PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA

NORTHERN NEW JERSEY REGION

2012 NEW MEMBER INFORMATION

This information is intended to give new members of the Northern New Jersey Region (NNJR) of the Porsche Club of America (PCA) some general information about the region’s activities, what they are and how they operate. We did not know anyone in the Club before we joined. We were the definitive “new members” and now we are the New Member Liaison representatives. Hopefully, we can relate directly to your questions and answer any you may have. If we can’t, we probably know who to ask. We are here to help you, so please don’t hesitate to contact us newmember@nnjr-pca.com  There is also a good deal of information for all activities on our web site:  http://www.nnjr-pca.com/

We hope that you enjoy the Club, its activities and members as much as we do. The Club has a very active calendar. All you have to do is sign up and get involved. The events sponsored by the Club fall into the following categories:

Driver Education          Autocross          Rambles & Tours            Rally              Charity

Monthly Meetings       Social Events       Technical Sessions       Concours d’Elegance

Driver Education

NNJR is particularly well known for its active Driver Education Program. Driver Education is a non-competitive event which is held at a motorsports facility to teach high performance driving skills.  Additional questions may be forwarded to trackchair@nnjr-pca.com

For 2012, NNJR will be holding events at Lime Rock Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, New Jersey Motorsports Park (Thunderbolt and Lightning), Mosport International Raceway, Pocono Raceway, Virginia International Raceway and Watkins Glen International. Watch the web site http://www.nnjr-pca.com/  as well as the club magazine (Porscheforus) for up-to-date information on these events.  Helmets are required (Snell MA, SA or SAH rated, 2005 or newer).  The club has a limited number of loaner helmets which can be reserved prior to an event.  Cabriolets with pop-up roll hoops require additional rollover protection at Lime Rock, New Jersey Motorsports Park, and Virginia International (VIR) but are acceptable without modifications at all other tracks we visit.  In addition, VIR requires additional rollover protection for pre-2005 Boxsters.

Be sure to register early as most of these events sell out. Registration opens 8 weeks prior to each event and closes 2 weeks prior.  All registration is online at http://nnjr-pca.motorsportreg.com/   If you don’t already have an account you will need to establish one first by clicking on "Create Account" and supplying the requested information. You will also need to enter your credit card information. Payment is not taken until a few days before the event.  You may also choose to pay by check.

Except as previously mentioned, your car does not need any modifications but will need to pass a safety inspection.  About ten days before the event, a mandatory safety tech inspection is scheduled at a local Porsche service shop. These free tech inspections are held in the evening. Tech inspectors will check your suspension, brakes, tires, etc. for safety. Any items that fail inspection must be corrected before the event. Any failure will be inspected at the track.

You can also take your car to a number of approved shops which are listed on the web site.  The tech form and requirements can be found at  http://www.nnjr-pca.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=117&Itemid=176

Most attendees drive to the track the evening before the event. For most of the track events you will need to make hotel reservations. We urge you to make your reservations early as many hotel book up weeks before an event.  Lists of hotels for each venue are supplied on the NNJR web site.

You will generally have to be at the track by 7:00am each day. First you will ready your car by removing all loose articles from the passenger compartment and the trunk. Next you will affix your pre-assigned numbers to your car. One helpful hint here is always bring  a plastic sheet or large plastic bags to protect the items removed from your car in the event of inclement weather. Remember we run rain or shine. Next you will proceed to the tech line for a final safety inspection.

At the end of the tech line you will receive a run group assignment and schedule for the day. Run groups are assigned based on your skill and driving experience. Novice drivers will be assigned an instructor for the event. We have many qualified instructors in NNJR.

Each run group has four approximately 20 to 25 minute driving sessions on the track. You may also be given a work assignment in between your track time but this is generally on a volunteer basis.

In the evening most drivers and family members get together for an informal dinner at a local restaurant or quite often the get together is at the track hosted by NNJR or one of the Club's many sponsors. It’s a great time to share experiences with new and old friends.

Driver Education is a great learning experience. You have a chance to learn from experienced drivers how to properly drive your Porsche at speed. At track events you will often hear the phrase “Safe, Serious, Fun”. Track events are well organized, well run, and safe events. Try it! We guarantee it will be an experience you will never forget and leave you itching do it again.

Autocross

Autocross is an exciting timed handling competition held either in a large parking lot such as the newly paved Giants Stadium lot or a road course such as the one at Englishtown’s Raceway Park. Helmets are required, but unlike DE cabriolets are not required to have a roll bar.  The autocross is a one car at a time competitive event in which each driver negotiates his/her car through a course laid out with traffic cones. The course is electronically timed. It is a race against the clock for the fastest time. Cars are penalized by two seconds for each cone knocked out of the box. Cars are grouped by class, depending on the type of car, to keep the classes competitive among themselves. Awards a given to the three fastest cars in each class and to the fastest overall time. Each Year there is also a Zone 1 Autocross event where you will get a chance to compete against other Zone 1 drivers.

Autocross is a fun event with a lot of opportunity to meet other members. Your individual speed and experience is important only to you. After a few runs your speed will improves and so does your self-confidence.  As with DE experienced instructors are available for advice and to help you improve you skills. NNJR also holds an annual Car Control Clinic as well as an Autocross School. Both are a great way to learn the art of Autocross and explore the limits of your Porsche. Questions?  Contact autocross@nnjr-pca.com

Concours

Concours is a challenging and competitive activity in which the beauty, cleanliness and originality of you Porsche is rated and scored. Judges with incredible knowledge and familiarity of Porsches inspect the competing cars. They look in places that you don’t even know exist! If you enjoy seeing great looking Porsches, if you enjoy washing, cleaning and waxing your car, if you like to see vintage Porsches… then you’ll enjoy concours events. If this type of preparation seems daunting for you we also offer the wash and shine class. Just wash you car and compete for a Peoples Choice award. No need to spend endless hours with a Q-Tip.

