Page 71 - KCRPCA JulyAug 2021

and seeing all the great hardware and drivers. Eventually in my early 20’s, the event passed through Heartland Park in Topeka, KS. I could not pass up this opportunity to see what I had been dreaming about. Of course, I ditched class that day and headed to Topeka. This was the first time that I had ever
me for a spin in a (then new) Audi TT press car, which was my first time ever on track.
Many more years of school and after paying off all that stinging debt from school, the dream started to become a real possibility. Now it was time to find a car and a way to take some time
been to a track, let alone getting to see any racing in person. It was overwhelming how nice everyone was; no different
than our PCA events today! As the day progressed, I met a few engineers from Michelin driving a prototype Viper which won that year.
off work! Following the event’s winners, it was apparent HP was king and AWD gave a big advantage, and of course the perpetual drivers mod being the biggest
At the time, my
aspiration was to
be in marketing and
sales. At the time,
only a few classes
remained before
my first degree, but
there was a dilemma
as to if this was the
correct path. Many
of my friends were in
engineering school
and I was fascinated
by the material
they were learning.
The two Michelin
engineers were the straw that broke the camel’s back, persuading me to make the change in majors that day. They even offered an opportunity for a job in tire testing once I earned my engineering degree. I still have their business cards in my desk drawer today. At this point, it was one of the best days that I had ever had, but got even better! I did not know him at the time, but Brock Yates Jr. took
key. The first car that was considered was a Nissan GTR, then a Corvette. But having bought my wife a 981 Boxster S in years prior, I
out. The winner was the 991.1 Turbo S. It had power, AWD, the amazing PDK, and reliability unmatched by any other supercar. By luck, a 19K mile CPO 2014 Turbo S rolled into Aristocrat Porsche. Markus Schmidt, my longtime friend and sales person, made sure it was still on the floor
as I rushed down to check it out. The deal was done in the first mile and now it was time to figure
was falling deeper in love with our Porsches. Between us, we were getting quite the Porsche resume including a GT4, Macan and a 981 Boxster GTS. None of these would be competitive,
so while banking track experience in a number of makes and models, there was one that stood
Der Sportwagen
71