Attn: North Carolina Pelicans

[evill]

Hey all. I am considering a move form Northern NJ to the Raleigh NC area. I am in Raleigh this week looking around, as so far I like it.

How many of you are in this area?
Any good shops in this area?
Local PCA Club for this area?
What tracks do you DE at?
Any good Autocross set ups?

Any other info or opinions on this area would be greatly appreciated. You can e-mail me off list through PM or to evill914@verizon.net

Regards,
Ed

[Super_Dave_D]

I lived there for 5 years and you will love it unless your a die hard Devils fan (Go Canes!). It was before my P car so I cant answer your questions but theres plenty of them around. One thing I can say is you will find the best BBQ in Carolina (BBQ is a noun not a verb). Dont worry about what they say, NC has its share of Necks (I'm one) but there are MANY northern transplants in the Triangle. If your a BBall fan you have those bases more than covered.

[Huh]

If you are talking vinegar BBQ which is only North Carolina style it is a taste to be acquired. I lived there for 5yrs and vist about 4-6 times a year. The Tar Heel Sports Car Club (THSCC) is pretty good but wasn't in the P-cars at the time. Talk with Wohlberg (sp?) who lives in Apex (outskirts of Raleigh). He can give you a better idea. I know that there are some nice Porsches around there because all the geeky tech heads were buying them in early 2000 when things were good (used to work for Cisco Systems). Things may have cooled since but the area is still growing.

[austin552]

I am a couple hours South. Raleigh is a great place. Bet you will love it there.

[911teo]

Hey

I moved to Charlotte (from England) a couple of years ago so I can't really give u any opinion on Raleigh (nvere been there).

As far as PCA and DEs.... the PCA Carolina Regions is great. They have 4-5 DE weekend per year. They usually get booked up very quickly...

This area is great for DEs even outside of PCA.

I use turnonemotorsports (usually 1 DE per month on Fridays at CMP),
carguys (at VIR, fantastic course very close to you) and others.

You can also go to Roebling Road (outside Savannah), Rockingham and Road Atlanta...

I feel like we are very lucky from that point of view.

Also the Blue Ridge Mountains offer fantastic roads (The tail of the Dragon for one) and great views...

I am sure you'll enjoy your P-car around here!

[Super_Dave_D]

Theres another kind??

Originally posted by Huh
If you are talking vinegar BBQ which is only North Carolina style it is a taste to be acquired.

[austin552]

I hear there is a BBQ place in the Raleigh/Cary area thats top three in the country. I have yet to find it though.

[PcarPhil]

Originally posted by austin552
I hear there is a BBQ place in the Raleigh/Cary area thats top three in the country. I have yet to find it though.

Kings in Kinston!

[austin552]

Lol! There are two Kings here. One is good and one bad. Parkers on 70 in LaGrange is better.

[Huh]

I think Red Hot and Blue is the one in Raleigh but I prefer tomato based bbq overall. Don't get me wrong the vinegar based stuff is good but you have to acquire that taste. Also you have to try Chargrill and Snoopy's. North Carolina has a tradition of putting coleslaw on the burgers and red hot dogs. If you want a good cheap beer go to my personal favorite "the flying saucer" on Monday nights for $2.50 pints and it is served by a nicely shaped young lady wearing a school girls outfit.

Now back to your question. I think that there are a couple of good places in Chapel Hill/Carrboro area for Porsche repair but can't think of the name off hand. I don't know if Dusty (IIRCC), formerly of Team Stuttgart, has a shop. He was the resident Porsche guy of the area at the time I lived there.

[dtw]

I've lived in Raleigh since 1990 and love it here. I'm also a transplanted Yankee, but having lived in Texas and NC for 19 of my 32 years, I feel more like a Southerner at this point.

There are plenty of Pelicaners around here, and the PCA region(s) are also pretty active. I've been too busy to attend any events for the past several years, though. Plenty of tracks around here. I'd say the most popular seem to be VIR (VA International Raceway), Summit Point, and CMP (Carolina Motorsports Park).

No idea on the autocross scene, I've never done it, but I think it's plenty active.

If you like hockey, you may have heard we are Stanley Cup Champions

[dtw]

Originally posted by Huh
If you want a good cheap beer go to my personal favorite "the flying saucer" on Monday nights for $2.50 pints and it is served by a nicely shaped young lady wearing a school girls outfit.

Now back to your question. I think that there are a couple of good places in Chapel Hill/Carrboro area for Porsche repair but can't think of the name off hand. I don't know if Dusty (IIRCC), formerly of Team Stuttgart, has a shop. He was the resident Porsche guy of the area at the time I lived there.

