Ramblin Rose, Volume 42, Issue 3. Porsche Club of America, Wild Rose Region

The Ramblin’ Rose

President’s Remarks

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! I hope that you are able to take time to relax and enjoy the season with family and friends.

In preparing these comments, I looked back at my remarks from the end of my first year as president in December 2021 and those from spring 2022, before our driving season started. Understandably, there were a lot of references to COVIDrelated effects on the club, from cancelled drives and lunches to everyone’s favourite – Zoom meetings. Looking back, I can say that we weathered the storm very well by adapting to the situation and finding solutions. Our newsletter helped us all stay in touch and abreast of what other members were doing. We held drives with picnics, and we managed our monthly meetings with outdoor gatherings and Zoom. Tech events were also Zoom-based, and although we are glad to get back to live events, the virtual ones enabled us to have expert guest speakers whom we otherwise would not be able to access. Yes, we are all tired of Zoom but without it, it is hard to see how we would have kept functioning and connected.

We didn’t just survive over the last nearly three years of COVID – we thrived. In 2022, Autocross made a comeback after several years and we had our first HPDE event at the new Rocky Mountain Motorsports facility. We participated in a PCA-sponsored driving instructor training weekend and now have several active instructors in the club, many of whom instructed at our track day. We’ve had live tech events and a great driving season. We celebrated our 40th anniversary as a club in a big way, with a drive, a weekend getaway and a banquet, where we honoured our founding members, who had the drive and foresight to start the club that we have today. Efforts to increase our membership have paid off, due to a combination of various initiatives and our expanded program of activities. Our website and all the associated functions have been vastly improved, making it easier and more enjoyable to find information, post materials and register for events. The newsletter continues to provide high-quality material.

Wild Rose Region members are fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the country with many great drives and beautiful scenery. You have a dedicated group of volunteers and supporters, whether it be the board and chairs, volunteers at events, advertisers and expert technical shops, all of whom have contributed to the success of the club as noted above. Joining the club is the first step to expanding your horizons with your Porsche. Getting involved with the club in any capacity expands those horizons exponentially. So, who you gonna call? Anyone of the board and chairs would be happy to hear from you.

What is in store for 2023? As always, we strive to bring events and activities that our members enjoy. There will be weekend drives, including a potential weekend getaway, tech sessions, and an expanded Autocross program. We will

work hard to have more track-focused events. Our newsletter will continue to present great material on a variety of topics, including drives, activities and technical subjects. Of course, we are open to all suggestions for other activities.

There are some changes taking place at the Board and Chair levels. I am happy to say that nearly all of our Chairs have volunteered to continue in their roles in 2023. Thank you for your dedication. Each of these amazing volunteers are featured on our website and in the newsletter.

Speaking of dedication, after more than 10 years of continuous service in just about every role, the “first family of WRR”, the Winslows, is taking a break. Mark is stepping down as Equipment Chair. He leaves us with a completely refitted club trailer, which is now being used very successfully for Autocross. Yvette is finishing up her term as a very active Past President, and goes out with a flourish, having been the driving force and main organizer for our 40th Anniversary events this year. We will miss you both but know that you will continue to stay involved in your “retirement”. Thank you!

After five years of providing solid financial management and sage advice, David McEwen is stepping down as Treasurer. David’s efforts are highly appreciated, and he will be missed. We are finalizing a replacement for David, so he will continue to help during the transition.

After two years as President, I am stepping down and will assume the Past President role. It has been a wonderful experience and I consider myself fortunate to have worked with such a great group of individuals to bring our members the amazing activities and events over that time. Thank you to my wife Sheila for her support over the last several years of my involvement. I will continue to be involved in my new role and look forward to working with the Board and Chairs.

George Coppus, Vice President for the past two years, has been elected as your new President. I know that George has a lot of great ideas and will do a great job as your President. Replacing George in the Vice President role is Bob Kerr. Bob is very enthusiastic about taking on this additional responsibility. He will continue as Tech Events Chair. Harold Oga is continuing as Secretary and Insurance Chair.

Please extend a big thank you to your Board and Chairs and all of our volunteers. Without them and their dedi cation and efforts, Wild Rose Region couldn’t exist.

Thank you again for your support and for the privilege of serving the club and its members.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season and a great 2023

Mark Oliver

Co-Editor’s Remarks

It’s the dog days of winter and the last Porsche drive of 2022 and the first one of 2023 seem like a long ways away. So indulge me for the following rant.

Water and Acid in Engine Oil Angst

The above title doesn’t make for an appetizing cocktail, does it? Let me explain….. Most of us have, by now, long since placed our Porsche sports cars in hibernation for winter, right? (I admire all of you who continue to drive them through our sometimes challenging winter) Why are there often recommendations to change your engine oil immediately before doing so? In theory, during normal operation, acidic by-products are generated within the crankcase. Also, if the engine has been used for a short period of time, water can condense inside the crankcase. Hmmm….water and acid…. that doesn’t sound good. If the engine oil’s additive package has not been depleted (for a variety of reasons) then the acid will be neutralized. Also, running an engine at normal operating temperatures will burn off any water. Extended long term storage of a car with “old” engine oil can result in corrosion of internal engine parts. So…. changing the oil before winter storage minimizes the chances of that

happening. Also, for reasons stated earlier, do not start the engine of your winterized car and let it run for a short period of time!!!

