.

I had been doing some SIM training, and I was ready when the track opened on Friday. Satakal Khalsa drove the first 3 laps in my car to establish a baseline data set that we could use for comparison the rest of the weekend. This worked very well as we picked the low hanging fruit after each session and worked on improving just one or two turns at a time. My times dropped in almost every session and, although I was 2 seconds slower than my best time for this configuration, I was breaking some bad habits and gaining confidence in using new techniques and different thought processes.

I was joined by 9 other official drivers on the timed runs on Saturday and a total of 12 Point-by drivers on Sunday. Leaders in our group were Thomas Kenna from class Modified 3 who did a 2:01.463 on Saturday and a 2:03 on Sunday, and Angela Avitt who did a 2:06.929 on Saturday and improved to 2:05.501 on Sunday. Angela is trying to complete a 1-2 sweep in Modified 2 with her husband Mike, who has clinched first place. Jerry Cheng and Dominic Ong had a spirited battle all weekend in their Spec Boxsters. Jerry had the best time- 2:07.300, just 0.510 seconds ahead of Dominic.

In the Open Passing group there were 7 drivers under 2:03.0, which appeared to be a cutoff point. Gerritt Wesseling led the group with a best of 1:56.218. He was followed by James Williams at 1:58.420, Osei Appiagyei-1:59.298, Jim Hall II-1:59.497, and Danna Van Noy who clocked a best time of 2:02.228. Mike Avitt, Modified 2, and Bob Gartland, GT3, rounded out the top times with a 2:02.388 and 2:02.519 respectively. Gerritt and Danna are driving Spec991.2 cars and the rest, except for Mike, are in GT3.

Check out the RBIS improvement scores, and you will see several drivers scoring 25 or more points. A driver that was 10 seconds slower than the track record for this course would have to improve by 2.5 seconds to earn a score of 25. Congratulations to them and all the Time Trial and PDS drivers who made the trip to Buttonwillow to improve their skills, challenge the track and support the racers in the Red and Orange race groups. It takes all of us to make POC the amazing driving club that it is.

If you have questions or suggestions for improvement, please contact me at seisler@cox.net

Time Trial Record Based Improvement Scores (RBIS)

POC Record Based Improvement Score (RBIS) Created by: S. Eisler

Scores

Time Trial Record Based Improvement Scores (RBIS)

Your RBIS score compares how many seconds you have improved to the number of seconds you could have improved to equal the track record. RBIS Track Records are the fastest time recorded since 2021 for each class in a POC race, Qualifying run, or Time Trial timed run.

· If this is your first day on this track there can be no previous best so that and the next 3 columns are all blank.

· The exception is for drivers who are faster than the record time on their first day. They are given an RBIS score of 100 points plus one point for every sec that they were under the record.

· If the Finish time is slower than the PREVBest, the Improve sec column will be a negative number and the Record diff column will show the difference between the previous best and the record time. The RBIS score will be zero.

· If the Finish time for the day is faster than the PREVBest, the Improve sec will be positive. The Improve sec is divided by the Record diff to get a percentage of improvement. Multiplying that percentage by 100 yields the RBIS score in bold type.

Photo: Luis Vivar

PDS Newbies

ANGELA AVITT

For the third time this year, the POC ran at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, and each event was a different configuration: CCW, The Circuit, and this time CW. For me personally it is bittersweet, since I have decided to stop doing track events at the end of 2025. This was my last time driving in a Time Trial at Buttonwillow after 20 years of participation, mostly with PCA, and then the last five years with POC.

On a happier note, I really enjoyed meeting new POC members, mostly new to track events, and finding out a little tidbit about what, or who, influenced them to join the fun. I was able to interview six of them at this event. Locating each of them was challenging at this large track, let alone having enough downtime to get the interviews done. Thank you, Vivek, for helping me with the process!

