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15th Oct 2017

The Early Morning Run to Forrest

Although we may have stretched the envelope for members outside Geelong, the uncivilised start of 7am for a 7.30am departure on a clear Sunday morning still proved popular with 17 members & guests arriving in 11 cars at the meeting point. A healthy number of 5 Turbos in the mix.

This run was formatted specifically with the driver in mind – some long stretches of open country road gently lead into the undulating, curvy roads of the Otway Forest around Kawarren and Gellibrand. These roads condense incredibly on the Beech Forest Lavers Hill Rd, and then open up again with a nice stretch of open windy roads to Forrest.

A check-run earlier in October uncovered a 4km stretch of road-works, which Margaret was able to detour using some excellent country lanes. But your check-run is only as good as fate will allow, as we were soon to see outside Gellibrand. As we moved into the Otway Forest, a small stretch of road had sunk into the hillside, fortunately leaving just enough bitumen behind to allow us to pass….phew! (see pictures).

We were made most welcome by Brad, Sharon & staff at the Forrest Brewery. Great coffee, a hearty breakfast and clean country air made our visit a delight. Two lots of 4 bottles of Forrest Brewery beer were raffled-off, with Richard Henley drawing his own ticket (to howls of protest!) and then Michelle’s ticket.

A gathering in the sunshine gave members a chance to discuss the possibility of the drive to Apollo Bay, or a visit to the Birregurra Fair, just down the road.  

Thanks to all participants for making this event such a success.

Click Here for Photo Gallery

 

Run to Arthurs Seat and the Green Olive at Red Hill

6th August 2017

Oh what a dreary day of weather predicted, but if there is one thing that the Bureau of Meteorology does get right, it’s the ability to get the weather forecast wrong. Alright, it wasn’t all sunshine – we got our fair share, but it wasn’t howling, thundering or hailing either.

We had a tremendous turn-out of 8 Turbo’s out of the 16 cars attending… including a 993 Turbo (the first I’ve seen on a Turbo Register run for a year). An excellent spread of models and colours made a wonderful sight, not to mention the arrival of the Boxster/Cayman register to the same venue which added to the spectacle.

A few members took a ride on The Eagle (chairlift) with some members opting for a one-way trip so that they could be ‘ferried’ back to the top of Arthurs Seat in a Porsche that they didn’t arrive in.

Lunch at the Green Olive at Red Hill was a fantastically relaxed affair. Plates of tapas across the two tables, excellent wine and a great dessert & coffee.

Congratulations to our raffle winners Jane Hallam and Helena Moon…. and thanks to our Porsche ferry drivers.

Photos attached.                     ….and until the next run in October, keep those turbo’s spoolin’    

 

    

 

Further to the photos above, Nathan Stirling and Nick Lankester have generously furnished links to the photographs that they took on Sunday morning. These are very high quality photographs, so a big ‘thank-you’ to Nathan and Nick for the effort and contribution. Click on the links below and enjoy the spectacle.

Nathan Stirling :   https://1drv.ms/f/s!Akia__MMX5hJhxS6td3pWI1icHW2

Nick Lankester :   https://www.flickr.com/photos/153522272@N02/with/35653140743/

 

Early Morning Run to Yea.

Our early morning run to Yea on the 21st of May was a tremendous success. With 27 members and guests taking part in a fantastic  early-morning drive through the countryside and meeting at the Yea Emporium for a wholesome country breakfast and get-together.

We welcomed new member Rohan Cooray & his guest Vivian (whom came all the way from Oman for the event).

A gorgeous range of Porsches made the run-list, including 7 Turbos, Boxter’s, Carrera’s , Caymans and a modern GT3RS. Although the sunny start soon turned a little foggy, that only added to the beauty of the country views.

These events draw participants with such a broad range of interests (both within & outside the club) that conversations buzz along above the clatter of cutlery and coffee cups only ever to be interrupted by the calling of a raffle! …Oh, and the winner was Stephen Lofthouse.

Thank-you to all whom attended, you made it a wonderful morning. Enjoy the photos.

……keep those turbo’s spoolin’

Click Here for Image Gallery

 

The final run of the year for the Turbo Register.

