May 2022 President’s Message

April showers brought new green to the hills of the Redwood Region, and the three club events we had were terrific and played to the different interests of our members. I hope you will read about each of them in this month’s der Riesenbaum and come out and join us next time! I enjoyed meeting new members on each of these Saturdays and learning about their love of their Porsches. Our tour to the Union Hotel provided outstanding views all along the way to a scrumptious lunch, and the race day operations tour with the Flying Lizard group and Porsche Sprint Challenge was a fun way to spend a Saturday, thanks to the efforts of member Brad Williams. The Sonoma County wine-pairing gimmick rally (thanks to Craig Steele and Jim Robison) was just plain fantastic on a gorgeous day and the scores were very competitive!

Our autocross season starts in just a few days with a weekend of driving at Thunderhill, hosted jointly with the Sacramento Valley Region on the 14th and 15th. Registration ends May 11th, and if you’re even a little curious, now is the time to give it a try. The pavement there is in tip top shape, and there is enough acreage to have big, fun courses that are worth the journey up I-5. If your tires are looking for something closer to home, Rick Duste has put together our next midweek tour on Wednesday May 18th, ending up along the Russian River at the Northwood Bistro. Registration ends May 14th. May 21st brings the return of the Devils Gulch Rally thanks to Jerry Wachtel and Jim Robison. This is where I cut my rally teeth last year and learned how to use the Richta rally smartphone app, so if you haven’t tried a TSD rally, this is a good one. Registration is open until the 15th.

June brings us longer and warmer days so of course we have a great backroads tour planned for Sunday June 12th ending back at the Martorana Family Winery in Dry Creek. Just like last year, we get exclusive use of their beautiful creekside bocce ball courts and picnic tables along with a great box lunch and 5 wines to taste. Registration closes June 5th. Saturday June 25th brings out the most beautiful Porsches in Northern California with our annual Porsches on the Plaza in downtown Sonoma where all proceeds go to charity. Registration opens soon. And there could be another rally snuck in June somewhere too.

The Board always appreciates your input, so please volunteer both your interests and your time. Leadership positions will be open to new candidates in just five short months, so now is a good time to learn more! Email us directly or attend our monthly Board meeting on Tuesday May 31st at Mary’s Pizza Shack in Novato at 7 PM. Dinner is always on the club – you just pay for your drink (Zoom will also available if you wish to attend remotely). Please see our calendar link at redwoodpca.org  for details.

Lastly, our club’s Bylaws are undergoing revision and members will receive electronic ballots soon for final approval. Please read the summary of changes from our current Bylaws further on down in this month’s der Riesenbaum.