2/14/2021 – “CUPID’s Big Chill”
I hope this Sunday email finds all our HCR members warm and safe on this Valentine’s Day. Watch out for slick streets and slippery sidewalks. I know you all don’t have much to do while stuck indoors, so here’s your favorite bi-weekly reading material to pass the time and provide a bit of education for you all.
On to the news:
Battery Shortage
Several of our HCR members have reported problems with replacing batteries in their cars. One member had their car stuck at the dealership for 8 days, waiting on a battery. Another member just related a similar story where the requested battery ended up not being delivered as promised. Our intrepid reporter dug into this story and discovered that, yes, there apparently is a shortage of car batteries, and it affects all brands including our German fav Porsche. Our local dealership, Porsche Austin, confirmed the situation recently and stated that the battery shortage is “worldwide”. Another source stated that the shortage is caused from COVID lockdowns last year and “California wildfires”. (remember, I’m just the messenger here)
Anyway, if you are thinking about getting a new battery for your favorite P-Car, be aware and be prepared. Plan in advance and get your order in and be prepared to wait a bit.
Your Best Story From 2020!
Our contest is concluded, and we had seven (7) contestants who entered. All entries were delivered to our judges, Carolyn and Larry Braxton. They deliberated and came back with their decision. Here’s the winner, and a list of all the contestants:
Chris Splendoria (winner, winner, chicken dinner…er, $250 Visa Gift Card)
Lisa Moore
Jerry Bradnan
Teresa Green
Adrian Silva
Donn Wagner
Al Loefler
Many thanks to everyone who participated, and a special blip of the accelerator to Larry and Carolyn…they had a big challenge to pick one winner from all the special stories. We will publish all the entries in our upcoming Spring Horizons newsletter, along with as many photos as we can fit into the edition.
Congrats to Chris and Shayla! (The Visa card is in the mail).
February is PCA Event Registration Month!
2021 Parade is back this year! Yeah, buddy!
Parade registration is open and so far I count 5 couple attending (including us). Registration is still open, so come on and join the fun: Porsche Parade
Spring Treffen in Scottsdale opens February 24 at 2pm cst: Spring Treffen
Bonus: Fiesta is in Road Runner Region (New Mexico) May 27-30:
Fiesta 21
Kent Black’s BBQ Tour (CANCELLED)
Our tourmaster cancelled our drive for yesterday, due to temperatures too low (below 40 degrees) for safely driving on summer tires. Our Safety Chair, Winslow Mankin, strongly agreed. We will always strive to hold safe and fun events. Sometimes, we just can’t, and we pull the plug. Thanks for your understanding.
We did sell out with 100 people registered for this drive and more waitlisted…I’m sensing a lot of pent-up demand to get out of the house! Kent Black is a Horizons advertiser and big supporter of HCR, so I expect at some point we will reschedule this particular drive and go chow down at Black’s.
HCR Annual Bluebonnet Tour
Here it is, our world-famous Bluebonnet Tour (that always sells out). The date is Saturday, March 27 (weather permitting). More details to follow soon, and we will let you know when the event is opened for registration on clubregistration.net. For now, SAVE THE DATE!
REMEMBER: Each adult participant must register separately on clubregistration.net, for each event, and using their own account. The eSignatures feature must be enabled on your account, and you must tap on the buttons (on your Dashboard where the event shows up) to request the eSignature links be emailed to you…COVID waiver is good for 1 year for all events, and the PCA waiver must be completed for each event). Minor children must have their form completed and signed at event check-in. If you need help getting registered and/or figuring out the eSignature part, when you log onto clubregistration, there is a help document that can be found under the My Account tab (tabs are across the top of your Dashboard screen), then in the dropdown box click on “eSignatures, How To”. Or get in touch with me and I can help you.
If you don’t do your eSignatures, you won’t be allowed to go on drives (or tech sessions)!
Tech Session at XPEL Austin
Speaking of tech sessions, the first one of the year is scheduled for Saturday, March 13 at XPEL Austin, located at 11100 Metric Blvd, Suite 200A in North Austin. We will use the same format as they recently performed for the Tesla club. We will gather up outside for our usual check-in at 8:30am with coffee and breakfast tacos (provided by XPEL, and small groups will be circulated throughout the business during the morning. Their facility is quite large, both the indoor reception area as well as the shop area in the back. At about 11:00am we will run a raffle with some really cool prizes such as 3 wash buckets with product materials, and a special surprise item. All participants will also receive a goodie bag.