Looking Ahead to Summer Porsche Events

The Porsche factory will be participating in at least a couple of significant events this year. I have caught a whiff of some WRR members planning to attend them and I wish them a great time doing so. Firstly, in June will be the 100th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As the most successful manufacturer at this great endurance race, this years event will debut the Porsche 963, the companies entry into a new LMdh prototype class. Should be exciting!

Secondly, in late September, will see the seventh edition of Porsche Rennsport Reunion. It will be return to its provisional home at the Laguna Seca track near Monterey, California. I have attended 2 of these in the past and whole heartedly recommend checking it out. See below!

2023, this is a very special year for Porsche as the automaker will be celebrating its 75th anniversary of building legendary sports cars. For Porsche and automobile enthusiasts, there’s no other place to be during these action-filled days. Porsche Rennsport Reunion truly is a Porsche family reunion where you can stroll through the paddock admiring the race cars and talking to their owners, meander through the overflowing marketplace and car corrals or sit back and enjoy the race cars at speed. The greatest of the greats from Porsche racing history and current factory drivers will be here as well. It just won’t get any better than this.

Learn more about Rennsport by clicking on the photo.

When: September 28 – October 1, 2023

Tickets: Please click here to view and purchase tickets.

Marc

40th Anniversary Event

Copper Point Getaway

story by Ryan and Nancy D’Souza photos by Ryan and Nancy D’Souza and Kevin Johnston

Making New Friends

I had no idea we would be making new friends with driving enthusiasts we just met. Ryan and I asked ourselves "why miss out on an opportunity to attend the WRR 40th Anniversary Getaway at Copper Point Resort near Invermere. It was marketed as a ton of fun where members gather to drive, socialize, eat and drink!" Danielle Green (Driving Events Chair) offered additional incentive by saying "It will be a fun weekend, we typically gathering in Mark Oliver (President) and Sheila's room to snack, enjoy some wine and laugh." True to predictions, they spared no hospitality by inviting all to their room each night. Mark and Yvette Winslow (Event Chair) organized drives to Golden, Panorama Resort and Kimberly, BC with Harold Oga performing sweeps so that no one was left behind.

Cannonballs and Wild Turkeys

The weekend was highlighted by a couple of unusual events. During one of the drives, our group of cars was halted as 3 wild turkeys crossed the road in front of us, after all it was the weekend before Thanksgiving! Upon returning from a warm days drive to Kimberly, a group decided to cool off in the resort pool. Soon a cannonball competition broke out with Loc Ngo scoring "tens" from the judges!

Fuel for Drives

During drives and between drives we enjoyed some delicious food. This included 5 star bison and elk burgers at storm Mountain Lodge (Highway 93 South) to traditional German schnitzel and apple strudel at the Black Forest Restaurant (Invermere), halibut and salmon

Part of the lineup of Porsches parked at the Trickle Creek Golf Course

at Greywolf Golf Course (Panorama) and burgers and brownies at the Trickle Creek Golf Course (Kimberly).

Lionel's 914 being loaded

Car Rescue

Lionel and Doreen Thibeault drove their 1973 Porsche 914 from their home near Sylvan Lake to join the gathering in

Invermere. On the second to last day the car suffered a malady. Lionel quickly organized a self rescue by flying back to Calgary and returning with a friends truck and trailer. Talk about dedication!

Porsches parked at Ric Johnson's classic car garage in Kimberly. Insert: Candy apple red custom Ford1946 roadster.

A Classic Encounter

As Ryan and I departed Kimberly, we stopped unexpectedly at an old BA (British America) service station (230 -302 Ave ) built by the current owner Ric Johnson's father in 1952, it contains a small classic car collection. He gave us an impromptu tour, which included a blue 1950 Cadillac, grey Mercedes SL600 and a candy apple red Ford1946 hot rod roadster.

Reflection

Organizing club members contributed a lot of energy and enthusiasm to make this trip an enjoyable experience. Yes, Its our Porsches that bring us together, but its friendships that make the difference for a special group of WRR people. It is any wonder the region has reached this 40th anniversary milestone! Congratulations to WRR, we thoroughly enjoyed the getaway and were pleased to be part of it.

Members brought their dogs!

L to R: Julie Suffield with Scout (4 months) Bill McFetridge with Lucie (who attended the 30th) and Joan McFetridge with Julie's senior dog Daisy

40th Anniversary Getaway participants.

Travel

Utah Porsche Road Trip

story by : Al Koenig

It all started during the second summer of the covid pandemic. My lovely wife, Jacqueline, casually let me know during a picnic, that we were joining a road trip with Danielle & Brodie, Tracy & Doug, Sheila & Mark, and Loan & Loc. At the time when I agreed, I had no idea that the road trip would involve almost 50 hours of drive time, over 4200 km, and 12 days of my life.

The trip itself was to visit Utah and hike in Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. Sadly, during the planning stages Loan & Loc had to opt out due to Loc having to take some mandatory training from Porsche. Loc’s personal sacrifice for all our greater good was noted.

Prior to the trip, ongoing fast and furious emails were received from Danielle, laying out the daily agendas; as well as from Sheila, who took a more educational approach, giving us backgrounds to the various landmarks and towns we would be passing through. As our departure rapidly approached, I began to wonder the more important question, could a 911 Turbo Cabriolet, a Carrera 4S, a Boxster GTS, and a Cayman S play nicely together for the entire trip there and back?