The final run of the year saw the GT3 & Turbo Registers combined for an early morning run to the Forrest Brewery. A total of 11 cars, including two GT3’s and three Turbo’s, (rounded out with a range of Carrera’s and Caymans), with 19 members in attendance. A brilliant turn-out considering the 7am start, and two other club events competing for members on the same day.

All members arrived promptly, with the mild temperature keeping everyone in good spirits. The drive consisted of some great open-country roads to get us started, then once the rhythm settled, we got into the windy roads through Kawarren and Gellibrand and then the ‘even-windier’ roads through Beech Forrest. …and It was virtually a traffic-free morning just to cap-it-off.

We arrived at the Forrest Brewery at about 9.30am, parked in our designated area and were treated to a marvellous hot breakfast. Conversation and laughter emanating from our section of the cafe confirmed we were all having a great morning.

John Orchard (Turbo register, yippee!) won the raffle-draw and as a result had 12 bottles of Forrests finest craft beer accompany him home.

A fantastic way to spend a Sunday morning. Thank-you to everyone whom attended.

Click Here for Image Gallery

Turbo Run to the Flinders Hotel

Sunday 28th August 2016

Story by James Borg Photos by James Borg & Rowan Burnett

Click Here for Image Gallery

An early Sunday start of 8.30am for a 9am departure wasn’t a deterrent for the 40 PCV members, with many arriving well before 8.30am and all accounted for and checked-in prior to the announcements.

The car park was resplendent with 7 Turbos made up of 997s, a 996, and several ‘widow-maker’ 930s looking as sporty as ever. Looking even sportier was Kevin & Shanrah’s 930 (Ruf Spec update) which someone joked ‘you could sell tickets just to hear the noise this thing makes when it starts’. New members Dennis and Helena have registered their 997(II) Turbo with a nod to Porsches engineering excellence (NOSUMP). The balance of 18 cars was an impressive array of the Porsche marque. Adrian’s Sapphire Blue Boxster Spyder continues to draw a crowd, but was being rivalled by the oohs & ahhhs coming from the vicinity of Paul Hand’s Cayman GT4 and John & Sheryl’s red Boxster GTS. There was a decent spread of 911s: Jonathon’s Targa, Ken & Harriets Targa, 2 x Cabriolets (yes, Dietfried was there) Tim’s Cabriolet S and Greg’s 4S, with Jenni’s Macan S rounding out the breadth of the marque. As for the ring-ins, Charles opted to bring his (Turbo) Golf R, leaving his normally aspirated Boxster garaged. Owen and Pam brought along a beauty which also sports the ‘prancing horse’ badge, a Ferrari 308.

We wished Rowan Burnett a belated Happy Birthday, time was called to zero the odometers, and with run-notes in hand, we headed-off on the trek to the Tooradin Bakery. The first instruction on the notes was a right turn after 28km – and you could just imagine all navigators and drivers being lulled into a false sense of security ….thinking how easy the day was going to be…. 2km later a cavalcade of cars cruised straight past the roundabout in Emerald where they were meant to turn right. Ken and Harriet recounted how they were paying attention and saw the column in-front of them cruise off in the wrong direction whilst they took the correct turn and ended up at the front of the pack. All quickly rectified though, and a respectable convoy of Porsches made their way through Upper Beaconsfield, Officer, Cardinia and Clyde.

One announcement that should have been made at the start was that Margaret had planned this drive specifically to avoid dirt-roads. The Clyde Rd junction brought several unstuck with an overconfident navigator advising a left turn too early. Even though it was her first run with the club, Helena correctly advised Dennis to go straight….Dennis must have thought all those cars can’t be wrong….there goes David & Jill Hosking in their pristine 930, that beautiful Aston Martin….went left early, and yep – were greeted by a 2km stretch of Clyde’s finest unsealed road. When is a short-cut not a short-cut : when it’s a dirt road!

The full complement of drivers arrived safely at the Tooradin Bakery albeit some cars were a little dustier than others. Once parked, cakes and drinks were ordered and groups gathered to chat and tour the carpark. Tas and Marlene were checked-in for the second half of the journey. We lingered for 30mins or so, then on to the second leg.