+1 on the Saucer - I'm a regular there. The beer selection is key (a few hundred available, including ~75 on draft), and the ultra-short schoolgirl skirts aren't bad either.

Forgot to mention shops. Dusty is long gone, he headed West into the sunset. Jim Elliason's European Performance in West Raleigh has been my go-to shop for a decade and Chuck Miller's Millersport in Hillsborough is an extremely well-respected shop, especially for earlier cars.

[evill]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Please keep the info coming.

Regards,
Ed

[walt]

Yeah, just do it. I moved here from Livingston, NJ back in 1980 and never looked back. I haven't gotten involved with the local Porsche club but it appears the Hurricane region of the PCA has gotten quite active here over the past few years with regularly planned activites and events.

[cfries]

Evill,

I'm moving as soon as I sell my house here in S FLA. (Anybody wants to buy a house?!) I already bought one in Holly Springs and so far its very nice. I cant wait to get up there. Know a few people who went up to North Carolina and nothing but great reviews. The people there are the nicest and most polite people I have ever encountered. Looking forward to meeting everyone!

[Halm]

Originally posted by Huh
If you are talking vinegar BBQ which is only North Carolina style it is a taste to be acquired.

Let's talk "Q" first. Yes, the Eastern style is an aquired taste. Not my top pick, but better that that horse meat they pass off in TX as BBQ. The real stuff is LEXINGTON style. It is tomato based and has a sweeter and smokier flavor. Can't tell you where in Raleigh to get it but less than 90 minutes south you will be in Lexington. Along the way you will pass through Thomasville where Dave Brown has his shop SpeedWerks. He is especially good at race prep.

+1 on what Dave said about the area, the events and the tracks.

[dorschman]

As a born and raised Texan I have to say the barbeque is definitely an acquired tast in Carolina. I am still not sure what to do with all that vinegar! Gimme some brown sugar baby!

I live in Chapel Hill (part of the triangle of Raleigh and Durham) and there are several good shops depending on what you need. Chuck Miller Motorsports is supposed to be good in Hillsborough (north of Chapel Hill) and the Digital Chassis (Brad Moyer) is excellent in Durham.

I do not belong to any of the clubs, I bought my car just last year. PCA is on my list of to do's.

[overman]

Hi Evill... There are 2 PCA groups very active in the Raleigh area. West is the Triangle Area... East is the Hurricane Region. Both are very active and you'll find members from each Region at a lot of PCA events. I'm a member of the Carolinas Region, Triad Area out of Greensboro. Check out the Carolinas Region web page... www.carolinas-pca.com Hey... The Porsche Parade will held in Charlotte in 2008!!

Shops:
SpeedWerks... not in Raleigh but worth the drive.

Tracks:
CMP 2.3 mile 14 turn track, lots of fun... VIR 3.2 to over 4 miles with 33 turns... The 3.2 mile course is the historic layout dating back to the mid 50's... lot's of elevation changes, very nice straight aways... fun fast track! You can easily find information for both tracks on the web...

Auto Cross... The Carolinas Region has staged a 4 event auto cross this year... You earn points at each event... Highest points earned from all 4 events wins... One event left for the year... the SCCA has a real active group also.

The Triad Area is having a swap meet 12 Aug... so bring all of your parts south and join us... the event is hosted by SpeedWerks, lunch provided.

Now... when you move let us know. I propose a Saturday Pelican run to Lexington, NC for lunch at Speedies BBQ.

Wayne
Asheboro, NC 1.5 hours east of Raleigh.

[Johnathan]

I'm fairly new to motorsports and Porsches for that matter, but outside of the PCA clubs, there is Tar Heel Sports Car Club. It's a local club with a lot of members. I've done 3 autocrosses with them and they've made me feel very welcome. They've got a couple regular 911's and 914's that come out. They also do HPDE events at VIR, Rockingham, and CMP. And Rallycross events if your into that.

As for the BBQ.. Bullock's BBQ in Durham is my personal favorite.

Welcome to Raleigh!

[bagpiper46]

I have been looking at retirement in the North Carolina area for a while now. Huntersville (20 miles north of Charlotte and a large contingent of Bagpipers), Spindale (about 90 minutes west) and Gastonia (30 miles west of Charlotte). Now just have to believe that in 7 years the 81 SC will still be running strong and probably have about 150k on the miles. Glad to see there are a few Porsche people and BBQ in the area.