Leg One to Cardston

The first leg of the trip began in Cardston Alberta. For anyone who hasn't been there, it is the birthplace of Fay Wray, made famous from the 1933 movie King Kong. That this is the only fun fact I could dig up for Cardston should tell you more than enough about the lack of reasons to visit. We stayed at the South Country Inn conveniently located beside an A&W, what

we believe to be a minor drug trafficking/dial- a-dope location. Although the hotel had a pool and free Netflix, watching out the window as various customers arrived, searched for their drugs, and quietly left, provided ongoing entertainment to accompany the charcuterie that Danielle had brought. I was shocked that Danielle had brought charcuterie and she happily stated, “I always bring charcuterie on road trips, we’re not barbarians!". It was slightly surreal to drink red wine and munch on cheese, crackers, walnuts, and meats while observing ongoing drug deals from our second story hotel window.

Leg two to Pocatello

An early start the next morning, along with the relief that none of our cars were involved in any drug deals, saw the beginning of the drive south through Montana. We stopped at the Montana State Capitol, located in Helena, for no other reason than it is a filming site for the TV series Yellowstone. While there were no actual Dutton sightings, we believed that later in the trip we would have a second chance to make a sighting. We continued our drive, finishing day 1 in Pocatello, Idaho, having finished perhaps the longest drive day at about 9 hours.

Leg three to Bryce Canyon

The next day was another early start, driving south through Utah; including the city of Salt Lake. During the first part of our trip, we thoroughly enjoyed the rolling hills and secondary highways, however the interstate through Salt Lake City itself was akin to the movie the Road Warrior. I have no idea where everybody in Salt Lake City was going, but they sure want-

Route from Calgary to Richfield, Utah.

photos by: Mark Oliver, Danielle Green and Al Koenig

ed to get there fast, average highway speeds were 150 km an hour, regardless of police presence. Interestingly, tractor trailers also enjoyed travelling at 150 km an hour, and they were very adept at seizing the right of way at every opportunity regardless of which lane traffic is in, or how small the gap is. There were several close calls but luckily no disasters.

Later, a weird Google map glitch put us in a strange location surrounded by some very stern looking cattle. This gave Mark the opportunity to break out his old-fashioned map made from real paper, much to the chagrin of our tech savvy digital map experts, Danielle & Sheila. A quick pow-wow and course correction brought us safely to our intended destination, Lin’s Market in Richfield Utah. There we gathered provisions for the next 5 days, which strangely involved primarily liquor: several varieties of beer, red wine, white wine…oh, and some food. Around this time Danielle, who had been doing all of the driving up to this point, decided she’d had enough of chauffeuring Brodie around and shrewdly suggested that Jacqueline may enjoy the experience of riding in a cabriolet. This meant I got to enjoy the hell of having Brodie in my Cayman. As Brodie slid into the pas-

senger seat, he looked down and asked “Wow, what are all those buttons for?”. I informed him that they were to keep his shirt closed. After instructing Brodie not to touch anything, we continued towards Bryce Canyon following Tracy and Doug in their gorgeous guards red Boxster GTS.

Just as the topography began to change, a piece of random debris exploded from the rear of the Boxster. In front of us, Mark and Sheila, Danielle and Jacqueline carried on happily unaware. Tracy, Doug, Brodie and I immediately pulled over. Luckily Brodie, being long and lean, managed to squeeze underneath the car enough to see that something (likely a small piece of wood) had bounced off the undercarriage. Thankfully the damage was not fatal (small part of underbody shrouding was penetrated which could be repaired once back in Calgary) and we continued on to Bryce Canyon.

Most of us recall the first time we drove into Drumheller and were amazed by the hoodoos. Entering Bryce Canyon and viewing the rock formations was easily Drumheller multiplied by 10. After settling into our cabins at the Bryce Canyon Lodge, we walked out towards the canyon rim and marveled at what Mother

Nature had created. A bit later we gathered in our room for some more learning. This time, I educated my cohorts on the finer qualities of 3 different tequilas. With the tequila tasting done, we moved on to wine, food, and great conversation.

The next morning (Saturday) was an early get up, both for pictures of the sunrise on the canyon and later for a hike into the canyon itself. It was this first hike where we ultimately found out that Danielle, despite her many attributes, is somewhat of a liar. What Danielle classifies as an “easy hike” is essentially a death march. Sheila and Mark, as well as Danielle and Brodie are seasoned, experienced, hardcore hikers. Tracy and Doug would best be described as intermediate hikers, while Jacqueline and I would be classified as victims. We are potentially the people you read about requiring helicopter rescue for hiking beyond their capabilities.

According to our pre-trip itinerary, the planned hike for the day is the Figure 8 Loop. This hike combines the Navajo Trail, Peek-a-boo Loop and Queen’s Garden Trail, the most popular hikes in Bryce Canyon. It also goes down, then up, then down, then up again. (The total distance is about 10km, and the elevation gains and

Bryce Canyon at dawn.

losses are over 1,600 ft - details in the fine print, that us novices didn’t really register.)

