Porsche Parade, Hershey Kisses, and The Glen June 26 July 4, 05 By Jim Cambron

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1 Porsche Parade, Hershey Kisses, and The Glen June 26 July 4, 05 By Jim Cambron Now that Suki and I have experienced three Porsche Parades, we ve more adapt at judging the various events and rendering more realistic and valid comparisons. I still rate the 48 th Parade in Wesley Chapel ( 03) as the greatest automotive week of my life, last year s 49 th in Ft. Worth ( 04) as second, and this year s 50 th Parade in Hershey relegated to third place. Unlike the last two years, the purpose of this article is not to excite Heart O Dixie Region members to attend future Parades, but simply to report on Hershey. We were fortunate that the last three Parades were within a day s drive of Huntsville. But I doubt if many of us will be driving 2,500 miles (36 hrs) to Portland in 06, or, 2,100 miles (30.5 hrs) to San Diego in 07. The 2008 Parade will be in Charlotte, and at 485 miles (7.75 hrs) it seems close. Bottomline Up Front: Heart O Dixie Region kicked butt and took names. We ve been there, done that, and got the T-shirts! With just six families attending we accomplished: Car Show: 1 st Place Jim Cambron in the Boxster Class Rally: 6 th Place Steve & Liz Baum in the Unequipped Class 16 th Place Jim & Suki Cambron in the Unequipped Plus Class Autocross: 2 nd Place Tom Rothrock in the Showroom Stock Class 2 nd Place Jim Cambron in the Street Prepared Class Tech Quiz: 9 th Place Jim Cambron in the 986/987/996/997 Class 11 th Place Jim Williams in the Mid-911/ Class PhDs in Porscheology: Kurt Lessmann, Tom Rothrock, Jim Williams, and Jim Cambron Left to Right: Jim Cambron, Suki Cambron Liz Baum, Steve Baum, Diane Williams, Jim Williams, Tom Rothrock; missing from the photo are Kurt and Jan Lessmann, and Scott Bradley. Friday, 6/24 Enroute to Hershey At the 04 Parade I finished 5 th in the Autocross on street tires and all four guys who beat me used race rubber, so I decided to switch tires for Hershey of course that necessitated a trailer to 1

2 pull the tires to this year s Parade. Selecting and building the tire trailer is another story for another time. Suki and I like to leave early we hit the road at 430am and pulled into the Hershey Lodge at 6:15pm, including sit-down breakfast and lunch, three gas stops, and loosing an hour to Eastern time. We traveled 795 miles in 12-3/4 hours of travel time; averaged about 62 mph including the stops. Not a minute of trouble with the trailer you couldn t even tell it was there tracking true and straight (pictured below). While the Hershey Lodge was adequate, it was inferior to Ft. Worth s 4-star hotel and to the individual 2-bedroom condos at the Wesley Chapel Golf Resort. The Hershey grounds were nice, but the rooms were comparable to an old Holiday Inn. I was a little embarrassed that I brought Suki half-way across the U.S. to spend eights nights in such a common room. Highlights upon arrival were meeting a Blazing Yellow Carrera GT at the 4-way stop in front of the hotel and seeing a Maybach 57 displayed in front of the lodge. Of course, much of the talk at the Parade involved the lottery system PCA used to downselect from 1,300 applicants to 700 attendees. We had friends notified the last week that while they could attend the Parade (at full price), they would be limited to two of the five dinners, plus the Gimmick Rally and Tech Quiz, but excluded from the TSD Rally, Autocross, Car Show, and Parade of Porsches. Too bad PCA couldn t handle a larger crowd for the Club s 50 th Parade. Day 1, Saturday, 6/25/05 Registration, Prep for Concours, and Welcome Dinner This year the Parade schedule was moved up a day, starting with the Concours on Sunday and the week ending with the Victory Dinner on Friday. That made Saturday the final day of vehicle preparation. Of course the serious competitors had been in Hershey all week preparing their cars. This year also included a Car Show alongside the Concours. I started my Car Show preparation at the wash rack about 5am. The previous two years, Zymol equipped the wash rack with hoses, buckets, sponges, fresh towels, a variety of soaps and specialty cleaners, and on-site expertise. This year s Parade organizers got into a dispute with Zymol resulting in no Zymol support at the wash rack or Zymol products for sale in the Goodie Store. The last two years I used this source of supplies to purchase my Zymol products for the upcoming year. Consequently, several of us carpooled to the local K-mart searching for cleaning supplies, then, chased down the lodge service staff to unlock the water facets and, to secure drying rags and towels. The wash rack had hoses, and it was paved but that was about the extent of the service. Quite a disappointment! I registered promptly at 8am it took about an hour, then, off to the Tech Inspection. Previously, PCA meticulously inspected the Porsches but this year was little more than a 2

