by Debi Wolf

I can’t be the only one with a list of things said to me thanks to my car-a 2010 911 Carrera convertible in Carrera white with a dark brown top and a tan interior-and one-of-a-kind white calipers thanks to my amazing brother Brad Gibson! I’ve had the car since May of 2014 and the list keeps growing.  Brad and my parents (Der Wirbelsturm proof-readers Karen and Jim Gibson) agreed it might be a good idea to share the comments I’ve had and find out what everyone else hears thanks to their car!
First-the most common comment, heard almost daily, is “That is one beautiful car.”  I’m sure everyone gets that one.  My car is my daily driver so I hear it A LOT!  Also, it’s true.

The very first truly unusual incident happened shortly after I bought the car (and Brad had already painted the calipers) when I went to University Ford in Chapel Hill to pick up a replacement bumper for my son’s F150.  Yes, I took my car to get it.  It was warm-the top was down! While I was inside the service shop, checking out, a small crowd of Ford mechanics was growing around my car.  I think they heard I planned to stick the bumper (in a box) in the car and wanted to see it in person.  They admired the car greatly when I came out, expressed a great deal of surprise that I thought I’d get that bumper box in there and then ended up helping.  Of course, it fit.  I only had to travel about 4 miles anyway.  All the guys asked lots of questions about the car, complimented me on my willingness to stick a truck bumper in it and then stood around to hear me start it up, which brought more admiration.  Just as I started to drive off, with a wave, one of the guys noticed the calipers and called out “Look!! Her calipers match her car-they’re white!”  Spontaneous applause broke out and followed me out of the parking lot.  Thanks Brad!

​People talk to me all the time at stoplights when I have the top down.  They always compliment the car.  Admittedly they are all guys.  Every now and then I get a compliment too-but it’s more of an afterthought.  They really just like the car.

Once, in the Food Lion parking lot, I had the “hood” up to load up my groceries.  A little old lady came by and stopped in amazement.  She asked me how I planned to drive anywhere when I had groceries instead of an engine under the hood.  I told her the engine was in the back.  She expressed disbelief.  I told her “I promise you there is an engine in the back.  Just stay right here and I’ll start it for you so you know”, which I then did.  She was still rooted to the spot, watching, as I drove off.

One day I came out of my bank and headed towards my car in the parking lot.  A thirty-something guy in a suit left just before me and was walking by my car.  He slowed down so he could look at it-and kept looking at it over his shoulder.  Then he tripped over the curb.  By then I’d caught up to him and reached the car.  He smiled sheepishly and said “That car is just beautiful-guess I couldn’t stop looking at it.”  I told him I knew the feeling!

Once, when the top was down, someone asked me “Do you get to put the top down much?”  The real question for me is “Do you put the top UP much?”

​Another favorite was expressed the best by someone who said “There is no better license plate for that car.”  My plate says “LOVE SUN”.
An often-asked question, usually at gas stations, is “How fast have you gone/can you go in that car?” The most recent form of this question was “Hey, how many times have you made it up to 100 in that car? Betcha do it all the time.”  Incidentally, the answer is never and no but I’ve gotten close while driving on I-95 to Key West.

Speaking of driving it to Key West, I was on my way back in it, around Jacksonville, when a Corvette pulled up next to me in the left lane.  People (guys) do try to get me to race (usually they’re in a Hyundai or a Kia-go figure) but this driver just revved up his engine as he went by me-too much traffic and it was after dark so I like to think he was just acknowledging the awesome-ness of my car. 

Once I stopped at a rest area on I-95 on my way to Miami with a friend. I locked the car while we went into the restrooms.  When I returned, one of a group of Harley riders also at the rest area was waiting for me on the sidewalk.  He said he and his friends had been arguing over whether or not the car had an alarm that went off when the top was down.  I said it did and he replied “I knew it!!  No way would you leave the top down on a nice car like that without an alarm!”

No one ever wants to put anything in my car. “You want to put THIS (usually a piece of furniture) in THAT car?” I had to buy gallons and gallons of paint for a rental house once and went to Lowes, bought it all and then had someone push the cart out and meet me at the curb.  He said “You’re going to put all this paint in THAT car?  You don’t want to do that!”  I promised him it’d be fine.  We compromised when he got a hammer to be sure all the lids were on tight.

