Der Skooner Great Plains Region / Porsche Club of America July 2010 Volume 44 Issue 7 Perfect weather, wonderful people, and an oustanding track added up to a fantastic weekend of friendships renewed and made, fun with the greatest cars on earth, and a little friendly competition. The 2010 Carrera GT at Motorsports Park Hastings (MPH) was a great success. Over the weekend of June 4 through 6, the Great Plains Region hosted 39 racers from eight regions. We also ran an advanced Drivers Education (DE) event with 32 participants. Drivers came from as far as Dallas, St. Louis, and Minneapolis. For the club race, we had the following breakdown: Great Plains 12 Rocky Mountain 12 Kansas City 7 Nord Stern 2 Wichita 3 Cimarron 2 Maverick 1 Saint Louis 1 The weekend began with a day of testing and tuning on Friday. Drivers familiarized themselves with the track and made final adjustments to their vehicles. On Saturday, the track was busy throughout the day. Drivers broke out into two groups, Red and Blue. The club racers each had a warm up Carrera GT at Motorsports Park Hastings Special Issue by Steve Eckhart Continue on page 8. Club racers round the final turn and head for the checkered flag at Motorsports Park Hastings.
Transcript
Der SkoonerGreat Plains Region / Porsche Club of America
July 2010 Volume 44 Issue 7
Perfect weather, wonderfulpeople, and an oustandingtrack added up to a fantasticweekend of friendshipsrenewed and made, fun withthe greatest cars on earth, and alittle friendly competition. The2010 Carrera GT at MotorsportsPark Hastings (MPH) was agreat success. Over theweekend of June 4 through 6,the Great Plains Region hosted39 racers from eight regions.We also ran an advanced
Drivers Education (DE) eventwith 32 participants.Drivers came from as far asDallas, St. Louis, andMinneapolis. For the club race,we had the followingbreakdown:Great Plains 12Rocky Mountain 12Kansas City 7Nord Stern 2Wichita 3Cimarron 2
Maverick 1Saint Louis 1
The weekend began with a dayof testing and tuning on Friday.Drivers familiarizedthemselves with the track andmade final adjustments to theirvehicles.On Saturday, the track wasbusy throughout the day.Drivers broke out into twogroups, Red and Blue. The clubracers each had a warm up
Carrera GT at Motorsports ParkHastings Special Issue by Steve Eckhart
Continue on page 8.
Club racers round the final turn and head for the checkered flag at Motorsports Park Hastings.
here in my article for extraattention:
CorporatePorsche of Omaha
PlatinumJack Baker
GoldRandy, Lori & Kyle Cassling
John MarchantMag 1 Lubricants/Warren
DistributionMack Lease of Omaha/Wise-
MackSilver
Pump & Pantry/Bosselman,Inc.
Henry DavisFatburger/Shadow Lake Towne
CenterManarin Investment Council,
Ltd/Roland ManarinMarion’s Tire
CARSIn the Garage
Thank you so much for
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By Jon Theobald
From thePrez
The Great Plains RegionCarrera GT Club Race of
2010 at Motorsports ParkHastings (MPH) was anastounding success by allmeasures and I can’t expresshow thankful I am for all theparticipants, sponsors, andvolunteers that helped made itthe great event it was. Weended up with 39 racers andclose to 30 Driver Educationparticipants, far exceeding ourtotal number expectations forthe weekend. Credit TomCooper (who also served asregistrar) and John Krecek, ourClub Race co-chairs for puttingon one heckuva fun weekendfor all the participants.George Anderson of MPH washis usual impressively-graciousself and if there is anyone thatcan be in more than one place ata time it’s him. He puts theEnergizer Rabbit to shame inthe activity level department.Our sponsors really stepped upthis year and we had a verysuccessful sponsorship drive.I’d like to list them individually
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Metal & stainless steel cabinets Gas pumps/Coke machines
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supporting the GPR and our2010 Club Race!I’d also like to thank our gridworkers: Russ Standage, EricElliot, and Ken Kusik. Yourguidance and organization ongrid is greatly appreciated!Many thanks to our othervolunteers: Sandy Bruso(Steward Assistant), Sean Cahill(Scrutineer’s Assistant), LarryAnderson (Impound Mech-anic), John Krecek and SteveEckhart (Pace Car), MattAnderson (photographer), JimAvilla (Race Brochure), RolandNieves (Timing and Scoring),Bob Thomson (Medical SafetyLiaison), and JR Sanders (TechChair). A special thanks to Dennis andKathy Tessman, who threw amassive dinner party for all therace participants at their retrogarage. There were at least 100people in attendance Saturdaynight for pizza, hot dogs,hamburgers and a long list ofother homemade deliciousitems, not to mention the
Continued on page 4.