As we made our way from Sunset Point, down the Wall Street switchbacks, then along the Navajo Loop trail for an “easy three-hour hike,” none of us novices expected how grueling the day would eventually be. The Peek-a-boo loop provided stunning views, but also started with a steep uphill climb and ended with more downhill switchbacks; ultimately reconnecting us with the Navajo Loop. At this point we are several hours into our hike and more than 660-feet into the canyon. Danielle, despite being an unmitigated sadist, took pity on the novices and modified the hike to make it a bit shorter; we would not finish via the Queen’s Garden Trail. This shaved some time and distance, but not the associated 660-foot ascent. The modified return involved a series of uphill switchbacks, that ultimately pass Thor’s Hammer. Sadly, we were unaware when we did pass the hammer because some of us were beyond exhausted. Much like the unwitting passengers on the SS Minnow, our 3-hour hike was grossly misrepresented, and ended being a 6-hour hike. Danielle giddily stated that the only reason the hike took so long was because everybody was stopping to take pictures, I believe it was because we were gasping for oxygen while our lives flashed before our eyes. A special shout out to Sheila and Mark who selflessly hung back with Jacqueline and I to ensure that we didn’t succumb to simply curling up into a little ball and dying at the side of the trail. In retrospect, it wasn’t the length of the hike, it was the extreme and endless up & downs that made it tough, just thinking about switchbacks still makes us want to vomit. Back at our cabins, the partying had begun, and a makeshift lounge was created between our cabins where the rewards of the day were cool drinks.

Leg four to Zion National Park.

The following day a few keen souls again got up early to watch the sunrise while some others nursed swollen feet and blackened toes. I tried to get a decent wireless signal to google available hit men in Utah to take out Danielle. After breakfast, half the crew

Bryce Canyon death march descent. Danielle Green facing camera, Mark Oliver in orange shirt.

sojourned down to complete the Queen’s Garden Trail from the previous day, while the old folks walked around the rim of the amphitheater from the far end of Bryce Point, through Inspiration Point, and back to Sunrise Point. Both hikes were equally stunning. A while later it was back into the cars for the 2-hour drive to Zion Park.

If Bryce Canyon was Drumheller times 10, driving into Zion State Park was Drumheller times 100. Breathtaking! One of the luxuries of this trip was not only having 2 geologists on board to explain all the intricacies of rock formations. Additionally, we had a geophysicist who could further explain it to us none-rock types, and dumb it down even further for Brodie, who by now had figured out the buttons on his shirt. Mark and Doug gave a lesson about shifting tectonic plates and limestone formations as well as rock etchings made by water crafted over many millennia. Sheila explained the why’s and how’s of the formations, and we marveled at the collective knowledge and expertise we were exposed to. We again booked into our in-the-park cabins and made another outside lounge area to discuss the following days hike, Angels Landing.

The now-established liar of the group, Danielle, coyly down played the dangers of the hike that has claimed 11, 12, 13 lives since 2000. As we had since developed serious trust issues, we checked the US Parks Department info site to find they had rated the Angels Landing hike as “strenuous”, so nothing the liar could say would convince us otherwise. Nonetheless, one of the primary reasons for this trip was to complete the meaningless ascent where 13 people had plummeted to their death like flailing chickens. A few glasses of wine convinced everyone that the hike was still a go. Through an extreme stroke of luck, we were 2 passes short for the complete ascent beyond Scout Lookout. This is the point where the local indigenous population say the smart people stop climbing. Jacqueline and I opted to follow this sage native advice and insisted that the hardy adventurers in the group make their way up to Angels Landing and we would greet them later at Scout Lookout. Previously, the Zion Park Lodge concierge,

Francois…also known as Franklin, had suggested bypassing the early morning crowds (that take the shuttle to the foot of the trail) by walking down the road, at the pre-crack of dawn, to the foot of the trail. This would give us a 30-minute advantage over the other hikers. This advice was sound, however stumbling down the road at 5 a.m. in the pitch dark without coffee made me also begin to hate Francois. Luckily, just as we reached the trail head

the early sunlight showed us what we were about to conquer…or perhaps die trying. Angels Landing is described as a towering slab of sandstone, 5785 feet above sea level, and is a 6.2 km, 3-hour trail climbing 1500 feet from the base. It has long drop offs and is not recommended for young children or anyone afraid of heights. The final ascent along the spine has areas that are only a few feet wide and have sheer drop offs any -

Route from Richfield to Zion National Park.

PCA

Rose

The Ramblin’

Angels Landing trail head, crack of dawn start.

View from Angels Landing looking down.

where from 800 to 1000 feet. The hike involves using chains, except where there aren’t any…who enjoys this crap??! And more specifically, when I agreed to this trip, it was described as a Road-Trip.

Nonetheless, the long trek up the trail began with the hard-core crew making good time. Jacqueline and I plodded along behind and about one-third of the way up, we began to hear the hikers, that likely had at least 2 cups of coffee, barreling up the trail behind us. The first one to reach us was a lone teenager scampering along like a little bunny, the look of shock on his face when he saw us ahead of him was

hilarious. Of course, we mentioned that the rest of our crew was way ahead on the trail, so his hopes of being the first to summit for the day may be in jeopardy. He then disappeared up the trail like a roadrunner in a cloud of dust. We plodded along, through Refrigerator Canyon and up the daunting Walters Wiggles: 28 very steep switchbacks, which is shortly before the Scout Lookout plateau. As we finally hit the Lookout, I understood what all the fuss was about, despite the pungent bathrooms, the views were once again incredible. Scout Lookout was deserted but far away we could see some familiar silhouettes making the ascent to Angels Landing.

As we staked out a suitable seating area on the rocks, we noted a familiar shape coming back down from the Landing, it was Brodie. Amazing, I thought to myself, he’s summited and is back down in the time it took us to get to the Lookout. As Brodie got closer, his eyes like saucers, and sporting a grin that a Cheshire cat would envy, I asked how it was. “Insane!” was his reply… “I seriously can’t watch people walking so close to the edge…it’s not worth it…”. Next coming back down was Tracy and Doug, followed a bit later by Sheila. Each had made a personal decision that the risk perhaps outweighed the reward, and each of them had our total respect for venturing up as far as they had.