Just last week I had my husband’s 2016 Cayenne with me at our beach house.  We’re updating the 20-year-old bathrooms and initially the car was blocked in the garage by the contractor trucks.  I got the guys to move their trucks so I could get out to run some errands. When I came back yet another guy had joined the crew with a big truck and trailer-and he hurried to move it out of my way.  The first guys there told him “She can’t leave her car outside-it’s a PORSCHE!”
​
Ok, GO-it’s your turn!

by JD Marsh

​I've known about the legendary Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for as long as I can remember.  I've seen everything from NASCAR to Indy Car, IMSA GT, Grand-Am Rolex, and IRC race at this historic track.  There was always some form of televised coverage taking place at this venue, and despite watching from the safety of my living room, I felt like I knew the courses curves, it's long downhill back straight, and its off-camber sweepers on a semi-intimate level.  
 
So when AutoInterests, LLC offered me the opportunity to drive at their HPDE (High Performance Driver Education) with my own car for Carfest 2017 at Mid-Ohio, I knew I had to go.  I couldn't pass up the chance to drive my track-duty car, a 2001 Porsche Boxster S, at this legendary racing course.  I would get to spend a weekend on track experiencing first hand what it feels like to lay down grippy rubber to asphalt, and Drive Fast without the risk of getting handcuffed.
 
Mid-Ohio's twisted black ribbon circuit is draped into the scenic countryside hills of Lexington, Ohio, which is located halfway between Columbus and Cleveland.  That's roughly 700 miles away from my home in North Carolina, but I was determined not to let distance deter my quest to drive this top-tier bucket-list dream track.  Fortunately, I was not alone.  I would be joined by my business partner responsible for making this trip happen, and his track-prepped 2001 Mazda Miata.  Another good friend, who happens to own a Supercharged NB Miata, also shared our ambition and joined up.  So like true HPDE junkies in need of a fix, we loaded up and set off on a journey to drive fast at a Legend.
 
Hurricane Harvey had just finished ravaging Texas, and was tracking North-NorthEast on the morning we made our escape from the shores of North Carolina.   We were each pulling a trailer containing our track vehicle securely strapped down.  At 5 am, under complete darkness, our caravan slipped out onto the silent highway and headed West.

​The incessant weather pattern continued to batter us for hours as we precariously carved up curvy, inclined roads that crested and twisted steeply back down the other side, then roll through a valley where the road would turn skyward, and the cycle was reborn.  Full acceleration, downshift, wind out the engine, now hard on the brakes, harder, back to full acceleration.  The circumstances for this particular drive demanded us to keep both-hands-on-the-wheel and maintain supreme concentration.  Stay sharp, stay focused, eyes up.  Fundamentally, it was the same kind of concentration used for High Performance Driving.  By the time we pulled into the gates of Mid-Oho we were spent, but exalted.  Hallelujah!
 
In was in the low 50's at the drivers’ meeting Saturday morning and we sat shrouded in a cold, gray, damp climate with just a hint of sprinkling rain to make conditions full-miserable.  For the first time ever, I heard an instructor advise us, “Stay off the track when it's wet.”  Stay off the track when wet?!  This was counter-intuitive to what I'd been taught.  I am by no means a seasoned veteran of HPDE, but at all the other Track Days I've been to over the years, you're encouraged to drive in the rain to learn about limited grip.  If you can drive fast in the rain, and control your car, you'll be rewarded next time you drive in the dry. 
 
Turns out Mid-Ohio has a fatal flaw that crushes that theory.  The unofficial story floating around the event is that recent patch work performed on the track's deteriorating asphalt is unable to absorb water, causing its surface to become super slick.  One instructor tried to describe driving the track wet, but ended up shrugging his shoulders as he made an indiscernible grunt.  But we understood...it was ill-advised.  I heard someone say, “It's like driving on ice.”
 
The track was certainly wet, but I'd come this far, so it's only natural that I wanted to find out for myself.  I decided to take a couple of warm up laps.  Nothing crazy.  Turns out the description, “like ice,” is no exaggeration.  After three laps at a moderately slow speed, and a couple scary moments with zero grip, I pulled into the pits.  My partner was already there.  "It's pretty slick", I said.  He described a situation in which he turned his steering wheel to the right while all four tires continue to slide left.  "It's Like driving on ice" he said.  We concluded that the best bet was to heed the warning of the experienced driving instructors and put off any hard driving until the sun came out.  Wise choice.
 
