Porsche Club of America Reception Behind the Scenes

Today we have a guest blogger:  Roy Lock of the PCA Zone 8 (Porsche Club of America)...

Celebrating 60 Years Of Porsche Passion In America; PCA Zone 8 Reception
One afternoon, Lennie Yee called with a simple request. I thought it would be easy to honor. However, the more I thought about it, the more I saw a larger scope of what needed to be done. The original request was to ask Dan Lelchuk (President of StopTech and Centric Parts) if he could bring Dino’s 2010 StopTech GT3 Cup Car (CEO of StopTech and Centric Parts) for a display. Previously, Michael Dolphin had asked Pacific Porsche to host a reception for PCA Executives who were in town for meetings. Additionally, they wanted meet Zone 8 members. Members from Porsche AG, also in town for the Los Angeles Auto Show were also going to be in attendance for the meetings.

In my crazed way of thinking, I cannot have just one car. Thus began

10 days of nonstop planning for a memorable display to support Lennie, Michael, and Zone 8. Prior to this, Lennie had told me that he was making it a theme reception; “Celebrating 60 Years of Passion in America.” My mad quest began to find examples of Porsche racing heritage that exemplified those 60 years of passion.

However, I had to put “My” maniacal twist to this display. I knew within the Grand Prix Region of PCA we had many very nice examples for the display. That was going to be the basis of my theme; Porsche race cars from Grand Prix Region members. Most importantly, I wanted no clone cars; they all had to be original examples. No small task.

I did a quick mental check of my Rolodex of friends and cars within the Grand Prix Region. I knew I could depend on friends to help. Wayne Dempsey of Pelican Parts came forward with his 962, Dan Lelchuk and Dino Crescentini with Dino’s 2010 StopTech GT3 Cup Car, Bruce Brown and Rob Curry with Rob’s 2009 and 2010 La Carrera Panamericana class winning ’62 Jiffy Lube 356 Rally Coupe, Rolly Resos with his 62 Carrera 2 Coupe, and Marc Bixen and Ernie Becker’s Redline Technik stunning historic ’73 Martini 2.8 RSR. Others had offered to help with display cars, but the rain had dampened those plans. All in all, it was a very nice line up of cars.

Lennie and Michael gave me free reign to gather the cars and setup the display. I had 10 days to pull this off. I believe we did not disappoint anyone. The event was extremely well attended with well over 200 guests coming out on a rainy SoCal night. Every guest went home happy as Pacific Porsche gave away themed gift bags to all who attended.

Here are some of my pictures of the cars.

Marc Bixen and Lennie Yee positioning the RSR. This car is very unique. It has an impressive race history. It is restored by the current owner to 2.8 RSR specs. The tub started its life as a 1973 2.8 RSR. It was converted into the 2.1 liter Turbo prototype, thus it is THE first Porsche turbo ever produced; racing or production. The current owner decided to restore it as a 2.8 RSR.  I love that duck tail. The Martini colors are the original race colors.

Steve Ruiz (StopTech Director of Engineering) and son Andrew positioning Dino’s StopTech GT3 Cup Car.

Rolly’s very nice concours winning 1962 Carrera 2 Coupe in great company

Wayne’s 962 /  Bruce and Rob’s Jiffy Lube Special ’62 356 Rally Coupe / Dan and Dino’s 2010 StopTech 911 GT3 Cup Car

The display was well presented. All the cars were arranged in a loose circle to allow guests to wander around the cars freely and take pictures as well as get a close up look. It was stunning. The guests were amazed when told all the display cars came from Grand Prix Region member’s collections.

Here are some pictures of the individual cars.

  

When it ended, Lennie, Michael and I collapsed from emotional as well as physical exhaustion. We pulled it off. Everyone was happy as we had worked as a team and pulled it off.

When the cars were being loaded into their trailers to be transported home, I saw the opportunity for this photograph. I could only wish in my dreams that this is my garage with my toys. Maybe Santa will be good to me this year.

Again thanks to all my friends who supported the event by supporting the display and all those who came out on a rainy night.

JC Meynet Champions and Sets Track Record in 2010

It's been a helluva year for JC Meynet and AQ Motorsports in the 2010 Time Attack Series, especially at the SuperLap Battle at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.  JC (real name Jean-Charles) races on StopTech brakes.  Here is recap of the year from his newsletter...

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In the world of car racing, F1 has Monte Carlo, Nascar has Daytona, Indycar has Indianapolis, and Time Attack has Superlap Battle at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Every November for the past six years Buttonwillow has been the place to be in the world of Time Attack racing. Teams from all over the USA and even overseas are invited to come race this event in order to settle the age old debate of who has the fastest Time Attack car/team/driver in the world. The classes are broken down into Unlimited, Limited (Modified), and Street classes and then further broken down by driveline configuration (front, rear, or all-wheel-drive). The goal of Time Attack is to crank out the fastest lap on an open track without strategic considerations other than simply going as fast as possible over a single timed lap (much like F1 qualifying or Drag Racing with turns thrown in). Superlap Battle Time Attack cars are the fastest production based cars in the world and do so on street legal tires.