3 cursory glace-over. The Parade Competition Rules state that it is each participant s own responsibility to maintain their car to required safety standards. The same yellow Carrera GT arrived at the Tech Session while I was there. He was from Illinois and had put 1,600 miles on the car during his month of ownership. He said he bought the car to drive, not show, and ran every event except the Autocross. I also observed him stall it twice at a stop sign (confirming the launch problem we ve all heard about). He said the AC had been inoperative since he picked it up. I learned a few other interesting facts; that the two roof panels completely consume the front trunk storage space; that the custom luggage completely consumes the passenger seat and passenger footwell space; and, that the single wheel lugs take 407 ft. lbs. of torque and while you get a one inch drive socket, there is no socket lever or torque gauge, so you have to call the dealer to change a flat tire. I spent the remainder of Saturday prepping the Boxster for the next day s Car Show followed by the Welcome Dinner and program including the revelation of the new PCA Club Coupe. Day 2, Sunday, 6/26 - Concours and Car Show, Concours Dinner Concours Porsches were displayed at the Hershey Hotel starting at 6am while the Car Show participants assembled by models at Hershey Park and then paraded to the Hershey Hotel Golf Course. Models were arranged on separate fair-ways and I ve never seen so many similar but different Porsches, pretty maids in a row. While most of the folks toured the Concours site, a group of judges picked the single best car in each model row and awarded Best of Show ribbons then later, plaques were available for pickup at the PCA Command post. Certainly my preparation was well worth the effort, to place first among so many 986 and 987s. These photos show the Hershey Hotel on the left and Boxsters on the Golf Course awaiting Car Show judging. Like the last two years, I was unimpressed with the quality of the Boxsters entered in the Concours and regretted that I did not enter that formal competition but since our car is approaching three years old and showing the scars of eight DEs and numerous Autocrosses, its loosing its Concours level luster and the required preparation is too intensive. My favorite cars were the two GT1s, several GT2s and a GT2 Club Sport; countless GT3 Cup, R, RS, and RSRs; three Carrera GTs; several 917s, 962s, and a 959, and several 930 Slantnose Turbos. If you love Porsches, there were many excellent examples of most every kind. Of course, the Club Coupe was center stage. This is the special edition honoring the 50 th birthday of the PCA. One car will be kept in the Porsche Museum, one will be given to a PCA member in a grand sweepstakes at the October 05 Petit Le mans, and 48 will be sold. 3

4 Most of the Concours trophies were awarded on site this year with only the Overall Best of Show Trophies presented at the formal dinner that night. Photo courtesy of Tom Rothrock. Day 3, Monday, 6/27 TSD Rally, Ice Cream Social, and President s Reception The 48 th Parade Rally in Florida was gruesome; lasting over four hours in Florida s notorious 90X90 July weather 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity. Suki and I joined many other amateurs running around the back roads lost as Jay birds. Only 60 of 262 entrants finished the Rally including us missing two of eight checkpoints and discarding our scorecard near the end. The 49 th Texas Rally was much easier, but the terrible 2003 experience scared off most of the contestants resulting in only 95 entrants. However, the simple Tulip instructions kept everyone on course. We only encountered three incidents: the rain when we were running with the top down and the speedster humps in place; a train that caused us to claim in an enroute delay waiver; and, arriving at the last checkpoint prior to them setting up the station and since no official timepiece was on site, this leg was discarded. We finished 21 st in Class. This year, the Rally was even easier and shorter at only 115 miles. One of the six legs was again discarded and that helped we finish 16 th in Class (unequipped plus) but, Liz and Steve Baum really cleaned-up with 6 th place in the Unequipped Class. Photos courtesy of Tom Rothrock; Cambrons left, Baums right. 4

