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PCA Parade 2007 - San Diego CA.

San Diego CA

The PCA Registry meets in Southern California

by: Keith V of CA


PCA Parades in general

For those of you who have never attended a Porsche Club of America Parade - you're probably wondering what all the fuss is about.

The most common reaction to PCA Parade from non-attendees is “I don't have time to spend a whole week messing around with my Porsche with a bunch of people I don't know.” Well ..... simply put, you really don't know what you are missing.

I'm pretty sure that you must have heard by now, from people who have attended, that it really is a lot of fun. How much fun? Well that depends to a large degree on you and how much you are a prepared to give things a try. If you do decide to go to Parade, then I recommend that you attend as many events as you can. In a nutshell PCA Parade consists of a multiplicity of things to do and there simply isn't time to attend all great things that go on.

There are many special events at each Parade with the local hosting region giving attendees a flavor of how things are done in that locale, but the five major competitive events consitently at every Parade can be summarized as follows:

Autocrossing RSAs at parade-07
Some (not all) of the RSAs in the Porsche Paddock on Concours day at PCA Parade 2007 - San Diego.
  • Concours:
    This is where show Porsches come together from all over the USA to go on display and be judged for cleanliness and originality. Normally there is also a Historic display of significant Porsches from the local area - this ranges from rare example (e.g. Gmund 356, 904's, 550 Spyders or prototype cars) to exotic historic racecars (e.g. Le Mans winners). There is also usually a Porsche Paddock which is a reserved parking area for PCA members cars grouped by model and on display but not judged.

  • Rally:
    This is a Time/Speed/Distance event where several hundred Porsches set off at one minute intervals - each with a very concise set of instructions to follow a specific route through the surrounding countryside. Along the route are manned checkpoints which, if you are following the instructions carefully, you will arrive at at a specific time. Your arrival time is recorded and points are awarded for being either early or late - i.e. varying from the ideal time. Logically then, in this event ... points are bad! The driver/navigatior team with the lowest points wins. This is significantly more fun than it sounds in this description, and is a really good way to drive some of the locals favorite roads.
Autocrossing RSAs at parade-07
The RSAs that swept class P10 at the 2007 Parade autocross.
  • Autocross:
    This is where you get a chance to drive your Porsche on a course marked out with cones, in a class of Porsches similar to your own, with only one car going at a time, against the clock. Personally I think this is one of the most fun thngs to do at Parade.

  • Tech Quiz:
    This ia a written quiz with multiple choice questions with classes based on the various models of Porsche. This is a chance to demonstrate your knowledge of your Porsche.

You have probably attended some PCA events in your local region - some of which are more enjoyable than others, but if you go with an attitude of “what the heck ... let's give it a try and see what everyone raves about” you will be surprised how many interesting people you will meet and how many fun things are offered. This approach pays off in spades at a PCA Parade.

PCA Regions hosting Parade go to a great deal of trouble to ensure that there are many activities to suit as broad an attendee base as possible - whether you are a full-on track racer, a concours clean freak, a competitive rallyist or a first-timer who just likes to cruise and drive his or her Porsche in a relaxed non-competitive environment. Most Regions focus on giving you a sample of the local area whether it be recipes and food, lifestyle, scenery, culture or a mix of all of the above.

Examples of memorable moments from 2007 Parade include piloting your Porsche through some of the twistiest backroads in San Diego county on a guided tour; having a day at the beach with fun and games plus a barbecue in warm, sunny 85 degree weather with a chrystal clear bue sky and a cool breeze; seeing all the shows at Sea World then having a great banquet and finishing the evening off with a incredible firework display; having the Victory banquet on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier amongst fighter jets and hlicopters on a warm balmy summers evening.

Each Parade has a different flavor, but at all of them truly memorable, pleasurable experiences abound. If you enjoy Porsches, meeting people with similar interests and exploring new areas and activities ..... you owe it to yourself to give Parade a try.