Now with odometers zeroed and navigators rattled into attention the second leg saw good groups of members forming convoys occasionally broken up by the local traffic. As we were well onto the Mornington Peninsula now, we toured along some good open roads around Hastings, then onto the rural setting of Red Hill and an upward climb of Arthurs Seat Rd. A quick right at the top of Arthurs Seat then the fantastic drive along Boneo Rd past Cape Shank and onto the Flinders Hotel. This was a highlight of the drive. The road quality is excellent with sweeping bends and views of the ocean beyond the fields.

The group arrived in a timely fashion, with some just early enough to watch the cars cruise into the car park. Three Turbos were corralled onto a grass verge and a group photo hastily arranged prior to all making their way to the Hotel dining room.

We welcomed our new members John & Sheryl, Paul Hand and Dennis and Helena, all of whom we’re sure we’ll see on many more club runs.

Lunch consisted of a choice of either: Eye-Fillet, local Snapper or Risotto and all were beautifully presented. Desserts were simply picture-book quality. Chocolate Fondant, a Lemon Tart or Pistachio Semifredo were the selections available and made the perfect end to the meal.

As this was a Turbo Register run, a Turbo had to be selected for one of the prizes. Nathan, one of the staff at the Flinders Hotel, was commissioned to scour the car-parks out front and back, find the Turbos amongst the others and decide which one he would want to take home (if he could). As it turns out, Nathan decided that Tony Stephens’ 997 was the Turbo he most preferred. As I understand it, Tony didn’t let Nathan take his car home, but Tony did take home some locally brewed beer and a bottle of Mornington Pinot Noir as a prize. Then it was down to a lucky draw for a bottle of Shiraz. Paul Hand (one of our new members) had to leave for Melbourne prior to the raffle being drawn but informed me that Astrid would pass on his prize should he win. Wouldn’t you know it, he won! Astrid was delighted to collect the prize on Paul’s behalf.

A fabulous way to spend a sunny Sunday. Thanks to all whom attended and Carly & Lisa for their assistance.

PCV Turbo Register

Morning Run to Woodend

Sunday 15th May 2016

Story by Rowan Burnett       Photos by James Borg  Click Here  for Image Gallery

Our first Turbo Register run for 2016 kicked off with an early morning run from Porsche Centre Melbourne with our final destination being the ever popular Holgate Brewhouse in Woodend.

Our day started with 27 participants sharing the Macca’s coffee at Porsche Centre Melbourne where the carefully prepared run notes were handed out. James and I introduced new members and advised that Porsche friendly roads had been selected for the run. The drive certainly lived up to expectations with an enjoyable run out through Greensborough, past the Yan Yean Reservoir, Donnybrook Hotel, through Romsey before finally getting to our destination in Woodend.

Holgate Brewhouse, a landmark in Woodend, welcomed us with freshly brewed coffee and cakes that were enjoyed by the drivers and their guests. Our raffle prize of Holgate brewed beer was won by Julie Mason who was most surprised at the win.

Over much discussion, the members declared that this was one of the better organised runs they had been on and were looking forward to the next Turbo Register Run which is scheduled for the 28th August.

Event: Combined GT3/RS/RSR and Turbo Register Brunch Run

Date of event: Sunday 18th October 2015

Story Title: A drive of two halves

Story by: Greg Humphries

Photos by: Julie Mason  Click Here for Gallery

Due to a packed PCV calendar and a couple of scheduling conflicts, the GT3/RS/RSR and Turbo Registers got together to share a brunch run in mid October. Schatzi's Restaurant in Woodend was the chosen destination.

Some 18 attendees in 12 cars arrived on a cool and overcast Sunday morning at the Rockbank meeting point for a prompt 8AM departure. It was great to see a couple of new faces joining in and a familiar face with yet another 911 Turbo recently added to his stable.