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The club racing community is aninteresting subset of the PorscheClub of America. More than therest of us, they want to squeezeevery possible erg out of theirPorsches. In addition to makingnecessary safety modifications totheir vehicles (roll cage, five pointharness, etc.), the racers invest infull driving suits. They also mustearn a PCA racing license. Clubracing isn’t for the faint of heart orthose not willing to make a majorcommitment.I enjoyed meeting Kim and KeithFritze (pronounced Frit-zee) fromMinnesota. Kim is the currentpresident of the Nord Sternregion. Keith was running in hisfirst club race and even won hisclass in his first time out. He evengot some votes from the cornerworkers for the coveted cornerworkers awards.John and Cathy Crosby were herefrom New Orleans representingthe national club. John was therace steward and Cathy was thechief of timing and scoring. TheCrosby’s pull a fun little Smart carbehind their motor home paintedlike a race car. They wereextremely friendly, even allowingJordan and me to drive the Smart.Ruth really liked their dog, Mister.I also had a chance to meet theEMTs who were ready to rescueany endangered driver.Thankfully, their services weren’tneeded.I can’t say enough about theSaturday night party put on byDennis and Kathy Tessman. Theydid all the cooking for about 100people. During dinner, we got to
meet more of the drivers from allover the country.This year, I brought the family outwith me, too. They had a goodtime, spending a little time on thepaddock. (Ruth watched about 10minutes of racing and was readyto go to the waterpark.) Inaddition to MPH, Hastings has afun little water park that was veryreasonable ($6 for kids and $7 foradults). And, we took in theHastings Museum and learned allabout the history of Kool-Aid.But, the highlight of the weekendfor me (and many of us), wasgetting to meet Officer Jerry Eschof the Hastings Police Department.Jerry is a melanoma survivor. Wearranged for Sally Knapp to takeJerry out for a few hot laps with noone else on the track. Jerry has agreat sense of humor and said thathe’s ready for his hair to startgrowing back after going throughchemotherapy. I told him I’d beenwaiting 20 years for my hair tocome back and pray that hedoesn’t have to wait that long.All in all, this year’s Carrera GT atMPH was a blast. I can’t wait untilnext year. If you didn’t make it thisyear, be sure to get it on yourcalendar for next year. If you don’twant to drive, we’ll need plenty ofvolunteers. And, you’ll get tospend a weekend with people whoare almost as passionate aboutPorsches as you are.
The first weekend in June, weheld the Carrera GT at MPH
club race. This year was a newexperience for me, as I got tovolunteer as the radio man in thepace car with “Fast Johnny”Krecek at the wheel. WoodhousePorsche of Omaha provided asilver 2010 Cayman S as the pacecar, and it is one sweet ride.Juggling the three radios whileJohn drove, I had a blast keepingthe race steward informed as thefield formed behind us coming outof turn three, past the splitter (JonTheobald), and then exiting thetrack at speed, hopefully in time towatch the racers take the greenflag.Fortunately, “Fast Johnny” and Ionly had to go out on the trackonce for a full-course yellow. Theclub racers did a great job ofdriving safely with each other. Theonly yellow was for a broken axle.George Anderson and his crew atMotorsport Park Hastings (MPH)did an excellent job of getting thestricken car off the track andallowing the rest of the race tocontinue.(Ed. Note: I am red-faced. Have youever had one of those days wheresomething gets stuck in your head andyou repeat the same error over andover? Well, in last month’s DerSkooner, I repeatedly referred toMotorsport Park Hastings as MotorPlex Hastings. I want to apologize toGeorge and his partners. I shouldknow better.)When I wasn’t slaving away (okay,it wasn’t that tough a job with theA/C blasting), I was meeting asmany of our visitors as I could.
By Steve Eckhart
TheJourney
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From the Prez (cont. from pg. 2)coolers of beverages that tastedoh-so-good after a long day atthe track. We presented theTessmans with a vintage andoriginal Texaco star inappreciation of their party.Thanks to the national PCAfolks that made the long trip toHastings: Kathy Crosby(Timing and Scoring), JohnCrosby (Race Steward), andColin Mazolla (Scrutineer).Also, thanks to our Zone 10Representative, Doug Pierce,
for making an appearance andparticipating in the fun!I apologize if I’ve left anyoneout but thanks again for awonderful weekend of racing!July is a busy month. We kick itoff with the Candlewood PicnicSaturday, July 10. The followingweekend we’ve got the KearneyCruise Night July 17. Pleasenote that the Fun Run toManning, Iowa, that wasscheduled for July 18 has been
postponed to later in the yearwith a date to be determined.July 24-25 is our DriverEducation weekend at Mid-America Motorplex. We will beaccepting novice registrants, sothis would be a great weekendfor you track newbies to get outand get some personalizedtrack driving instruction by ourown GPR Porsche CertifiedDriving Instructors!Have a wonderful July!