With many wins, track records, and several championships to our credit, JC Meynet and team fully recognize the need to be successful at Superlap Battle as a win here makes a huge statement and carries a lot of momentum into the off-season. Although we were undefeated in the Redline 2008 Street Class National Championship, we came up a little short that year at Superlap Battle with our only loss of the season (3rd place) even though we still lapped under the previous record. 2009 saw us in Limited (Modified) class and in spite of a very successful season and again lapping under the existing track record, we again only managed another 3rd place due to the heavy competition. On a side note, we did win last year's Limited RWD class in the AQ/Novak Honda S2000.

This year, we really had our game faces on while contending many hurdles and controversies. We are happy to come away with not only a class win but also a new all time track record for the Limited/Modified class, besting the old Superlap Battle record by about 1.5 seconds, a relative eternity in the world of road racing. Our race this year went off without many hitches thanks to the intensive preparation and hard work from our team and sponsors. We did our usual practice sessions and adjustments to get some recent changes working properly and then managed to nail our opening lap with a Championship/record winning 1:48.5 lap time around Buttonwillow's 2.5 mile track (the usual 13CW configuration). For reference, our lap time puts us in 4th overall for this event against all the Unlimited class cars (on slicks) and would have been 2nd overall behind the legendary HKS Cyber Evo car just two years ago. We would have been the flat out overall winners just 4 years ago (and this is with our car being completely Ltd/Mod class legal on full treaded tires, not slicks!). The art of Time Attack has really come a long way in recent years and we are proud to be one of the cutting edge teams. Our stiff competition this year included several high dollar teams, former Time Attack champions/record holders, Grand Am Champions/competitors, and some grassroots teams like ourselves who are doing a lot with very limited budgets. It's exciting to note that the Unlimited, Limited, and Street classes all had their records smashed this year as well as some of the subclasses. It's exciting to be part of this ambitious group of successful racers.

As a bonus to the Superlap Battle competition, JC was invited to drive EDO Performance's black 2010 Subaru STI in the Subaru v Mitsubishi Modified Magazine Shootout. Although the car was set up similar to an Enthisiast class car, JC was able to click off some decent lap times (2:02, good for 2nd place in class at the last Enthusiast class Time Attack race held at this track) that helped the Subarus collectively win the overall over the Mitsubishis. Always fun to do these special feature events. A special thanks to EDO/Tomioka Racing/M7Japan for covering our entry fee for Superlap Battle this year.

Our decisive and undisputed win and record at Superlap Battle this year represents more than just a single fast lap, that was the easy part. The hard parts this year had more to do with our own relentless pursuit to be faster yet more reliable while also contending with yet another new organization incorporating an ever changing and self serving agenda (what doesn't kill us just makes us stronger!). Fortunately, we still have many excellent places to compete in Time Attack competition such as Superlap Battle, Speedventures, UMS, GTA, GTGP, NASA, and others as well as some select magazine events.

We will definitely enjoy the fruits of our labor with this Superlap Battle win/record. However, the off season is only about 4 months long and next year will come faster than ever. Time Attack is about setting records and then working hard to beat them, even if it's our own record we are often targeting. At nearly 700whp (about 800HP at the engine) we are close to our horsepower target but at almost 3000lbs, we definitely need to lose some weight. Another important area that will be improved on is our already decent aerodynamics that can always be better. As one of the premier benchmark teams in Time Attack competition, we plan on continuing our winning ways, developing an even more competitive race program, and doing so while maintaining the highest levels of integrity in all areas.

2010 record: 2 Championships (Superlap Battle and SpeedVentures), 7 wins, 7 records, 1 DNF.

Career record since 2007: 37 class wins, 33 track records, 4 championships, over 90% win record for 4 years (best in TA), Fastest Subaru in 41 of 44 races (100% fastest in class), always raced legally....

New Video Reveals What Brakes Are Best for Trucks and SUVs

The latest installment of StopTech's BRAKE DECISIONS series is out.  This one minute video nugget of information discusses what type of brakes you need if you have a truck or SUV that perhaps does a little towing (if you are lucky enough to have a cool Snowmobile, Waverunner, etc) or some hauling. 

The driving profile of your ride changes significantly when you drag something behind you so check it out...



You can catch the rest of the Brake Decisions series, including the answer to the burning question "should I get drilled or slotted rotors?" at www.YouTube.com/CentricParts along with other videos from the StopTech library.

Remember to Set Your Parking Brake or You Will End up like This Guy

Just a reminder from Centric Parts and StopTech to always set your parking brake, or this could be you...



We wonder what he told his friends and family when he got home!

SEMA Day 3 Recap - Trophy Kits, Farewell to Booth Truck and more

The news of the day 3 at SEMA was the announcement that StopTech Trophy Sport Big Brake Kits, which were rolled out at SEMA 2009 for a limited number for applications, are now available for the over 700 platforms that StopTech’s traditional BBKs are available for. 

