I posted last week that I was about to participate in my first vintage race this past weekend in my '65 C Coupe. I want to say thanks to all the people that wished me good luck. Several people also expressed an interest in how things went so here goes. This is sort of long so I apologize for that.

I drove the car up to Sears Point from Santa Cruz on Friday afternoon and went through a Technical Inspection. Bruce Ross inspected my car, he owns a beautiful Silver Super 90 race car, and he said everything looked good to go. I felt really proud when he complimented me on how nice my engine looked and when he asked me who built my engine I was able to say, "I did".

Saturday morning was the first practice session. I was really nervous that the other cars in my group were going to be so much faster than me as I have only a slightly modified engine. But the combination of those disc brakes and Porsche handling proved to be the equalizer. I was holding my own against a Jaguar XK 120 and an early Aston Martin. I found myself getting a little carried away as I was shifting a few times at 6000 RPM. Now I know this is not high revs but you have to remember that I have to drive this car home. I was getting a little carried away and sort of forgetting that this was a warm-up session. Things were going fine and I was getting a feel for the track and running with the BFG R1's when I noticed that there was smoke coming from my car. My heart started racing and I quickly checked my oil pressure light, which was not lit up which was some relief.

The corner workers were flagging me to notify me of the problem so I did my best to stay out of the racing line and pulled into the pits. My car was leaking oil from the right side of the engine with a steady drip. I figured it was the valve cover gasket and after the motor cooled down I put a new one in. This did not fix the problem! I still had the leak. I went around and talked to the other 356 people and asked for ideas. I checked the screws that hold the horizontal sheet metal on that have a through thread going into the head but these were tight. I thought it could be my oil cooler leaking but it was only leaking on the right side which didn't make sense. I was really thinking my weekend was over! I finally took the valve cover off again and I was looking for cracks or something. A close inspection of the gasket showed that I didn't get a seal at the top of the cover. I quickly installed another gasket and it fixed the problem! Boy was I relieved. I have to thank fellow Porsche racer Bill from Davis who gave me the gaskets and sealer, something I didn't bring and will not leave home with out next time.

Well, it was finally time to stage the car for my first race. Yes, I was very nervous but equally excited. I was also very hot inside my driving suit with the nomex underwear. I was positioned close to the back in a field of 30 cars. I think I was about 22 cars back which is where I wanted to be and where I belonged. I was really roasting in my car with all the gear on as the air temp was about 90 degrees. Once we started the warm up lap I quickly forgot how hot I was and started focusing on the fact that I was finally about to take my first green flag!

The next thing I know we were racing. I was behind the Jaguar and the Aston Martin that I was also running with in practice. I noticed that I was really coming up on them under braking. I finally realized I probably could out brake them and that was how I ended up getting by both of them, boy did that feel great! I caught and passed an Alfa Romeo towards the end of the race and then they were waving the checkered flag. I had survived my first race! I was surprised as I was actually very calm during the race. I even checked my gauges and was glad to see that the oil temp gauge was only running about 1/3 of full scale. I was the last car not to be lapped by the two race leaders that were both driving very fast MGA's. I ended up in 15th place and I was really surprised I did that well. The car ran great and I was very good to my engine as I didn't shift over 5700 RPM during the race. That cold beer tasted great after I got out of the car!

Sunday morning I was much better in practice. I waved by cars that were going a lot faster than me. I was shifting at about 5500 RPM and I was working on getting a better feel for the track and I wanted to practice my braking, as I figured that this was my car's strong point. I finished the practice session feeling that I would do a little better in the afternoon race.

The race on Sunday was great! I had to battle to hold my position right up to the checkered flag. I started the race in 15th place, based on Saturday's result. I lost a position at the start but quickly made it up when that car over shot a turn and went real wide. I started chasing a red MGA but I was not gaining any ground on him. Then I noticed a big black Jaguar in my mirrors that was coming up fast. The next thing I know I had caught up to the MGA who was not braking nearly as well as my Porsche. I was also out braking the Jaguar XK 120 that was in my mirror. It was great because I was outbraking and out cornering the Jag but he had a lot more power. Since the Jaguar was pushing me I got around the MG pretty easily. The Jaguar also passed the MG and was in my mirror again, at times I couldn't see him as he was in my blind spot but I could certainly hear him, that car sounded great! He would almost pull up next to me on the straights but I would brake late and I could stay ahead of him. Well I almost did. He finally got by me on the last lap, but I really didn't care, besides there wasn't much I could do about it. With about half a lap to go I noticed that an Alfa Romeo had really come up fast and was hoping to pass me before we got to the flag. I really concentrated on my driving and drag raced the Alfa to the line and held him off by about a car length. I think I finished 11th or 12th but I didn't see my results. The car ran great and I was really getting more comfortable with the capabilities of my car. I felt really proud to be driving a Porsche!

Well, that was my first race weekend. I raced on Saturday using my street muffler and 92 octane pump gas and the car was fine. On Sunday I used 96 octane race gas but I didn't really notice a difference. I think I had the quietest car at the race and one of the more stock looking cars, other than my Fuch alloy wheels. I found out my car isn't slow which surprised me as it is pretty stock compared to the other 356's. I changed my tires and drove the car home and it ran great. I certainly felt the difference in my tires on the way home. Those 165 X 15 Michelins felt like noodles on the turns. I almost got myself in trouble on a freeway onramp! All I can say is I understand the excitement that I have seen on the faces of the people who vintage race. It you are thinking about racing you should really give it a try. Sorry about the length of this posting but I am still really excited about my weekend and can't wait for the next race. I think I am addicted.

Phil Trenholme, 1965 C Coupe Santa Cruz, CA