Photos: Angela Avitt

Eitan

Paster #104 driving a silver 2006

Cayman S is a very energetic young man. He is only 16 years old that’s probably why! Eitan’s Dad, Jesse, purchased the Cayman S about 6 months ago. It’s his first Porsche, presumably for himself. So, when Eitan joined the POC just last week for a dollar, (he was really happy about that) he asked his dad if he could drive the Cayman S in the PDS. Dad wasn’t fully on board immediately, but he finally gave in. Mom was a different story. I’m not sure if they ever received Mom’s approval. Eitan’s daily driver is a 2002 BMW325ci. He does all his own repairs and eventually hopes his dad will allow some track prep on the Cayman S for next time. We will have to watch and see how that goes. Eitan plans to do as many track events as possible. He is a little busy as he is still in High School! He is on his school baseball team and enjoys the competition. He also loves snow skiing and hiking.

Connor Sloane #627 driving a white 2020

GT4 ClubSport is the son of POC Red Cup Racer

Andy Sloane #621 who has been a member since 2021. Connor just joined the club last week and his dad is generously sharing his car so that Connor can experience his very first track event. I found Connor and Andy in the Vision camp. Andy is a Vision customer for regular Porsche maintenance, and he was encouraged to join the POC by Vision. Connor hopes to do more events when his schedule permits. His daily driver is Toyota 4-Runner and he keeps very busy as a commercial general contractor. His other hobbies include fishing and duck hunting.

PDS Newbies

Michael Gao #114 driving a 2024 GT4RS is originally from Chicago but is living in the L.A. area now. He is a software engineer and just joined the POC in September 2025. Michael has had some other track experience with a Mercedes AMG c43 at Buttonwillow and Laguna Seca, but it wasn’t until he rented a Toyota Supra to do a track event that he realized he needed a real track car. I would say he went all-in with his choice of a GT4 RS. Doesn’t get much better than that! His long-term goals are to continue participating in POC events to improve his skills and also just have fun! Michael was awarded “Most Improved Driver” in the PDS by the Race Control staff.

Edgar Murillo #322 driving a 2017 Cayman S just joined the POC in September 2025. His friend Calvin Park encouraged him to come out and give it a try. Calvin has been a POC member for three years. Edgar’s Cayman S is his first Porsche, which he has owned for five months now, and this is absolutely his first time on a track. Edgar owns an auto repair shop in Santa Clarita called Bambi’s Automotive, which he opened in 2023. He specializes in all European makes and has seven years of work experience in the industry. His other hobbies are soccer and going to the shooting range. His daily driver is a VW Toureg, but now he really enjoys driving the Porsche a lot more!

Garrick #188 driving a 2024 GT3RS, which he has had for about a year, just joined the POC last week. Garrick told me this is his first Porsche, which surprised me, so I had to ask how he chose the latest and the greatest Porsche for his very first Porsche. Funny story. A friend of his didn’t have room in his garage and needed to sell it, so Garrick took it off his hands. Garrick has had previous track experience at Sonoma, Streets of Willow, and a couple other manufacturer track days. He has a few different cars, but he made special mention of a Honda S2000, a gem of a ride. He learned how to drive stick on the Honda and never wants to sell it. When he is not in a car, Garrick he loves exploring cultures through food.

Alec Lentz #120 driving a 2025 GT4RS joined the POC in September 2025. He has had some prior track experience at Buttonwillow Raceway

Park with Speed District and SoCal Drivers Club, but this is his first event with the POC. Alec works as a Business Consultant in the L.A. area and loves to challenge himself with new athletic endeavors. He is a member of a beach club and enjoys participating in all the different competitive sports they have to offer. He has many other hobbies including snowboarding and mountain biking. The common theme of his activities is both speed and competition. Not sure if he will continue to track his car but the POC certainly offers the adrenaline he craves.

Instructing Edgar

Out of the blue, Edgar Murillo reached out on Instagram. I had known him for about 6 years. My impression of him has always been that he’s a good kid, but also one hell of a mechanic. He worked on many of my cars, and I could always count on his expertise. We stayed in touch through Instagram and one day he reached out saying that he got a 718 Cayman S and wanted to join me on a POC track day. He had never been on a track. It was time for me to put the MSF Levels 1 and 2 training to use! I also had taken a two-day SCCA course and was happy to share my journey and ease him in. I was happy and excited to have a friend come join us on the track but knew I had to make sure he enjoyed his time SAFELY. He had no idea where to begin, so I walked him through registration, safety, basic rules, car setup, and what to expect on the track day. Of course, I sent him the discount code for the POC membership. He asked me questions all the way until Saturday night (he was only able to come out on Sunday).

