As a reminder, I try to list events in chronological order, as much as possible. I’ve highlighted the NEW and UPDATE events for you below, to make it easier for you to locate new calendar items, or existing events with new information. Here we go!
NEW: Membership Hits Another Milestone
HCR Total Membership topped 1,600 last week! Wow! Just . . . WOW!
UPDATE: Cigars and Scotch Tasting
Heads Up all you scotch and cigar aficionados!
I’m closing this event to further registrations at midnight tonight, May 23. This is so I can give Casa de Montecristo our headcount, and allow them to fill any remaining spots (as of today, there are 6 seats still available).
Geoff has released some additional information. The cigar for the evening’s event is (drumroll): Ashton Heritage Puro Sol, rated a 94 from Cigar Insider! Plus a tasting of four superlative Scotch Whiskies paired for that cigar.
As a reminder, the event is Thursday, May 27 at 6pm, Casa de Montecristo is hosting this event just for HCR, and it’s just like we’ve done in the past. We only have space for 23 registrants. Geoff at Casa has been a long-time supporter of HCR and advertiser in Horizons, and he puts on a very nice event. Price is $50 payable at the door.
Location: Casa de Montecristo, 3801 N. Capital of Texas Hwy in Austin. It’s in the Davenport Village Shopping Center.
Hurry and register here: Cigar & Scotch Tasting
Again, I’m closing registration AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
NEW: Member Survey – Shortie Version
The HCR Leadership Team requests your assistance! As you can all see, we are working hard to re-open our club events in accordance with PCA and government recommendations. We want to ensure we have input from our members on the events you want, and need to understand which events you would participate in if they were available at this time, or in the near future. So we have prepared a short, 3-question survey…should take you 5 minutes max to complete.
Here is the link, and the survey is open now:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HCRPCA5MINUTE
Survey closes on May 31. Thanks!
NEW: F1 Ticket Contact
If any HCR members are in need of seats for the F1 race, please contact Brandon Brock at COTA. He still has a few seats left for PCA members: Email: Brandon.Brock@thecircuit.com
Use Promo Code “Porsche” with this link if you want to buy them online:
https://am.ticketmaster.com/cota/promotional-page?filterType=NTk=
UPDATE: German Motor Gathering in Boerne
Dang It!
The weather just didn’t cooperate and the organizers pulled the plug on this event. Have no fear, it’s going to be rescheduled and looks like it will be sometime in June, likely on a Sunday
In the meantime, here’s what we thought:
• For everyone who registered for the tour and paid $10, if you can attend the rescheduled event, we will put it on clubregistration.net and you can sign up. We will then move your $10 over to the new event.
• If you cannot attend the rescheduled event, we will either refund your $10 or, if you direct us to do so, we will add your $10 to the donation HCR will make to the event’s charity: Autism Speaks.
Watch for more details on the rescheduled event soon.
UPDATE: Summer SchnellFest / Intro to HPDE
Just Announced: Parade Laps for Charity on Saturday June 5 AND Sunday June 6 at SchnellFest. Come out and drive your car on the worldclass F1 track at Circuit of the Americas!
Parade Lap instructions are simple and no registration is required:
1. We’ll grid cars for parade laps at 11:45 a.m. Saturday and Sunday – PLEASE do not enter the grid earlier than 11:45!
2. Use COTA’s Main Entrance – from F.M. 812 onto Circuit of the Americas Blvd
3. Proceed on Circuit of the Americas Blvd to the Tunnel 2 Gate. There you’ll sign the waivers and get wristbands.
4. Enter the Tunnel 2 Gate, follow the roadway past the gas pumps, then take the next right turn, a ramp leading down into the main paddock.
5. At the bottom of the ramp you’ll make a “U Turn” to the left and enter the Grid.
6. We’ll start gridding cars for parade laps at 11:45. Suggested donation to the Club’s charity is $20.
7. If you arrive earlier than 11:45 feel free to park and sightsee. A PA announcement will be made when it’s time to grid up.
Summer SchnellFest comes up on June 4-6 out at COTA, and includes the new Intro to DE Program only on Friday, June 4. As a recent participant of the new Intro program, I give it Charlie’s “thumb’s up” recommendation.
For the DE weekend, your car must pass a road-worthiness tech inspection – tires, brakes, seat belts, no leaks, etc. The Tech Inspection Form is linked here: Tech Form. A helmet is required for on-track sessions – Snell Foundation M or SA 2015 or 2020 rated helmets are acceptable. A limited number of loaner helmets will be available.
For more information, and to register for the regular HPDE or the Intro program, visit: https://austinschnellfest.clubregistration.net/index.cfm
UPDATE: Lunch Bunch is Baaaaaack!
Bob Hieronymus announces the Return of Lunch Bunch! Lunches will be scheduled on the second Thursday of the month, just like in the past.
The next Lunch Bunch is planned for June 10, location TBA by end of May. Lunches will be planned at outdoor locations, where possible. Seating limits may apply based on the restaurant. Bob and his lunch recon team are scouring the area for suitable restaurants. We may run into restrictions and limits on attendees, based on what the restaurant can support…just sayin’…
Attendees will be expected to sign PCA Communicable Disease waivers at the event.
I incorrectly stated last week that registrations were required. Bob reminded me he doesn’t require them, so if the date works on your calendar, just show up smiling and hungry. Bob is always glad to hear that you are planning on coming or if you will be bringing a large group. Bob can be reached at: rch88911@sbcglobal.net.