Candlewood Picnic July 17Bring your appetites andsunscreen for a picnic with
the GPR/PCA at CandlewoodPark on Lake Candlewood inOmaha. There are picnic tables,grills, playground equipment, asandy beach, swimming in thelake, fishing, pontoon boatrides, and plenty of tasty picnicfood.Please bring one dish of choicethat serves several people(main dish, side, or dessert.)There are grills available, soany meat can be cooked overcharcoal. GPR/PCA willprovide plates, napkins,utensils, charcoal, soda, andbeer. The event starts at 1:00p.m.Directions:1. Go north on 132nd fromDodge.2. Turn right on Cuming Streetinto Candlewood.3. Take the second right onto
Burt Street at the roundabout. The park is on Burt Street at theend of the block. Bring the kidsand pets for a fun picnic on
Candlewood Lake!If you have any questions aboutthis event, please call JonTheobald at 659-6068.
You may find desserts as pretty as this at the Candlewood Picnic on July 17.
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Woodhouse Porsche of Omaha EventsOur friends at Woodhouse Porsche of Omaha are hosting the following events.Mark your calendars. More details will follow.
September 11 Racoon River Lodge in West Des MoinesSeptember 18-19 Woodhouse Track Event at Mid America
Motorplex
2010 GPR EventsCandlewood Picnic ....................................................................................July 10Kearney Cruise Nite ..................................................................................July 17Drivers Education at Mid America Motorplex ....................................July 24-25Steak Fry Grill and Chill..........................................................................August 14Sonic Show ‘N’ Shine ...............................................................................August 28Fun Run to the Hausbarn in Manning, Iowa.......................................TBDHavelock Car Show ...................................................................................September 12All-Euro Car Show at Lauritzen Gardens.............................................September 19Porsche Pride at Fatburger .......................................................................September 23
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PORSCHE SPECIALIST
Bob Diers Curt Westlund6130 Holmes Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68117
(402) 734-7575
Kearney Cruise Nite Autobahn CruiseCaravan Express by Eric ElliotAll aboard for the Autobahn
Cruise Caravan Expressdeparting from gate number 1on July 17! Our destination isKearney for their spectacularcelebration of the automobile,the 23rd Annual KearneyCruise Nite. They close downthe town for this eventfeaturing over 700 cars of allmakes, marques, and vintages.Stand up, be counted, andshow your pride in yourGerman car. We plan toproudly represent and makeGermany's finest a realpresence at this event when ithas not been previously. Get onboard for the great cruise,caravan, cars, and "carnival"atomosphere. Our space for theShow 'n' Shine has beenreserved. Get your ticket nowfor the cruise caravan express!The Omaha express will departon Saturday morning, July 17(exact time and place to beannounced soon!) and make aconnection in Lincoln atHusker BMW in Lincoln,located at 6833 Telluride Drivejust off the I-80 and N. 27th
Street exit, where we will hookup with the BMW club andenjoy coffee and donuts. Wewill all head out at 8:30 a.m.and arrive in Kearney around10:30 am to get registered andset up for the Show 'n' Shine.The Show 'n' Shine runs fromnoon until 4 p.m. A shortparade follows at 5 p.m. thatyou can watch or participate in.Following the parade, we willenjoy a cookout with the BMWclub at the home of Robin andLynette Elliott. From there, youcan either head back home, orhang around and enjoy theliterally thousands of cars that
will "cruise" Kearney allevening long.The cost of the Show 'n' Shine is$10 if you register atw w w . m o t o r t o p i a . c o m /event/3118 by July 13; or $15day of show.Please RSVP to this event byJuly 13 to Eric Elliott [email protected] so we canplan ahead. For moreinformation on this club event,call Eric Elliott at 770-7986 orKen Kusik at 429-6070. For thefull details on Kearney CruiseNite and all the activities goingon, go to www.motortopia.com/event/3118.Kearney Cruise Nite has growninto one of the largest carevents in Nebraska. Youwon'twant to miss it! Get yourboarding pass today and don'tdelay!