The route over mainly Victorian country B & C roads initially took us west towards Anakie before heading north to Woodend, The initial roads were predominantly open and flowing and with relatively light traffic the convoy stayed pretty much together and made good time. After about an hour, the route turned to more undulating country bordering state forests and the pace was a little more subdued but more picturesque in terms of terrain. Through this section the group broke up a little bit with 'team orders' giving way to 'natural selection' with some folks taking a more ‘forward’ view and disappearing into the distance. I am delighted to report all cars ran well, and arrived in Woodend within minutes of each other although some drivers decided to ignore the provided street number of the restaurant and chose to park a couple of hundred metres away instead…

Gorgeous spring sunshine greeted us as we made our way to the venue. Once seated inside, the food started to flow. And flow and flow… Our host Frank warned us to bring our appetites but at a relatively modest cost I wasn't sure how much fare could be provided. Platters of mini egg & bacon rolls, potato rosti, bratwurst pastry pin wheels, roasted tomatoes, steamed spinach, mini filo quiche cups, sautéed mushrooms, apple cake, juice and tea & coffee were enjoyed by all.

After the food, some folks took the opportunity to get back to the city to resume their day, while a number of others stayed on chatting in street, admiring the cars and enjoying the spring sunshine.

Thank you to Julie Mason for the photos and to Robin Humphries for putting the maps and run instructions together. And finally thanks to everyone for joining in and making this brunch run a most enjoyable morning.

 

Modern 911 and Turbo Inverloch Run on the 23rd August 2015

Click Here for Image Gallery

Story by Rowan Burnett

Photos by Garry Saber

 

23rd of August saw the Mod 911 & Turbo Registers join force to participate in a run with a difference to the RACV Resort in lnverloch. Armed with the new standard format for PCV Register Runs which included clear and concise notes with directional signals, our 31 participants headed south east through the beautiful townships of Cora Lynn and Bayles.

Morning tea was at the renowned Caldermeade Farm and Cafe on the South Gippsland Hwy, where we all enjoyed the freshly brewed coffee and home-made delicacies. We were too late to watch the daily milking, but nevertheless enjoyed the scenery and displays the farm had to offer.

At the morning coffee stop one of the Boxster drivers on the run without a co-driver asked why the white 930 Turbo he followed was driving under the speed limit. We found that the Turbos analogue speedo was being calibrated using a GPS app, which showed the 100kmh on the 30 year old speedo as only 90kmh across the ground. The Boxster driver chose to follow a different car for the 2nd half of the run!

Departing Caldermeade Farm, we headed towards Leongatha and the challenging roads of Kongwak before heading to Inverloch and our lunch destination at the RACV Resort. With an imposing panoramic view across Bass Strait the Resort is absolutely first class. Members enjoyed a magnificent well-priced buffet luncheon with great service and the beautiful mild weather made the Resort a really enjoyable experience for all. For many the highlight of the buffet was the extensive selection of dessert options, which saw many of the drivers and co-drivers visiting the dessert section more than once before relaxing over coffee.

Brent Howard had the honour of drawing the raffle and presenting bottles of wine to the winners who vowed to return on the next Register run. Following lunch and speeches, our drivers made their way home along various routes with a promise to return for more in the near future. A great day had by all without the boys in blue keeping a lookout for us!

 

Turbo Morning Run to Kinglake

Sunday 24th May

Story & Photos by Rowan Burnett

Click Here for Image Gallery

Our ever popular early morning Turbo Run was held on Sunday 24th May with 20 cars and 30 people booked to attend, which were great numbers.  Our dedicated members and hardworking Turbo Captains Brent Howard and Rowan Burnett enjoyed an early morning coffee courtesy of McDonald's East Doncaster before heading out through the winding roads of the eastern suburbs to our final destination of The Flying Tarts Bakery in Kinglake West.

Rowan and Brent briefed the drivers and we all left in convoy to enjoy the Sunday morning drive up through Warrandyte and the challenging roads that the region offered. Apart from a couple of drivers taking wrong turns and ending up in Whittlesea, it all went well with no one getting on the wrong side of the law or fighting with the many cyclists on the road.

The cars on the run were many and varied, from the air-cooled early models, late models and the very surprising and rare Audi badged Porsche that belonged to a club member. A range of delicious cakes and pastries plus freshly brewed coffee awaited drivers as they arrived and a fun time was had by all that attended.

Members thanked Brent and Rowan for organising the day and we are all looking forward to the next Turbo event scheduled for later in the year.