I had a look around while I waited for the weather to clear.  CarFest 2017, which is the name of the event put on by AutoInterests, LLC  at Mid-Ohio, was in full swing and I was experiencing sensory overload.  Aside from the High Performance Drivers Education that we were participating in, there were numerous other car-related activities.  For example, an Autocross was occurring in the parking lot at the end of the paddock.  You could hear the howl of tires being pushed to their limit as drivers battled orange traffic cones not more than 100 yards away.  On the grassy knoll above us there was a complete car show taking place.  I could see Muscle cars, Exotics, JDM, German, European, Old cars, New cars, and a little bit of everything else. 
 
Vendors peppered the paddock with specialty car parts, racing supplies, car related merchandise, and food.  Carfest covered the event with music by including a DJ during the day and live bands after the track went cold.  They even had a Dynamometer on site so true horsepower enthusiasts could find out their engine output.  Hell, why not?  And then it hit me - this was Car Nirvana.  We were in a Holy Land designed for the car culture crowd that seeks the highest state of pure happiness.

It's satisfying when an event this size, or any size, is able to run smoothly, and it's apparent that AutoInterests runs a tight ship.  Staying on schedule helps avoid the confusion, chaos, and frustration a driver can feel when events are poorly run.  AutoInterests utilize a smart phone app that automatically keeps you updated so you won't miss a session.  I found this helpful after one of the cars dropped oil on track changing the run times slightly.  No need to wonder when you're back on track, your phone just told you.  
 
Overall the HPDE at Carfest ran like clockwork.  All the elements of the event: Tech Inspection, Driver Meetings, Classroom Instruction, and Run Group Meetings were carried out with an emphasis on safety and having fun.  In that order.  It's paramount to remember HPDE is NOT racing.  Have fun, drive fast, be safe, and take your car home as your trophy.  Jason and Sarah, the owners of AutoInterests, along with their entire staff and crew, executed a well organized event which allowed me to worry less and have more confidence on track, and I applaud their efforts.
 
The next day the clouds parted, and the temperature rose 25 degrees into the mid 70's.  The sun dried out the track, and added some much needed heat.  This was the recipe for some serious grip.  Finally!  With each session I pushed the Boxster a little harder than before.  Four tenths driving on the first session.   Hmmm...she's staying planted in the corners, and the patches of icy doom are gone.  Lets try five tenths.  
 
No amount of watching racing videos on Youtube can fully prepare you for when it's actually time to drive that new track yourself.  Case and point:  I was learning that Turn One is more of a controlled slide driven as fast as you can without breaking the wheels loose.  That's not how I imagined it while watching videos.  Good to know.  Six tenths.  Also, the blind left turn over the hill at Turn Five aptly called 'Madness' is harder to read than I thought.  Maybe its name should have been the giveaway?  Stay tight to the inside and only track out midway after reaching the top before roaring down the hill at China Beach.  Then turn right and slide into the Esses.  At least, it feels like a slide.  Now seven tenths.  Whatever you do, don't get on throttle too early on your approach to Turn Eleven before Thunder Valley.  Wait until you've gone over the top of the hill before you bury the throttle.  Evidently its off-camber nature can send you off track.  We only learned this after hearing about it happening to another driver.  This track is complex and nothing like what I had envisioned.
 
My confidence improved progressively with each lap.  I pushed the Porsche to the best of my driving capabilities before the end of the second day.   More track time would've allowed me to get closer to the limit, yielding faster track times, but Rome wasn't built in a day.  I didn't set any lap records, but I was grateful just to drive this course.  It would take a long time to learn all its secrets.  
 
I heard what I found to be an accurate description of Mid-Ohio from a driving coach who frequents this track, "The first half of the track is very fast and straight, the second half is technical and slower, with more turns."   During each lap your brain has to shift from fast to technical, and then back to fast.  Without a doubt this is the most challenging track I've ever driven.  I have a whole new appreciation for the racers who come here.

Fair weather the following day allowed for a swift, mostly uneventful return trip.  We departed at 4:30 am and cruised quiet, empty roads for the first four hours.  We did encounter heavy fog that morning and visibility dropped down to about three feet.  We slowed our roll and rode out of Ohio and into West Virginia before most of the world was awake.  Traffic remained relatively light through Virginia and North Carolina, and after two total stops for fuel we arrived home by 3:30 pm.  1,397 miles on the truck's trip odometer.  I have to give major credit to our caravan leader, and my business partner, Dave, who fearlessly led us up through the storm and back down through the fog.  He lined up this trip with AutoInterests and so he also has my gratitude.
 
