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Batteries….

ghumphries@mac.com — 2012-05-15T13:04:59+10:00

I have been a bit out of sorts recently so the cars haven't had much if any driving. That leads to flat batteries... So another Ctek charger was acquired which then highlighted another issue on the 993 Turbo of a dead battery which no amount of charging would recover. So a new battery was ordered and my friendly Porsche service folk at NinePlus mentioned would I like a Quick Release Terminal otherwise known as a battery isolation switch? This effectively kills any power leaving the battery, doesn't let it discharge and go dead. I said 'yes please' and Dean duly arrived with the new battery, switch and new earth lead and quickly fitted the lot in twenty minutes. The switch is very simple to use, just like a BBQ gas bottle tap control. And for $45 for the switch and lead it is money very well spent. The Turbo is now ready for the 993 Register run to Noojee in a couple of weeks. Still thinking about new tyres though….

PFA Meet - Brighton Beach

ghumphries@mac.com — 2012-02-02T14:26:25+11:00

The Porsche Forum Australia is an online community of like minded Porsche folk. Occasionally we hold get togethers in the car park at Brighton to chat about life in general and Porsches in particular. This was the second such event I have attended and it was informal, unstructured and just plain enjoyable. A very eclectic selection of cars were in attendance, about a dozen by my count and mostly black (or darkish in colour anyway). Two 964 RS (one touring and one clubsport), a 911 Speedster, a very tricked up 987 Boxster S, a humble 993 Turbo (ahem) and an attractive 2.7 RS clone to name a few. Apologies to those I have left out. Thanks to Kerry for organising. I had a great couple of hours and enjoyed meeting several PFA members for the first time.

PCV 993 Register - Blampied

ghumphries@mac.com — 2011-11-07T13:36:54+11:00

The 993 Register of the Porsche Club arranged a Sunday drive and lunch for 6 November 2011. The day dawned with slightly overcast skies and we did experience some precipitation at the meeting place in Rockbank and some dampish roads on the tour. I think nine cars set off with maps at the ready with the first stop scheduled at the historic Red Beard Bakery in Trentham. A very cute place it was too with lots of history and home made breads and cakes which all smelt divine. After an eclair with fresh country cream and a black coffee we proceeded to our luncheon destination, Captains Creek Organic Winery at Blampied, just outside of Daylesford. 993s in front of the restaurant / tasting room - 2011 All produce for the restaurant was sourced locally and most of the wine was estate grown and bottled. The food was excellent, the whites 'interesting' and the reds 'very good' seemed to be the consensus from our table. Thanks to Felix for organising the event. It was great to see so many 993 variants (i counted at least five different models) and a most enjoyable day was had by all. Turbo, Carrera 4S & Carrera S on the grass - 2011

PCV Annual Awards 2011

ghumphries@mac.com — 2011-12-19T15:47:26+11:00

The Porsche Club of Victoria Annual Ball & Presentation Night was held on Friday December 2 at the Sofitel Hotel. A most enjoyable night of wining, dining and chatting about the year just passed. Presentation time was a great surprise. I managed to scrape onto the podium for the first time with a Third Place finish overall in Open Class in the GT3. Very happy! Even better Robin was voted Club Member of the Year for all of her great work with the competition events and marshaling teams this year. It has been a very successful couple of weeks for Robin, following on from her recent riding successes. ... President Will and Robin (left) And Peter (1st), Tim (2nd) & Greg (3rd) with Will getting his face in again - Photos C&J Mason 2011

PCV Presidents Day

ghumphries@mac.com — 2011-11-04T18:38:09+11:00

Last Sunday was the club's annual Presidents Day, the one event for the year where you can take passengers. In fact, you must take passengers, no solo laps allowed. It is a social day (with no official timing) followed by cocktails and finger food at day's end. Sadly the weather was not kind to the drivers and brave passengers with lashing rain interspersed with slightly clearer skies and the odd patch of sun. Grey skies, wet track and passengers... - 2011 Photo by Tim Stevenson The good news is I got around safely and thanks to my passengers Andrew, Tim, Bruce, Steve, David and Darryl for trusting me in the conditions and still appearing to enjoy themselves. Andrew smiling bravely - 2011 Photo by Tim Stevenson A few of my guests stayed for a drink and a bite to eat just as the sun came out. Aarrghh. After a quick drink I had to make my farewells as I was dead tired from a heavy day of guest hosting and concentrating on keeping us all safe in the tricky conditions. This was the club's last track event for 2011 so a big thank you to the organisers, officials and marshals for their efforts. See you all next year!

Winton Test & Tune & PCV Sprint

ghumphries@mac.com — 2011-10-12T22:49:01+11:00

Robin and I always look for a reason to spend some time in and around Benalla at any time of the year. Last weekend was a PCV Sprint on the Sunday, meaning I should line up for a practice at the 'Test & Tune' day on Friday therefore we have to leave on Thursday and drive home leisurely on the Monday. ...The lonely walk of a slow race driver... - 2011 Photo by Robin Humphries As for the Friday practice, I frankly did very well, by my modest standards improving my personal best by over a second. ... I was lucky as the weather, track surface and lack of on-course vehicles made conditions near perfect. I was best pleased! Sunday was however a different story, with alternating rain and sunshine making outright speed difficult if not impossible for someone of my limited talents. Accordingly I was unable to get close to my Friday time after four sessions of trying, sometimes too hard. So I parked the car in one piece mid afternoon and looked forward to getting back to the motel to catch the end of the Bathurst 1000. I enjoyed the day but had nothing to show for it. Congratulations to my GT3 buddy Chris for recording a PB in the morning. ...Your humble correspondent at 'speed' - 2011 Photo by Robin Humphries On the social side, without sounding like a promo for the area, the food, wine and hospitality was fantastic. Georginas, Raffety's and North Eastern Hotel for food, Pizzini, Redbank and Sam Miranda for italian Arneis / Pinot Gris - Grigio varietals and great scenery from Myrtleford to Bright to Harrietville were highlights.

PCV - Sunday Drive

ghumphries@mac.com — 2011-08-28T20:21:32+10:00

The club organised a morning drive to Mt Donna Buang and Healesville today. I had to leave home at 5.30 am (ouch) for a 7.00 am kick of at PCM in Collingwood, which saw some 20 odd cars depart for the 100km journey to the 'mountain'. Several GT3 / RS's in 996.1, 997.1 and .2 flavours, a couple of 993 Turbos (inc. mine), assorted 997s, 996s, and 993s a Boxster or two and a couple of older 911s as well. The MVP award (Most Valuable Porsche) for the day went to an Australian-delivered (one of four?) black 993 GT2 with 14,000 km on the clock. The owners of this spectacular vehicle were only too happy to chat about tyres, driving skill, stone chips, previous cars owned etc. 993 GT2 v 993 Turbo @ Mt Donna Buang - 2011 I didn't make it to Healesville however as my Turbo buddy dropped a clutch on route and I saw it as my duty to stay with him and share how reliable my car is while we waited for the flat-bed truck. Perhaps I over-estimated Tony's sense of humour a little! - 2011 (iPhone) A pleasant drive was dampened a little by a nasty stone chip on my windscreen in the first 45 minutes. Aarrgghh.... Windscreens O'Brien called. 993 Turbo v 993 GT2 @ Mt Donna Buang - 2011 In addition to the Turbo, I took the Leica D-Lux 5 out for the day and managed to catch a couple of nice shots. For some reason, this camera / sensor combo seems to lend itself to very moody / detailed monochrome shots.

PCV Sprint - Phillip Island again and a PB!

ghumphries@mac.com — 2011-08-18T21:30:45+10:00

The club organised a couple of competition events at Phillip Island only a month apart this year. I was a bit under-prepared after 'rushing' back from our holiday in Queensland and finally made it down to the Island late Saturday. In the evening, Robin and I had a most enjoyable dinner at Harry's on the Esplanade in Cowes with another Porsche couple, John & Kym. ...A quick check of tyre pressures on Sunday morning and I was good for the off! I felt a bit 'flat' while waiting on the grid for Session 1 but I got the warmup lap out of the way and the car felt pretty good. After passing a couple of cars and seeing my times come down (courtesy of my on-board real-time data logger) I started to 'push' while also remembering to breathe! After another smooth lap, I glanced at the data as I crossed the Start / Finish line and saw 1.53.5 flash up. ...Excitedly heading into Session 2, I had a real crack after my first lap was only 0.02 second slower than the PB. Like an inexperienced duffer, I then began to over drive the car, miss breaking marks, muff gear changes and generally screw up. On my return to the paddock, someone kindly suggested the track 'goes off' in the late morning and was a little slower. ...My car was still running a soft setup from the previous month's damp conditions and the car felt too loose on the high speed corners so the guys from NinePlus swapped it to full stiff, front & back. ... Although trying (probably too hard again) I just couldn't get the car around any quicker than early in the morning. I am sorry to report a serious accident ended the day when one of our members had a big off exiting Turn One. ...On a positive note, my GT3 buddy Chris also set a personal best in session one capping off a great day all round for the peninsula boys. For me, although disappointed after such a fantastic start, I would have taken a personal best at the start of the day.

PCV Sprint - Phillip Island

ghumphries@mac.com — 2011-07-04T19:32:43+10:00

Sunday July 3 was the 'winter' Porsche Club of Victoria sprint event at the stunning Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit. An absolute highlight of the competition season, even if the weather can be 'unpredictable'. Upon leaving home it was mild and temperate, but sadly the closer I got to the island the weather closed in. ...So the first session was 'wet', and I really, really struggled. Every time I touched the steering wheel the front slid, every time I touched the accelerator the rear slid. ... A check on a slight oil leak had me sit out of session two, and while the car was 'in service' we took the time to up the tyre pressures and soften off the roll bars to their softest setting. Session three showed more improvement, which was no surprise as the track was now drying out. But by sessions four and five I started making excellent progress by my standards resulting in an 'official' personal best lap time of 1.55. I know, I know nothing special for a GT3 but don't discount the quality of the pilote... A You Tube video of my best lap can be found below. Also, I attached a GoPro SD video camera to the rear of the GT3 for an interesting rear-facing video of one of my out laps. Not a lot to see, but the sensation of 'speed' is cool, I reckon. All in all, a most enjoyable (and safe) day at the Island.

