Welcome to the Everglades Region

of the Porsche Club of America 

The Everglades Region Porsche Club of America serves Naples, Bonita, Estero, Fort Myers, Marco Island, Goodland, Cape Coral, Sanibel, Punta Gorda and the rest of SWFL.  We are an active group of Porsche owners and enthusiasts with a calendar full of great events throughout our region.  Come join us today.

Everglades Regions Wins 2021 PCA Public Service Award

                                                                                                             

Since the Porsche Club of America was formed in 1955, regions have prioritized community service and charitable contributions. In 2002, PCA decided to recognize the unique and diverse programs implemented by regions throughout PCA in support of public service.

The PCA Public Service Awards recognize the regions that have conducted the most outstanding charity or community service event or events during the year. The winning regions demonstrate the highest standards in meeting the objectives and the ideals of the PCA in providing service and support to charities and the community. 

On July 17th 2021, the prestigious 1st Place award was presented to The Everglades Region Porsche Club of America. Many thanks to our club president, John Petracco, our outstanding board of directors, Porsche of Naples, Porsche of Fort Myers,  and the countless volunteers and partners that make our events and charitable endeavors such resounding successes.  

EVERGLADES REGION ROAD TRIP TO SEBRING

 

“About 25 Everglades Region Porschephiles gathered Friday May 21 for a back roads tour to Sebring and an overnight stop at the historic Inn on the Lakes. Leading the most “conservative spirited run” in recent years, Robert “The Vig” still prompted a quick U-turn upon missing the left turn onto appropriately named Tasmania Road. At this unplanned U -turn, member Blaine Duncan in his new 718 GTS 4.0, took the opportunity to lead the group and charged along the sweeping curved roads on their way to the Sugar Sand Rum Distillery at Lake Placid.

Tasmania Road was just an appetizer for the fun to come once the group turned left onto Old State Route 8.  Now the fun began.  Miniature hills (including signs stating “Hill Blocks View” along the road), reminded one of moguls on ski slopes providing some creativity for our Porsches. It was a truly a fun run, that not one member had driven before ! 

After a tour of the distillery and tasting, the group sped on to the final destination of Inn on the Lakes in Sebring.  Cocktail hour, dinner, and some give-aways brought the day to a close (except for those who headed back to the bar). Thank you to PORSCHE of Ft. Myers for the great PORSCHE gifts. Some stayed the night, some spent the weekend at the famed Sebring International Raceway participating in the Driver’s Education and Autocross  hosted by Suncoast and Goldcoast Regions.

Everglades members Tania and Bob Pleischl put together the route, a run she ran many time with her mother in their Miata Club. Both Tania and Bob hope to to make this a yearly event for the club” It was a great experience for all. Thank you Tania & Bob ! 

 

Everglades PCA is planning a trip to The Porsche Experience in Atlanta in early October. 

Drive Experiences range from $ 365 to $ 975 depending on car chosen and availability

A group tour of the facility can be done

There is also the Simulator Lab where up to 18 guests per hour can race in heats.

Lastly, the facility has some great dining options and hotel recommendations.

Check out their website here.  https://www.porschedriving.com/atlanta

If you have an interest in joining the group for this spectacular event, please contact Robert Drew Vigorito at vigorman@comcast.net so he can add you to the list.

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Porsches and Polo at The Sarasota Polo Club April 25th  

 

Autocross Action At Buckingham Airfield

Drivers returned to Buckingham Airfield April 18th for round #2 of the Everglades Region Autocross Season. After 16 months, it was a thrill to be back, driving the concrete runway of this WWII era airport. Buckingham was built in 1942 by the US Army Air Corps to train aerial gunners. 
 
52 drivers, including 28 Porsches, tackled the fast and flowing course where the quickest cars reached top speeds over 80mph. The field included 15 novice drivers, many participating in their first autocross. Short of a race track, there is no better way to hone your driving skills and explore the performance limits of your Porsche.
 
Following the drivers meeting, cars were divided into three drive groups. Everglades Region uses the SCCA classification system to group cars of similar performance capability. After that, the drivers have six runs to record their quickest lap time. 
 
Setting fast time of the day was SCCA National Champion David Marcus, laying down a 59.954 second raw time in his 2020 Toyota Supra. Although David lives in Windermere, Florida, he is a regular competitor at Buckingham.
Everglades Region member Joe Wright from Cape Coral was fast Porsche, recording 61.120 seconds in his 2015 GT3.
Two more Porsches followed. Louis Hudyman with 61.732 in his 2020 Cayman GT4. Howard Mintz was just behind with 62.001 in his 2020 Cayman GT4. 
 
Joe Broussard from Naples was the quickest Novice, crossing the line in 70.784 seconds behind the wheel of his 2006 Cayman. 
 
A special shout-out to Tom Lazansky and his beautiful 1979 – 911SC. Air cooled Porsches have become so valuable, most are pampered and protected. It was exciting to see Tom and his 911 on course, carving through the cones. Did we mention this is Tom’s first Porsche and his first autocross? Ferdinand Porsche would be proud !
 
