From DER Prez

by Don McGilvery, aka NINE44T

As you peruse this issue of PORSCHEFORME, you'll quickly see that Down East Region members are enjoying their cars and their club in many ways.

Our 2000 season started (or 1999 ended, if you wish) with our annual DER Banquet. This year's event visited the Sea Dog Pub and Restaurant in South Portland. Guest speaker was Doug Pohl, whose incredibly time-consuming and challenging construction of his own experimental aircraft makes a 911 engine rebuild look like a Sunday afternoon tea party. We were also pleased to give our 1999 Member of the Year award to newsletter editor Dave Getchell for his outstanding contributions to the club and his continued enthusiasm for the Porsche marque since joining a couple of years back. Thanks again, Dave.

April brought our annual open house at Morong Falmouth, our only in-state Porsche dealer and long-term supporter of our club. All day, DER members swung by in their 911s, 944s, 928s and 914s to grab a cup of coffee, meet old and new friends, and generally use the day as a perfect excuse to haul the P-car out of storage, maybe give it a quick cleaning, and most importantly, take it for a ride.

In May we held two quite different events on consecutive days. On Saturday the 20th we ran the second annual Midcoast Mountains Ramble to the Camden area. Our gathered group included 13 cars and 21 members who enjoyed an outstanding day; see the full report later in this issue for details. On Sunday, 17 club cars and several non-member Porsches exhibited at the Bonny Eagle Car Show in Buxton. Maine's largest auto show typically features some 1500 muscle cars, trucks, street rods, and sports cars. DER is very fortunate to have established our own "Porsche corral," at one of the highest-profile parking spots of the entire event. I encourage you all to put this event on your calendar for next year - it's truly special for anyone who enjoys the world of 4-wheeled transportation.

DER trackies have been active at several Driver Education events throughout the Northeast including the Zone One event held at Watkins Glen at the end of May. Dave Getchell participated in the Zone One Concours at Lake Placid New York. I have enjoyed my new challenges as a Driver Education Instructor, attending 4 events thus far and heading to Mosport, near Toronto, Canada, with Sally Sprafka, Russ Radcliffe, and Scott Bloom to attend a three-day advanced driver's course and Club Race weekend put on by the Upper Canada Region.

Upcoming club events include the Ice Cream Run in June and our annual BBQ/Fun Concours at Chez Smith in Yarmouth in August. Fall brings the Oktoberfest Fall Tour in Brunswick and our DER Time Trial at Oxford Plains Speedway. So get your car out, find an event or just a destination, and share your experiences with fellow club members. As always, if you have an idea for an event let us know, we're always ready to help set up and run an event. As you can see we have substantial experience and varied interests. Hope to see you all out there on the road somewhere!

Don

Top of Page