Calvin Joon Park

Photos: Calvin Joon Park

He showed up at 6:30 a.m. and I handed him one of my CJP516 shirts that I had made for such events. I had posed for a few photos for Luis Vivar. One of the poses stuck with me and became known as the “Calvin.” As a joke I made a shirt with that image and a logo. Edgar was happy to wear it and join the Team CJP516! I was happy to give him one because my wife wouldn’t ever wear it. Edgar proudly wore the CJP516 shirt all day.

Luckily, my session was just before his PDS so I took him out as a passenger to get him familiarized with the track - the procedure of coming onto the track at the beginning and also during the session, pointed out all the corner stations, the flags, the point-by protocols and the racing line. And then I hoped on his car as a passenger. He was nervous, yet eager. I made sure he kept the traction control on (he had it off!!!). It could have been really bad. A beginner with no experience going out on a track with the traction control off! That was a close one. Even with the traction control on, he fishtailed once or twice but ended the session without any incident and a mountain of confidence. He even noticed a car behind him before I did and gave him a point-by just before Star Mazda. I took him out as a passenger one more time and rode in his car as a passenger one more time. During the last two combined Time Trial and PDS sessions, we did lead/follow and then he was on his own.

One of the challenges I didn’t anticipate was that Edgar had no idea what the track looked like — he had never even seen an onboard video or track map, so everything from corner names to braking zones was completely foreign to him. Obviously, he had never driven Buttonwillow before. But what really surprised me was that he hadn’t even watched YouTube videos or studied the layout beforehand. Most first-timers at least familiarize themselves with the track virtually — whether through SIM laps, onboard videos, or printed maps — but Edgar was going in completely blind. That meant I had to start from the absolute basics: explaining the flow of the track, identifying key reference points, and helping him visualize what to expect before we even rolled onto pit lane. But I think that’s why it all worked out.

I looked back on my first day, which was at the Street of Willow on the first day of the SCCA course. Although the instructors used the map of the track in the classroom to explain the layout, corners, braking zone, etc., none of it made any sense and I could not mentally put everything together until I actually went on the track for the first time. So, I realized that even if Edgar had watched YouTube videos beforehand, it probably wouldn’t have made much difference for someone with no track experience. Taking him out as a passenger turned out to be the perfect way to introduce him to the track. Once he saw what was out there, he was ready to learn.

The experience I had with Edgar was special as he was my first real student and everything worked out perfectly. (I “instructed” James Bowe last year, but he’s an experienced driver and only a minimum of help, if any, was needed.) The day was perfect – the weather was great and due to the light turn out, the traffic on the track was light. Edgar was eager to sign up for the next event even before the day ended. This was one of the most rewarding track experiences I ever had. It was also hella fun!

Photo: Calvin Joon Park

Life Lessons: An Interview with Tom Stone

Illustration: Don Matz

Photos: Tom Stone

ANDREW WEYMAN

I’ve known Tom Stone for about 15 years and have enjoyed many hours with him at track events. He’s a stand-up guy with a great laugh and a laser-focus. He was gracious enough to entertain my questions and share his introspective methodology. I found his answers to be quite thought provoking. Here’s what he had to say:

AW: Thanks for agreeing to take this walk down Memory Lane. You’ve been a long-time member of the POC and there was a period during which you disappeared. Now you’re back. Can you tell me a little more about that?

TS: I raced with SCCA for three or four years and then came back to POC.

AW: What were you running in SCCA?

TS: I was racing in a Gen 3 Spec Racer Ford.

AW: You originally drove a Boxster in the POC and now you’re driving something else.

TS: I’ve gone through the whole POC system you might say. I started with a street Boxster. If you remember, you invited me to my first POC event and hosted me very graciously. You introduced me to the club and got me involved. I moved up and raced in Spec Boxster, then I raced in SRF with SCCA, came back to POC and raced in a GT4 class car. I recently bought a 991.2 Cup Car and I’m racing that.