PCV Sprint - Winton

ghumphries@mac.com — 2011-06-19T14:11:21+10:00

One of the highlights of our competition / social year is the three hour trip up the Hume highway to have an extended Queens Birthday long weekend in June in the delightful country town of Benalla. ...With a Test & Tune Day scheduled for Friday and no R-spec 18 inch Dunlop tyres in Benalla he was at risk of missing out. Some frantic phone calls to son James, who was planning to drive his new (for him) 997 911 up on early Friday, pleading with him to source two new tyres for Dad and pop them in the back seat for the drive up! ...After a bakery breakfast we headed to the track (via Beaurepaires in Chris's case to have his tyres fitted and balanced) to prepare for an exciting test day. ... After a pleasant first 20 minute session, nearing the end of my second run the throttle jammed open and I nearly rear ended a BMW M3 under braking as I was approaching the very tricky left hand Turn 9. ... After being towed back to the pits, a number of Porsche boffins stared into the engine bay of my stricken GT3, comparing my throttle position to Chris's, when wife Robin piped up and said 'I can fix this!'. ... After grabbing a very large screwdriver and with a couple of 'pokes' at the throttle body it released back to it's normal position. ...The best wine of the day was the Dell Zotto Arneis, an oily complex dry white which I am sure would be even better with food than pinot grigio / gris. We all lunched at Politini Winery on a delightful selection of italian treats well supported by a guest guitarist and the winery patriarch playing piano accordion most energetically. ...On the official runs on Sunday, I did not match my personal best time, being about a second and a bit slower, but I was generally happy with my pace and consistency. I didn't really get a series of clean laps when the track was at it's best so I wasn't too unhappy at the end of the weekend. ... One interesting moment was when a fellow competitor spun in front of me and in the dust I had no idea where to go until the dust settled. ...On the social front, we all enjoyed Georgina's, Raffetys and the North Eastern Hotel as wonderful places to eat and relax after a hard day's racing or winery touring. ...Although I had not entered for the day, we had to go the DECA Driver Training Facility at Shepparton for the PCV Motor-kana event as Robin was Clerk-of-Course for the day. The format was runs on the short & long road courses in the morning, alternating with a motor-kana course around the cones on the slippery (but thankfully dry) concrete skid-pan.

PCV Hunter Valley Tour

ghumphries@mac.com — 2011-04-23T19:18:41+10:00

Some 75 members in 37 cars met at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Canberra to kick off a seven night / eight day tour from Canberra to Merimbula. We left Melbourne at 'O-Dark Hundred' on the Friday morning in convoy with Chris & Julie Mason, to get an extra day's sightseeing in the nation's capital before the tour kicked off. An excellent idea as we got in some interesting walks, a photographic session and a fine Italian meal at 'La Scala' . ...Day Two was a free morning followed by lunch with members of the Porsche Club of Canberra at Lake George Winery. The weather wasn't great when we met at the Black Mountain Tower and only slowly improved as the day went on. ...For those that arrived in time, road legal speed laps of the Mt Panorama race circuit were available and Robin took her turn at the wheel of the Boxster to enjoy the delights of Mountain Straight, the Cutting, Skyline, the Dipper, Conrod Straight and Caltex Chase. ...An early start the next day had us on another lengthy session to Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley towards the highly acclaimed Peppers Resort. Neither Robin nor I had been to the Hunter Valley before and apart from the reputations of the wineries, we didn't really know what to expect. Our expectations were further confused when not far from our destination we passed a military installation and a very large (and active) artillery range plus a number of coal mines and power stations. ... Well yes if you followed the tour guidelines & notes, but no if you listened to the dulcet tones of NavMan/Woman who guided us safely to our destination. Dinner was supposed to be a garden BBQ, but inclement weather forced us indoors for a slightly cramped BBQ / buffet. The next day was free I think, with maybe a guided wine tour in the afternoon. We lucked into a great option with Rothvale Winery and Tamburlaine (organic) winery on our tour. Gentleman Max from Rothvale was a 'dry' treat as he lectured a pretty unruly group on how to properly hold a glass and taste wine. ...Robin at the end of Conrod Straight, Mt Panorama - Photo by Julie Mason 2011

PCV Broadford Hillclimb

ghumphries@mac.com — 2011-03-18T20:35:38+11:00

Last Monday on the Labour Day long weekend, PCV held it's second competition event for the year, a hillclimb at the State Motorcycle Complex at Broadford. ...A great complex, with many different circuits, short and longer, dirt and tarmac, principally oriented towards motor bikes. ... Very fast in places (200+ kmh if you are quick, 170 for me), off camber in many of the corners. ...The track goes 'across' the hill rather than 'up and down' which is where much of the camber change comes from. ... A standing start was used with the finish to be within a defined cone 'garage' with a 5 second penalty for hitting any of the garage cones. ...So, fifty-ish PCV drivers turned up on a sensational March day to compete against the clock, one entrant at a time. Two slightly different layouts were used, one a little shorter in the morning, and the other longer in the afternoon. We had one untimed sighting lap at the start of the day, then three timed laps in the morning and three more after lunch. In the first session I was feeling my way, enjoying the faster sections, but being 'timid' in the slower corners. ... So in the second run, I had a 'crack' and lost control in the last two corners wlldly correcting after severe ABS-stammering and I knocked the cone at the end of the garage. ...In the afternoon, I again started slowly (not aggressive enough) and was being indecisive. ... Vowing to have a 'go' in my final run, I was a couple of seconds faster than previously. ... I need to learn circuits faster and be more aggressive sooner rather than waiting for the final run of the day to 'try'. ...Barista coffee all day, home-made cakes and scones, juice & water in the morning and a two course SIT DOWN catered lunch. ...As always, a big thank you to the Competition Committee and the Marshalling team for their efforts in organising the day and keeping us all safe.

PCV Sandown Six Hour Regularity

ghumphries@mac.com — 2011-03-10T20:17:52+11:00

My first outing of the year was to participate in the Six Hour Regularity event at Sandown in late February. ...Basically, each driver nomintaes a time that they believe they can attain lap on lap thereby accruing points for being consistent. If you go slower than your nominated time, you don't get a point, if you meet your time you are allocated a point and if you go faster, you lose a point. ... In the six hour event, our team 'Jive Torque' (don't ask) had four drivers therefore 90 minutes each which we decided to split over three thirty minute sessions. ...The team this year was Chris & son Brett sharing their GT3 and Dennis in his trusty 928. ... Chris got his car back from the repair shop a few days before the event, and it had it's final shake-down run two days before, our strategic team arrangement / planning meeting was over two glasses of Pinot Grigio at the Prince Patrick Hotel the day before! ...I drew the short straw and was first out to practice and 'chosen' to be our first car in the initial session of the day. ...The first lap through the spray and being seeded near the front with the 'fast guys' was nerve wracking. I was really grateful for the racing harness as it stopped me from leaping out of the car! ...It stayed wet, damp and overcast for the first three hours or so, then started to dry out. My last session was relatively dry and it was enjoyable to cruise around in those conditions after the pressure of the morning. Unfortunately, both Chris and Dennis had car issues late afternoon and weren't able to get their final stints done. Nothing major for Chris (split tyre valve stems in both front wheels, very strange) and Dennis had a radiator hose split. ...With the rain we had, some of us commented that if it wasn't for the 'team', a decision may have been taken to park the cars and not participate given the weather and potential risk. At the end of the day, we all had a great time participating together, and a special thanks to our Team Manager Paul for trying to keep us all 'regular.

PCV Annual Dinner

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-12-07T08:26:00+11:00

The Porsche Club of Victoria held it's annual dinner dance / presentation night in the ballroom of the Sofitel Hotel in Melbourne on Saturday evening. The event had a 'Martini' theme, both in terms of the cocktails served and to recognise the traditional Martini Porsche racing colours amply demonstrated by the Turbo on display in the room. The Cayenne Turbo-driving, famous AFL identity, Dermot Brereton, was the guest speaker. He added an earthy / blokey feel to the evening appreciated by many, not so much by some... A large crowd was in attendance and by the width of the smiles and the quantity of the noise & chatter, a good time was had by all. I am always surprised by the standard of the food that can be prepared, cooked and delivered hot to 200+ guests. I also thought beverage service was good. A subject very close to my heart... From my knowledge and observations, all of the class winners and club champions rightly deserved and picked up their prestigious awards. Congratulations to them. My fellow GT3 buddy Chris and I were surprised to 'quietly' receive our first ever prizes for competition events. Only a couple of second place finishes but positive encouragement nonetheless. However, best not to think how much the piece of paper and trophy cost... Winners are grinners! - Photo by Julie Mason 2010

PCV Boxster / Cayman Register Run to Mt Macedon

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-10-16T18:06:22+11:00

On Sunday, October 10, we participated in the PCV Boxster / Cayman Register run to Mt Macedon. Under darkish skies, we met in Doncaster for a route briefing (with supporting maps) and an overview of the proceedings for the day. By departure time, I was brave enough to drop the top of the Boxster and enjoy the fresh air. The look on Robin's face indicated she wasn't in total agreement... The roads were good, and the hilly terrain gave the cars a thorough workout while not needing to use excessive outright speed. The first stop was to be in Wallan at 'Hogans', a tastefully renovated pub, where we consumed some HUGE freshly baked scones with jam and cream and good coffee before heading out again. Lunch at Mt Macedon was at a very cosy cafe, set in a gorgeous garden with scattered cabins as the property also acts as a B&B. We partnered with a lovely couple, Martin & Denise, who like us, had lived and worked overseas so we had lots in common. And more in common when finding out that Martin is a member at The National Golf Club. The food was good and was delivered at a relaxed pace which meant that from the 1PM start we didn't leave until after 4PM. Local wines were available and from memory I had a Macedon Ranges Reisling which was very tasty. As always, the event was superbly organised and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Next level GT3 Upgrades

