Der Sportwagen

March / April 2015 8 EDITOR'S COLUMN By Stan Thorne It Is Not A MID-LIFE CRISIS Smiling ear to ear... My Porsche driving weekend started early this week. I met longtime KCRPCA member and autocross enthusiast Bob Charlesworth on a Friday morning for coffee. We talked family, cars, business, cars, and cars. Bob is a warm hearted man with a passion for Porsche. He's owned a wide variety and raced even more. Something I aspire to. I discovered we have almost the same vision for the perfect end game, selling it all to travel from track to track, meeting people, sharing stories, and discovering the perfect line. While sharing possibilities I could see Bob smiling ear to ear. Saturday morning began with the alarm clock going off seemingly way too early. Nope, 6:00 AM right on time. I rolled out of bed with the taste of toothpaste still fresh in my mouth. I snuck out of the house, trying to not wake the bevy of sleeping beauties left over from my little girls slumber party. I was not successful. But not my problem, I'm off to breakfast with 30+ of my closest PCA friends. I fired up the Blue Bullet and let it idle for a while. The sun was rising. God is good. I am about to tackle some twisties. The engine is in the back. All is right in the world. And I am smiling ear to ear. Rolling into breakfast I was greeted by the usual suspects. 'Good mornings' were shared while the parade of Porsches began to show. Coming down the street we saw a new attendee, a 1999 silver Boxster. Out stepped Kyle Yoder. (See page 10) Kyle may be one of our youngest members, still in college, but is just as passionate for Porsche. Kyle has attended many events driving his 944. Yes, his, as in saved up and bought it himself. You have seen some of his photographic contributions in the Der Sportwagen. But today he pulled up in his bright silver Boxster. And, he too was smiling ear to ear. Owning a Porsche is not about a mid-life crisis, though that may be the catalyst in some cases. Owning is about having fun. It is about meeting friends for coffee or breakfast. It is about driving with the wind in your hair. And, it is definitely about smiling ear to ear. We have a winner! The people have voted. We have a winner, #1 The State Shield. There are a few elements of the logo you should be aware of. The colors not only represent PCA's colors but are also the colors in the Kansas and Missouri state flags. Our proud states are front and center, letting all across the country easily identify where we are from. The shield shape represents protection, as we the KCRPCA members will protect the club for future generations. - STAN

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