San Diego 2007

And so to San Diego ... as usual the weather didn't disappoint. The whole week of parade the temperature never went below 75 or above 85 degrees .... yes ... even at night. The sun shone, a gentle breeze blew and around 1,100 Porsches descended on the Mission Valley Hotel that was Parade headquarters. From the welcome committee tent to the farewell breakfast a week later, there were just too many fun things to do. To get the most out of any PCA Parade you have to be a master of compromise as there is quite simply, too much cool “stuff” to do every day.

I have not written pages of text about Parade '07 - if you were there you already know what went on, and if you weren't ... I have decided a few summary sentences and carefully chosen captions to a bunch of pictures should adequately tell the tale.

HINT: Don't forget to let your cursor “hover” over any image on this site -
there is often a pop-up window offering more data on what you are viewing in the picture.

Concours

Registry members form an impressive RS America corral.

The Registry was well represented at Parade '07 autocross with five drivers competing in four cars and all being unbeaten by non in their class. For 2007 they proved to be a dominating their class.

Did you notice the two 993 Targas front & center with their special edition wheels & glass roof
A small portion of the largest Parade Paddock to date with over 860 Porsches.

Autocross

Registry members dominate the national autocross class P-10.

The Registry was well represented at Parade '07 autocross with five drivers competing in four cars and all being unbeaten by non in their class. For 2007 they proved to be a dominating their class.

RSAs in formation after the Parade Autocross.
Autocrossers (L to R) Jim B of CA, Fred S of TX, Keith V of CA, Larry S of CA and Brent K of WA after Parade Autocross.

REMINDER - if a registry member's name is in blue text and underlined - click on it to view their web page.

the tension mounts ...
All four RSAs are visible in this shot of the pit area before the autocross began - from L to R -
FLY #042 - Keith V, Grand Prix White #173 - Fred S, GPW #312 Larry S (partially obscured behind blue 996 GT3) and GPW #092 Brent K

the tension mounts ...
All three Grand Prix White RSAs are visible in this shot with two in the single driver line -
and Brent K helping Christine get set up into their car in the multi-driver line to the right.


the tension mounts ...
Larry S of CA negotiating bribery fees with a timing official ...
... just kidding Larry!!


Fred S of TX giving his <strong>RSA</strong> a thorough workout.
#173 Fred S of TX givng his RSA a thorough work out ... earning him fourth place ahead of all other non-RSAs in class P-10.

Fred S of TX giving his <strong>RSA</strong> a thorough workout.
#042 Keith V of CA ... getting third place.

Larry S of givng it all he's got.
#312 Larry S of CA demonstrating his superb autocrossing skills ... and earning second place.

Brent "Hotshoe" K of WA driving it like he stole it.
#092 Brent "Hotshoe" K of WA seen here up on three wheels, came sliding across the finish line completely sideways to win class P-10 !

Brent "Hotshoe" K of WA driving it like he stole it.
#092a Christine R of WA driving like a woman possessed ... to win class P-10L !

San Diego <strong>RSA</strong> owner Jim B of CA joins the group.
Jim B of CA and his guards red RSA joins the four Parade autocross competitors for an RSAmerica Registry group photo.

  • owners at the awards banquet.

The awards banquet was held at Sea World - which was the second time a PCA Parade banquet was set in this location, the first time being in 1977 where the US debut of a new Porsche model was introduced ... any guesses as to which model? Not fair if you were at that Parade - but ... if you weren't, a clue would be ... two weeks after September 14th - a couple of minutes before half past nine. Parade goers got to enjoy a pass into Sea World, an awards ceremony and a close up look at he 4th July fireworks.

The following are images of the Autocross award winners who were driving RS Americas

Bent K receiving his 1st place award for Class P-10.

Christine R of WA receiving her 1st place award for Class P10L.

So now you know who the two "smilers" are ... and the reason they're smiling is because they each won a national 1st place Autocross trophy in their RSA .

Larry S receiving his 2nd place award for Class P-10.

Keith V receiving his 3rd place award for Class P10.

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