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-10-28T10:04:00+11:00

Prior to heading off to Winton, I had some modifications done to help both the car's performance and mine. My technical team at NinePlus in Richmond (Stuart, Mathew and Dean) gave the car a comprehensive once over. A complete spanner / safety check, levelled the fluids, replaced the rear pads with 'gun' Project Mu pads (the same as previously fitted to the front) and the brakes bled again. I previously reported a loose / swivelling accelerator pedal which was also replaced. The cost of the pedal was more than $A420 excluding labour, GST and the tissues used to wipe the tears from my eyes! ... The fuel and air filters were cleaned to improve flow and breathing. And the bonnet tie down catch was replaced with a more sturdy apparatus in the expectation of much higher terminal velocities! I picked the car up with high hopes for the weekend... A fellow GT3 friend and competitor had invested in a data logging and video system which was very impressive. This technology seemed to give him a unfair advantage over me! Therefore the next major addition to help my driving performance had to be the installation of a Video VBox Lite, Data Logger and Dual Camera system, developed by Racelogic in the UK. My local distributor, David Stannus, Director of ProTech Developments (less than 30 minutes drive from home) oversaw the custom installation of the control unit, one forward facing and one driver facing camera, two mono microphones, a CAN Micro Data Capture Module and a Predictive OLED Lap Timer. ...VBOX custom integrated installation by ProTech Developments Both cameras and the lap timer are solidly roll cage mounted, all wiring is hidden and the system is vehicle 'mains' powered with a discrete On/Off switch and the design and fitting of custom under dash cradle for the control unit is an outstanding piece of work. ... Many thanks to David & the ProTech team!

Open Practice & PCV Sprint - Winton

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-10-30T19:17:00+11:00

In late October, after a gap of a couple of months, I was looking forward to a challenging and exciting 'long' weekend of motorsport at Winton Raceway, about three hours north of Melbourne. On the Thursday, our good friends and fellow Porsche GT3 folk, Chris & Julie, joined Robin and I for the road trip to the pretty township of Benalla. ...In my defence there were a number of cars on the track, at varying speeds, so getting into the groove to nail a 'gun' lap escaped me, I'm afraid. My best timed lap was a 1.41.9 on Lap 6 of my third session. ... Also calculated by the VBOX, was my best 'optimal' lap of the nine laps on that session (made up of the best times from each of the six timed sectors on each lap), a 1.37.2. This 'ideal' time would make me 'mid pack' in our club events for GT3s, so now I just need to find some ability to harness those sector times into a single lap on Saturday. ...So, sadly, I had to sit out the club event on Saturday, which was both a blessing and a curse given my potential speed and the wildly varying temperatures and track conditions on Sunday. ... This weekend was Chris's first outing at Winton and he got quicker and quicker across the two days and enjoyed the track while The Baxter's finished 1st and 4th in Class B. ...Not wishing to make this a total boys weekend away, some effort was made on the social side. Pre-dinner drinks with cheese were had al fresco in the delightful surrounds of the carpark of the Comfort Inn each evening, dinners were arranged at various venues in Benalla (Raffertys, The North Eastern Hotel and Georginas) where the food, local wines and service were all excellent. The girls did sneak out one day for a spot of shopping and high tea in Beechworth as well. So, apart from my mechanical failure, it was a great weekend and I look forward to our next outing.

PCV Sprint - Phillip Island

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-07-14T20:42:00+10:00

Full report to come. Out of Turn 12 - Photo by Julie Mason 2010 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Map

PCV Sprint - Sandown

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-08-30T10:05:00+10:00

Reports of each day to follow shortly. Yours truly at Sandown in August (Photo by Niko 2010)

John Bowe Driver Training Day - Phillip Island

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-07-10T10:05:00+10:00

On Monday June 28, I attended a John Bowe High Performance Driver Training Day at the fast and exciting Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. These days follow a standard procedure of walking / driving the track, especially the corners t determine braking points, entry cones, apexes etc. Then some slow-ish familiarisation laps on your own. Then the instructor jumps in with you, observes for a few laps then provides feedback when back in the pits. Subject to agreement, the instructor can then take you out in your car to demonstrate the feedback at a more practical level. Timing is conducted in the morning and in the afternoon to determine the students rate of improvement. The day dawned cold (remember it is Phillip Island, once famously described as the Gateway to Hyerthermia!) but warmed up progressively and there was no rain for the day so apart from a strong wind, conditions were pretty good. My areas for improvement on the day were deemed to be finding the correct lines through Southern Loop and Siberia, raising my vision to make the car 'flow' more around the circuit and being a bit more aggressively and hustling the car around rather than just be a passenger. Overall, I improved about a second on the day, but there is a lot more left for me to go after if I can just get my act together. Thanks to Dean from the John Bowe team for his invaluable advice and support on the day.

GT3 Brake Upgrade

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-07-03T20:05:29+10:00

The front brakes on the GT3 were getting down and the pedal feel wasn't what it should have been. Rather than just replace the 'standard' GT3 braking system, I decided to take the plunge & replace them with Carrera Cup six piston callipers with new steel discs clamped by Project Mu competition brake pads. A slight installation glitch made the initial drive home 'disappointing' but after refitting the pads more securely they now feel fine. This weekends competition at Phillip Island will be the real test. Watch this space!

PCV Tour to Blue Pyrenees Winery

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-05-25T18:08:14+10:00

Late May saw us saddle up the Turbo and head off on the PCV Autumn Run to Blue Pyrenees Winery in Central Victoria. Our first stop was at Creswick where we enjoyed a tasty morning refreshment while enjoying the architecture and history of this old gold mining town. . PCV Creswick invasion (Photo by Felix) Enjoying fine weather, the route then took us to the winery via some pretty narrow single lane roads towards Avoca. The pace was steady and we duly arrived at the winery for some wine tasting and a BBQ lunch. Other club members enjoyed a couple of nights at a nearby B&B and in total some 120 people attended the event. After lunch, we took the short way home back down the Western Highway.

PCV Tour to Harcourt

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-06-08T18:07:58+10:00

The PCV 996/997 Register organised a fantastic run to the Harcourt Valley Winery. Some 29 folks met at McDonalds in Flemington at 9.30AM before a brisk run up the highway to the cafe on top of Mt Macedon. Surrounded by fog and very cold, hot coffee and home made cakes and scones were most welcome. On the northern side of Macedon the skies cleared and we followed the superb roads that were planned for our couple of hour drive to Harcourt. On arrival at Harcourt, Lebanese finger snacks were consumed while mingling outside in front of a glorious open fire. Lunch was a Lebanese BBQ and salads. including a regional specialty version of 'Boerewors'. We ate inside, enjoying the estate wines (bot red and whites were popular) and the volume of conversation in the 'vat room' indicated that a great time was had by all. Cars & Wine - Harcourt Valley Winery - 2010 We decided to take the long way home until we had to hop on the freeway to complete the return journey. Another super PCV outing!

PCV Sprint - Winton and Fitzgerald Driver Training Day

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-06-18T15:07:10+10:00

We were again looking forward to our annual Queens Birthday long weekend trip to Benalla to compete at Winton Raceway and enjoy the fine food and wines of the north-central Victorian region. ... The Comfort Inn in Benalla is a very comfortable place to stay with a major advantage of having secure off street parking for trailers and race cars. ...The Porsche Club competition event at the tight and testing Winton Raceway on Sunday was a great day. All drivers got a minimum of five sessions (one warm up lap, four timed laps and a cool down lap per session, and the smart ones got six, however I was snoozing somewhere... ...This is a regular haunt for us and it lived up to it's usual standard for local produce, both food and wine. ... After some morning tea and a wine tasting in Milawa / Oxley we headed off to towards Whitfield where we enjoyed a delightful minestrone soup & Margherita pizza lunch washed down with some pleasant Redbank wines. ...I had heard that there was a Peter Fitzgerald Driver Training Day scheduled for Winton on the Tuesday and it was under-subscribed. Given my performance, and with Robin's blessing, we stayed an extra day and under clear skies again, I participated in this event. ... Peter was great, took an hour or so with a white board discussing racing strategy & planning, describing / studying the Winton layout where to be quick, which kerbs to avoid, lines & braking points, aiming point through the sweeper (gold!) ...At the start we went out for a few slow sighting laps (no helmets) behind Peter in the 997. ... Peter then drove us around in our cars, two 'hot' laps to set a benchmark time. ... As soon as he did his laps, we were instructed to go straight back out again and try and replicate what he showed us to set another time. ... Then we enjoyed a tasty BBQ lunch, more white board / Q&A stuff, more timed laps then a challenge to beat Peter's estimate of how quick he thought each driver should go. ... But I was very happy as I had improved nearly three seconds from Sunday, and over 2.5 seconds from my previous PB, and I did many laps in the 1.39s, while still making plenty of 'mistakes'. ...After one last breakfast at the Benalla Bakery we set sail for home after a really fantastic Queen's Birthday break.