Complete autocross results are posted on this website under the Driving Events – Autocross tabs. Scroll down to Autocross Results. Thanks to our partners at Gulfcoast Autocrossers for timing, scoring and on-track support
 
Event #3 in the Everglades Region Autocross Season is scheduled for May 22nd at Sebring. Sign-up now on clubregistration.

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“41 South Rally” Explores Big Cypress and Beyond

Stormy weather could not stop sixteen Everglades Region teams from tackling the “41 South Rally” on Sunday afternoon, April 11th. Pelican Larry’s Raw Bar & Grill on Immokalee Road served as the jumping off point. 

Following check-in and the drivers meeting, teams headed out start the 140 mile drive. Traveling east and north, the route skirted Ave Maria before connecting with FL-29. Who knew the university in Ave Maria used to be located in Ypsilanti, Michigan ?

Then began a long run south through wilderness and panther habitat to US-41. Turning east toward Miami, navigators were kept busy looking for the smallest post office in the world and the home base for Florida’s sasquatch. 

Big Cypress Oasis provided an opportunity to stretch and check out the alligators, before returning west on 41. 

The final leg of the rally cruised through Everglades City and Chokaloskee, finishing at the rustic Rod & Gun Club in Everglades City. Over the years, five presidents have stayed here – FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Hoover, and Nixon. Actors such as John Wayne, Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Sean Connery, Danny Glover, and Joe Pesci have stayed here, as well as Burl Ives and Gypsy Rose Lee in 1945, while filming “Winds Across the Everglades.” Mick Jagger has stayed here. So has Ernest Hemingway. 

Drivers and navigators enjoyed beverages and late lunch on the verandah, overlooking the Barron River, while their rally questions were scored. 

Coming out on top with a perfect score were father and son team Duffy and Clay Cofer from Cape Coral

Finishing second was the three man team of Kyle Armstrong, Nick Cosgrove and Justin Wurzberg driving a Cayenne Diesel

Third went to Mike and Karen Weiss in their 911S

In fourth was the family team of Richard Lucki and Alan Anderson piloting a Cayman GT4

Fifth ended in a three way tie with Frank Kraft and Jeff Thompson winning in a lottery draw-off

All the top finishers went home with beautiful Porsche prizes.

Special thanks to Pelican Larry’s for hosting the start and Rod and Gun Club for the finish.

Everglades Members Enjoyed a Private Docent Lead Tour of Revs Institute on March 23rd

Everglades Region PCA Enjoyed the 12 Hours of Sebring Recently

Join Everglades Region at The Mancaves on March 14th for breakfast and camaraderie. Good food, great cars and awesome people.

Everglades Region Caravan To Sebring SVRA

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) returned to Sebring International Raceway on Saturday, February 20th and 43 Everglades Region members were on hand to take in all the action. 

Sebring SpeedTour is one of the most popular events on the SVRA schedule, drawing vintage race cars from all eras, makes and models. Following the vintage races on Saturday afternoon, the pro Trans-Am series took the track to qualify for their Sunday race. 

It was an early start when 22 member Porsches gathered at the Lee County Rest Area along I-75 to begin the journey to Sebring. Traveling in drive groups, the caravan headed northeast through LaBelle and up US27 to historic Sebring International Raceway. On arrival, members joined over 400 fellow enthusiasts in the Hagerty Cars & Caffeine – Car Show. Once settled, members were free to explore the track and paddock area. Access to the race cars, teams and drivers is one of the highlights of any SVRA race weekend.

At lunchtime, members had an opportunity to tour the track. It was a thrill to lap the same circuit where Porsche has claimed 18 overall wins and 72 class wins. Unfortunately, with 400 cars on track at the same time, we did not set any new lap records!

All in all, it was a great experience and perfect prelude to the 12 Hours of Sebring coming up on March 20th.

 

 

Everglades Region Supports the Community Foundation of Collier County with proceeds from our Drive-in Movie Night.

 

More about us:

                             The Everglades Region is part of Zone 12 of the PCAz12-logo

The Everglades Region has a long history and strong commitments to PCA. Zone 12 includes 8 other regions encompassing most of Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Zone 12 is also home to two of sports car racing’s most illustrious events, the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Sebring is also home to the first PCA Club Race of each year, the 48 Hours of Sebring. Our zone is most active over the winter, when most other zones are spending their time inside.

The camaraderie in the Everglades Region comes from the diverse backgrounds of our members and their passion for the Porsche brand. From social events to autocross, road rallies to car shows, we strive to offer a broad range of events where our members can engage around our beautiful cars. We encourage the sharing of information and PCA spirit in our Region and have created this website to enhance our communication and Porsche-related club experiences.

Check out our calendar of events for upcoming activities as well as our feeds from Instagram and Facebook at the bottom of our home page.

If you have a general question about PCA or need to contact the Everglades Region, you can send an email to: evergladesregionpca12@gmail.com. One of our officers will reply.