SDR President’s Message March 2021

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As I write this Spring and Daylight Savings Time are both just around the corner. Spring has always been considered a time of rebirth and renewal, and we are especially hopeful that is the case this year, as we await the subsidence of the COVID pandemic.

In the meantime, however, we do have a few Porsche Club related things to occupy your mind.
The Time Trial team reports that the February event at the Streets of Willow was another fantastic experience. Many thanks to all that made that happen, your hard work, dedication and time are all much appreciated.

I was fortunately able to attend our two February Zoom socials, which were well attended and a lot of fun. The first was the New Member trivia night, hosted by our Membership chair, Lana Gill. We spent an exciting hour with three different trivia games she designed, one of which was modeled on the TV show Jeopardy, answering questions about the club, Porsche and the world in general. Many thanks to Lana for putting that together. She will do another Zoom event in the coming months, so keep your eye on the calendar.

Next up was the virtual Porsches & Pours, hosted by Social chair, Victoria Varon. This event (like the previous one) offered attendees a chance to taste the efforts of Eppig Brewing of Vista. Attendees took delivery of the beer in advance and we were able to taste it during the event. Our special guest was the co-owner and head brewer, who talked to us about the brewery, the beer, different beer styles, beer production methods and the state of the industry. He was both knowledgeable and entertaining and really made the evening exciting and fun.

Always hard at work, Victoria has another Porsches & Pours lined up for us on April 1st. (No kidding!) This time she switches the libation to wine with the LXV Winery from Paso Robles wine country. The special guest will be owner and winemaker Neeta Mittal who will walk us through what should be a very special tasting experience. Included with wines you order will be spice kits and recipes, perfect for the conversation about matching wines with food and how each influences the taste of the other. Sign up soon, as you need to allow time for the wines to arrive. See https://pcasdr.org/event/virtual-porsches-and-pours-wine-lxv/ for more information about how to register.

Shortly thereafter, the weekend of April 3-4, we will be back Chuckwalla Raceway for another Driver’s Ed and Time Trial. You can register here at: https://pcasdr.motorsportreg.com/

Have you always wondered about DE and Time Trials? Want to learn more? We’ve got just the ticket! A fun and exciting weekend getaway with the added benefit of education about what it is like to participate in a DE & Time Trial. On Saturday, April 3, we are planning a driving tour from San Diego to Palm Springs, where attendees will spend the night. Then, Sunday morning, April 4 (yes, this is Easter Sunday), the group will depart Palm Springs for the Chuckwalla Raceway. At the raceway you will be able to see the drivers, their cars, what they do to prep for the track, and of course, see them on the track itself. Added bonus: During the lunch break you will be allowed onto the track (driving yourself, in your car) to see it first hand, from the driver’s perspective. (Limited speeds, of course!) Masks and social distancing precautions will be required throughout the weekend. For more information, please see: https://www.pcasdr.org

Before we leave the month of March, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Tour master Keith Verlaque has another wonderful driving tour planned for March 28. (This time just for a few hours, a local, one day event.) Keep an eye on https://pcasdr.motorsportreg.com/ for registration information.

The COVID pandemic does appear to be subsiding at a faster and faster rate. We certainly hope this the case. Our state (along with others) is loosening up on the restrictions placed on business, which makes sense as those whose livelihoods have been affected need to be able to get back to work when it is safe for them to do so. The board’s intention for PCASDR is to err on the side of caution, as the safety, health and well-being of the club members is first and foremost our concern. After all, nobody needs to attend club events to put food on the table or to pay the rent. Therefore, we will be keeping the events we offer to a minimum for the time being. That being said, as I write this, our county is almost (very close!) to returning to the “red” tier; so if this trend continues, I do believe it won’t be too much longer before we start adding more events to our calendar.

I’ll wrap up this monthly report with our current food drive status: $7190.00 has been collected towards our $10,000 quarterly goal – with only a few weeks left to go.

In these troubling and challenging times, members of the San Diego Region have really stepped up to assist those who are less fortunate. Please go to https://pcasdr.org/pca-sdr-virtual-food-drive-donation-goal-thermometer-q1-2021/ to help us reach this quarter’s target. Big or small, your donation will be appreciated by countless people in need.

Thank you, San Diego Region, your donations and selflessness are amazing!

Hopefully we will get to see each other soon.

Tom Brown