All that were missing from the crew were Danielle and Mark, the youngest and oldest of our hiking group. We continued to scan the approximate half mile spine of Angels Landing until we saw them slowly making their way back down. The elation on both their faces was incredible…they had both conquered one of America’s most dangerous hikes!

After a short rest, some water and snacks, the hike back down was rapid. As throngs of people made their way towards us, we kind of felt like salmon going the wrong way, the benefit of such an early start. Once we all reached the bottom, we came across yet another hike, the Emerald Pools Trail. I don’t have to identify who eagerly wanted to take that hike, and much to my surprise, Jacqueline was keen to go as well. While I quietly practiced my “told you so” speech, we traversed a much, much, easier hike with no risks greater than one’s pride if we happened to trip. That evening was yet another makeshift cabin lounge with yummy things to nosh on.

Madame de Sade had also scheduled a free day, possibly to allow for any minor surgeries, and we ended up using it for a visit to nearby Springdale. Although this was still a kind of hike, albeit around town, it was flat terrain and had shopping. This seemed to excite a few in our group. We also stumbled upon an amazing Mexican restaurant called Oscar’s Cafe for a late lunch. While we were all ordering our entrees, Tracy defiantly stated that she was

Danielle, with the final ascent to the summit behind her.

in fact on vacation and proceed to quote a meme she had seen recently, “You only live once... eat dessert first"...then she ordered the Volcano Brownie Sundae as her entree. When it arrived, the dessert was ginormous and actually big enough to feed 4 people! After giving it her best try Tracy was only able to eat a quarter of it, but thankfully Sheila helped by eating one bite --- oooh, and then Mark finished it minus the whipped cream. For the rest of the trip, the first question generally asked was, “ummm, how big are your desserts?”.

The next day, the final planned hike was the Narrows, which is a hike in and up the Virgin River along the narrowest section of Zion Canyon. The gorge, with walls a thousand feet tall is at some points twenty to thirty feet wide. The water is generally from your shins up to your waist, depending on your height of course. Danielle, sporting her new native name, “Womanwho-speaks-not-the-Truth”, promised that the Narrows would be easy compared to what we all done previously, and this time, she was right. The only possible glitch was a bus driver mentioning that Park reports were saying that flash flooding was a strong possibility. Fortunately, by morning, the reports had changed to “unlikely”. It’s also a good thing that none of us searched “Narrows Flash Flood” on YouTube until we got home.

The next two days were seat time back in the Porsches, and candidly, it never felt better. Traversing from Utah to Idaho, we ended up in a flash rainstorm. If anyone ever wondered what to do if caught in a cabriolet or Boxster in rain, there is a solution…drive faster and you will not get wet, true story!   We also had a second kick at the cat for a Yellowstone sighting just outside of Darby, Montana. We stopped at the Chief Joseph Ranch, better known as the Yellowstone Ranch for show fans. Unfortunately, filming was going on at the time, and security was tight. Trying for anything more than a quick photo of the main gate and barn would likely mean a trip to the “train station”. We all agreed though that the town of Darby looked like a great place for a return visit when we had more time. The final stop was the Many Glacier Hotel

Tracy's Volcano Brownie Sunday at Oscars Cafe, Springdale, UT.

Hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park, UT.

in Montana. While the unpaved road to get there was brutal, the bear on the road by the gate and the scenery around Swiftcurrent Lake was once again, spectacular. Our final evening gathering involved a second-floor deck with a view of the lake, and a stunning sunset. The next morning began with one last easy hike around the lake and the mad dash to finally get home began.

Shockingly, we did find the only CBS officer in Canada with a sense of humor at the border. We were number 2 in the chute after Danielle and Brodie. The officer asked the usual questions with an emotionless face and then asked, “So, which one of you should I expect the most trouble from?”, without missing a beat, I said, “You just waved them through!”. The officer then replied, “They both said it was YOU!” and waved us on with an actual smile and laugh. We pulled up beside The Turbo Cab

and a laughing Danielle & Brodie confirmed the story 100%.

In retrospect this seemed like the quickest 12-day trip ever. I don’t recall a moment of boredom or being anywhere that we didn’t regret leaving…except Cardston. The cars all played together nicely, and their owners are some of the most amazing people that we have ever had the pleasure to travel with. The laughs were fast and furious and mostly unprintable, and we enjoyed every second of our time together. This road trip will be hard to beat…but I also understand that Rennsport and Parade are in California in 2023!

Trip participants L to R: Sheila Allan and Mark Oliver, Jacqueline

Al Koenig, Brodie and Danielle Green, Doug and Tracy Connon

Yellowstone Dutton Range film set.

Tech Insert This! All Tapped Out

After a Two Week Oil Change

Editor's Comment

Although our club is Porsche specific we have decided to include this repair article on a club member's daily driver. It demonstrates the collaboration between club members in a DIY project gone array.

“Mark, can I use your lift to do a transmission service on the M3? Supposedly, the transmission fluid is “lifetime”, but it has 150,000 kms and I think lifetime is a pretty loose definition. Lifetime of the lease? Lifetime of the transmission?”

“Sure, Brodie, no problem, come on over. It will be the first car on my new lift. I was looking for a guinea pig! I’m going to ask Nick Kovats to come over, as he has a similar lift and is interested in the transmission service also”.