AW: When did you first join the club?

TS: I think it was around 15 years ago this fall.

AW: Where did I find you to invite you?

TS: We came across each other on one of the Pelican Parts forums.

AW: Oh, yeah. That’s right. Good memory! Is there anything about the work you do and have done that parallels your experience on the track?

TS: My day job is not directly related to racing but what I’ve learned from racing hasn’t just improved my racing. It’s improved me as a person. It’s also improved my professional ability to achieve things.

AW: What kinds of things?

TS: On the track it’s about handling the car, passing, all the mechanics of racing but it’s also been an inner journey for me. It’s been fun and a journey about learning what it takes to do well. How do you set yourself up for success? What’s the process? What do you need to understand? What’s going on in your head? There’s a lot going on in terms of emotions. What does it take to win? Do I really want to win? Why do I want to win? All those motivational things, emotional things…. You have a great day at the track, or you have a bad day at the track…an incident. How do you deal with that? What does that all add up to emotionally? I’ve learned so much about myself internally. I mean emotionally and mentally. I can apply that to everything else in my life.

AW: Is there one thing in particular that stands out for you?

TS: One thing is being able to handle a big setback. Like having an incident on the racetrack where you have a wreck. The car gets banged up, you’re kind of emotionally banged up. There are all kinds of emotions around that, good and bad. How do you recover from that? How do you get back on the horse? Well, it’s not so easy to get back on the horse and keep your foot to the floor in your next race. There’s a process of emotional growth about how to deal with those kinds of situations. It happens on the track, and it happens in real life, too. You get laid off from a job. Maybe you get fired from a job. Maybe someone you know passes away. How do you deal with all of that? The situation, the logistics, the emotions…how do you come out the other side stronger and better as a person and in your relationships with other people? That’s really what my racing journey has been. It’s one thing to drive the car and be out there which I absolutely love. The other side of the coin has been this growth path for me. I’ve hired driving coaches, a therapist, and a performance coach to help me work through the “soft side” of things. The emotional, the preparation, the visualization, the repeat-ability. The big difference between a professional and an amateur is that a professional can go out and deliver a performance anytime and anywhere on demand. An amateur might have a good day or a bad day. A good week or a bad week. I’ve spent a lot of time working on how to deliver on demand. That’s helped me in business. In my professional life. Immeasurably. In working with investors and raising money for the companies I run. With investors I can perform on demand because I’ve learned how to do that on the racetrack.

AW: What do you think is your biggest challenge on the track?

TS: Me. I’m my biggest competition. There are some great drivers out there. You have to learn the skills that set them apart. At the end of the day, most of us amateur racers are our own biggest problem to solve to do really well. We create our own limitations. We tell ourselves stories. We don’t feel good enough or worthy enough. That we deserve it. We have to work through all of those things in order to become the best driver we can be. The talent is already in there. You have to unleash it.

AW: Do you have an archrival?

TS: I don’t. I don’t think of racing in those terms. My archrival is myself. Without a doubt. I don’t even look at lap times for the last eight years. I gauge my performance as, “Am I driving as well as I can drive?” If I’m driving as well as I can then that all the talent I have. I can increase my talent and get better but today I can only drive as good as I am. Pushing way beyond that is just taking a risk. Taking that extra risk is going to be dangerous. That’s where you’re going to make a mistake. You’ll go off. Hit somebody. I try to drive within my capability, to the maximum of my capability. Over time, increase that capability. My biggest archrival is myself. That’s the main thing holding me back.

AW: Is there anyone in particular with whom you enjoy going side-by-side?

TS: There have been many, many people. You’re one of them, for sure. We had some

I probably spent ten of the 15 laps trying to pass and I couldn’t get by. You drove perfectly. You defended well. I just couldn’t get that pass done. I couldn’t make it happen. We were side-by-side often and really close. There are a lot of great people in Boxster Spec. In the GT classes Jim Steedman and I have had a couple of great races. I’m looking forward to racing with the 991.2 folks.

AW: This has been great. Is there anything you’d like to add?

