Story By Peter and Susan Blake, Social Co-Chairs Photos by Stefan Walther, UCR Director
On Tuesday, April 9th, Michael Pohlmann, President of PCA UCR welcomed 80 members and nine new members to our monthly Social. The event started at 6:30 PM officially but early birds congregated earlier. Dinner was announced at 6:45 PM by Kathleen Wong, Past-President of PCA UCR with a view to an early start for what proved to be an interesting evening.
After we enjoyed a turkey dinner, Michael Pohlmann opened the proceedings with a summary of the Zone 1 Presidents meeting, which was hosted by Michael Bryan Zone 1 Representative. Without delving into the details, there are common issues amongst all the regions and at the same time wide differences. UCR has social attendances ranging from 40 to 140 people whereas smaller regions can have much less. Another interesting number: four door Porsches (Cayennes, Macans and Panameras) now make up almost 80% of new car sales. The Taycan, due to be launched in September at the Frankfurt Auto Show, will add to this number.
Michael introduced Trevor Lewis, President of the Audi Club and then welcomed nine new members to our club by presenting each with UCR pins:
Paul Barrett and Jane Phillips
David Case
Jean Paul Chevrier
Peter Deman and Kathy Deman
Cy Dixon
Steve Heathcote
Michael Zahra
It’s interesting to note that some of these members joined one to two days prior to this event.
Michael asked several event chairs to brief the meeting on upcoming events. Stefan Walther Driving Tour Chair (amongst other responsibilities) outlined our upcoming Tour of Germany. A few spots on the tour remain and it is an excellent value for a guided visit of Porsche country. Included are a visit to the Frankfurt Auto Show where Porsche will unveil the Taycan in September, Oktoberfest in Munich, a Porsche factory tour in Stuttgart and various tours in the region. There are also free days in case you would like to visit Mercedes’ Museum also located in Stuttgart or rent a Porsche. A menu of Driving Tours available for the upcoming year is available on our website at https://pcaucr.org/driving/driving-tours-event-list/
The upcoming ‘Shift Into Spring’ Open House event at 427 Auto Collision on April 28 was presented by Peter Helston and Mark Solomon, Open House Co-Chairs, along with a Rally hosted by Sajjad Butt, Rally Master.
Mike Bryan, Zone 1 Representative outlined many of the Zone 1 events from Watkins Glen races through to a Treffen in New England in the fall. Google PCA Zone 1 for more details.
Kathleen Wong highlighted Special Interest Group (“SIG”) which was recently launched by Roger Stopford, Director, Tech Session Chair, to replicate the PCA Registry program. Roger Stopford has been leading the SIG 944/968 during the past two years. These SIGs provide a valuable resource for members and we are looking for members to lead various Porsche classes and connect with members with the same Porsche models. Active presently:
1) SIG 944 & 968 Roger Stopford
(sig944968@pcaucr.org)
2) SIG 914 David Stewart and David Tipon
(sig914@pcaucr.org )
3) SIG 928 Adam Henderson
(sig928@pcaucr.org)
In need of advocates:
1) 911’s 5) Cayenne
2) GT cars 6) Macan
3) Boxster 7) Panamera
4) Cayman 8) Etc..
Kathleen also highlighted our annual picnic on Saturday, June 8th at the Boyd Conservation Area–Hillview, the same venue as 2018. This is the same venue for our 40th Anniversary Picnic in 2016 and the Concours/Picnic in 2018 when we had 500 participants with over 200 Porsches displayed on the field. Discounted prices for adults with advance registration and children under 12 are free. More information at: https://pcaucr.org/concours/
Lastly, Mario Marrello presented the upcoming Street Survival School on June 23rd hosted by the BMW Trillium Club and supported by UCR. available through UCR’s website https://pcaucr.org/driving/street-survival-school/
At this point, Michael Pohlmann called Jonathan
Dawson of Fanshawe College and Hunter Philips of Centennial College, PCA UCR scholarship recipients, forward to be recognized and say a few words. Jonathan is currently with Car Stars in London while Hunter is with Braiden Tire, a long-time supporter of our club and the sponsor of our annual Can/Am Challenge Race at CTMP (Mosport).
Mike Kennelly, Program Coordinator for Autobody Collision and Repair at Fanshawe College was our first speaker. Mike was originally scheduled for our February Social but weather intervened. This was an extensive presentation on autobody repair techniques required today. The main takeaways:
1) Autobody collision repair complexity has increased significantly since 2013 due to industry ‘light-weighting’ , advanced materials and heat treated parts
2) Additional electronics on vehicles have increased complexity exponentially
3) It is mandatory to use certified repair facilities for safety (427 Auto Collision is a Porsche certified repair shop)
4) Repair shops provide a warranty to the owner but cannot escape liability for defective repairs if subsequent owners have a problem
5) Corrosion repairs must be undertaken early to be
effective
6) Corrosion repair for current automotive construction likely requires complete panel replacement
7) Insurance company rider ‘43’ should be specified to protect against a difference in depreciated vehicle value and replacement value for loss or theft with the car insurance policy
Mike showed a video of a simulated air bag deployment with a 0.07 second delay in activation which can occur due to faulty repair techniques. The result was dramatic.
Mike’s presentation underscores the need to support upcoming technologists in this field to ensure we have suitably trained people available in future for our car repairs Jim Kenzie, the award-winning automotive journalist provided a highly entertaining change of pace. Jim regaled the audience with stories of his youth and first encounter with Porsche. Other Porsche rides followed, and he has a knack for succinct, humorous presentation. His stories of well-known racers from the past provide colour that television announcers cannot transmit.
Scholarship Recipient) and Mike Kennelly (Fanshawe College
Auto Body Programs Coordinator)
Paul Tracy, the Canadian racer exhibited talent from an early age and Jim was able to bring out that background. Paul Tracy’s exploits in open wheel racing in North America are well known and his ability to set up a car was used extensively by his team. What is less well known is that his team-mates had issues off track that prevented them from setting the cars up! Paul’s commitment to the team likely came at a cost to him. These and other stories make Jim Kenzie one our most popular speakers every year. Jim Kenzie was also offering automotive calendars for sale in support of Parachute, an organization headed by Steve Podborski. Parachute aims to create a safer Canada by preventing serious and fatal injuries. More information can be found at htttp://parachutecanada.org
The evening closed with a draw for door prizes by Michael and Dagmar Ruehl-Pegg.
The next Social will be Tuesday, May 14 at the Donalda Club with Jonathan Thomson, Marketing Planning and Product Manager at Porsche Cars Canada as the guest speaker. Jonathan will speak about the latest additions to the Porsche Family of cars.
(Provinz: May 2019)