The lift required several fine-tuning adjustments, so with Nick’s help, we got it done.

Marc Schroeder and John Dunn joined us as well.

October 6

Onto the lift and time for the transmission service

“Mark, I thought I’d change the engine oil too while its up on the lift, so why don’t we get going on that before we start on the transmission? That will save some time”.

Once the engine oil was drained, the plug was partially tightened back in the pan. Except that it wouldn’t tighten. Never even got to torquing it. The pan threads were stripped. Very thin aluminum pan, steel plug. Who’d have thought?

Crap! What can we do? New oil pan? (Requires dropping part of the subframe!) Google says they are expensive, as they were only made for this model of M3. Timesert kit? Maybe...Google says that there are mixed results.

So into the "Oliver Uber" and off to talk to the BMW specialists at Vitek. A common problem, apparently. Copy on expensive. New oil pan is C$1960. Labour+++… OK, plan B. Timesert kit, $350 online. Can’t get one in town.

“Mark, it is going to be a few days before I can get a kit here”.

“No problem. I can park the P car underneath”.

“Good idea Brodie”. LOL!!!

story and photos by Mark Oliver

Brodie G's BMW parked above Mark's Porsche.

October 16

“Timesert kit has arrived”. “Come on over”! Dejà vu all over again.

TAP

October 17

Here we go. Marc joined us. Ready for action, with all the needed materials.

Next step was to pour in “cheap” oil to flush the pan. We used 15 litres in total.

Got lots of metal cuttings out with the first two jugs, none with the third.

CHAMFER TOOL

DRILL BIT

DRAIN PLUG

TIMESERTS

The Timesert kit has all the tools to drill out and chamfer the new hole, cut threads in the pan, and place the new threaded insert. The kit was ordered with the same size and thread as the BMW drain plug for the car.

Brodie drilling out the existing threads by hand.

Chamfering the rim of the hole by hand with grease to contain the shavings. Insert showing completed chamfer. Note that the main hole has no threads.

New threads are tapped!

Last batch! Happy camper.

Stage 1 done.

“So tomorrow, if the last drops are out, we’ll glue in the new threaded insert. Then it needs to sit for at least 24 hours before oil goes in”.

“Then I get my lift back”?

“Maybe”!

Moment of truth, torquing the drain plug.

Insert: Plug torqued and in place.

October 18

The oil had completely drained from the crankcase. More cleaning the threads in the pan prior to placing the new Timesert insert.

Now for the insert. The tool and insert were cleaned with brake cleaner. Loctite 680 ensured that the insert will stay in place. Proper placement of the insert causes it to flare on the inside edge of the pan and bonding supposedly isn’t necessary, but better safe than sorry.

Ready for business. And in it goes. Successfully placed. Now we need to wait a couple of days to make sure that it has bonded.

October 21

In goes the new drain plug, threaded initially by hand.

Now for the moment of truth. Dial in the correct specification on the torque wrench.

Click! Success! Finally.

Homeward bound.

“Oh, about that transmission service”?

Inserting the Timesert. Insert shows the Timesert in place.

Brodie pleased to be finally adding oil back into the car.

Delivering Porsche technical content directly to

screens

Event

Sports Car Together Day at

Porsche Centre Calgary September 18, 2022

Photos by: Joe Wong and Don Leung

Tech Tech Night at Cosmos Collision

November 23, 2002

Photos by Cosmos Collision, Marc Schroeder, Mateusz Sobczak

Cosmos Collision, a Porsche Certified Collision Centre, hosted a tech night for the region. Approximately 30 members attended. Loc Ngo and his staff demonstrated some of the specialized equipment that Cosmos has to restore Porsche vehicles. One of the highlights was the Spanesi vehicle jig. Cosmos works on classics to new Porsches.

Sample paint formulation.

Cosmos technician answers questions.

Loc Ngo has every ones attention as he explained the work that went into restoring his 1989 911 G model. Cosmos provided a generous supply of food and drinks.

Loc Ngo explains why the Spanesi Jig is important to modern vehicle repairs. The Spanesi Jig system is a sophisticated 3 dimensional repair platform that allows restoration of any vehicle back to OEM standards.

1989 Porsche 911 G model on lift.

Paint mixing room with Standox Blue paint system.

Technician demonstartes paint refinishing process.

The Spanesi Jig inside the aluminum repair room. Its very important to avoid cross contamination on aluminum structure.

Body ready for full restoration.

ZONE REPORT

It certainly was a busy Zone Rep this last quarter!

In July I drove to Saskatoon for the Living Skies Prairie Region (LSPR) AGM which was at the lovely Dakota Dunes Casino just south of Saskatoon. It was their 2nd AGM at this location and a very well attended event. LSPR is a small region but a very enthusiastic region, always a pleasure to visit. My accommodation was the Marriott Towneplace Suites in south Saskatoon which is one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in, I highly recommend it.

In August my wife Marj and I travelled to Lewistown, Montana for the Big Sky Region HPDE. Their HPDE’s are great! This event is an interesting but older, fast track. It is casual but very well run. One of the participants was George Dyer, a racer, who won the Sebring (Florida) 12 hour enduro in 1977 with a 911 RSR. He has spent the last 5 years building a replica of his GTO class, race winning 911 RSR, and it was his first time testing it at an HPDE. It is a gorgeous build and lovely to hear and see a vintage race car from that era.

