PurposeTo provide safe, accessible and social track days and associated touring events for our Porsche-enthusiast members.
HistoryRennsport Gruppe started out on the Rennlist forum in late 2012 as a bunch of Porsche enthusiasts who thought it would be fun to meet up and do a track day together. Since this inaugural "Porsche Playday" at Hampton Downs, more events were held and word got around. The little group of track-day junkies grew substantially, and it became apparent that a bit of formal structure was needed to keep things manageable and pointed in the right direction.
A meeting of about a dozen members was held in early June 2013, and the basic structure of the group was agreed upon. "Rennsport Gruppe" was adopted as the official name of the group, and a committee was set up to do the bulk of the administration work related to event organisation, finances, website management, communication, membership etc. It was agreed that membership would be restricted to Porsche owners only, and the group size would be limited. Additionally, a kitty would be set up to cover pit garage hire and drinks and nibbles.
Since then a lot of work has been done on the website, building a good relationship with Playday and Prestigio, and organising more events.
AdministrationRennsport Gruppe is administered by a core group of members, currently:
- Chris Barendregt
- Mark Saville
- Michael Dewsnip
- Michael Rasmussen (Webmaster)
- Paul Miller
- Peter Hardy
- Steve Rasmussen
We aim to keep bureaucracy to a minimum, as this leaves us more time for driving our cars! Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or comments.
Committee members have paid the same membership fee as everyone else, and pay the same fees for attending events.
SponsorsRennsport Gruppe is strongly linked to Steve Rasmussen / Europacific. Steve ("Yoda") is a Porsche guru, and often opens his Hampton Downs apartment for socialising after the track days. In addition, Europacific kindly host the Rennsport Gruppe website.
FinancesThe Rennsport Gruppe finances are maintained by committee member Peter Hardy, a financial director by profession. The Rennsport Gruppe bank account number is 02-0343-0031538-083.
All members have been asked for an initial membership fee/kitty builder of $100 in order to cover the garage hire and refreshments. This is not compulsory, but paid members get priority for events.
Rennsport Gruppe is non-profit; the money held in the bank account is to cover the costs associated with the track days, and other miscellaneous expenses like web domain registration. It may be used to subsidise the cost of the track days in the future, if this becomes practical.
MembershipMembership of the group is by invitation or referral only, with the committee making the final decision.
Membership is restricted to Porsche owners only -- we know that other manufacturers also make fine cars, but we want to avoid diluting the original purpose of the group. However, in rare cases we may accept members with a strong Porsche history but who are currently between Porsches. We don't discriminate based on wealth, health, age, beauty, gender, race, Porsche model or driving experience. We are however looking for people with the right attitude, to ensure that all members get along both on and off the track. The social aspect is a big part of the group.
The size of the membership group will be limited. We need to keep the group large enough to reliably fill our track day spots, but small enough to ensure that all members can regularly participate if they choose to do so. Currently we are happy with the size of the group and are not seeking new members.
Track EventsWe endeavour to have a track day every 4-6 weeks. Track days are generally held at Hampton Downs, since this is close for most members.
The track days are run by Playday, and Rennsport Gruppe members make up one group of cars during the day. To sign up for a track day, first register your interest on the forum page for the event. About 2 weeks before the event, you will need to pay the event fee into the Rennsport Gruppe bank account (02-0343-0031538-083). Please put your
name and the
date of the event in the reference fields for your payment. Lastly, e-mail Peter Hardy (
peter@starmetro.co.nz) to let him know.
We currently have a Prestigio limit of
15 cars (raised from 10 in late July 2013) on the track at once. If more than 15 members attend an event, each person may have to sit out one session. Prestigio also specify that race cars and full slicks are not permitted.
The normal Playday rules on passengers (only cars with roll-cages) and overtaking (only on acceleration) apply. We expect you to show the necessary respect for other members on the track, so everyone has a safe and enjoyable time. This includes yielding to other cars that have caught up you -- remember, this is not racing! Have fun, but keep it sensible.
Occasionally you may be able to have an experienced Rennsport Gruppe member (i.e. someone who has done a lot of racing over a long period) sit as a passenger in your car and give instruction, but normally you will be driving by yourself.
Insuring your car on the track is a little complex and we aim to provide more information about this soon.
Touring EventsAs well as the regular track events, Rennsport Gruppe organises or participates in other driving-focused events, including track tours. Details of these events will be posted on the forum.
Windscreen BannersMany members have "Rennsport Gruppe" windscreen banners on their cars. These are optional, but if you're interested we can order more of these, in your chosen colour combination. They are approximately $31 each.
Questions?If you have any questions, please ask on the forum. If you'd prefer it to be private, you can also e-mail the committee directly (
committee@rennsportgruppe.org.nz).
The Rennsport Gruppe committee
