During the 75th anniversary year of Porsche, there were so many events worthy of attending to commemorate this special occasion. During the past few years, I had become interested in a unique gathering of Porsche cars and people, called Rennsport Reunion. Occurring every few years, this edition was called Rennsport Reunion 7 (RR7), and it strongly emphasized the 75th anniversary.
The RR7 website porscherennsportreunion.com describes the event as “ the world’s largest gathering of Porsche race cars and drivers”. Their characterization of RR7 as “part motorsport, part car show, and part family reunion” was most accurate, and led “to an unmissable weekend of celebration for fans of all ages”.
RR7 was a four-day festival of all things Porsche and was held at the Laguna Seca racetrack which is a couple of hours drive south of San Francisco, California. Although I would have enjoyed having my 911 at the event and to have experienced some of the thrilling roads in this area, time pressure necessitated an arrival by air. I did see several Porsches parked at the event with Ontario licence plates, so congratulations to those drivers for making the long trip via road!
One of the main drivers for me to attend this event was to experience the sights and sounds of the legendary Porsche racing cars. To see a 935 with flames shooting out of the rear exhaust pipes and hear the roar of the 917 are truly indelible moments! Over the past year Dave Walker has shared his memories of those iconic cars in a few articles featured in Provinz. One such article was published in the January 2023 issue of Provinz, reviewing a commemorative book by Randy Leffingwell called Expect the Unexpected – Porsche 75th Anniversary. I too recommend this book as a window into the fantastic history of Porsche racing and development.
In addition to the classic cars, the factory displayed plenty of modern cars at the event, including the Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 and the brand-new 911 GT3R rennsport, which was unveiled at the event. Watching these cars negotiating corners was sheer delight.
RR7 is also about meeting people, and I was very lucky to meet a number of people who are well-known in the world of Porsche. During a walk around the paddock, I was admiring a beautiful 959. The owner looked familiar, and I recognized him as Bruce Canepa, owner of Canepa Motorsports. His company has become famous for “reimagining” the Porsche 959 and the finished cars are indeed works of art. Bruce was generous with his time speaking with me about the business and his collection which is open to the public.
The following day I was admiring a gorgeous early 911, actually a “901”, when I looked up and the owner was standing beside me; it was Alois Ruf, owner of Ruf Automobile. He too was genuinely appreciative that I had watched his documentary and was interested in the car.
I also met fellow enthusiasts at various points during the weekend, ranging from some fellow Canadian Porsche club members from the Rennsport region in Montreal, to a man who is going through an orientation to become a guide at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
Kathrin Menge mentioned the Porsche exhibit at the Peterson in the President’s Podium column in the October issue of Provinz. I should mention that the UCR clothing that I was wearing prompted many compliments from those I met, so a shout-out to the Goodie Store!
Lastly, I should mention that when I was planning the trip to RR7, I convinced my wife to accompany me in part by kidding that she may meet one of her favourite actors at the event. I knew Patrick Dempsey had been at previous Rennsport Reunions, so it was somewhat likely that he would attend RR7.
At about 10:00 on our first morning, my wife said she had just received a notification on the RR7 app that Patrick Dempsey would be appearing on the main stage at noon to participate in a panel about the renewal of a race called La Carrera Panamericana. So off we went to find a front-row seat for an amazing presentation and unveiling of a purpose-built car, the 718 GT4 RS Carrera Panamericana Special which Patrick and 2 other drivers would race in October. At the end of the presentation, Patrick was kind enough to sign autographs and shake hands with his racing and acting fans alike.
For me it’s about the cars, but for my wife, it is most definitely about the people! </>
Photography by Stephen Oakley amd Kathrin Menge