Porsche Clubs at Bathurst

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-04-08T21:29:22+10:00

As part of the FoSC, Porsche Cars Australia invited all the Porsche Clubs from around Australia to participate in a Porsche Regularity event. After some initial self doubt, I entered a couple of months ago and joined 170 or so Porsches at Bathurst. ...The car and trailer were set up on Thursday morning and we were joined by another GT3 couple, Chris & Julie, for the trek to Bathurst. ...The final 200 km short leg to Bathurst the following day was punctuated by a visit to Cowra and the famous Japanese Garden. ...The run into Bathurst was easy and we were excited to be at the famous 6.213 kilometre, 23 turn Mount Panorama circuit. ...As a special treat, Porsche Cars Australia arranged for two 'Museum' cars to participate in the event, a rare road-registered RHD GT1 from the early 2000s, and a 935 Turbo in splendid Martini livery, circa 1985. ...With such a large number of cars participating, the timing was slightly changed to an 'average' timed lap deviation, rather than variance from a specified time. There were three cars to a team, and I again joined with Chris in his silver GT3 and Dennis in a slightly tricked out white 928S. ...We kicked off with a Masters Session (basically a guided tour, five cars at a time) behind a designated 'Bathurst Master' to learn the lines and get a feel for the circuit. Our next chance was an untimed session of 30 minutes to put into practice what we had learned in the Masters session, followed by three separate 30 minute timed sessions over the next two days. ...In my Masters Session, the 'Master' was driving a Skoda Wagon (!), with a passenger on board, and I was unable to keep up, slipping and sliding all over the place and seriously wondering what I had got myself into. ... So on Monday night I went to bed really upset that I couldn't even enjoy the circuit, let alone post a decent lap time. ...Following a decent night's rest and some soul searching, the final two sessions duly arrived on the Tuesday and I resolved to 'have a crack'. I was lucky that a guy that I had a problem passing was brought into the pits early and I had some clear track ahead. After a couple line changes, some different gear selections at a couple of corners, and a little more courage to drive through the floating on Conrod Straight I managed to improve some 13 seconds and post a time of around 2.56.

Winches & The Inaugural Trailer Run

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-03-06T15:34:52+11:00

A journey to The 4WD Workshop in Frankston yesterday had us returning this morning with the empty trailer with a plan to measure and install an IronMan electric winch. After arriving at the workshop and following some serious head scratching, it was owner & head bush-basher Geoff's recommendation that we use a portable winch instead, which would be powerful enough (at a 450kg dead pull / lift), much simpler (and therefore much cheaper) to fit and be lighter as well. A 24V Warn PullzAll has duly been ordered and will be configured and installed in a week or so. As an added benefit, it is a unit that we can probably use elsewhere around our property given it's flexibility & portability. I will also ask the guys to supply (and fit as necessary) a safety chain to attach the LandCruiser to the tow hook on the GT3 just to provide one last level of security. As we had the trailer on the LandCruiser, we thought it was about time to bite the bullet and take the GT3 and trailer for it's first loaded drive. So out with the tie down straps, tools, ramps, blocks of wood, gloves and who knows what else we had at hand. The recent ride height change now means only one extension wood block is required each side to drive the GT3 onto the trailer. And Robin has found a place to store these blocks together with the metal ramps so storage is neater and simpler. After some experimentation and fiddling with the tie down straps & winches, the car was loaded and tied-down quite solidly. The good news is that we were able to fully utilise the in-built (& re-inforced) tie down 'eyes' / hooks on the floor of the trailer. Robin duly climbed aboard the LandCruiser and we set off for a slow lap around the block. Taking it very, very easy, we managed it no problem and the GT3 had not moved at all over the, admittedly, short journey. ...Some fine tuning work to do to trim the lines to remove some excess strapping and to maybe tie the rear down a little differently but it all seemed good to go and pretty straightforward. Some heat proof gloves will be necessary to thread the straps through and around hot wheels and brakes following a 'real' race day though.

The Quest towards Adequacy....

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-03-05T20:28:58+11:00

While I have some upgrade plans to ensure that the GT3 is as good as it can be for the big Bathurst bash in April, as the old saying goes, the greatest weakness in any car in the 'loose nut behind the wheel'. In 2009, I attended a couple of driver training days (Winton and Sandown) and, not surprisingly, my confidence improved and my times dropped. An easy thing to do would be to say that I did the training and I will continue to get better. At my level, that is possible, however not probable. Fortunately, an invitation hit the 'InBox' in this week for a John Bowe Advanced Driving Course to be held at Phillip Island in late June. I am staggeringly slow at this very fast and challenging circuit, so count me in. And today, I bought a book, 'The Complete Driver' from the US-based 'Speed Secrets' series. I look forward to a couple of gems from this plus the above driver training to help me continue on my quest towards 'Adequate'.

PCV Sandown Four Hour Regularity

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-03-03T22:31:36+11:00

Regularity events seem to be gaining popularity as a way for various car clubs and their members to get closer to 'real' racing while still being safe and not getting too close to their fellow competitors. ...Chris in a GT3, Dennis & Adam in glorious sounding 928s and me in my GT3 made up team #18, 'Jive Torque'. ... Excellent work, but trying to find 'our' board while under full power on the main straight, avoiding other competitors and keeping an eye out for the start/finish flag marshals was a bit of an added challenge! ...With each of our target times set, we did a little bit of standing around waiting for the first group to grid up and head out. I was the lead car for us, so to the dummy grid I went, was duly waved away a little before midday to do two formation laps behind the Safety Car before the event officially kicked off at 12PM. ...The first half a dozen laps were a bit of a haze as the tyres warmed up and I was chasing down the cars in front. Except that I was not supposed to be chasing anyone, but circulating as close as possible to my target lap times. ...Braking for the Dandenong Road corner at the end of the back straight, I went to down change to fourth, and thought I missed the gear. So I tried it again (now running out of road) and still nothing just the gear lever feeling like it was stirring porridge, not connected to anything. ... Not only disappointing for me, but the lost laps while I was being picked up and towed back killed our chances for a decent finish in the event AND while I was being picked up, the Safety Car was out spoiling the other drivers fun as well. ...So I was able to get out for my second session in the afternoon but I must admit to not brimming over with confidence every time I reached for the gear lever! I now have the car booked in for the fitment of a pair of GT3 Porsche CupCar gearbox linkage cables (ex Germany) which will fix this problem once and for all and also improve the feel of the gear change, which I thought was pretty good anyway. While it is 'on the hoist' a quick suspension check will also occur and adjust the settings so the car is corner weighted and balanced front to back, side to side. ...And to cap off a miserable car day, I got a decent stone chip right in my line of vision on my first lap out. ...Not a stellar result but mechanical disasters notwithstanding, we all enjoyed the day and especially the camaraderie of the our team environment.

Where did the old posts go?

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-01-01T23:34:34+11:00

Happy New Year and Happy (Porsche) Motoring, Where did all the previous posts go to from this blog? They have been archived (by year) and are easily accessible via the links in the sidebar on the left hand side of this page.

HANS & stuff

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-01-24T10:48:58+11:00

I am really pleased to report that the GT3 has finally made its way onto the new trailer. Thanks to the team at Jocaro Motors, some minor ride height modifications to the GT3 have enabled an easier loading process. I just picked up my HANS restraint device today to give me even more protection & safety on track. It is the new 'Sport' model (read cheaper and heavier than the carbon fibre 'Professional' model but with the same safety standards), using a new floating tether system. It seems relatively comfortable and less restrictive than I initially imagined. A big thumbs up to the guys at Revolution Racegear in Melbourne for their great advice and fitting service, and to my PCV buddy Linley for courageously drilling the 'post' holes in my helmet. The last equipment update is to get my 'boring' white Sparco full face helmet resprayed to add some 'bling' to my race kit. I know it won't make me any faster but... The plan is really coming together now. Roll on Bathurst!

PCV Sprint - Phillip Island, January 2010

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-02-08T21:54:13+11:00

It was with some trepidation that I entered and duly arrived for the first club meeting of the year at the ultra-fast Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit. At the outset I must say how lucky we are as club to spend the entire day competing on an absolutely world-class facility for just a few pacific-pesos each... Welcome to the lucky (motorsport) country!! The Wonders of Photoshop - Greg on Pole! (Photo by Julie Mason 2010) I knew going into the weekend that I was many seconds off the pace for my car but hope springs eternal... Hope however doesn't beat the stopwatch. The bad news is that I am still about five seconds behind where I should / might be, but the good news is that I set a Personal Best, some two seconds better than my previous best time. And the better news is that I felt I could have gone even a second or so quicker on the day after a spirited (but un-timed) last session of the day. Also I was happy with the in-car comfort of my HANS device, and even given it's narrow range of designed movement, I would say it helped me improve my in-car stability and then, my times. An excellent investment in time and safety! One of my GT3 buddies, Chris, improved some five seconds on the day following some tyre and brake upgrades and after encouraging words from his tuning 'guru'. ...And I would be remiss if I did not mention the outstanding job done my wife Robin, who was Clerk of Course for the event, and ensured that all 115 competitors ran safely and efficiently throughout the day. ...Robin 'On the Job!' - (Photo by Julie Mason 2010) Provisional results can be found here.

The Car is ON!

ghumphries@mac.com — 2010-01-17T17:46:59+11:00

The moment of truth came this morning. After a fair few days of stalling (it is too hot, too cold, I am too tired etc) I really had to try to get the car on the trailer. Would it get up the ramps, would it fit, could I get out once the car was on the trailer? The last time we tried to load the GT3 on a (rented) trailer it ended metaphorically and literally in tears. I was nervous, to say the least about the prospects. ...After some chocking & blocking of the ramps to get the approach angle correct, and a couple of gentle runs partly up the ramps to check alignment, I eventually gave it enough to get the car on. ... But I can't get out!! No biggie, as the trailer has easily removable mud guards and once taken off, the doors open fully and the driver can simply alight. ...The next step is to take the car and trailer to an experienced aluminium fabrication shop to get a front wheel stop bar installed and the tie down points re-jigged to suit the car and its relative position on the trailer. We bought industrial-strength tie down straps, brackets and ratchets recently from a very experienced guy at Load Restraint Systems in Dandenong. So with a following breeze we are only a week or so away from having a fully road legal, functional GT3 carrying conveyance! Once the setup is operational, in future I would like to add an electric winch to make handling of the loading process easier and assist in loading the car, if for some reason, we couldn't do it under its own steam. Then maybe a nose cone (with wheel racks) to protect the front of the car (and possibly aid fuel economy), some lockable storage for tools and a jerry can holder or two. But fair to say, I am now really happy. The matching silver GT3 / Featherlite aluminium trailer combo behind the Land Bruiser looks fantastic!