The event was followed by dinner at a member’s private hanger

3 by Peter Spencer

In The Zone Quarter

at the Lewistown airport that featured a wonderful assortment of new and vintage vehicles and aircraft. The host also made us hot fudge sundaes at his awesome soda bar! There were participants from Wildrose, Big Sky and Absaroka it was great to see so many zone 14 members gathered in one place.

Many mentioned that they are thinking of going to parade in La Quinta next June which could be an epic zone gathering!

I also recently joined the Absaroka Region executive team fro lunch in Billings Montana. They had just finished hosting their annual charity car show which is a very well attended and popular European car show. They’re also a great group and both Montana regions are blessed with a lot of fun twisty back roads.

One caveat... it took two pressure washings to get the grasshoppers out of the Cayenne radiators once we got home…and it still smells lol :(

George Dyer with his 911 RSR.

Wild Rose Region Membership Totals

As of December 1, 2022

Primary Members: 262 (down 9)

Affiliate Members: 147 (up 1)

Total Membership: 409 (down 8)

New Members: 0

40 Years

Joseph and Angelina Wong

20 Years

John Linster

15 Years

Rodney Campbell and Grace Bole-Campbell

Walter Remondini

Rene Blei

10 Years

Jason Gruhs

Kelly Martin

Brad Narfason

5 Years

Marc Schulz

Scott Blakely

Gordon Krahn and Diana Scheper

Humberto Salazar

Mike Hylton

Ian Matheson

Deryk Hamilton

Christopher and Linda McCue

Gartett Smith

Maurice McCaig

Justin Brade

Membership

By Don Leung

The Wild Rose Region would like to recognize and thank those members who continue to support the club and have celebrated milestone membership anniversaries since the submission date for the last newsletter.

We also wish to welcome and thank the following new members who have joined us since then.

Note: if you do not see the name of your spouse/partner/ child, etc. beside your name, you can sign them up as an affiliate member at no charge.

Members celebrating milestone anniversaries (occurring from August 23, 2022 to December 1, 2022)

Ryan Thompson

Charles Bougie

Tom Klein

Jay Zelazo

Suzanne and Michael Davis-Hall

2 Years

Hermann and Patti Mailer

Luticia Miller and Bobby Marcon

David Walker and Maya Grover Ryan Mahony

Fabian Snyders

Richard and Amy Adams Ryan and Nancy D'Souza

Jared Temple-Oberle

Mike Robertson

Anthony Joyce

Gary Belcher

Sotirios Korogonas

Rod McMahon

Justin and Heidi Bekker

1 Year

Suzy Buckley

Ryan Wittenberg

Jordan Catudal and Kelli-Ann Sharun

George Morgan

Pulkit Arora and Madison Hastie

Marc Tomlinson

Troy and Maria Sedgwick

Clayton Tychkowsky

Scott and Suzanne Henuset

Ward and Mona Forsen

Helen Mitchell

Robert Phan

Kevin Arnsdorf

Ian and Katie Haigh

Sheldon Wieler

Chuck Szmurlo

Carl Bateson

New members

Jack Bubany

Chris Erler

Ryan Harris

Sohail Thaker

Ross Grahan

Meghann Fallon

Robin Dymond

Robert Nardei

David Beckwermert

Shawn Bunnin

Todd Baker

Gordon Taylor Gordon Stout Steven Denning

MEMBERSHIP

WRR HPDE at Rocky Mountain Motorsports

September 21, 2022 story by Bob Kerr photos by ?????? ????

On September 21st,

-

ered the need for fresh brake fluid - a critical safety factor that mitigates excess stopping distances and possible brake fade

the presentations on Zoom for a few participants who could not attend in person.

Track Day

Training Session

The week prior to track day, WRR ran the pre-requisite training and orientation in person at the DIY garage, Lugnutz. The owner George Curnew graciously offered his meeting room for training, and several bays to allow two participants’ emergency inspections generously performed after hours by Alpine Autowerks’ Mike Boulanger. The inspections fortunately uncov -

Jay Pringle presented the Rocky Mountain Track orientation, explaining logistics, track features (e.g. meaning of race flags), and its rules and processes (e.g. safe track entry, exit and passing).

Doug Connon, Bob Kerr, Terence Wah, and Terry Yip localized the PCA template HPDE training presentation. Doug and Bob delivered the training, covering vehicle dynamics, tips for improving and handling various driving situations including corners. The presenters plus instructors added colour, and engaged the students sharing their insights and experience. We carried

There were 20 Track Day participants and 10 instructors/organizers, a great showing for a late season event. It was also a high ratio of students to total participants. Fortunately, virtually all of the certified WRR PCA Instructors volunteered to provide their guidance. The track vehicles ranged from a Cayman S to a 911 GT3s. For variety and added excitement, we had various flavours of Macans, a new Cayenne Turbo (which a surprised Bob attested that it was a competent track machine), an Audi A4, and a Huracan Performante.

Just a few of the member cars and drivers who attended our first event at Rocky Mountain Motorsports.

WRR ran its inaugural High Perfor

mance Drivers Education Event at the new Rocky Mountain Motorsport near Carstairs.

The Ramblin’ Rose

Jay Pringle explains the in and out and the track during the drivers meeting.

Bob Kerr kicks off the drivers meeting before on track activities.

RMM wisely offered to start the event earlier, so that we could keep ahead of the early autumn dusk. Track day started with the on site and final vehicle inspections of the participating vehicles, and the attaching the car transponders for RMM’s state of the art CCTV/GPS monitoring and electronic flagging systems. After the Drivers’ Meeting, the participants broke into their pre-assigned Run Groups – 1 (Students) and 2 (Advanced). The first track session was used by the instructors to familiarize all the participants with the track and its protocols using the Lead – Follow approach.

