August – 2020

Hi NCRCers,

Welcome to the dog days of Summer! Many of you joined us on July 25-26 at Laguna Seca for a rare 103dB day, with drivers unbolting their turnouts and really letting it rip through Turn 5 and up the hill. In addition to the freedom that 103 decibels affords, it was also a perfect Monterey day – warm and sunny with a breeze to cool you off after each stint.

Well, if you thought that 103dBs was fun, NCRC is pleased to announce that we have secured an Unlimited Sound Weekend at Laguna Seca on September 19th and 20th. This is truly unprecedented, as these days are generally reserved for professional events, so we’re extremely proud to be able to offer this weekend to the NCRC family.

The details: We’ll be running five run groups each day, an Open Fast and Open Slow, a Point-By Fast and Point-By Slow, and a single Solo group. We’ll offer four 20 minute sessions for each run group and the weekend will see the return of Bonus Tow for the group that lost the most time on track. Cost is $370 per day or $699 for the weekend! The Open groups can add an extra 30 minute session for an additional fee. As with the most recent weekend at Laguna Seca, camping will be allowed in the paddock at no charge.

As a result of this new and welcome addition to the calendar, we’re moving NCRC’s Thunderhill day from September 18 to Monday November 30th. You can still get your Thunderhill fix on the weekend of August 22-23, with another NCRC weekend extravaganza and the standard five sessions you expect each day. That means a full two days of track time with camping in the paddock on Friday and Saturday nights and all the usual fun.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support of NCRC and our track partners. We’ll continue bringing you the best track days possible and hope to continue seeing you there (from a minimum six-foot distance).

As a reminder here are the Covid-19 special requirements from Laguna Seca:

No pets.
HPDE groups allow only one extra guest per registered vehicle into the paddock.
Name, cell phone number, address, and vehicle license plate will be given to the track before the event.
No on-track passengers.
Here is a PDF link for all Laguna Seca requirements.

Paddock Profiles are brief profiles of NCRC drivers and their vehicles. At events we will be going around and asking if people are interested in being profiled, and if you are, you may find yourself here!

At the recent 103dB weekend at Laguna Seca, there was a 911 with paintwork inspired by the Gulf livery that was constantly turning heads. Owned by David and Cooleen, the 911 was notable for its cleanliness, thoughtful updates and mods, and its roots as a European car.

David purchased the 911 (a 1980 3.0 SC) in France when he was working for a major automaker, but the car was originally sold in Italy. It was restored in France, with David adding what he calls “bitsa” mods that he says might make purists cringe, but they were just right for his aesthetic. The couple enjoyed the 911 during their time in France, before they got jobs in California and made their way to Silicon Valley.

Well, David couldn’t bear to part with the car even with the nightmarish prospect of importing it and getting it approved for life as a California-registered car. So he did what any self-respecting gearhead would do and paid someone else to take care of the difficult bits so he could get back to enjoying the car. After a few months of waiting, the car was in his new driveway in California, and David and Cooleen have wasted no time in acquainting themselves with Northern California’s twisty roads.

On this particular weekend, David and Cooleen were sharing the car, with David running on Saturday and Cooleen taking it out on Sunday. They closed the day out on Sunday with a new appreciation for a world-famous track and the Porsche engineering (and their own preparation) that allowed the 911 to run flawlessly all weekend. We look forward to seeing this special car and its caretakers at the next event.

NCRC’s Social Distancing Policy

The Mentor Program is suspended until the end of the year.
Private in-car instruction is temporarily suspended.
The meetings that will still need to be held in person will be outside as much as possible. Any meeting held indoors, including driving school, will have strict physical social distancing.
Masks are required until further notice. You will not need to wear a mask while driving. If you do not have a mask or face covering you will be required to leave and no refund will be given.
If you are sick, stay home. If you are sick on site, you will be asked to leave and no-refund will be given.
If you are considered at high risk for coronavirus, due to underlying conditions or for any other reason, we strongly recommend staying away from events for the time being.
While overall our sport is solitary in nature, please understand that we cannot guarantee no exposure and we encourage you to practice heightened social distancing and to be mindful of vulnerable individuals after you leave an event.