PCV Annual Dinner Dance

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-12-05T16:19:35+11:00

With Christmas nearly here again, the whirlwind of year end functions is upon us. In early December we attended the Porsche Club of Victoria Annual Ball at the delightfully historic Windsor Hotel in the city. A great time was had by all, and an even better time was had by some if you believe the rumours and / or the BAC tests! Grant Stephenson (a PCV competition legend), moi & the lovely Robin - PCV Annual Ball 2009 - (Photo by Felix)

Featherlite Trailer - Model 3110

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-12-26T22:18:24+11:00

With an upcoming track outing scheduled for Easter 2010 at Australia's most iconic circuit, Mt Panorama, Bathurst, I needed a way to transport my GT3 (and spares, etc) to central New South Wales. Luckily Santa was listening and managed to secure me the last 2009 model 14ft Featherlite Model 3110 flat bed car trailer in Australia. It is pretty basic, all extruded aluminium sides and floor construction, with dual electric braked axles (with break-away system), LED lights, 6ft ramps and removable mud guards to aid vehicle entry / exit. To finish it to my initial requirements, it requires an electric winch and some additional tie down options but it will surely do the job in the immediate term. A front air dam / storage section can be added sometime down the track. With all of the imperial measurements, no prizes for guessing that it is an American-made trailer. Photos courtesy of Featherlite Australia I will post additional pictures and ownership impressions once we get the GT3 actually ON the trailer. Still a little work to do to get the ramp approach angles correct as the car is so damn low!

And now my second DNF...

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-11-28T13:16:25+11:00

After the disappointment at Calder the previous week, a simple repair had the GT3 ready and raring to go for the Porsche Club Regularity over the weekend of 28/29 November as part of the Shannons Nationals event. My practice session on Saturday afternoon was almost incident free, with just a slight wiggle (OK then, a wild tank slapper) coming out of the last corner on the very last lap. Back in the pits, the dozen or so competitors involved got together to exchange stories and discuss possible times for the regularity proper on Sunday. After ten minutes I wandered back to my car only to find fluid dripping, then gushing from the rear of the car. The sniff and smear test indicated that it was coolant leaking heavily from somewhere, not obvious. ...How do I get home, how much will this cost, why me principal amongst them. After a period of time I was fortunate to get a bit of advice from a Porsche mechanic in attendance (thanks to Nick from Weltmeister) who thought it was the bottom of a coolant line from the engine to the front-mounted radiators which had split. It seemed to hold together OK when under pressure so his suggestion was to re-fill with water, keep my eye seriously on the temperature gauge but the car should get the 30 minute freeway journey home. We went back on Sunday in the Land Cruiser and watched the others go round in slightly slippery conditions but obviously enjoying themselves. I really wanted to be out there with them. Another 40 minute session at Sandown with them would have been great. The guys from Jocaro Motors duly picked up the car from home the next week and sure enough, the line had split (from the inside?) and both In & Out lines were changed as a precaution and the system pressure re-tested OK. ...Let's hope I get some trouble free hot laps soon. Like at a fair dinkum practice session with a bunch of semi-pro GT Championship (Ferrari / Viper / Porsche) guys at Phillip Island on December 16!

My first DNF...

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-11-20T16:02:57+11:00

I guess it had to happen sometime, but I have now had my first DNF at a track day. A fellow GT3 owner and I attended an open practice session on the National Circuit at Calder Raceway today. ... After a slow 90 minute drive across town in peak hour traffic in the GT3, I arrived at Calder around 8.30 to be greeted by my mate who was paid up, kitted up and raring to go. ...The order of running on these days are alternating half hour sessions for open wheel cars followed by saloons, starting at 9AM. The safety officer duly advised us that as there were no open wheelers present, the track was ours! ... The surface felt a bit slippery but after about four laps my confidence was growing and then it happened. Entering Turn One, I down changed to fourth, then third, accelerated through, went for second for the tighter turns Three & Four and the gear lever felt like a spoon in a bowl of jelly. So with the car still in (and stuck in) third, I sadly made my way back to the pits. ...I duly leveraged those skills only to be informed that most of them were at another track day at Phillip Island. ... Luckily, a Porsche Melbourne mechanic was there and I asked to borrow his jack so I could check under my car (yeh right) and he offered to take a quick look. A clip which presumably was holding the cables on in the first place, was lying under the car (lucky or what) and he was able to clamp & crimp the cables back on well enough for me to make a nervous drive back to my service guys for a permanent fix. ...Regularly readers of this site will know that I have been a bit critical of Calder Raceway in the past. Sure the facilities are under going (and need) some updating but I must say all the staff I dealt with this morning, Bill on the gate, Robbie in the office and Peter, the safety officer / track time scheduler were extremely welcoming and efficient. And, for the clincher, as I had left early after my incident, I was offered a free replacement session. ...Sadly, I let my Porsche buddy down today as we were looking forward driving the track 'together', comparing notes, lines. times, tyre pressures etc. and are now planning to go back on December 11.

The Track Hack acquires A Tyre Dog!

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-10-30T18:05:44+11:00

This month's 'investment' is a wireless tyre pressure / temperature monitor, a Tyre Dog TD-1000A-X. Although posted in 'The Porsche File' and intended primarily for use with the GT3 to measure track day race tyre temperatures, the sensors can be easily transferred for use on any car or 4WD. Initial installation and configuration was really easy for a non-technical person like me, and the sensor and receiver batteries are standard over-the-counter types which should make ongoing serviceability quite easy. Good! The battery powered sensors screw on the to the valve stem (in place of the valve cap) and transmit back to a hand held visual display unit which shows tyre pressure and / or temperature by wheel. It is configurable to alarm if either temperature or pressure move outside pre-set upper or lower limits and to define imperial or metric measurements. For in car installation for road car touring purposes, the Tyre Dog comes with a range of dash / windscreen mounts. Detailed specifications can be found on the TyreDog website. A fellow GT3 owner has one and used it most successfully on a recent road and track trip to South Australia. My first practical test will be Presidents Day at Sandown on Sunday. A useful tool to obtain a more consistent track performance is the objective.

PCV Calder Sprint

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-09-27T20:56:34+10:00

It was with some trepidation that I ventured out to Calder for this event. The last time I competed here was an evening event, I was in the Boxster 'S' and seriously thought I should change interests to marbles or hop scotch or something. ...Also Calder Park is a little run down these days, with only minimal investment in the track and facilities. ...Unfortunately, I gridded up on the front row of my group, got flagged away first and proceeded to head down to Turn One with some speed and enthusiasm. Sadly, my memory of the distance between Turns 1 and 2, and 2 & 3 were a bit different to reality and I have to brake and shuffle and bumble my way around. ... No real dramas up the back straight through the kink and the start of the esses, but I got confused(!) ... I am pleased to say that it got a bit better as the day went on. Another excellently organised event with at least three sessions before lunch, a couple after before the rain / cold finally set in. I did manage a Personal Best at that track, not hard given my previous trials and tribulations in a different (& slower car). The GT3 ran superbly all day after the recent changes / upgrades, and the new Dorian timing box was really easy to fit and recorded faultlessly. I managed to get into the 1.07s before the late afternoon drizzle arrived, which I was pleased with. As always, I felt I left a second or so out there so I look forward to coming back to Calder again soon. ...My GT3 & Tim Stevenson's MX5 in the grunge at Calder - (Photo by Ryan Marsh) Some friends turned up to support me on the day (thanks Tim & Ryan) and via Ryan's lens I have a fantastic selection of photos of the day. Thanks for the pictures above (Tim with your humble correspondent and our cars) and one of Ryan's very best of the GT3 and hack driver below.

PCV Haunted Hills Hill Climb

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-10-11T20:54:08+11:00

Another great day in prospect for the PCV hill climb event at the (newly named) Bryant Park, Haunted Hills circuit just outside of Moe, Victoria. Some perspective of the elevation changes - The 'Bowl' from above (Canon IXUS 850 IS) ©2009 Ya gotta love Victorian weather! We left home when it was 3.5C. At the track it was 9C, the first session or so there was no heat in the tyres. It got warm close to lunch. And after the break I smothered my face in sun screen as I was burning badly. Then the change came, the heavens opened and people got drenched and froze again only to have glaring sunshine in our eyes on the drive home. ...So what about the event? While I improved from my time in March by over a second, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't go a little quicker. ...My hard working pit crew (Dad!) - (Canon IXUS 850 IS) ©2009 The normal circuit is great, but the organisers threw a curve ball this event but running a slightly different pattern in the afternoon, moving to a figure eight configuration. Another challenge and really interesting. The track is fantastic and the local car club who manage the facility are aggressively adding a clubhouse, covered pits, and other facilities. ...I am already looking forward to heading back in 2010!

GT3 Freshen Up

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-09-24T16:46:15+10:00

Well, I have been planning to upgrade the GT3 for some time and having now 'bitten the bullet' these changes are underway. The car has just returned from the workshop at Jocaro Motors this week. Much work was done on the gearbox, clutch, wheel bearings and front brakes and naturally this has improved the overall mechanical condition significantly. A new Dorian timing device has been fitted along with a revised secondary bonnet catch. All of these mechanical updates come after some cosmetic detailing work on the exterior a month ago. Also I now have a standard Porsche steering wheel fitted which brightens up the interior and makes the car more user-friendly on the road. At the end of this years track day season, subject to a reasonable quote, I would like to re-spray the nose which is pretty badly chipped and marked. Also at that time the OZ Racing track wheels and tyres will come off and my standard GT3 road wheels and tyres will be used for 'summer' touring. Finally I will add some new personalised number plates which I recently sourced. A quick sneak peak of those below. By year end, 'Nemo' should look fantastic and be performing superbly!

The Turbo gets a new windscreen

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-08-26T16:18:24+10:00

As part of the purchase / roadworthy process a new windscreen was required to be fitted to the 993 Turbo. There was quite a wait for one to be sourced by the dealer and it finally arrived and was fitted this week. All done and there appears to be a little darker tint on the top of the screen which will be good for those bright sunny days when you are looking for just a little extra sun and glare protection. Good work Marcus and Rob!

