Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/1404782
33 Spiel – August 2021 us. At the far end of the paddock, I spotted 10-12 BMW E30 race cars in all of their livery. It turns out this was a partnership between AVANTS and the local PRO3 racing group, and they were accepting donations for hot laps around the track with proceeds going to Children's Hospital. As they lined up to hit the track, I caught a glimpse or our own PNWR Chief Driving Instructor, Paul Blake, joining the lineup to give a charitable donor a few laps in his GT3 along with the PRO3 cars. Next, attention turned to the cacophony of sound created when the Tyrrell 008/3 Formula One car fired up its 10-cylinder engine and took to the track for some demonstration laps for the crowd. This was the car that took P1 at the 1978 Monaco Gran Prix! As I wandered around, I was struck by the number of families, many with young kids in tow. It was neat to see the multi-generational aspect and the smiles on the faces of the kids (and their parents) as they shared their passion for all things motoring. There was a tent where they were handing out free Hot Wheels cars to the kids, vendor booths from many of the AVANTS partners, food trucks, a "Kids Zone" with face painting and balloons, off-road activities, parade laps, and a DJ pumping out the latest hits – something for everyone. Oh, and did I mention they also partnered with ProFormance Racing School to offer high performance lapping sessions for experienced drivers? You can bet I signed up and participated in that. I found myself on track with a MINI Cooper GP2, Mustang 500 GT, Factory 5 Cobra, and a Lotus Evora, to mention a few. Just like AVANTS says… "drive everything," and drive everything they did! Speaking of driving everything, I was pretty much able to see everything Porsche as well. As I noted earlier, there was a tremendous turnout from the local Porsche community. I'm confident that there were at least 40-50 Porsches in attendance including a beautiful Singer Design air-cooled 911, several Cayenne "Overlanders," a RUF slant nose 911, and a beautiful 911T, just too name a few. Many Porsche drivers were fellow PNWR PCA members, but I also met many others who were not yet members of our local PCA community. I found it to be a great opportunity to introduce myself and share with other Porsche enthusiasts what our club and community has to offer. It turned out to be a fantastic event, and it certainly made a statement as to the health and vigor of the car enthusiast community in the Pacific Northwest.