TS: I want to thank the POC. Most people are like, it goes without saying. They know people appreciate the club. But it’s worth saying. I’ve done the whole journey through the POC ladder system if you’d call it that. From street car in PDS to Red Group in a 991.2. It’s been incredible. Yes, it’s kind of expensive but the enjoyment and the benefits have been worth a hundred times what the dollar cost has been to me overall. So, I want to say, “Thank you to the POC.” It’s amazing that the POC exists and it does what it does and how it does it. It’s just a fantastic organization. And last, I’d like to thank my driving coach, Mike Smith, and my performance coach, Jillian Rutledge. They have helped me immeasurably.

AW: Will you be out at Chuckwalla?

TS: Yes.

AW: Great! I’m looking forward to seeing you there!

Ask

Advice to Keep You on Track

Dear Dr. Dyno, My car was nice and clean when I arrived at Buttonwillow. By the time the weekend was over it was covered in dust and dirt. Even the interior was a mess. What’s your advice about keeping my car clean at track events?

Dirty in Del Amo

Dear Dirty, Stay away from Nigel Maidment.

Send your questions for Dr. Dyno to: POCVelocityEditor@gmail.com

OCTAVIO

The Porsche Owners Club Recognizes Octavio & Maniball Tequila

as a Valued Sponsor

STEVE TOWN Sponsorship Director

A couple of years ago, a group of us were milling around the paddock on a Saturday evening. It was after 5:00pm and the track was cold. A fellow racer offered up airplane mini-size bottles of tequila. I’m not a tequila drinker (related to a very long night in college and very cheap tequila), but our supplier of spirits said it was peanut butter tequila, and he had just started producing it. I like peanut butter a lot, so up goes my hand and he drops a few mini bottles into my hand. I said, “If I like this tequila, it’s gonna be a hit, because I really don’t like straight tequila.” He just smiled and said, “Let me know what you think.” It was very good! Fast forward two years, and Bob Mueller and his son Cole have been able to take Maniball Peanut Butter Tequila to a point where they’re selling the majority of the fastgrowing beverage to a group that is expanding its distribution across the country. Not a bad result for a sideline hobby of a successful lifelong contractor/developer, and fellow racer. At our recent Buttonwillow weekend (yes, with Maniball in hand) and in the week after, Bob and I talked about his businesses and motorsports. It’s a pleasure to give our Velocity

readers a wider view of Bob’s life and motorsports. All of us in POC appreciate Bob’s generous sponsorship support through Maniball Tequila and its success. We started with Bob’s businesses. I asked him about his career in contracting and development and where a tequila business fit in. He described the beginning like this, “I had gone to college at SF State for water polo, and when they cut the program after a year, a friend convinced me to go to San Diego State, which is why I eventually ended up back in the area. First though, after college I went back to Napa where I grew up. My dad was a contractor. After working on various projects, I got my contractor license and began to do some of the projects my dad didn’t want.” Bob

Photos: Bob Mueller

went on to say, “It didn’t take long until I decided to relocate back to near San Diego, and we ended up in Solano Beach. In 1998 I did my first larger development, a subdivision, in Solano Beach. And we’ve been based there ever since.”

I had heard that Bob’s company, RMCI, had projects not only north of San Diego, but up the coast and in NorCal. I asked him about the range of projects he develops. “We’ve currently got two projects in Napa, also in Belvedere (SF Bay), one in Malibu, and one in Solano Beach.” That’s when I asked Bob about his schedule and reach to a wide geographic area for high end homes. He told me, “Over the last 30 years, I’ve assembled a really good group of project managers in those areas, and it’s worked well.”

He mentioned another project outside of residential. A recent one is more commercial in nature and tied to motorsports. For those of you in the OC area, Bob described a project he liked that caught his eye, “A company started a higher end “car condo” called Finish Line, in Costa Mesa. It seems to have sold out quickly and is doing well, so given our car interest, we began looking for a location closer to Solano that we could

north San Diego, a multi-unit car storage “condo” project that we think will do very well. It’s going to be nice. 1000-3000 sf units that are luxury garage spaces and event spaces for the buyers. And soon, we’re also starting another car condo project in Torrance and we’re looking to expand to other cities in the country too.” If you’re anywhere in the SD/north county or Torrance/south LA area, this is going to be your luxury car cave for street or race cars, built by someone who knows cars.