PCV Sandown Sprint

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-08-23T21:08:16+10:00

My track days have been limited of late, so I was pumped up for this weekend's PCV event at Sandown Raceway and prepared my kit 24 hours in advance and gave the GT3 a full wash and clean. It looked fantastic. Must be worth a second or two a lap! ... The day dawned fairly sunny, but with a very strong breeze providing a tail wind down the front straight and a headwind on the back straight. A great turnout of some 90 cars from older 911s, some water-cooled front engines jobbies to track-focused RS/GT3/Turbo types. No major incidents occurred during the day and all entrants had a chance to participate in six runs, totalling 36 laps on the day. An extremely well organised and competitor friendly event. Well done at all! After a slow start, I managed to get my act together after the lunch break and with a bit of concentration I was able to beat my personal best at this track by nearly two seconds. Very happy! Should wash the car more often.....

Lunch @ Willow Creek Winery

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-07-29T18:54:13+10:00

We broke out of our winter funk with a fabulous lunch with some fellow 'rev heads' recently. A gorgeous window table for six at Salix Restaurant at Willow Creek Winery on the Mornington Peninsula. The Baxter's Audi S3, The Mason's Ferrari 360 and our Porsche 911 Turbo The food was superb and the local sparkling and premium chardy were also pretty special. The conversation was car, photography and business oriented, in that order! All of us had managed to acquire 'new' cars in recent times and it seemed the perfect opportunity to clean them, drive them a little and share the love! And recently returned from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Chris kindly delivered some gifts for the assembled Porsche cogniscenti...... Thanks! Posing with the 'King'. (Photo by Julie Mason)

PCV Winter Run - Maryborough Railway Station

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-06-25T20:04:56+10:00

The PCV seasonal tours are always quickly booked out so we got our entry in very early, even though I knew nothing about the destination. But the journey is most of the fun anyway. So with the Turbo well cleaned we set off towards the meeting place at Bacchus Marsh. A fine collection of Porsches of all vintages awaited us. Pleasantries were exchanged, welcomes, words of driving wisdom and maps dispensed we then departed for our morning tea stop at the CFA in Maldon. As always the food provided by the ladies would make lunch redundant if we had not already booked. I can report that the sponge cake was outstanding! ...On arrival at the station we were guided to park our vehicles on the platform with a couple I thought going precariously close to the edge for my liking. The station itself is impressively large and stately, being built back in a period when the gold mining boom was fuelling population growth and investment in the area. Word was out that the car club was going to be in town on Sunday and a number of interested local car lovers were seen wandering around taking photos and chatting to members / owners. ... Lunch was fine home-style cooking of soup, roasts and dessert, leisurely served so that we could enjoy some of the local wines. Looks like our Social Director Michael (left) may have sampled just a little too heavily! What is he doing on that toy train engine??? ...A light rattle from the glove box area needs to be attended to but otherwise, particularly in the more spirited run from Maldon to Maryborough, the car drove superbly. A great day was had by all and in the late afternoon chill we set off for home after another enjoyable PCV outing.

PCV Winton Sprint - Queens Birthday Weekend

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-06-13T16:12:26+10:00

The Competition Director clearly has different eyes to the drivers as we looked out at a wet / damp two kilometre stretch of asphalt! The first session was slippery, but the second was on a drying surface and most drivers (including me) recorded their best time of the day. ...When we broke for lunch, some smartie with a laptop and access to weather radar gleefully shared that in about half an hour the heavens would open. ... It bucketed down just before the first group of cars were due out after lunch. Some were scared off, others bravely went out and could be seen creating bow waves on a couple of the corners where water was rapidly pooling up. The rain did stop before I went out but I did tippy-toe around for a while. While my GT3 doesn't have traction control, it does have ABS which helped a lot in pulling the car down from speed in the conditions. ...While my outright speed wasn't anything special due to the conditions, a couple of car changes appeared to help my performance. The first was some additional air in the tyres given the cold and damp conditions, 36 'hot' all round, compared to my usual 32 psi. ... The second change was running the fuel tank 'light' and topping up from a spare fuel can between sessions. I think the reduced weight helped, but the car seemed to understeer a bit on the slower corners, maybe reacting to a bit less weight over the front axle. ...After a few sighting laps with an experienced club driver driving, she had a couple of sessions in the morning and got around safely and enjoyed the experience. A pretty good effort given the conditions and the fact that it was her first club track driving event. I was able to get another two sessions during the late afternoon in drying, but still damp conditions, especially if you strayed off the racing line. That made five sessions for the day, some 20 'timed' laps with another 10 warm up / cool down laps.

Photo Shoots Galore (edited from The Shutter Blog)

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-04-23T14:03:07+10:00

In addition to joining the local camera club, I have also been fortunate to spend some time with James 'Jimmy' Cunningham, a professional photographer, and with Julie Mason and Rod Prior, a couple of keen & talented 'amateurs', who have all helped my technique, knowledge and confidence tremendously. ...Julie Mason and Rod Prior ...At a recent car club lunch, Linley arranged Jimmy of James Cunningham Photography to come over and do a 'professional shoot' with our cars. ... Some seriously great shots were taken by Jimmy. ...GT3's (Photo by Jimmy Cunningham 2009) ...Greg, Linley & Chris / Boys & Their Toys (Photo by Julie Mason 2009) One more from me : A little pixel manipulation Car club drive to Helena's at Parnassus The Porsche Club went on a drive to a winery restaurant for lunch a couple of hours out of town recently. Linley, Greg, Chris & Maurie at Helenas (Photo by Julie Mason 2009) A historical line-up of Porsche heritage vehicles were gathered up for a photo op. The middle car, a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS is about the most sought after car ever made by the famous marque. It was a thrill to see it and photograph it. And the owner was only too willing to show it off. ...VW Beetle,1973 Carrera RS 2.7, 2000 911 GT3

South East Coast Drive

ghumphries@mac.com — 2006-08-09T13:42:01+10:00

Took a drive down Gippsland way to Inverloch recently. I hadn't been there in recent memory and it is a really picturesque area, with rolling green hills, sandy beaches with some very wild coastline thrown in. A pleasant lunch of grilled local flathead tails at the Inlet Hotel preceded the drive back. (Looking at Eagles Nest, and back towards Inverloch - 2006) Spotted my first windfarm outside Wonthaggi and I must say they are not such a blight on the landscape as some have indicated. I saw no birds harmed, but I didn't want to get too close! But I can understand why they are located there. Boy it was pretty breezy along the coast. ('Bomber' out and about at the Gippsland Coast - 2006) The Boxster S enjoyed the run, top down most of the way and accelerating briskly to pass a few laggards in the open stretches. Met a fellow Porsche Club member (1997 Boxster) just standing at the Eagles Nest lookout. He is an Inverloch resident and I look forward to catching up with him (and finding out his name!) at future club events.

Road Trip

ghumphries@mac.com — 2006-11-25T13:40:56+11:00

Well this quarter's holiday was a recent road trip to Canberra and Sydney in the Boxster. The schedule only had us one full day in Canberra however it was such a beautiful place with so many items of interest that we extended for another two days. The historic 'old' Parliament House, the modern and grand new PH, the sombre and respectful War Memorial, the modern National Museum, the astronomical points if interest in My Stromlo and Tidbinbilla, the restaurants of Manuka just to name a few of the sights we saw. The visit to Windsor in the Hawkesbury Valley was slightly less successful. Unbeknown to me, the urban sprawl had caught up to this area unfortunately and hoped for side visit to a local hi fi manufacturer failed as well. Oh well, the Sebel Resort was comfortable and a couple of nice day trips, including one to the Mt Tomah Botanic Gardens made the visit worthwhile, Touring up and down the Hume was an exercise in speed camera spotting while trying to stay awake, Not a real workout for the little red beast, which never missed a beat.

Driving Nemo

ghumphries@mac.com — 2007-05-13T13:37:20+10:00

As everything that moves around here gets a name, let me welcome 'Nemo'. ...With only 150 kms under my Oakley driving shoes so far, let me share some first impressions. ...It could be just possible with the engine / exhaust tweaks and lower weight of my car compared to the 'heavy' auto TT. ...I haven't had to dive for the brakes yet, but what I have tried has filled me with plenty of confidence for future use. A firm pedal, and straight stop with not much 'dive' with the track pads squealing just a little when cold. ... An outrageous note, variable pressure with a special 'pop' under deceleration / change down but does not promote deep and whispered sweet-nothings in the cabin. ...The front-end seems to have a mind of it's own and wanders around at will. When you just about get it back on the straight and narrow you hit another bump and start all over again. ... It may be the track-oriented Michelin tyres or it is possible that the suspension is not that well suited to Peninsula back-roads. ...Fortunately, 'Nemo' has a strong WAF and a nice blast, sorry, leisurely drive, to the Flinders Hotel for dinner tonight was well received with a couple of slowpokes in the outside lane getting the verbal treatment from my copilot. ...For such a hard-core device, I am getting more comfortable in daily driving. The standard cloth covered Porsche Recaros are comfortable and (obviously) position you very securely to 'drive' the car. With a smooth but slightly mechanical gear change and a firm but not overly heavy clutch it is not too difficult to drive in traffic as long as you give it some revs to get it off the line. The next challenge will be the upcoming Porsche Club of Victoria track day at Winton. I am sure that most of my outings for the rest of this year (at least) will be spent slowly finding my limits which I know are far lower than that of this magnificent machine.