Line up on July 17 for the Autobahn Cruise Caravan Express.
session. In between sessions,the DE group got plenty of timeon track.Then, each race group had aFun Race. For the Fun Race, thegroup had three practice starts.Following the third practicestart, the drivers raced for threehot laps. Then, the next groupran.Following the Fun Race (andanother DE session), eachgroup ran a Sprint Race. Firstup was the Blue group with 20racers from the E and SP1classes (and one racer in SP2).Richard Bennett was theoverall winner in a green, 1987951. Chris Blazer was the topfinisher in SP1 and DanielMayer finished 12th overall asthe sole SP2 participant. Thetop three from each group were(and overall placement):
E ClassRichard Bennett (1)
William Petty (2)Joe Ennett (3)
SP1 ClassChris Blazer (9)Dale Tuety (10)
Terry Morris (11)The second Sprint Race of theday was for 18 racers in the RedGroup from the GTA1, GTC3,GT4S, GTB1, G, D, SPB, GTSS,and GT1S classes. The overallwinner was Robert Prilika in a2000 996 GT3 R. The groupwinners (and overallplacement) were:
GTA1Robert Prilika (1)
GTC3Timothy Peterson (2)
GT4SDavid Farrell (3)
GTB1Henry Davis (4)
GScott Norby (6)
DSandy Steckman (8)
SPBKeith Fritze (9)
GTSSMarcia Hubbell (15)
AdvantageEach Office Independently Owned and Operated
Two racers painted as the famous Pink Pig together on the grid.
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Still More Club Race
GT1SRoland Manarin (18)
At the party on Saturdayevening at the Tessman’s home,the groups agreed to run thenext day as one large,combined run group. In thefirst race of the day, Prilika wasagain the overall winner. Theclass winners were:
GTA1Robert Prilika (1)
GTC3Timothy Peterson (2)
GT4SDavid Farrell (3)
ERichard Bennett (4)
GScott Norby (5)
GTB1Randal Cassling (6)
KRoland Manarin (8)
DSandy Steckman (10)
SPBKeith Fritze (14)
SP1Dale Tuety (17)
SP2Daniel Mayer (23)
GTSSMarcia Hubbell (26)
The final sprint race of the dayproduced the most drama.Nearing the end of the race,Prilika was within seconds oflapping the field when he hadto exit the race track just beforethe final lap with a fuelproblem. Roland Manarin ofthe GPR came away with thevictory in his backup car afterbreaking an axle in an earlierrace. The final race standings ofthe day showed:
KRoland Manarin (1)
GTB1Henry Davis (2)
ERichard Bennett (3)
DSandy Steckman (6)
GTA1Robert Prilika (9)
SPBJ Chester Bailey (11)
SP1Chris Blazer (13)
GT4SMichael Hemingway (24)
GTSSJay Burr (25)
GTC3Timothy Peterson (28)
GRobert Thompson (29)
Green! Green! Green!
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More Club Race Photos
Russ Standage, Eric Elliot, and Ken Kusek run the grid.
Sally Knapp gets strapped in.
The timing crew gets ready for the next race.
The crew in race control did an excellent job.
Indispensable, but thankfully not needed.
In the pits, drivers and crews prepare for another race. GPR President Jon Theobald presents the Tessmans with atoken of appreciation for hosting a wonderful party.
Due to severe weather (including a tornado watch), the GPR board did not meet in June.All business for the month was conducted informally during the club race and via email.
Editorial Policy: Der Skooner is the official publication of the Great Plains Region/Porsche Club of America.Statements and opinions appearing in Der Skooner are those of the author and not necessarily those of the GPR,PCA, the Board or the Editor. The Editor reserves the right to edit all material and to publish only material thatis felt to be in the best interest of GPR/PCA. Other regions are welcome to reprint Der Skooner articles providedthat the source and author are credited. Address changes must be sent to both Tom Cooper, 635 ShorewoodLane, Waterloo, NE 68069 and PCA, P.O. Box 5900, Springfield, VA 22150.
We have cancelled the Fun Run to Manning, Iowa, originally scheduledfor July 18, due to the close proximity to the Kearney Cruise Night. Weencourage everyone who can to cruise to Kearney. We will reschedulethe Manning Fun Run and provided details as soon as we have them.
Fun Run Cancelled
Sally Knapp gave Hastings Police Offiicer Jerry Esch a ride for some hot laps. OfficerEsch is a melanoma survivor.
Editor16024 Arbor St.Omaha, NE 68130
PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE
PAIDOMAHA, NE
PERMIT NO. 1313
A Publication of the Great Plains Region / Porsche Club of America
John Krecek, Race Co-chair and pace car driver,displays the Cayman S Woodhouse provided forthe Carrera GT at MPH.
The Great Plains Region of the Porsche Club of America would like to thank all of the sponsors of the Great Plains CarreraGT Club Race held June 4 through 6 at Motorsports Park Hastings.
Corporate SponsorPorsche of Omaha
Part of Woodhouse Auto Family
PlatinumJack Baker
Gold SponsorsJohn Marchant Randy, Lori, and Kyle Cassling