 

Click Here for Photo Gallery - Mod 911 and Turbo run to Narbethong 19th October 2014

 

Turbo and Mod 911 Early Morning Blast on the 13th July 2014

Event: Early Morning Turbo Register Run

Date of event: Sunday 13th July 2014

Story Title: Mt Macedon Blast

Story by: Rowan Burnett, Brent Howard and Brett Stevens

Photos by: Brett Stevens and Mark Clair

The ever popular Early Morning Turbo Run yet again proved a big hit with many of the Club faithful. A great roll up of 35 members and guests turned out on a very chilly, but beautifully clear winter’s morning for our run to picturesque Mt Macedon. Partnering with the Modern 911 Register, we all met at Porsche Centre Melbourne to receive our briefing, maps and an update on the road conditions and the Top of the Range restaurant, our final destination for a late breakfast. Mark Clair launched his camera drone and took some excellent overhead photos of the cars lined up outside PCM.

Joining the Turbos and Modern 911’s was a trio of Caymans and a lone Cayenne due to an errant horn on Robin and Greg’s turbo – many of us would have removed the fuse, but they decided to bring one of their spare Porsches along instead.

Leaving in convoy from PCM, with Captain Slow Rowan ably leading the way, we headed along Victoria Street through the city and made our way out onto the Tullamarine Freeway, where we could give our cars a bit of leg stretching. The city traffic lights managed to break the convoy into 3 or 4 smaller groups, and we managed to reassemble into 2 larger groups before heading out past the airport and onto some proper Porsche roads through Bulla, Clarkefield, Romsey and Woodend towards Mt Macedon. Several cars took a slight detour to Hanging Rock, dutifully playing “follow the leader” who was obviously not reading the directions and map!

Eventually we all made it to the top of Mt Macedon where we enjoyed coffee, cakes and some even a light lunch in the Top of the Range café, overlooking the western side of the Macedon Regional Park. Somewhat disappointingly there was no snow from the previous day’s Antarctic blast, just reports of a couple of patches of black ice around Woodend, and some frost along the final ascent to Mt Macedon car park.

After a wide-angle group photo, Mark again launched the drone for some high altitude photos of the group and the Top of the Range café. Some hardier members braved the cold to walk to the “cross” monument for views of the distant city, then everyone headed back towards Melbourne for a well deserved Sunday afternoon nap.

Click Here for Image Gallery

 

Joint Turbo/Torque Tube Run to T Gallant 18th of May

The Turbo Register had another very successful run on Sunday the 18th of May, this time teaming up for the first time with the Torque Tubes to provide a great Sunday drive down through the Mornington Peninsula finishing up for lunch at T Gallant.

We set off at 9.30am after a briefing from the North Road Beach Café car park with 2 turbos in tow, unfortunately Brent Howard was a late cancellation due to work commitments and due to a faulty MAF sensor I was forced to bring my M3 along which sort of fitted in with the Torque Tube shape reasonably well.

Our Torque Tube Register Captain led the pack winding down the peninsula where we turned off at Frankston heading towards Tyabb. With us spreading out a bit due to traffic lights on the way down I saw a black flash out of the corner of my eye realising it was Angelo hurriedly re-joining the main road after taking an unplanned detour with a few lost sheep following. This saw us having morning tea at the Tyabb Packing House, where yours truly in the M3 led us down to T Gallant (having mapped the drive and unlikely to get lost). We wound our way on a beautiful autumn day down to Flinders where we found some great roads once onto Borneo Road winding past the Cape Schanck golf club and then across to T Gallant.

We arrived at T Gallant and were treated to a group wine tasting prior to sitting down to a casual lunch washed down with a pleasant glass (or two) of Mornington Peninsula wine.

Unfortunately it is with some sadness I pen this article as I have to report I have sold my beloved Turbo of 6 years, however will at some time return back to the club with another car. As this may be some time away and combined with increased work requirements, I have elected to stand down as Register Captain after 3 very enjoyable years.

I know I am leaving the register in good hands with my Co-Captain Rowan Burnett and Brent Howard also looking to step up. Our next event is an early Morning Experience run on the 13th of July. I would like to thank everyone in the register for their support over the last three years and hope you continue to support both Rowan and Brent and who knows I might show up for the odd run in my non Porsche!