Track Day Updates

ghumphries@mac.com — 2007-07-10T13:36:26+10:00

Well, I have now done three track days in the GT3 and I am delighted to report that both car & driver are still in one piece! The first Porsche Club of Victoria event at Winton over the June long weekend was very 'interesting'. My first outing in the GT3, first time on club or 'R spec' tyres, first time driving in a race suit and harness, and first look at Winton Raceway. Plus I was in Group 2, with a number of 'hot shoes' who all seemed to be regularly up my tail pipes! But I had a great day, felt more comfortable in the car as the day went on. I was of course, ridiculously slow, primariy due my inability to get the car around the slower section of the course effectively. Next was a private track day at Phillip Island on Saturday in early July. More first time experiences as I had never been around 'The Island' before and believe it or not, it rained all day. ... One benefit of the day was that there were instructors on hand to assist. ... spins in the morning before getting the confidence to ask for an instructor. Peter Hackett was the lucky guy, who courageously offered to be a passenger and not even drive me to show me the way around. ... The rest of the day was trying to follow Peter's instructions and I felt my driving improved throughout the day. ...I am pleased to say the day was much finer after an early shower. While my pace picked up the outright speed of the track was somewhat intimidating and there were three 'fast' corners where I was lifting or still trying to find a comfortable line in the dry. Not helped by a guy I got friendly with on Saturday sticking his lovely 996 track weapon nose first into the tyre wall at Lukey Heights before I went out!

PCV Winter Run - 'Sault' @ Daylesford

ghumphries@mac.com — 2007-07-20T13:35:31+10:00

Last Sunday, Robin and I polished up the 911 C4S and attended the PCV Winter Run to 'Sault' restaurant just out of Daylesford. The day dawned overcast and damp but quickly improved. The group met at Bacchus Marsh Railway Station at 10.30 for driving instructions which initially took us via Trentham and the B318 to Kyneton Secondary College for a tasty morning tea prepared by the college's hospitality students. Suitably refreshed, we then set off for a forty minute drive to Daylesford. The earlier drive was a bit slow due to the damp conditions (or the speed limits) while this pre-lunch dash via more open and flowing roads was a bit more enthusiastic and almost legal, if a loose interpretation of speed limits is applied. 'Sault' is a new building on an established lavender farm. A most attractive property I must say. A serious gaggle of 110+ PCV members and guests overpowered the acoustics of the dining room however and discussions further away than the person beside you were extremely difficult. The food was modern and well received (a bit too much 'Bambi' for my liking however) and the wine list was excellent and contained many local offerings. Whilst sunny all day, it was only 7.5 degrees when we left at about 4pm for the drive back home. Another well organised PCV event enjoyed by all.

GT3 at Sandown Raceway

ghumphries@mac.com — 2007-08-28T13:34:22+10:00

I took the time to take a mid week track day opportunity at Sandown Raceway, in suburban Melbourne in mid August. ... it was very well organised event with an open pit and four qualified instructors on hand for in car / pit lane advice. ... And as a special attraction, Australia's only Pagani Zonda Roadster was on hand for ogling and a couple of passenger hot laps at lunchtime were on offer to lucky guests. ...Through the day, I probably had 30 - 35 laps and really felt more confident as the day went on. It is promoted as a driver training day with no timing devices allowed. ...A professional photographer was on hand for the day and took some outstanding shots of my car. See this gallery but be careful as it is 64 photos and may take some time to load on dial up. With some 40 drivers and cars on track for the day, there were minimal incidents. Unfortunately a guy in a Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale did come unstuck on the back straight and did some serious damage to a superb machine. The driver was fine and will live to write the cheque........ This track day was in preparation for the Porsche Club of Victoria event some week or so later. It took me a couple of four lap sessions to get my eye back in, but the final two four lap timed sessions of the day I was 'flying' by my modest standards and in the last session went quicker and quicker every lap and was geared for another flyer when the chequered flag came out. ... I got down to a best of 1.28.7, about 4 seconds away from where my fellow competitors were. It showed that there is no substitute for practice, and professional training and instruction. A quick sanity check says that I am still a couple of percent off where I need to be but I am improving and feeling more comfortable with every outing.

PCV 996 / 997 Register run to Marysville

ghumphries@mac.com — 2008-04-07T13:32:24+10:00

The 996/997 Register of the Porsche Club of Victoria planned a 95 km drive to Marysville on Sunday April 6, so on Saturday we washed and polished the Carrera 4 S for the big day. Some 15 cars were at the meeting point in Nunawading at 9.30 am on Sunday (including some 'stray' 993s & Boxsters), detailed maps were subsequently handed out for the drive to Warburton, then up the Reefton road prior to a final sprint to the Lake Mountain village before making our way back to Marysville for lunch. The initial part of the drive to the base of the Reefton climb was pretty average. Varying (low) speed limits and not much of interest to look at. Even the Warburton township didn't hold much interest. But once on the Reefton climb, things got much more 'interesting'. ... Not sure of the exact length but smooth, winding and interesting from the drivers or passengers seat! The recent storms laid plenty of debris over the road which moderated progress a bit (luckily) but didn't lessen the enjoyment. The run up to Lake Mountain was taken at a subdued pace due to a very large amount of debris and the sign-posted speed limits. But a pleasant short sprint just the same. ... I hadn't given it a good squirt for quite some time, and the sharp corners, short straights, sticky Conti Sport IIs, and slightly moist surface was just ideal territory for the 4S to operate in. ...(Our Porsche 911 Carrera 4 S @ Marylands Country House - 2008) Robin and I took a room at the Marylands Country House for the evening. ... After lunch, a walk up & down the main street (that didn't take too long), a visit to Steavensons Falls (excellent), dinner at the pub then a cleansing cocktail at the country house bar before retiring. ... Monday was a gentle drive back to Melbourne with lunch at Healesville completing a great weekend.

Some Further Track Time

ghumphries@mac.com — 2008-06-17T13:31:11+10:00

The GT3 recently had a routine service to make sure all was ship shape for the upcoming track events. Pleased to say just a tweak and no major maintenance (read expensive work) was required. ... A clear sign that I am not trying hard enough! Two events recently were at Winton Raceway in northern Victoria on June 9 and Attwood, just north of the city on May 4. The Attwood event is held on a ‘circuit’ owned and operated by Victoria Police who normally use the facility for their advanced driver training needs. It is basically a one lane piece of tarmac that loops up and down for a maximum of a kilometre with a speed bowl in one section. The club usually cuts the course in half and has a top loop and a bottom loop with different cones, chicanes. You get multiple runs over each loop for the day. ... In fact one driver in a new GT3 ran the entire track in first gear! I ran both courses only using 1st & 2nd gears. On the first run, I ‘missed’ the cones after the first left hander and was hit with the appropriate penalties which ‘killed’ my day from a points point of view, but over the rest of the event my times were almost competitive!. ...I was so embarrassingly slow I wanted to sell the car. Well it couldn’t be me, could it? Of course I know it is me, but I just can’t seemed to get UBC-222 around the very tight layout in anything like a competitive time. Oh well, more lessons and practice I guess.

GT3 Dyno Day

ghumphries@mac.com — 2008-08-13T13:29:55+10:00

Recently the GT3 Register of the Porsche Club of Victoria arranged for a dyno testing day at Fitzgerald’s Racing Services here in suburban Melbourne. A 997 GT3, two 996 GT3 Mk1s and a 993 RSCS turned up to test their mettle. I had never understood what happens in the ‘black art’ of engine performance assessment and now at least I have some idea what goes on. For each vehicle, the dyno was appropriately calibrated then the car is strapped onto the dual rollers, front wheels chocked, cooling and extraction fans activated to ensure the engine’s remain at a comfortable operating temperature during the run. The technician proceeds to ‘drive’ the car, changing up through the gears, to get to maximum power (at 7500 rpm in 5th gear in my car’s case). (‘Nemo’ on the dyno - August 2008) At this limit, the car was screaming and subsequently ‘blew’ 218 kilowatts at the rear wheels which is about what you would expect for a ‘chipped’ Mk 1 GT3. Word is the drive train takes about 30% of the published approx. 265 kilowatts at the flywheel. Thanks to Fitzy for the BBQ lunch and the tour of his facility, and to Clem for looking after the cars on the dyno. It was also enjoyable meeting and chatting with a number of other PCV members.

John Bowe Performance Driving Course

ghumphries@mac.com — 2008-08-30T13:28:30+10:00

I have been a bit disappointed with my lack of speed in the GT3 at the PCV track days. As per the previous blog post, the dyno day proved that my car makes plenty of power. Some query on the quality of my tyres saw me strap a new set of Dunlop R-spec tyres on. ...So I enrolled in the John Bowe Performance Driving course at Sandown Raceway in late August. I was fortunate to get Luke Youlden (a current V8 Supercar driver and former Carrera Cup pilot) as my instructor (a great ratio of one instructor to four student drivers btw) and after touring around with me for three or four laps, signalled me in for a de-brief. ... I drive OK, smooth, good lines, safe and capable. ... Not hard enough (late enough) on the brakes, must heel & toe on downshifts for faster corner entry, and use the kerbs more aggressively to get on the power faster. Oh, so not so good after all! ...Having little experience of track driving, I obviously looked a little vague, so Luke suggested he take me out for a couple of laps to show me some limits of the car and what you need to do to build up speed and maintain momentum. ...Even with Luke analysing my driving and trying pretty hard, I didn’t get too hot & sweaty. After half a lap in the passenger’s seat I was wiping the sweat from my eyes and we had a couple of laps to go! Suffice to say I was stunned by the smooth, controlled brutality of the way Luke man-handled the car around Sandown. Luke said he wasn’t trying too hard as it wasn’t his car........... Although tiring, my times improved a bit in the afternoon and I left Sandown with plenty of things to think about and lots of scope to improve my on-track performance. Thanks to Luke and the whole John Bowe Driving team for a safe and enjoyable day of instruction.