5 This year the Rally negotiated some beautiful scenery and everyone appreciated the shorter duration. Regardless of the location July endurance events get tiring after about two hours. As usual, the Rally ended with an Ice Cream Social this time back at the Hershey Lodge. Kurt Lessmann, our Heart O Dixie Region President offered us his tickets to the President s Reception held at the Harrisburg County Club. Suki and I posed with the Porsche family to add to our photo collection. The left photo is with Wolfgang (Ferry s youngest son), the right photo is Peter and his son Daniell, a 4 th generation Porsche. I was also able to query Tom Bobbit about the differences between his GT3 (street car) and GT3 (full race) Cup car. He said that although the street version s 380 bhp is only a little shy of the Cup s 390 bhp, there are several key differences that make the Cup car much faster. There is a 500 lb weight difference (3,100 lbs vice 2,500 lbs). Automotive math formulas equate 100 lbs as worth 25 bhp accordingly, the Cup car would feel like it had 515 bhp. Wow! That s a 35% advantage! Next, the Cup car has a much lighter flywheel allowing it to spin-up quicker. Lastly, the GT3 has a 3.44 final drive ratio, whereas the Cup car comes with a 4.00 or optional 5.00 optional rear-end gear ratio that s another 45% advantage. Obviously all those advantages add-up. My dream car remains the GT3, but I can see that it should include as many of the Cup, RS, and RSR goodies as I can afford and fit to it, while still (barely) retaining its street legality. Day 4, Tuesday, 6/28 Gimmick Rally, Porsche Academy, and Rally Banquet Most of us forsook the Gimmick Rally to attend the Porsche Academy. It consisted of 30 one hour classes concurrently presented during an eight hour period. Diplomas were awarded based on the number of classes attended; 3 hours for a B.S., 5 hours for a Masters of Technicity, and 7 hours for a PhD in Porscheology all signed by Tom Bobbit and Norm Singer. 5

6 The instruction was really first rate and include many of the premier experts in the field. The most difficult part of the day was choosing what eight classes to attend, I chose Porsche history; The GT3, R, RS, RSR, and Cup Cars; The Inner Workings of the Carrera GT; Auto Detailing; Boxster Engine Drive Belt Replacement; The Michelin Tire Nerd; and Prep for the Watkin s Glen DE. The Classes missed included: Porsche ABS, 911 Engine Chain Tensioner Adjustment, Porsche Club Racing, 944 Timing Belt Replacement and Wiring Theory, 915 Transmission Trouble shooting and Repair, Photo Shooting, 911 and 944 Oil Leaks, Boxster Light replacement, Legalization of the 959, 35 Years of Porsche Fuel Injection, Appraising Vintage 356s and Early 911s, 911 Engine Cam Timing and Valve Adjustments, Porsche Electrical Systems, All about the 928, All About the Cayenne, Modifying 356 Engines for More Power, The Complete Works of Photographers Craig Booth and David Owen, and the GT-1 Wheel Changing Contest. The photo on the left is Jim Williams with Bruce Anderson, and the sample diploma on the right looks cool definitely the only PhD I will ever receive. Tuesday night Suki and I left the Rally Banquet early, just prior to them calling our name for the Grand Door Prize oh well, at least the guy who won it in our steed was Dick Kjellsen, our previous Zone 3 Representative the prize couldn t have gone to a better guy! Day 5, Wednesday, 6/29 Autocross Day One, Parade of Porsches, and Zone 15 Party The Autocross takes two days and was held on the largest paved area in Pennsylvania. The last two years the Modified cars ran first, then Improved, followed by Prepared and lastly Stock, but this year they reversed the sequence. That was fine with me, I got to watch for a day while the other Porsches laid down a coat of rubber on the track. This turned out to be the most unrestricted and easiest autocross course I ve ever experienced. Most of the Huntsville courses are set up by Girlie Car guys (Miatas) who keep the courses short and twisty, giving them an advantage over the higher horsepower Corvettes and Porsches. Let me tell you, this was not a Miata course, but one designed for Novice Porsche drivers. I d bet there weren t 50 cones hit over the entire two days which was good for the drivers and workers alike. But what they did have on Wednesday was a rain storm as shown below in the photo on the left. Unfortunately, IAW with the Regulations the game must go on and they ran in the rain. Fortunately, these were Stock Classes so they had street tires instead of slicks regardless it was a tough break for those guys waiting a year since the last Parade. Tom Rothrock got his runs in early Wednesday as show below in the photo on the right, and, his time was good enough for 2 nd overall in the Stock Boxster S Class way to go Tom! 6

