Gathering of the Singertista Faithful


by Jack Criswell, photos by Cynthia Criswell

The Norbert Singer Fan Club assembled in Springfield, Massachusetts March 4, 2000. That just happened to also be the 21st annual Tech Tactics sponsored by Porsche Club of America Zone 1. After the untimely demise of the War Bonnett Region's tech sessions, Zone 1's Tech Tactics is now the largest, and longest-running Porsche Club technical session nationwide. For this reason, and because their theme this year was racing, (and perhaps because Porsche did not have their usual need for his unique services this year, unfortunately) Porsche sent none other than Norbert Singer to address these hard core Porsche tech-heads.

Singer started at Porsche almost exactly thirty years to the day before his address at Tech Tactics, so his appearance there was very appropriate and quite the opportunity - compelling Cynthia and I to accept their invitation to attend on behalf of the Norbert Singer Fan Club. ("NSFC")

We had a lot of fun. Thankfully he is such a great sport. After his speech we surprised him with a presentation on behalf of the NSFC: a mass induction of Norbert Singer Fans from the Tech Tactics attendees. One early Roman Emperor marched his army through a river and then pronounced them "Christians." In like fashion we had everyone raise their right hand and repeat "I do Hereby Solemnly Affirm - to be a Fan - of Norbert Singer." His face glowed Martini-red. (Also notice the raised hands in the crowd - seen in the mirror behind.)

At Dinner that evening Singer drew from a helmet the winning entry in the NSFC trivia contest (winner: Judy Hendricks - PCA National Membership Chair), presented her with the NSFC trophy, which was a beautiful custom-designed polished aluminum sculpture of a 917 longtail, (Judy, ahem, your Singer Button is above the Ferry Porsche pin) and Singer received a similar trophy of gratitude from the NSFC and a "Norby Bear" (cute teddy bear with NSFC button) from Zone 1 and the creative mind of Patti Green (shown there on the left).
 

He presided over a GT1 tire-changing contest using an actual GT1 wheel and assembly beautifully crafted into an aluminum frame by Weissach wizards. The winner won the wheel. The loser had to explain its loss to McNish. Maybe that's what H. Singer is here explaining to Patti Glynn, George Bueselink, and John Paterek.
 

Cynthia "mans" the booth.

 

A mass induction of members, a contest, formal introductory speeches, presentations, trophies, NSFC buttons and stickers, a special teddy bear - this is starting to look like a real club.

Development of the GT1

Singer's topic was Development of the GT1 - the car which won LeMans First and Second places Overall on Porsche's 50th Anniversary in 1998. Unfortunately his excellent slides (Singer is also a talented photographer) cannot be reproduced here, but Betty Jo Turner indicated the text would run in a future Panorama and she would provide a copy for the NSFC web site.
The GT1 was produced when the intent was to limit the class to street-legal cars. Porsche had to not only meet the ACO's race regulations, but over 700 pages of European crash and safety regulations. [I believe Porsche was the only one to actually accomplish this. Street legal Porsche GT1s have been seen on the road, but other manufacturers weenied out of this requirement and never legalized one of theirs.]

Singer's group saved costs by crash testing only one chassis, meticulously recording the data into a sophisticated computer program that allowed subsequent "cyber-crashing." Road cars were required to have some heated ventilation, but Singer discovered this was merely to provide for windshield defrosting, and the GT1 already had a heated racing windshield, thereby satisfying the goal of Germany's strict department of transportation, the TUV. Singer was surprised to find that the TUV did not require operating windows, so the GT1's are fixed, "It's a problem in drive-throughs." he says.

The license plate was painted on to the car.

Convincing the LeMans ACO stewards was also a challenge. He referred to a similar challenge with the Dauer Porsche (a 962 which won LeMans as a "street car") The ACO scrutineers were determined to flunk it because it violated "the spirit of GT racing." "But it meets your rules!" Singer responded. The flustered ACO finally came up with: "It has no bumpers! - Street cars have bumpers." So Singer's group contacted the TUV and learned that there were exceptions. Also, they pointed out that nearly half the cars on the streets in Paris had lost their bumpers in the mass chaos they call traffic, and continued to drive without official hindrance. Touche'

Developing the GT1 was quite intense in the short time available. They wanted to do 24-hour-long tests on an temperature-controlled enclosed rolling test bed before taking it to a track. But the GT1's specially-developed tires could not handle the metal rollers. Different special tires were needed for just that test. The drivers took LeMans-like stints in the car, constantly shifting it through gears just as in the race.

Then it was off to secret tracks in southern France (he said it was getting harder to find tracks that let them run all night) for more 24-hour-long tests of solid running, exclusive of breaks and driver changes. The race itself would be easier.

Bob Wolleck and Alan McNish were two primary test drivers. Wolleck said the car oversteered and McNish said it understeered. That is part of the frustration of a race car engineer. Wolleck likes to start his turn early, setting the car up and guiding it through curves. McNish likes to blast into the curve relying on brakes, throw it in there and wrestle it out. So the same car on the same track with the same tires can have too much understeer and too much oversteer.

Singer also has a fascinating personal history with racing, although he did not go into this in his speech. He is one of the few to meet Enzo Ferrari. The occasion was a motorsports meeting a decade or so ago. Singer caught him alone before the meeting and was interested to hear of Ferrari's admiration for Dr. Porsche, from whom he had purchased a patent. In the '60's a young Singer followed F1 racing to Monte Carlo to see Jim Clark's Lotus 49. Back then, they were able to go into most of the team garages unattended, but were unable to find Lotus. Singer stopped and questioned a Firestone tire man, who provided directions to the Lotus garage and said "Hey, if you're going there, could you take them these tires they requested?" Racing has come a long way.

Singer today enjoys computer racing simulators, and his son, now 18, is a driver for a racing go kart that Singer and some Weissach engineers help tune. Suppose your son came home one day and asked if you would help him race a go kart. He says one of the competitors' dads is helping him. You discover this "other competitor" is named Singer and his Dad works at Weissach. "Hmmm. Let's see Son, we'll have to beat an air cooled race car, tuned by a Mr. Singer from Weissach --- this won't be easy."

Afterward, H. Singer provided input for the Tech Tactics Tech Panel, and graciously mingled among Porsche fans, signing Norbert Singer Fan Club stickers and pins. I felt obliged to ask him how to make my Porsche go faster. He laughed. I laughed too because I knew it was a silly thing to ask perhaps the greatest mind in Porsche racing, but inside I thought "Hey - that wasn't really supposed to be funny!" Then he said "Use the big pedal on the right." OK, I asked for it, didn't I?.