...That’s a winning combination.

Octavio Tequlia came to life in 2020, growing from Bob’s tequila enjoyment and interest in the spirits industry. But it truly is, and was, a sideline hobby that has become a growing business. Octavio is a high-end tequila brand that Bob and Cole worked to get into the usual targets of liquor stores and restaurants. It’s a highly competitive industry. Bob said, “It’s tough to get that shelf and menu space, and by 2023, we felt we needed

another product. Cole came up with the peanut butter concept; something to show we’ve got a unique product to offer, too. He had it created by a flavoring company in Santee, and we had our Maniball Tequila brand. It’s good and we started to get really positive results.” I asked Bob with all this spare time (not) where the business can grow, and he said, “Cole has been working it along with being in the development company, and we recently came to a decision that I either needed to really put more money into it and grow it ourselves or find a company who also liked the product and had the track record to run with it. Cole found a group, and we put together a deal that they take Maniball and build it to be much bigger. They’re also well positioned in Texas with big distributors there. We think they’ll do well, and we retained a nice piece of the company.

And while the new investor group builds our Maniball Peanut Butter tequila, we are bringing out new bottles in Octavio, a Cristalino and Anejo, both additive free.”

Any way you slice the tequila products, go over to Bob’s trailer sometime or look for the Octavio and Maniball products!

Many POC racers know Bob from witnessing his numerous wins and podiums across different classes.

Podiums date back to the early V3 racing he did in his 1985 air cooled classic that he and Kevin Roush built into a race car in 2011-2012, to his latest GT3 Cup Cars (991.2 and GT America) and his 2016 GT3 R. Bob is also known for wins and podiums in other racing series too; PCA across the country, and the 2022/23 Carrera Cup series. From my seat, Bob has one of the best ranges of race cars I’ve seen and they’re constantly in use. I think it’s very special to have these four race cars and unusual to have them raced so often. That’s impressive!

I asked Bob about his interest in the sport and how it started. He answered, “My dad and uncle loved racing. We would always watch any kind of racing really. Later, I had been competing at a national level in triathlons for about 15 years, and I decided to slow down on training and triathlons. After going to the Coronado Festival of Speed one year, I decided to get into it. I bought the 1985 air cooled in 2011 and Kevin built it into the car it still is. I love that car.”

“I joined POC and PCA at the same time and really got active in time trials, then the POC Racer’s Clinic, and earned a license within about a year of starting on track.” Now that’s quick progression! Bob continued, “My best memory is that

first POC race in 2012, at the end of the year, and my first race start. I was about mid-pack after qualifying in the V3 class in that 1985 air cooled, and into turn one at Willow someone had already dropped oil. I’ll never forget how the experienced guys handled it and I came out of turn one about last. That was a rough start, but a big memory too.” I hear you. So many of us have that first race etched into our memories. I know I do.

Bob and his wife, Dana, raised their children, Samantha (30) and Cole (27) in Solano Beach. As he had mentioned, Cole works for Bob in both their business pursuits, and Samantha is an RN in SoCal. Thanks, Bob, for filling us in about you, your family, your businesses, and motorsports. It’s been a pleasure to learn about your passions.

You can reach Bob for lively spirits and luxury construction at the information below. Oh, and that new “garage” too!

See you at Chuckwalla. Hopefully, with mild temps!

at PECLA

Andrew Weyman

Photos: Luis Vivar

Morning Shift at the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles falls on the third Sunday of every other month. It’s basically a Cars and Coffee event at a beautiful venue shared with Porsche Motorsport and offering a retail shop, driving experiences, demo laps, SIMs, a restaurant and a café. Events have focused on Air-Cooled cars, Supercars and Targas. On Sunday, October 19th the main event honored the 70th Anniversary of the Porsche Owners Club. An estimated 400 Porsche enthusiasts attended.