We will follow all COVID protocols for local, state and PCA requirements. XPEL Austin is well-versed in the protocols…they will even include a forehead temperature check pre-screen at event check-in.
The event is open on clubregistration.net
It’s also posted on our club calendar with event details listed.
CARRERA OF THE AMERICAS
The 2021 Carrera of the Americas Club Race and Advanced Solo DE is scheduled for February 26 – 28, 2021 at Circuit of the Americas. This event features both wheel-to-wheel racing and an Advanced Drivers Education event for solo drivers only.
Registrations for the race and DE events are open at ClubRegistration.net
There are also now additional Schnell Fest dates loaded onto our calendar for March/April, June, and November. This is shaping up to possibly be one of the busier track calendars HCR has had of late.
SAVE THE DATE: ALL MEMBER SPRING FLING
This is our annual “Holiday Party” that we had to reschedule from this past December. We’ve set the date for May 1, 2021 and it’s at the same venue: The Hills of Lakeway Clubhouse…same place we held the Holiday Party in 2019. Anyway, we’ve set the date and just moved our deposit out to May 1.
Watch for more details coming soon here and out on our HCR website Calendar.
AUTOCROSS IS BACK!
On May 8, 2021, after many years of absence, we will host our Spring Autocross at the Travis County Expo Center in Austin. As most HCR members are novices at AX, this first event will be focused on safety, fun and timing…in that order.
The course is made out of cones in the parking lot at the facility, speeds rarely exceed 60 mph, and once you get into 2nd gear you are unlikely to need to change gears. Vehicles are placed into classes, so Caymans and Boxsters won’t have a big advantage over 911s.
The cost of this event is only $40 for PCA members, $45 for non-members. No special modifications, wheels, tires, roll bars, spoilers or parachutes are required, but you will need a mask and a helmet (HCR has a few loaner helmets that will be available first come first served). Several very experienced members will be available to act as instructors and accompany anyone that requests a ride-along. Everyone should get, at minimum, 1 practice run and 5 timed runs, but the hope is that we can get another set of up to 5 runs for everyone during the second half of the day. As assistant chair Alan Neiman puts it, “this is the most fun that you can have in second gear.” Registration is open now at https://clubregistration.net/events/signUp.cfm/event/11197.
If you want more information, contact AX Chair Alfred Freudenberger or Alan Neiman at ax@hcrpca.org.
OPEN POSITIONS
HCR has open volunteer positions where we could really use some help. Those are:
* Membership Chair – Gordie is filling this role in the interim, but we need someone to take it over, as Gordie cannot fill both this role and Board Secretary long-term. If you enjoy communicating with people, this role is a good fit for you.
* Social Chair (A Standing Committee Chair and a voting member of the HCR BOD). At some point, we will be able to get back to doing some social events. Helping to plan events with other coordinators is the primary objective, along with planning our larger annual events like Spring Fling, New Member Picnic, and Holiday Party are primary goals.
* Community Service Coordinator – this position works to coordinate events with our two charitable organizations: Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and Texas Burn Survivors.
If anyone has interest in the open positions, please contact me and I can give you more information. My contact information is at the end of this email.
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES (DSS)
For those of you who missed the January 19 DSS with Jeff Zwart and Kathy Mead, the webcast can now be found out on the Hill Country Region website, under Activities/Distinguished Speaker Series tabs.
Our next DSS is being finalized now, and it will likely occur either March 16 or 17 at 7:00pm. The featured speaker looks to be Magnus Walker, yes, THE Magnus Walker. Watch for more details to follow, but mark those March dates on your calendar now.
WE ARE BLOOD
We want to urge all members to remember We Are Blood. The pandemic is still with us and they need blood and plasma, especially if you became infected and have recovered.
We Are Blood added a new service that should be useful: everyone who donates blood will have their blood tested for COVID antibodies. It takes about one week to get the results. This is NOT a test to see if you’re infected, only to see if you have the antibodies from having had past exposure. Read more at:
https://weareblood.org/blog/we-are-blood-covid-19-antibody-testing/
If you choose to donate, give them the group code of D103 or indicate that you are donating on behalf of “Hill Country Region Porsche Club of America.”
Our objective continues to be to keep our membership up to date on what is going on in HCR, as well as PCA nationally. Please remember, our goal is to deliver events that allow you to participate safely, and to ensure you have fun!
If any questions or comments, please let me know.
Charlie Sparks
President – Hill Country Region
Porsche Club of America
918.510.3604
Charlie@hcrpca.org
president@hcrpca.org
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