By: Paul Pfanner | January 22, 2019 1:16 PM The High Holy Days of sports car racing in America are now upon us with the running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. This highly anticipated event will kick off IMSA’s 50th Anniversary, so let’s look back at a very special event that celebrated the 70th anniversary of Porsche, IMSA’s winningest manufacturer with 566 victories — an astonishing gap of 230 more wins than No. 2 on the list, Chevrolet.Held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca over four days at the end of September 2018, Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI stands apart in my memory as one of the very best motorsports events I’ve ever attended. It was a profoundly moving experience on every level because it felt deeply personal for the 60,000-plus people in attendance who shared an almost religious emotional connection to Porsche’s iconic competition cars that have defined motorsports passion and engineering excellence over eight decades.It has been said that every Porsche has the soul of a racing car, and I felt this strongly when I sat in my grandfather’s beautiful new 1964 Porsche 356C that he’d obtained via European delivery. I was only ten and had just discovered auto racing a few months before, but this jewel of a car was so captivating that I fell under its spell instantly. Porsches were rare beasts that looked and sounded different than cars I’d seen on the roads of Southern California during the early 1960s. After noticing my Porsche infatuation, my stoic grandpa allowed me to sit behind the wheel of the 356C, alone in the garage, where I would make engine sounds as I pretended to shift gears in an imaginary race that took me to the lead at Le Mans. This fueled my dreams of a life in racing, and thankfully this childhood spark of inspiration continued to burn brightly in me or there likely never would have been a RACER magazine or the website you are now reading.To my young eyes it soon became apparent that Porsche went racing in a way that stood apart from Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Ford, Chevrolet and the rest. Every Porsche racing car had a brave individualistic character and each told a unique story while taking the path less trodden. Before long, some of these unique stories would intertwine with my own and soon would define key moments and relationships in my life.My career in motorsports media began with a journey to Laguna Seca in October 1972. I was on a mission with my high school pals to create a series of art prints of the Can-Am cars that we would publish and sell at the next round at Riverside two weeks later. My focus was on the mighty Porsche 917/10s in the field and my first drawing was of the Team Penske L&M Porsche driven by championship leader George Follmer. This simple drawing of a Porsche ended up being a springboard to everything that has led to this moment. As I stood over the Penske Porsche 917/10 in the Chopard Porsche Rennsport pavilion I reflected on how much this amazing car has meant to me personally and the remarkable life’s adventure it inspired. It is forever part of who I am and it is ironic that my company would eventually be hired by Penske Motorsports during the late 1990s to serve as a creative agency for their racetrack holdings. During this time we designed a new logo and icon for Roger Penske’s racing businesses and I could not help but think back to the unlikely journey from that same paddock on a cold and rainy weekend 46 years earlier. One of my personal Porsche Rennsport highlights was seeing my friend and RACER co-founder Jeff Zwart (above) performing his duties as a Porsche brand ambassador. Jeff and I first discussed the idea of creating RACER in January 1978 during a long drive up the California coast in Jeff’s yellow Porsche 914-6, which he still owns. During the 40 years since that fateful conversation, Jeff went on to win several SCCA Pro Rally championships and also claimed eight class victories at Pikes Peak in various Porsche 911s. Watching Jeff interview our mutual hero “Quick Vic” Elford about his legendary victory at the 1968 Monte Carlo Rally in a 911, which he followed a week later by winning the Daytona 24 in a Porsche 907 was truly a surreal experience that underscored the power of passion and chasing dreams. Later this year, Jeff’s directorial talents will be on display in the action sequences for the motion picture “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” which follows the turbulent personal and racing life of an IMSA racer from the unique perspective of his loyal dog Enzo.

