Wannabeproracer

Hi Everyone,

I did a real quick search for the differences and didn't come up with any conclusive differences between the two in my search

I would ask for your insight, experience and pros and cons of each.

Thank you in advance for answering my "dumb" question and I appreciate your patience!

DMoore

I belong to both. PCA covers a wide variety of interests. They have concours events; group drviing tours; social breakfast meetings, autocross and track events, and more. POC is much more track oriented, and is focused primarily on performance driving events, time trials and racing. Both are very active here in Southern California. I do autocross, DE and time trial events with PCA; I also do "PDS" (performance driving series - like PCA's TT's) with POC. There are great people in both groups, with lots of overlap.

Given your user name, I'd guess your interests, like mine, are in the performance events. Join both - it gives you twice as many events to choose from!

DMoore
'11 GTS
'10 Panamera 4S

Wannabeproracer

Thanks for the info!

I've been racing in NASA and SCCA events for 10+ years now, mostly enduros

NASA Competition/Instructor Licensed and SCCA Pro Licensed for about the same time.

I've been instructing with BMWCCA, NASA, SpeedtrialUSA, Speedventures and some other track events for about the same...

Wanting to help with instructing, if they want me! and just wondering how to get the ball rolling...

Tom 97 C2-S, So. Cal.

Just to add to DMoores comments, which were spot on.

Your skills/instruction would be appreciated by both!! What are you going to be driving/racing and what is your pain threshold for the perils that come with tracking a car?

I too was a member of both. While there is cross-over and excellent instruction in both, POC can be/is as hard core as you want to make it.

From the perspective of a past POC track novice, when I had my Garage Queen 993S, I longed for a prepped 914/944/968. Something that I could dump in the desert/get scratched and not fear the loss of value/total loss. At the time, it seemed the % majority of POC drivers where in street-track/to full track prepped cars. Not having a dedicated track car, and not having the heart to jeapordize a 10k mile 993S, ultimately led to me backing out of POC.

Until I went solo, I often made my instructor take me out first session, before he rode shotgun. I was always amazed at the pace and precision that my car could be driven in the hands of a pro, and that I would spend the rest of the day trying to duplicate.

PCA seems to have a more "social activity" centered group, while POC is more "track-centric". I don't think this has changed over the years.

Z356

Most folks don't know that POC was founded in 1955, around the same time that Bill Sholar founded the PCA in the Washington, DC area. The latter became a nationwide club over time while POC remained centered in Southern California. Until recent years, POC seemed to me like the few PCA regions that were at one time mostly focused on track events (as opposed to social events), - e.g. the old Golden Gate or Northern New Jersey! Now POC seems a more 'hard-core' track focused group than just about any PCA region in the US! That might seem to some as a very good thing! There is a need for both types of organizations and it's great that POC remains a viable Porsche club to this day!

Saludos, z356

MikeGT

I've been racing with the POC for about 15 years. The POC is all about racing in S. CA. From Thunderhill to Laguna to CA Speedway to Vegas Speedway. You can count on 10 events per year (about 18-20 races). Although, it's not easy to get a race license with the POC. You have to do a bunch of PDS events, then Time Trial events, then 2 schools about 6 months apart. I also run with NASA. What I like best about POC is racing with a 40+ Porsche field in a race group - while NASA may have 10 Porsches, some NASCAR trucks, RX7's, Miata's, etc. If you'd like to come to a POC race, send me a private email and I'll be happy to show you around.

Wannabeproracer

my pain level in my Porsche (997 GTS) will be ZERO, meaning I will track it but drive it probably at 7/10th. Nothing too crazy

I only drive 10/10th in a fully prepped racecar.

When instructing, I drive probably 5/10th in students' cars out of pure respect and most importantly having the ability to teach whomever at a manageable so they may actually learn something vs scaring the heck out of them.

Maybe I'm goofy but the best part of the day is when students tell me they didn't know what their cars can really do and they now feel more confident in their abilities.