Many of our POC race cars were displayed both inside and outside the building. Vision, Vali, Mike Monsalve and other POC regulars were well represented. A few standouts in the parking lot included a Carrera GT, a row of IROC classics, a few 356s, a slew of GT3s and a 904.

Board members worked the crowd as volunteers joined in handing out POC stickers, decals and cards offering a one-dollar membership and free first track day. The swag was well received by the crowd and generated real interest in our club. While handing out the goodies I ran into some POC classics like Mike Hammond, Glenwood Gum, Carl Tofflemire, Jeff Shulem, Duane Selby, Dylan Scott, Steve Alarcon, Angela Avitt, Mike Monsalve, John Heldman, Jim Steedman, Ana Predescu, Martina Kwan, Ryder Liu, Bob Chang, Adam Abrahms and Don Matz.

The event was a wonderful way to spread the word about the POC and celebrate our 70th Anniversary. Let’s celebrate some more!

FLASHBACK to 1955

CELEBRATING SEVENTY YEARS

January 17, 2026

Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles

You’ll want to save this date!

Photo: Luis Vivar

Porsche Penske Motorsport reflects on Porsche News

The Porsche 963

Lives up to all Expectations

10/17/2025

Porsche and its factory outfit Porsche Penske Motorsport have left their mark on the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

In a dramatic season finale at Road Atlanta, the Stuttgartbased sports car manufacturer and the Mooresville, North Carolina–based team claimed every title in the top-tier GTP class. Since the launch of the LMDh regulations in 2023, the Porsche 963 has been by far the most successful hybrid prototype in the IMSA series. Its record includes 11 wins, 12 titles, and 9,441 championship points. The 2025 campaign particularly highlighted the marque’s endurance racing strengths, with Porsche also securing its second consecutive IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, covering the races at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis, and Road Atlanta.

another successful IMSA season

“I am extremely proud of the commitment and effort by our entire Porsche Penske Motorsport team. Winning the 24 Hours of Daytona two times in a row along with the other key races and back-to-back IMSA championships wouldn’t have happened without the hard work and long hours by the men and women on our team. It’s a remarkable moment for our organization and our 5+ decades with Porsche”, comments Roger Penske, Founder and Chairman Penske Corporation.

SIMRACING SIMRACING

2025 Season Results

June 30 Redbull Ring

July 14 Nurburgring

July 28 SPA

Aug 11 Auto Club

Aug 25 Laguna Seca

Sept 08 Virginia

Sept 22 Mount Panorama

Oct 06 Interlagos

Oct 20 COTA

Nov 03 Belle Isle

No v 17 Silverstone

Dec 01 Mugello

Dec 15 Willow Springs

1st Dylan Scott 1st Kristopher Marciniak

2nd BJ Fulton 2nd John Momeyer

3rd Michael Bolten 3rd Adam Abrahms

1st Michael Johnson 1st Matt Steele

2nd Ezra Kelderman 2nd Mark Rondeau

3rd BJ Fulton 3rd Frederico del toro

1st Michael Bolten 1st Kristopher Marciniak

2nd BJ Fulton 2nd Larr y Haase

3rd Thomas Isabel 3rd John Momeyer

1st Michael Bolten 1st Matt Hollander

2nd Dylan Scott 2nd John Momeyer 3rd Frederico del toro 3rd Larr y Haase

1st Dylan Scott 1st Kristopher Marciniak

2nd Michael Bolten 2nd Adam Abrahms

3rd Thomas Isabel 3rd Doug Boccignone

1st Dylan Scott 1st Kristopher Marciniak

2nd Michael Bolten 2nd Jim Ghahremani

3rd BJ Fulton 3rd John Momeyer

1st Dylan Scott 1st Jim Ghahremani

2nd BJ Fulton 2nd Alan Watts

3rd Jad Duncan 3rd Adam Abrahms

1st Dylan Scott 1st Kristopher Marciniak

2nd Michael Bolten 2nd John Momeyer 3rd Jad Duncan 3rd Jim Ghahremani

1st Frederico del toro 1st Kristopher Marciniak

2nd Robert Leclercq 2nd Alan Watts

3rd Dustin Heindl 3rd Adam Abrahms 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd CLICK HERE for YouTube SIM RACES 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.