Ladies Lunch Bunch is Baaaaaack, too!
Ladies Luncheon will resume next month! The luncheons will be held on the first Wednesday of each month. The June luncheon will be at Maggiano’s in the Domain, on Wednesday, June 2 at 11:30 am. Due to Covid restrictions, this event will be limited to the first 20 participants.
To register and reserve your seat for any Ladies Luncheon, please email Michelle at michelle@hcrpca.org. Sorry guys, ladies only.
We apologize for the restrictions. We are looking forward to restarting this event, even at limited capacity. Michelle is chomping at the bit to restart these luncheons! Please email Michelle with any questions. She is committed to serve the members of this very special organization.
Attendees will be expected to sign PCA Communicable Disease waivers at the event.
NEW: Porsche Austin Espressos and Exotics
Porsche Austin invites HCR members (those not attending SchnellFest at COTA) to attend a cars and coffee event at the Arboretum, adjacent to their new facility, on June 4 from 8:00am – 10:00am. You may contact them if you are interested in displaying your vehicle, or just attend and enjoy the fun.
Here’s a link to more information:
http://manmarketing.com/email/images/hi-tech/68663-PORAv2/index.html
UPDATE: John Patterson Porsche Collection
This event on June 12 is closed to any further registrations. We maxed out at 150 registrations. If you have received a confirmation email for this event, then you may attend. Every attendee will be checked-in and wristbanded. Please don’t show up if you didn’t get registered AND confirmed, because you will be turned away.
UPDATE: Porsche Austin Open House!
Demand was so great from our first two Open Houses, so Porsche Austin has added a third date: Tuesday, June 15. Same format as before, with small group tours running at 3pm, 4pm, 5pm and 6pm. There are only a few open slots left, so hurry and register soon!
Remember, Porsche Austin is providing a Covid-safe environment, and please bring your mask. The event is being held during normal business hours at the dealership and we need to respect that other customers may be in the dealership. Everyone who attends is a Porsche Ambassador for HCR!
Register at: Porsche Austin Open House #3
Boxster 101 Maintenance Tech Session
Chris McChesney brings back his hugely-popular Boxster 101 Maintenance tech session on Saturday, June 19. This is basic Boxster DIY maintenance, and will be simple things you can do to your car that DOESN’T require being hooked up to a computer. This session focuses on replacing FRONT BRAKES, including rotors/pads/sensors. One lucky person can have their front brakes replaced at the session.
Boxster owners ONLY! And the session is limited to 10 people as it’s conducted in Chris’ garage at his house. You MUST arrive in your Boxster!
Register at: Boxster 101 Tech Session
NEW: Next Driving Tour
Our next tour will be on July 24, so put a Save The Date on your calendars now. I know, I know…it may be hot. So what? Our tour will feature twisty and scenic roads, BBQ lunch in one town, ice cream in another town, and plenty of back road driving to satisfy your P-car.
More details to follow, and we will open registration next weekend!
NEW: New Horizons Advertiser and Sponsor/Tour Date
I’m pleased to announce that Driving Adventures USA has become a new advertiser and sponsor supporting HCR. Click here for their website, and you can follow them on Facebook here.
Looking Back
The Return of Unofficial Breakfast Socials
On Saturday, May 22 we had our first Unofficial Breakfast outing at Maudie’s Milagro. My estimate is about 30 members showed up and we took over Maudie’s…so great to see everyone out and enjoying fellowship with one another…just like old times. We picked up two new volunteers at the Brunch, too! Check out pics on our FB page.
Distinguished Speaker Series: Bruce Canepa
Last Tuesday, May 18th we held another popular DSS, featuring Bruce Canepa.
Participants from around our Zone 5 joined the Zoom webinar, and got to spend an hour with Bruce, who was interviewed by SpeedCity Broadcasting’s Les Kiser.
Bruce was very engaging and told some terrific and funny stories of his career in racing, including all the insight on other famous racers like the Unser brothers.
We record these broadcasts for anyone who couldn’t make the “live” Zoominar. We will post this one on our HCRPCA.org website shortly…we have to do a bit of editing to get it ready for prime time viewing on YouTube and post the link on our website.
Spring Horizons released
The Spring issue of Horizons is now posted on our HCR Website, and it’s a killer issue. It’s the biggest our team has ever produced, and it’s chocked full of excellent articles, pictures, advertisers, etc. This is planned to be our final digital edition before returning to print.
Check it out here: Horizons Spring 2021 Issue
Open Positions
HCR has multiple volunteer opportunities in all aspects of our club. In the past, we’ve all come to rely on “a person” delivering events like tours, tech sessions, happy hours, DE, picnics, dinners, etc. That leaves our club woefully under-supported, and puts all the responsibility on a core group of about 10-15 volunteers. For an organization of 1500 members, that’s not a sustainable model. So our club is moving in a new direction to create opportunities and roles that are smaller and more numerous, so that no one person has to carry a heavy load.
We need volunteers. “Many hands makes for light work.”
If you desire to help out, and can only give a 1-2 hours a week, then we have plenty of opportunities where you can help. Our desire is to find out what you like to do, and align you with that group within our club. Again, small commitments of time that can fit the schedules of not just retirees, but members still in the workforce. We will present a way for these volunteer opportunities to be “reference-able”, so that your volunteerism and skillset can be called out on your professional resume.
Contact me if you would like to help your club. My information is below.
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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