Reflecting back on our pilgrimage,  I believe that despite the difficulties of the challenges we faced; it was important for me to break out of my comfort zone and learn a new track.  It's not instinctive to go somewhere you've never been before, but by embarking on this adventure I was rewarded by becoming a better driver.  I can't explain it, but each time I drive a new track, my overall driving confidence grows.  I'm hopeful I'll drive more new tracks in the future.  
 
If you consider yourself a car nut, you owe it to yourself to experience Carfest at Mid-Ohio, where you can get your car fix in spades.
 
Verdict:  Highly Recommended

Graciously contributed by Road Scholars Magazine
October 2016
Written by Randy Wells
Photos by Randy Wells

Both 996 and 997 GT3s have awesome A/C. They also have that last bastion of early 911 goodness – unfiltered feedback from a normally aspirated flat-six engine and track-ready chassis. Fortunately, over the past few years, they have remained a surprisingly good value on the used market. Lately, though, those numbers seem to be creeping up, thanks to renewed interest by hardcore Porsche enthusiasts.
​
​The very latest GT3 based on the 991 is, without doubt, a different (and more expensive) animal compared to the 996 and 997 models. It’s an easier to drive, faster, more capable, and more modern GT, thanks to its new 3.8L engine, PDK automatic transmission, and electrically powered steering.

Two of the earlier GT3s attending Treffen in the desert were Speed Yellow. One was a 2004-2005 996 Gen 2 (996.2) model owned by Curtis Autenrieth. The other was Bob Aines’ 2006-2008 997 Gen 1 (997.1) GT3. These guys are old friends from the earliest R Gruppe days. So, what better chance to do a comparison of a pair of the most desirable second-hand Porsches around?

​Curtis’ GT3 is a stock 2004 example except for his lowering its springs. “My car has 24,000 miles on it, and I have owned it for two years. I’ve left this 996 GT3 in factory spec form except for the suspension. It’s my sometimes track toy and daily driver. In other words, I drive it as intended.”​

Bob explains another mod his car has, “Although the ride height on my GT3 has been raised 25mm to clear driveways, it also has an aftermarket DSC Sport suspension module that alters shock damping in real time for better track performance and street comfort.” This helps his 997 exhibit even better turn in and less understeer compared to the simpler suspended 996 GT3.

​Personally, I loved driving both cars. Curt’s 996, with its eager engine and lively suspension, was a blast to pilot while exploring the canyons near Palm Springs. Weight transfer and agility felt remarkably similar to an early 911, with the added benefit of a comfortable air-conditioned cabin.

To its advantage, the 997’s gearbox feels more precise, the seats are more supportive, and the chassis has greater torsional stiffness. Only a non-optional sunroof and one-inch larger wheels keep the 997 GT3 from feeling quite as focused as the 996 model.

The 996 GT3 offers a simpler interior. It’s also more like an early 911 in its peakier power delivery and lack of electronic safety nets. Compared to the 997 GT3, the car feels smaller. And the grip and ride quality are humbler, while also being more direct and engaging. It’s more demanding and rewarding, all at the same time. 

​So, is there a clear winner? In a word, no. Each pre-991 GT3 has its own way of making your Porsche drive a special experience. One is a bit more austere inside, one is more stylish. One has a more civilized feel, the other is more raw. One is more modern in its capabilities, the other… well, you get the picture.

As this year’s calendar of events is rapidly forming, I wanted to take a moment to let you know about our annual Charity Concours on Saturday, May 7,2016. This year’s event will be held at Southpoint Porsche, a change from our usual venue of Brier Creek. This affords us a larger area for the event, and hopefully greater participation.

The beneficiary of the monies raised will be Duke Children’s Hospital via the Children’s Miracle Network. In prior years we have been able to limit expenses to $0.00 through the generosity of trophy and door prize sponsors. The intent is for this year to continue that tradition. Please watch the weekly email blast for links to the registration form and deadlines. While we gladly accept onsite registration the day of the event, I strongly urge everyone to pre-register. This allows us to determine the appropriate classes for awards as well as the number of trophies for each class, which must be determined at least a week in advance of the event.
​
For those who are unfamiliar with our Charity Event, please don’t let the word “Concours” discourage you from participating. The entrants are the judges (enter 1 car, get one ballot. Enter 2 cars and a family member may also vote; ie one ballot per car). This is NOT the formal Concours d’Elegance with which you may be familiar. It is rather a “shine-and-show” type event. Just clean up the car and bring it out! The cost is still $20.00 per car, so plan to show off you pride and joy and admire those of your friends. On the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend. And if you have any last minute shopping to do, The Streets at Southpoint mall is right across the street.