By: Paul Pfanner | January 22, 2019 1:16 PM As I wandered through the crowded paddock at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca during the early days of fall, I encountered so many old friends – both human and mechanical – that I was overcome with a joyous sense of having come home to where I belong. I suspect this was the intention of the organizers because everywhere one turned there were moving experiences, both literally and figuratively. Armed with my iPhone I began capturing images and videos to share the experience from the point of view of “being there.” Here is some of what I saw…Porsche garage walk-through

=centerThis walk-through of the stunning Porsche Rennsport VI garage display showcases some of the greatest cars in Porsche’s history. This, coupled with the Rennsport pavilion, provided a once-in-a-lifetime immersive experience that allowed the devoted to get up close and personal with iconic cars and legendary personalities. Some estimates placed the combined value of the cars on site at over a half-billion dollars, but the experiences created for those in attendance were truly priceless. The first car in the video is the Porsche 911-GT1 98 which won Le Mans to crown Porsche’s 50th anniversary year in 1998. On the Thursday before that race, I received a call from Porsche’s then-VP of marketing, Joel Ewanick, who was in between ad agencies. He asked if our little company could create a “win ad” should things go as planned. With no time and a lot of luck we delivered finished ad materials to The Wall Street Journal and other short-lead national publications on the Monday following the race. This remains one of our proudest moments and it accelerated our growth as a multi-faceted media company. It was part of what attracted the attention of Haymarket Media, publishers of Autosport and F1 Racing, as they reached out that same week to attempt to acquire our company. 1980 Interscope Porsche IRO1 – Parnelli VPJ-6

=centerThe company that eventually became Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. and now publishes RACER magazine, RACER.com and SportsCar magazine began with a top-secret assignment in December 1979. The creative brief called for illustrations, liveries and collateral materials for Porsche’s entry into the USAC Championship and the 1980 Indy 500 with an updated Parnelli VPJ-6 champ car powered by an evolution of Porsche’s turbocharged flat-six that had propelled Porsche to overall victory at Le Mans with the 936 and also the 935 at Le Mans in IMSA at Daytona and Sebring. Our company was located across the parking lot from Interscope’s race shop in Santa Ana, California. We worked closely with the team’s driving force, Danny Ongais, to prepare for a debut that sadly never came due to the turbulent open-wheel racing politics of the day. I still remember the crushing disappointment we felt in the spring of 1980 when USAC rendered the car uncompetitive with a rule change before it ever appeared at a race. Sadly, I never had the chance to hear the 2.65-liter Porsche flat-six Indy car engine fire up… until, ironically, at 9:11 a.m. on September 30, 2018 at Porsche Rennsport. The intervening 38 years melted away as I slowly moved around the car as it was gently warmed up on a brisk fall morning. I felt a lump in my throat as the car came to life, awakening a sense of pride mixed with regret that was long dormant. 1985 Dyson Racing IMSA Porsche 962

=centerI’ve watched many sports car races during the past 50 years, but some delivered moments I still cherish. Among them was watching underdogs Rob Dyson and Drake Olsen win the IMSA Camel GT round at Lime Rock in 1985 with Dyson Racing’s beautiful Porsche 962 chassis No. 101. I was there when Rob paired with Price Cobb to win again at Riverside in 1986 with Porsche 962 chassis No. 120. From that moment onward, the upstart low-key team from Poughkeepsie, New York became one of my favorites. Today Dyson Racing now stands as the second-winningest team in IMSA history (behind Corvette Racing) with 69 victories despite not being active in the series since 2013. I could scarcely have imagined that Rob Dyson would eventually become my partner in Racer Communications a decade later and that Rob and Chris Dyson would join us in reacquiring RACER in 2012 after we’d sold the company to Haymarket media in 2001. As I moved through the sprawling Rennsport pavilion I saw a growing crowd of onlookers gathered around the Dyson Racing 962 as the engine was warmed up. It was a special moment as Rob stood nearby handing out hero cards and signing programs, books and even a skateboard! For me, this special moment captured the wonderful essence of Porsche Rennsport experience.Now Porsche begins its 71st year in motorsports with the immediate goal of winning the first race of IMSA’s 50th Anniversary season. But in December 2019, Porsche could electrify the world with its entry into season six of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. If any car company can spark emotion and create meaning in what lies ahead in the ever-changing and uncertain world of motorsports, it will be Porsche. The enduring lesson from Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI is that wherever Porsche competes, it defines change and drives progress while making the history we will celebrate in our future.