7 After walking the course twice Tuesday afternoon, four times Wednesday, and twice Thursday, I was ready to put the rubber to the road. As previously mentioned, I acquired a set 265mm and 295mm width 17 Hoosier race tires for this year s autocross. I also switched from the Porsche Competition suspension to a set of Bilstein Coil-overs, a thicker front sway bar, and 5mm spacers on the front and 14mm on the rear. I only got to run the Hoosiers three times prior to the Parade. Wednesday, 19 Stock Boxsters averaged 1:07.3 and ranged from a 1:03.0 to a 1:17.1; the 10 Stock Boxster S cars averaged and ranged from 1:02.1 (Tom Rothrock ran a 1:02.6) to a 1:16.9; and, the two Stock 987s ran a 1:01.9 and 1:06.3. Of course all these Stock Classes used street rubber. Last year, the Stock basic Boxsters averaged 89.4 seconds, the S models averaged 92.8 (yep, that s right the 8 S models average were slower than the 7 basic models) and the 15 car Stock class average was 91.2 seconds. Contrasted with the Prepared Class where the 3 basic models averaged 87.1 and the 10 S models averaged 86.6 for a total Prepared Class 13 car average of 86.7 seconds. So, the average difference was 4.5 seconds or 4.9%. My time last year was 5 th in Prepared and 12 th overall of the 28 Boxsters in all Classes. So Wednesday s Stock Class times gave me a good idea of what I needed to do the fastest stock times were 1:01.9 to 1:02.1 so to better those times by 4.9% results in times of 58.8 to 59.0 seconds. That s how the math works out but not the results. Day 6, Thursday, 6/30 Autocross Day Two and Autocross Banquet Last year there were 228 Porsches in the Autocross this year 241 unfortunately, the crew this year must have been gun-shy of the numbers and limited the number of runs to three instead of five. Now three runs is a real problem. The first run is a track lay-out and traction recon and to get a score on the board. Even when you walk the course eight times, at my novice level of performance, there will still be some surprises when you drive it so your first run needs to be clean and will probably be your slowest time. Then, if the first run is clean (no cones), you can clean up the mistakes, pickup the speed, and run closer to the cones. After that, its just one more run and it s all over in about three minutes. My first run was at my customary cautious pace sensing the available traction, and I got a I was grateful that it wasn t a 105, but knew that it was well off the necessary pace. I knew that you seldom improve more than a second or two through the total series of runs and two seconds off the 103 would not be sufficient to finish with a trophy. The Hoosiers felt really good, I never encountered any sliding and knew I could start much faster, run harder and faster, brake harder and later, run closer to the cones, and I had bogged the engine in two locations. Thinking of all these changes, and the plan to implement them, I pulled to the line for run two. I got a better start the second time, ran harder and broke later, increased the speed through all the turns and still never felt the tires slide I was leaving lots of time on the table. I eliminated 7

8 one of the two bogging locations and finished much faster with a 1:00.5. I was a solid 2.5 seconds faster which is a world of time in Autocross events. But, I realized that I was still driving well within the traction limit of the tires and needed to increase the speed across the entire course push the tires closer to the limit. Of course I had to have another clean run or, I would be stuck with the 1:00.5 it s really tough with only three runs. Photo on the left is Steve Baum, on the right Jim Cambron Run three, I left the line much faster but still way below my traction limits I left about a quarter second there. I turned up the heat throughout the course, but still was unfortunately well below my traction limits probably a second lost. I down-shifted back to first to eliminate the place I had bogged the engine on the two previous runs and crossed the line in 59:4. I had predicted that I would need a 59.0 or better to finish well. As it turned out that time stood for second place (third was 59.8). Leeds Gulick, an SCCA National Champion took first place and blew us all away with a series of 59.1, 57.6, and 56.6 seconds obviously he was in a different league than the rest of the field. My 59.4 was good for second of the 41 Boxsters and 22 nd out of 241 cars overall (9 percent) a vast improvement over last year s 5 th in class and 99 th of 228 cars (43%). Analyzing the 21 folks who bettered my time, I see that seven ran in the Improved Class and seven were Modified. The Improved and Modified Classes allow progressive unrestrictive modifications and should always better any Production class time. Of the remaining seven, they were the first place finishers among the Carrera, 964, 993, 996, 997, and GT3. I would expect a person in those classes to be highly skilled. I also notice that two of these finishers were within a second of my 8