NNJR sponsors several Concours workshops and clinics. These events will demonstrate the proper techniques on how best to clean and care for you car. It is a real hands-on activity, where you get a chance to see how the various products are used and to ask questions on the care of your Porsche. These events are generally scheduled to coincide with an upcoming Concours event so you will be able to put into effect what you have just learned.  Any questions?  concours@nnjr-pca.com

Rally

Rallies are competitive events held on public roads. The object of rally is to get from the starting point to the finish in the right amount of time, neither to early, nor to late. This is called a “Time/Speed/Distance” (TDS) rally. A Rally Miester carefully lays out a route on local roads, often in scenic areas. On the day of the rally, participants meet at a predetermined starting point. Route instructions a handed out to each team in two classes, novice and experienced. A team consists of a driver and navigator. Watches are synchronized with the “Official Rally Time”. Instructions include such pertinent information as time distances, landmarks, mileage and speed changes. Then each team is sent on its way to navigate the rally course. With the help of the route instructions and some common sense, everyone should arrive at the finish.

Each rally consists of three or four “legs” separated by checkpoints. Each team is timed from check point to check point and scored against the Rally Meisters “perfect time. If you match the perfect time, you get 0 points. For each 1/100 of a minute (up to a maximum of 10 minutes) you arrive at a check point early or late you are penalized 1 point. The total points for all the legs are your score. The team with the lowest score wins. Trophies are awarded for the top five place finishers. Remember, being late at one checkpoint cannot be offset by being early at the next checkpoint.

This year there will be 4 rallies. Check the NNJR web site and Porscheforus for dates and registration information. Rallies are both fun and challenging. For novices the Rally Chair holds a short rally school before each rally. So come out and try one!!!

For additional information, rally@nnjr-pca.com

Technical Work Shops

NNJR sponsors several technical sessions each season. These sessions cover a broad range of subjects such as track preparation, how to maintain your Porsche and many other subjects to numerous to mention here. Many of this work shops are hands on, where you can bring you car and have a problem addressed. We also have a Technical Committtee. You will find each committee member's contact information and specialty areas on Page 4 in Porscheforus. Don’t hesitate to contact these people with your questions. Check the web site and Porscheforus for the schedule of upcoming sessions.  Technical questions may be sent to technical@nnjr-pca.com

Ramble, Tour or Trek

A ramble, tour, or trek is a relaxing drive (usually with a Porsche in view in front and back of you) to an interesting destination. There are usually interesting scenery and back roads on the way as well. It is a noncompetitive event, meant to allow you to enjoy your car in the company of other Porsche owners sharing an interesting experience.

Monthly Meeting

The monthly meetings are generally held on the second Wednesday of the month at The Villa in Mountain Lakes NJ. The meetings are a great opportunity to come out and socialize with fellow club members and talk about our common interest in Porsches. Each month a different subject usually relating to Porsches is presented by an invited guest or club member. Questions about the monthly meeting can be directed to program@nnjr-pca.com

Social Events

Each year the clubs social chairs work hard to bring us a wide variety of events that can be enjoyed by the entire families, even those not interested in Porsches or to young to participate in automotive events. Some examples of the clubs past social events as well as those on this year’s calendar are, visits to automotive museums, golf outings, wine tastings, chocolate tastings, dinners, picnics and sporting events. The social calendar cumulates with the clubs annual holiday party in December.  Social contacts can be reached at

social@nnjr-pca.com

Charity

The Board of Governors, with input from club members, selects a charity to support through our fund raising efforts. These efforts include such activities as 50/50’s, raffles, and rambles/tours/treks and culminates with our highly anticipated and strongly attended annual charity auction. The charity auction is a "Tricky Tray" format which means that attendees buy numbered tickets for specified dollar amounts and place them in buckets which represent prizes that they would like to win.  At the end of the evening, a ticket is drawn from each bucket and a winner is therefore named for each prize.  This auction is held at the December monthly meeting. All members are asked to donate an item(s) to be auctioned, as well as attend the event.  This years charity is Somerset Hills Learning  Institute, a school for children and adolescents with autism.

Additional Events and Benefits

Each year in April and October we hold our New Member Receptions. These are fun filled events and present great opportunity to meet other members and ask questions. The event chairs will be present to help answer your question on their programs. In May of this year we will be holding our annual new member concours, rally and social “Welcome To The Club” event geared to new members.

As an NNJR member, you are entitled to attend the events of other regions, the Zone and the PCA. The events you can partake in are endless.

Hopefully, this pamphlet has given you some useful information about NNJR and what it has to offer you. We think you will agree that there are more activities than most of us can possibly attend, although many of us try. As we mentioned at the outset, it’s up to you. Introduce yourself to other members. Get involved. Sign up for something – anything. When volunteers are asked for, raise your hand. Don’t be afraid to admit you are new to this. Someone will explain what needs to be done. The members of the club are eager to meet new people and share their Porsche experiences.

If you have any questions, please call or email us or a program chair person listed in the front of Porscheforus or on the BOG page of the web site. That way we can supply our contact information. If you have an interest in a particular area contact the respective chairperson and tell him/her you would like to help

Welcome to the Northern New Jersey Region/Porsche Club of America

Be a part of the NNJR experience!

Akemi and Murray Kane

newmember@nnjr-pca.com

973-476-9525