Who runs PCGB?

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944/68

Original Poster:

332 posts

257 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
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As a few may know I have 944 c/w 968 engine/gearbox, last year I did few rounds in the Porsche Open, but found the car to be under powered, so we supercharged it. It now has near perfect Bhp/Kg (3.52bhp/kg with driver) for class 3, so I thought I'd phone the powers that be to see if it was all alright to run the car (already mutterings about the car being to fast) - "we'll have to think about it". More phone calls/face to face talks - "still thinking", I know, I'll send the cheque/registration form, that'll get things moving - 3wks later and the cheques not cashed and still no decision. Now I'm pi55ed off, should have just bought a 993 racecar instead, doesn't even matter if it meets the regs, that'll be allowed.
I now feel this issue has nothing to do with right and wrong, its which car crosses the line first and what image it creates, Does this affect PCGB - no, does it affect Porsche GB - you tell me

Paul

HermanTheGerman

228 posts

267 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
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Sorry to hear this Paul.

What is their official objection or haven't they told you ?

944/68

Original Poster:

332 posts

257 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
"still thinking"

dazren

22,612 posts

262 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
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How can they call it the Porsche Open, when for reasons "not yet thought of" they appear to want to stop a 968 or probably all non-911 porsches from entering an Open series. This absolutely bloody stinks. As far as I was aware, it is a club owned and run for the benefit of the members.

I can only hypothesise that perhaps a certain importer who has perhaps hijacked the higher level PCGB race series is keen that those teams who have compulsarily bought the latest GT3R cars have got a good market for their now obsolete cars. Hypothetically speaking I would guess if you just bought one of these cars they'd be accepting you application to rejoin the open series by return.

Sculldugery of the lowest order. How can they treat their own active racing membership with such contempt. It is in complete contradiction to my own dealings with the club.

I am now considering wether to bother rejoining PCGB at renewal.

DAZ

PS I watched the Open series at Mallory, Brands and Oulton Park last year.

>> Edited by dazren (moderator) on Thursday 8th May 16:09

944/68

Original Poster:

332 posts

257 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
Daz
Was Mallory wet or what?, did that on slicks!
Brands, didnt go, Oulton, best forgotten

Paul

dazren

22,612 posts

262 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
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Frequent mini monsoons from memory. My mate who was racing spun off at 100+.

Still at least he had a covered trailer with garden chairs inside.

DAZ

MauriceC2S

230 posts

256 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
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I had a 'chat' with Porsche club's Motorsport tsar at Prescott on Sunday as I'm interested in doing the Speed champs - looking at the range of cars there it was hard to see any logic in the rules. There is a Production category, but you compete against all cars in your 'horsepower' class - the only differentiator is that you are not required to have a roll cage, and the car cannot be stripped down. So competing in your road car is not encouraged, or pretty daft. Some entries, like a 968 engined 924 weighing 800 kg, still run in the original category, even tho' they must have double or triple the original power! I guess you have to be a mate of someone .....

I also brought up the 'feedback' I had received on the Feb Bruntingthorpe bash through both Register and Regional channels - it amounted to being 'warned off'! It soon became apparent (the same phrases kept popping up!) that I was in audience with the source, who was extremely dismissive of runway days, spreading fud about insurance, and protective about the clubs track day program (which presumably pays his salary). I countered that there was no clash in February, and that many people wanted to experience driving their cars at high velocities in relative safety, and at small relative cost ..

In short the upshotwas that there was no way a Bruntingthorpe day, or anything not organised through the proper channels, would get club sanction as an official event.

The club also seems to be uninterested in using its own purchasing power in the interests of the members, both with the prices of track days or discount schemes from suppliers. If they are going to charge full commercial rates for the days, members ought to get some payback in the form of tuition or the like - but please, not a pig roast! :-( Porsche Club in US seems to take a very different attitude, with instructed track days, discount schemes, technical articles in regional magazines etc etc.

Rant mode off - Cheers, Maurice

dazren

22,612 posts

262 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
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I think I may have to bring a class action against PCGB on behalf of members who can't fit in their cars wearing helmets and are thus precluded from the club trackdays.

DAZ

diver944

1,843 posts

277 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
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Paul I have posted a question about your car on the PCGB forum on the Bruntingthorpe post. I know a few of the directors are using it regularly, though not the motorsports guy, and they actually do seem to be listening to the members points of view. I know lots of the 944 register members are extremely interested in your supercharged beastie.

I was at that soaking Mallory Park also. There were some very intersting races, but the horror of that Le Mans Xk220 stuffing it into the barrier will be my lasting memory

937carrera

31 posts

252 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
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Seems a little strange to me, assuming you are not too far away why not go along to Silverstone on Sunday (11th) & ask the guy face to face ?

944/68

Original Poster:

332 posts

257 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
David
Went to Three Sisters a bit back to see SK (already phoned 3-4 times since Feb.), I was told he'd think about it, phoned the other day and I'am still waiting for the return call
Paul

rubystone

11,254 posts

260 months

Friday 9th May 2003
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What pi$$es me off is that the club does indeed charge the commercial rate for track days. I've heard arguments that the prices are high per car because the club has sacrificed numbers for quality - fair enough if that is the case - but £125 for a 2 20 minute session evening on Brands Indy - Get Real. I did a whole day there recently for £79 - organised by Easytrack as well, sessions in the morning, open pitlane from 11am. The simple act of joining SELOC or even the WSCC will get you access to cheaper track days - Oulton for £79 thru WSCC ISTR, so why does PCGB charge what amounts to RMA rates for their track days?

Does Steve Kevlin still run the motorsport side of PCGB? Always seemed an approachable decent bloke to me...

rubystone

11,254 posts

260 months

Friday 9th May 2003
quotequote all
Oh and another thing...the club in the past has actively discouraged people from organising events which conflict with their own - eg regional visits to the factory at an 8th of the cost of the club version. This policy may now have changed of course...