9 time and three within three seconds. So, I m certainly within striking distance of a future finish closer to the top of the pack but doubt if I ll ever beat Leeds Gulick! Jim in the photo on the left; Tom on the right; both placing 2 nd in the Boxster S Production and Stock Classes. Day 7, Friday, 7/1 Tech Quiz, Volunteer Party, and Victory Banquet The Tech Quiz was moved this year to Friday morning. This event has traditionally been a real killer I remember last year (my first time) guessing on 56 of the 70 general subject questions and 20 of the /996 model-specific questions. I didn t study for this exam other than reading all the Porsche related periodicals published throughout the year. I should have read over last year s test, but didn t. But in spite of my lack of preparation I scored better than last year only having to guess on 66% of the questions compared to last year s 76%. Here are some representative questions; four from the general questionnaire and two from the 986/987/996/997 booklet. 1) Who was the Frankfort VW dealer who in 1950 built his own race car using a 356 engine and VW running gear, prior to Porsche building their own special purpose race cars: Mathe, Beck, Glockler, or Neubauer? 2) The option code for the 3-spoke steering wheel on the 98 Boxster is M029: True or False? 3) Recaro was originally known as: Repossession Car Company, Recycle and Auto Restore Company, Recreational and Restored Auto Company, or Reutter Co? 4) The chief stylist of the 928 design was: Lapine, Gregg, Gropus, or Schwab? 5) The voltage of the remote control function key is: 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, or 3.0 volts? 6) The 996 oil pressure gauge should indicate engine oil pressure of: 3.5 bar at 5,000 RPM, 4 bar at 2,000 RPM, 5 bar at 4,000 RPM, or 6 bar at 5,000 RPM? You can see why I do so much guessing. This year I was very surprised to finish in 9 th place in my model class; Jim Williams was 11 th in his. We needed our Region s Ace-in-the-hole, Charlie Swanson who was first last year, placed 1 st in three of the last five years and 2 nd twice. Two other events held the last day of the Parade is the Worker s Party and the Victory Dinner. The Worker s Party is open to all the volunteer workers who completed their two fourhour shifts and always features a large number of prizes including several sets of tires and assorted Porsche namebrand paraphernalia. Of course the Victory Party is the grand send-off where congratulations for the week s accomplishments are made and good-byes are exchanged until next year. Many realized that Portland, OR, in 06 followed by San Diego, CA, in 07 will prevent many of the east coast member s from attending so it will be three years before most Parade friends see each other again. All afternoon and into the night cars and trailers were packed. One thing about traveling in a Porsche is that you learn to pack well you have too due to the lack of space, especially if you have all the racing equipment required for a Driver s Education like Watkin s Glen; Nomex race suit, shoes, underware, gloves, and helmet. Then there s also all the good buys you found at the Goodie Store; car models, books, shirts, and stuff. Saturday, 7/2 Enroute to Watkin s Glenn Potomac Region Driver s Education Day One Suki and I slept-in until 4:30am, departed by 5 and drove north through Pennsylvania and New York to The Glen. It was foggy and overcast most of the 200 miles but the sun brokethrough as we entered the Finger Lakes Region. I checked Suki into a nice Bed and Breakfast, suited-up, and was on the track by 9am to get the car ready and make the Driver s Meeting at 10 am. The Glen was my 8 th DE and made 12 track days. So I have a little experience, but am a novice on a track as difficult as the Glen, and alongside the northeast PCA Region track-attics. 9

10 This event was hosted by the Potomac Region and heavily attended by most of the northeast regions. They grow some serious competitors up there. Most of the cars were dedicated track vehicles and few were at the Glenn for their first time. Most of the folks in fact had Glen events and considered it their home track. The Glen has been recently modified in preparation for running Indy cars this summer. The sand runoffs were paved and extended; the rumble strips were modified, large turtle curbs were added, and 30 height steel nets were erected around the corners to contain open-wheel cars launched from the track. The North America Motorsports Atlas lists The Glen as an incredibly fast and quite frankly, dangerous road course for high horsepower vehicles and has everything a great track should have elevation changes, length, high speed straights over 150 mph, fast pucker-factor corners, wide, smooth, low curbs, and a few tight corners thrown in just for good measure. The bad part about the Glen is that there is absolutely no room for error. The entire course is surrounded on both sides by Blue Armco (guard rail) and it s only 2-10 off the racing surface in most locations. If you make a mistake going up thru the very fast Esses, or, on many other similar locations, you will become a pin-ball, bouncing off the rails that border the track. Lastly, it s a difficult course to learn and master because of the blind apexes, elevation changes, and ever-present Armco. However, the track is wide and smooth and every corner is actually much faster than your would first imagine. I didn t find it that intimidating, having learned my track manners at the Barber Track which is also lined with Armco and Barber s rails are actually closer to the road than the Glen s. What I did find unusual was the pace that all of the 32 cars in my Intermediate Group ran, their intensity (between 7/10s and 8/10s), and the top speeds I was running on several track sections. This was the first time I ve ever been in fifth gear on a track and was approaching 140 mph on the back straight and down the bottom of the boot. The Glen is a 3.45 mile course and the properly set-up cars are capable of running flat-out starting with Turn 1, which you exit at 60 mph, thru the heavily banked Turn 2, the Esses, heavily banked #4, and through the inner loop completing the back straight. I never worked up the familiarity or courage to keep the pedal to the floor, so I was about mph finishing the back straight and braking down to 50 mph for the loop instead of 180 mph like much of the competition. Another interesting curve is #9 at the top of the boot which is well sloped off-camber and #7 which is 180 degrees and #10 almost 90 degrees, but both so well banked so that you can take 10