The Trophy Sport Big Brake Kit is a street-friendly version of the company’s race-winning, track-only Trophy Big Brake Kit.  Only a few modifications separate the StopTech Trophy Sport Big Brake Kit from the Trophy Big Brake Kit, which premiered at the start of the 2009 race season and has since helped drivers capture checkered flags and set records on tracks across the country.

StopTech’s Trophy Sport Big Brake Kits can perform under heavy track day conditions, but can still be driven as daily transportation without the increased maintenance requirements associated with dedicated racing components.

At the end of day 3, the StopTech crew had to say good-bye to the Speed Technologies Unlimited 2 class off road racing vehicle on that had been a resident of the booth all week.  This surprisingly wide vehicle is heading across town to be piloted by Jeff Ward in the next stop of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series this weekend.  The truck sports StopTech Off-Road Big Brake Kits based on the Trophy Big Brake Kit design with additional features added for off-road use to deliver stopping performance in harsh off road environments.

The Identify This Car SEMA Challenge continued over at www.Facebook.com/StopTech.  Eliot E kept his firm grip on the lead while no clear candidate for runner up has emerged yet.  Players will be tasked with identifying the make and model of cars parked on the SEMA exhibit from a single close up photo.  Several rounds are planned for Day 4 so it might be a photo finish!

Day 2 at SEMA: Cool Brakes and Hot Cars plus Touring BBKs debut

Day 2 of SEMA 2010 brought the big news about a whole new line of Big Brake Kits from StopTech.  The company’s new Touring Big Brake Kits deliver StopTech performance and innovation at an entry level price.  You can read the full press release on the Centric Parts site.

These kits combine StopTech’s legendary, patented, colored ST-40 four piston with a one piece performance rotor enhanced with Power Alloy for improved stopping power and superior resistance to cracking in performance driving situations.  A set of StopTech street performance brake pads and other extras round out the package.  These kits are a perfect upgrade on a budget.

The Identify This Car SEMA Challenge continues with StopTech’s  Facebook fans racing to identify the make and model of varios cars from a close up photo of one vehicle detail.  Eliot E bolted ahead of the pack during the day, so we have added a present that will go to the runner up.  Jump in and have fun at www.facebook.com/stoptech.

Day 2 also saw many of the StopTech equipped vehicle on the exhibit floor grab some media attention.

The star of the show appears to be the new Honda CR-Z.  Motor Trend, Inside Line, Auto Guide and more stopped by the Honda booth to profile the CR-Zs there.  It so happens that StopTech’s Big Brake Kit for the CR-Z was just named Best Performance Product of 2010, so as expected a few cars at the Honda booth are sporting StopTech logos on the brakes.  Other have Honda’s HPD brakes on them.  We wonder who designed and engineered those?  ;-) 

Check out the links…

Auto Guide looks at CR-Z

Inside Line and the CR-Z

Three from Motor Trend... Post 1,  Post 2,  Post 3

Mazdaspeed used a slotted StopTech Stage 2 Kit with StopTech pads on its 16-in-wheel MX-5 and got the attention of Inside Line and Car and Driver.

This Mazda3 sedan from SEMA 2009 was shown again, as well as Tri-Point’s Redline Time Attack Mazda3, featuring StopTech brakes. Motor Trend was all over it with this post plus this post.

Auto Guide also took a look at this cool Lexus CT200h with StopTech brakes repainted as F-Sport by the builder.

Stay tuned for another update tomorrow, featuring the third and final announcement from Centric Parts and StopTech for SEMA 2010.

Big First Day of SEMA/AAPEX 2010 for Centric Parts and StopTech

Day one of the 2010 SEMA / AAPEX exhibition and trade shows in Las Vegas has come to a close.

Three announcements were planned for Centric Parts and StopTech this week, and day one brought the big news that Centric Parts is rolling out a brake program for fleets. This sweeping move has put the company in a position to claim the title of the most comprehensive aftermarket company, now providing a wide range of brake solutions to an encompassing lineup of vehicles from daily drives to armored cars to production race cars.

StopTech had an award winning day. The StopTech big brake kit for the new Honda CR-Z was named the import product of year at AAPEX by the Auto International Association (AIA). The company was praised not only for the performance and quality of these Big Brake Kits, but also for StopTech’s ability to get aftermarket products for brand new production vehicles like the Honda CR-Z into the market so quickly and efficiently.

The StopTech Facebook page kicked off a fun SEMA-themed game for the week. Close up pictures of a single feature on cars exhibited on the SEMA floor were posted. A point is awarded to the first person to correctly provide the make and model of the car, like the Mini Cooper pictured here.

Eliot E emerged from the day with the lead, scoring on 4 of the 9 posted pictures. With many more planned for the rest of the week, there is plenty of opportunity to either catch up to him or just cop block him from running away with the whole thing. Hopping on StopTech’s Twitter page will give a few early heads up on the photos for the rest of the week.

The StopTech video production team will be up late putting together some videos from the show floor. Keep an eye out for those tonight or possibly tomorrow on the company YouTube channel.

Wednesday will bring a big announcement from StopTech – a whole new line of Big Brake Kits. Stay tuned for this and other goings-on from the automotive aftermarket industry’s big week in Las Vegas!