Group 1 (Students) met up with their own assigned event instructors. Novice (first time track driver) Drivers applied what they learned in the classroom, under the guidance of their instructors, progressively adjusting their driving techniques, and increasing their speeds.

• Through the four sessions, Novices

learned the driving lines, situation awareness (track conditions, electronic flag signs, other drivers), and passing procedures (being passed, and passing). By the final session, all of Group 1 were running solo.

• Beginner (with at least one event of experience) drivers were given tips by their instructors on the driving lines for RMM. Instructors focused on consistency and improving the Beginners’ skills, providing valuable practice sessions to increase consistency, and driver confidence.

• The third type of Student driver is the Intermediates driver. This driver has mastered the fundamentals, and is being aided by the Instructor to focus on increasing their level to proficiency, so that they can drive the track solo safely for both themselves and the other drivers.

Group 2 Advanced drivers have a high level of proficiency. After an orientation session, Advanced drivers were allowed to run solo in their group. Some of these drivers capitalized on the experience of some of the senior instructors to obtain feedback to make improvements in their driving.

Feedback was solicited from the participants. The rating went from 1 (: Strongly did NOT meet expectations) to 5 (Strongly exceeded expectations). It revealed:

• Coaching 4.8

• Track: 4.8

• Value: 5

• Do again? 4.8

• Overall: 4.8

WRR members brought their super cars, sports cars and SUV's.

Post track day Instructors Appreciation Event

Attendees starting from the left: Bryan Leung (Instructor), Kasem Farm (Instructor), Doug Connon (Classroom Instructor), Bob Kerr (Track Day Co-ordinator), Jay Pringle (Event Chief Driving Instructor), Terence Wah (Instructor), Mirko Zatka (Participant), Braxton Suffield (Participant), Mike Boulanger (Instructor), Terry Yip (Performance Driving Events Chair), Jason Yip <standing> (Volunteer), David Maddison (Instructor), Dennis Wong <standing> (Participant). Mark Oliver (WRR President),

Instructor Mike Boulanger with student.

Please refer to the region website

The club in currently in it's winter slumber.

In February or March our Activities and Driving Events Chair, Danielle Green, will be putting out a request to the membership to attend an events/drives planning session to create a draft plan for events and drives.

Please take some time in December and January to think about what activities the club should undertake in 2023. Pass those ideas onto Danielle.

Keep in mind we need volunteer leads and sweep for all drives so please consider volunteering with Danielle for these rolls. It a great way to give back and get active with the club.

Click here to access the events Calendar online.

President George Coppus president@porsche.ab.ca

Vice President

Bob Kerr vicepresidentporsche.ab.ca

Treasurer

Neil Brandemark wrrtreasurer@porsche.ab.ca

Corporate Secretary Harold Oga secretary@porsche.ab.ca

Past President Mark Oliver pastpresident@porsche.ab.ca

Region Executive Region Chairs

Membership Chair

Don Leung memberships@porsche.ab.ca

Activities and Driving Event Chair Danielle Green events@porsche.ab.ca

Performance Driving Event Chair Terry Yip de_events@porsche.ab.ca

Equipment Chair vacant equipment@porsche.ab.ca

Insurance Chair

Harold Oga insurance@porsche.ab.ca

Tech Session Chair

Bob Kerr TechSession@porsche.ab.ca

Region Website

Web Master

Brodie Green webmaster@porsche.ab.ca

Newsletter

Advertising Chair & Newsletter Co-Editor Marc Schroeder advertising@porsche.ab.ca

Newsletter Publisher & Newsletter Co-editor Kevin Johnston newsletter@porsche.ab.ca Editorial assistance provided by Jane Ebbern and Harold Oga

Region Executive Support

Dion Ullrich zone14rep@national.pca.org

Zone

Peter Spencer zone14rep@national.pca.org

Own a Porsche? Join the club. Over 150,000 of your fellow Porsche owners from across North America already have. For over 60 years, the Porsche Club of America has been dedicated to enhancing the Porsche ownership experience. No matter what your interest - social, technical, or competitivePCA has something to offer every Porsche owner. Go to... www.pca.org

Advertiser Index

All Classic Auto Appraisals 38

Alpine Autowerks 38

Alpine Insurance 29

Chinook Auto Upholstery Inc. 29

Cosmos Collision Inside Front Cover

Conn Valuation Services 38 C.R. Techniques 29

Dominion Auto Glass 29 Engel & Volkers 9 Lugnutz 29

Please notify both the WRR membership Chair at memberships@porsche.ab.ca and PCA offices at PCA.org

Mobile Solutions of Calgary 1 Porsche Centre Calgary Back Cover Pure Dry Ice 27 Rallysport.ca 26 Refine Automotive Salon 14

Advertising Rates

The Ramblin’ Rose is published 4 times per year and is distributed to over 400 PCA members in Southern Alberta. Members are sent an electronic copy and is available on the region web site to members. A printed copy is given to advertisers. The following ad rates are applicable: Single Issue Full Year Back Cover n/a $600 Full Page $200 $600 Half Page $150 $400 Quarter Page $90 $250 Business Card $50 $150

Annual advertisers are also featured on our website www.porsche.ab.ca with banners linking to advertiser’s website. Contact Marc Schroeder to explore possibilities for promoting your business, product or event at advertising@porsche.ab.ca