11 them flat-out. I finally learned that if I downshifted going into #7, all the way down to second gear (catching just the last 1,500 RPMs) then worked my way up to 5 th gear, I could also reach 135 mph by #8 instead of 125 mph. This required you to sling-shot through the #7 banking and the acceleration holds you to the road as you drifted closer to the Armco. This is definitely not a place to lift the throttle just ask this guy who crashed his brand new GT3. Photo on the left. The photo on the right is described in the following paragraph. The 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd rule of DEs is no racing and no one does they just try and drive as close to the maximum as their car, skill, and courage allows while passing all the cars in front of them for 25 minutes. In this crowd of hot cars, driven by skilled and Glen experienced drivers, I had to spend as much time watching my rearview mirror as the road in front of me. I ve never been on the track with as many 935s and 935 clones, slant-nose turbos, and full prepared race cars. In the Driver s Meeting they also mentioned that 1) they don t take a tire warm-up lap but hit the track at their maximum speed starting with the first lap, 2) they allow passing on both sides, 3) overtaken cars can either maintain the line or move off line, 4) many of the cars have so much closing speed that any of the straights between any of the curves are acceptable passing zones so in just a minute or so, they discarded most of the PCA rules that had been hammered into me during my previous seven DEs. I was frequently overtaken by 3-6 car trains with mph closing speeds, so I moved off-line to let the trains pass during my two track sessions Saturday. Guys who didn t pay enough attention to their rear-view mirrors finished the day early like the 993 in the above photo on the right who was T-boned by an overtaking 951. Saturday night included a steak dinner-party sponsored by the Potomac Region at the local Automotive Technology Museum followed by us attending the first local showing of War of the Worlds in an historical theater built in 1910 cool! Sunday, 7/3 Day Two at the Glen I found a Glen experienced instructor for a ride-along and picked up several key points. My three sessions proved much better and my speeds and confidence increased to where I was finishing my heats about places up from last place. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of the Glen and wished for just one more day to try and conquer the back straight with its three included curves without lifting. Maybe next time. I said my goodbyes at the track and was back at the hotel by 4:00pm and we were on the road by 5:00 to try and lessen some of the 960 mile homeward journey. We drove 300 miles to Cleveland, checked into a hotel about 9:30pm, just in time to enjoy the 4 th of July fireworks. 11

12 Monday, 7/4 Return to Huntsville We left Cleveland at 5:00am and completed the 660 miles in 9-1/2 hours, arriving home about 2:45pm, thanks to the advantage of Central Daylight Time. I ve never seen as many troopers as in Ohio where it seemed they had someone pulled over every ten miles. We made it home in the early afternoon and were unpacked and settled by dark. Total distance traveled was 2,400 miles; 795 to Hershey, 200 to The Glenn, 960 back home with the remaining 445 miles divided between the 125 on the Watkin s Glen Racetrack, 115 on the rally and 205 miles in and around the courses and events. We thoroughly enjoyed our third Parade in Hershey and driving The Glen. The accommodations were not as nice as Florida, and it wasn t as well organized as Texas, but the Heart O Dixie Region certainly did well with seven Place finishers including five in the top ten! We won t be going to the next two Parades the distance is more than I want to put on the Porsche; it would take two weeks from work to get out there and back; and flying out there without the Porsche is ridiculous going without the Porsche is not a Parade, its just a trip! 12