Car Stuff

ghumphries@mac.com — 2008-10-16T13:27:26+11:00

Good morning, As usual, plenty happening on the car front. In mid September Robin and I were invited to the launch of the new Porsche 911 at Porsche Centre Melbourne. The showroom was filled with eager-ish Porsche--ophiles interested to see and hear about the new model. Finger food and champagne was on tap ad a good time was had by all. I hope several sales were made on the night because I suspect sales will be a bit more tricky now. Later in the month saw some 80 PCV members head off on our ‘Spring Run’ taking a circuitous route through the Macedon Ranges to the Harcourt Valley vineyard where a Greek-style BBQ awaited the starving drivers & crew. The weather was magnificent for al fresco dining. We got lucky as it snowed the day before! And the estate grown wines, both reds and whites, were excellent. Cargraphic Twins - The 996 Carrera 4S Brigade at Harcourt Valley Winery - 2008

PCV South Australia Tour

ghumphries@mac.com — 2008-10-17T13:26:12+11:00

Let me tell you a bit about our recent Porsche Club of Victoria tour to the South Australian wine districts. ...The Porsche Club of Victoria organised a five day trip to the South Australian wine districts. ... While some left Melbourne before or after the official kick-off morning, some ten cars met at leafy Deer Park at 7.30 AM sharp, ready for the drive west. Following the obligatory drivers briefing we were also told to contact Alf, senior member and our-meister if we had any issues. Hard to do if you weren’t face to face with him as our enterprising leader left his mobile phone on the charger at home. ... But I can tell you it was the only issue we encountered all trip. ...Nothing wrong with the organisation or instructions, but plenty wrong with drivers & co-pilots willingness to listen, understand and follow some pretty simple navigation information. Although a few times, well intentioned plans to drive in convoy were folied by Adelaide’s frequently changing traffic lights. ...The driving highlight was the joint run with the Porsche Club of South Australia. We met on Sunday morning in the Adelaide suburbs before some 65 cars set off for a morning of touring through the Adelaide Hills via Hanhdorf for morning tea, then on to our lunch destination at Mt Barker. The roads were superb including the ‘Corkscrew’ and Gorge Roads. Fantastic, spectacular and challenging enough while adhering approximately to the speed limit! ...The dining highlight (a tough call by the way) was dinner at one of Hardys Wines original wine cellars. The ambience of the cellar, the perfect size for our group and the food and wine combinations were beyond reproach. Some photos can be found here: http://www.pcv.com.au/PorscheClubs/pc_victoria/pc_main.nsf/web/A51DC89AC0CAFC31C12575140004D974

Recent Porsche Outings

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-03-24T13:24:25+11:00

After a very disappointing (and unreported) outing in the GT3 at Phillip Island, I went in to my shell and seriously questioned if I wanted to play motor racing, and / or whether I had the requisite talent and cajones.......... Without addressing the last question directly, I decided that another injection of skill wouldn't hurt the ultimate decision-making process. So I enrolled in the John Bowe Advanced Driving Course scheduled at Winton Raceway in mid March. ... The secrets of Winton were always a mystery to me and my track times there were usually timed with a sun dial......... So after a little walking of the corners and some line and gear recommendations I was on course feeling better. That was until my instructor for the day got to sample my talents. ... he indicated that we should return to the pits for a 'chat'. Usually he writes his comments on small library cards but I noticed he took out an A3 pad for me! Shame prevents me listing his 'remarks' verbatim here but needless to say that I had some 'opportunities for improvement'. Having timed my early laps, I am pleased to report that my best lap time improved some six seconds on the day and I thought there was more to come when the driver got a bit tired late in the day. Many thanks to the John Bowe team and in particular to my instructor, Dean Sammut for his courage (!) ...I highly recommend these courses for all wanting to improve their lap times but also to those wishing understand their vehicle better and be generally more skilful road drivers. ...My subsequent outing was at Haunted Hills, a relatively new circuit an hour and a half outside of Melbourne. About 1.5 km around it has challenging uphill and downhill sections, with blind crests and a very smooth fast surface. ...The previous week's training helped my technique and confidence levels immensely and my times were at least respectable.

PCV Tassie Tour - March 2009

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-04-01T13:23:26+11:00

We are just back from a six day driving tour of northern Tasmania with 40 odd, like minded souls in 23 cars from the Porsche Club. ...After some initial lumpiness at sea, a nice dinner and Tassie Riesling was had before we retired to our cabin and rested well for the early arrival in Devonport. A brisk drive across the north via a Raspberry Farm (breakfast) and a seaside resort (lunch) we arrived at the breathtaking Freycinet Peninsula for a two-night stay at the famous Freycinet Lodge at Coles Bay. ...I had packed most of my camera gear expressly for this purpose so with camera, battery packs, lenses and tripod, I set off on the trek up the hill. The summary will record that I made it while the longer version may indicate that I struggled on the 'climb', and needed various 'sherpas' to get my kit to the 'summit'. ...The afternoon consisted of a boat tour around Coles Bay and out to the Tasman Sea to explore various coves, caves and spectacular volcanic outcrops. Afternoon tea was spent in Wineglass Bay as the boat skipper shucked Coles Bay oysters to be washed down with a local 'sparkling' wine. ...Next we were off to Launceston via a couple of Targa Tasmania stages and arriving at Symmons Plains Raceway for a tasty BBQ lunch followed by 'open' track time at Tasmania's premier motor racing circuit. ... I was seriously surprised at how well it went only to be let down by the ancien pilote who couldn't get some braking marks and corners correct. ...The quality of the wines (which was excellent) paled into insignificance compared to the quality of the oratory of 'Richard' who led the wine tasting and was most effusive, ebullient and exuberant regarding the taste and quality of the wine from his establishment. ...After an easy drive back to town, the evening was 'free' and four of us struggled to the Launceston Casino for a buffet dinner at 6PM, and were subsequently tucked up in bed in readiness for the next day at 8.30PM! The next morning we checked out again and queued in formation, ready to sprint off to our luncheon stop at Barnbougle Dunes Golf Club. ... A most pleasant buffet was followed by closing speeches before returning to the Devonport Ferry Terminal again via a couple of Targa Tasmania stages. ...By somebody's reckoning he made mistakes every day but getting 99% of stuff right, 99% of the time seemed a damn fine effort to me. ...But that pales into insignificance at the potential cost of these events when you look around at the vehicles on display - pristine 993S's, mid 80's 911 Speedsters, 997 Turbos, refurbished early 911s, original 911 930 Turbo's and apologies to all whose pride and joys I have omitted.

First impressions - 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-06-01T13:22:04+10:00

We have been giving a lot of thought to our Porsche ownership experience of late and came up with an observation - 'Original Porsches Are Us'. ... But it's 'after market-ness' takes away some of the purity of the Porsche experience and frankly we don't need the auto anymore. ...Something original (un-molested in industry speak), something that maintains some value over time, something with that timeless 911 visage, something that is comfortable for both driver and passenger and something that has more than a modicum of performance. ...Some 118 examples of the 993 Turbo arrived in the country overall and this is an original Hamilton's Melbourne delivery, one of only 14 Turbos delivered in Australia in 1997. Metallic black (schwarz) over slate grey, with leather sports seats, and stainless steel exhaust tips, door sills in steel with model insignia, grey/silver rimmed instruments and carbon fibre gear lever / hand brake accents were added as factory options. ...But visibility is outstanding all round and especially out of the huge near vertical windscreen which appears a lot closer to you than in a 996. The quality of materials used on the interior has an air of bespoke quality and an indestructible feel quite different to the more modern 996/7. The dials and instrumentation are almost jewel-like and I have found myself sitting stationary in the car just staring at the dials.......... I may also have been staring trying to find some ancillary switch gear as the ergonomics of the cabin layout perhaps don't match the quality of the components. ...Allied with the suspension, the car points and tracks magnificently (no tram lining despite the wide rubber) and with the 4WD grip it is a very, very potent touring car. The car does 'crash' over some surface irregularities, feeling a bit agricultural at times to be honest, but it never deviates from the chosen line. The clutch is feather light, thanks to hydraulic assistance of some kind, and the gear change is slightly long, just a tad rubbery but light with a very well defined gate / pattern which makes gear changing painless and enjoyable. ...Now, I am sure that the 996/7 Turbos would do the same thing, certainly quicker, more clinically and more safely with additional driver aids, more airbags etc, but they wouldn't match the sense of theatre and occasion that the 993 series delivers in bucket loads. ...Well, the immobiliser is a bit fussy and takes some getting used to, the black paint won't like our dusty country lane environment much, the large non-adjustable, airbag-equipped steering wheel is hardly a thing of beauty, the windscreen wipers action and 'at rest' position don't do the driver any favours, the HVAC system is from the last century (but the demister is outstanding), use the available performance and the fuel consumption is devastating (doh!), and the life of the rear tyres might be scarily short (doh +1!). ...His attitude and professionalism from initial contact, through pre-purchase inspection to final delivery made the purchase of an expensive, high performance vehicle both a comforting and enjoyable experience.

Porsche Club Regularity

ghumphries@mac.com — 2009-05-17T13:20:38+10:00

Just back home after a very interesting weekend competing at the fantastic Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit. ...The Porsche Club of Victoria were fortunate to be able to get a competition slot at the Shannons GT Nationals event at Phillip Island this weekend to conduct a regularity event. Which simply means you are competing against an average lap time which you believe you can stick to, over 30 minutes, with some 35 other cars (some faster, some slower) on the track at the same time. Yep, I agree, it is a bit of a lottery but sounds like fun anyway. ... Saturday practice was cool and somewhat drying after the usual island weather changes, so you commit to a time based on those conditions. ... Hasty last minute lap time forecast changes and the drivers nervously lined up to tackle the fastest track in Australia. ...Race day in the wet (Photo by Robin Humphries) The good news is that I am writing this report therefore survived the experience and managed a top ten finish (a lottery result, not a test of skill). With intermittent rain, followed by a little bright sunshine & glare and the spray off the wet track, made the conditions challenging and I didn't seem to get much heat in the tyres to get any sort of grip so I was just tippy-toeing around. It was 'fun' with the absolute number of cars not being such a problem as they were well spread out around the approximately 4.45 kilometre circuit. ...As for the rest of the events, other vehicles on the card for the GT Nationals weekend meeting included Porsche GT3 Challenge, GT cars (Lambos, Ferraris, Vipers, Aston Martins), Formula 3 open wheelers and various Holden and Falcon touring cars. ... And, visibly, significant amounts of money being poured into the national economy. ...Some of the fine Porsche Regularity Vehicles Thanks to the organisers, officials, flag marshalls and support folks who make these events happen. Thanks also to Porsche Cars Australia for their hospitality and the constant availability of strong hot coffee in the tent!