Michael Meldrum
Houston, Texas @p911r
H.C.R. Three letters that don’t mean a whole lot to most, but for the annual participants of the Texas Hill Country Rallye, it is shorthand for the best damn driving event on the aircooled Porsche calendar.
Apologies in advance if I sound like
I’ve been indoctrinated into a cult and I’ve drunk the Kool-aid, but it’s that good and it keeps delivering (this is my sixth time).
The 2020 edition came a bit earlier than normal, the last weekend of February, but the weather gods delivered a weekend of perfect weather to enjoy all elements of the three-day event.
Day One was an air-cooled track day. Like the rest of the weekend, it’s a laid-back format. After the safety briefing, it’s time for some track time, solo, lead follow or accompanied depending on your comfort level. It’s the best way to push your car to the limits in a safe setting. “Pebbles”, my Gulf blue wide-body backdate, rose to the occasion – the grip from the sticky Michelin TB15S is astonishing, you have to try very hard to break traction.
Day Two, we travelled to the heart of the Hill Country, Kerrville, TX. For those of you not familiar with Texas, this area is not what you would expect – lots of changes in elevations, lush green landscape and some of the finest driving roads in North America. Friday’s 350-mile run was a mixture of tight twisty roads, sweepers and steep elevation changes. Local knowledge is key and thanks to
Jed Rogers and Jim Bauer, the route and group was expertly planned and guided. I’ve learned, if you see these guys touch their brakes, you had best follow suit, unless you wish to get airborne!
Day Three was an action replay of day one but with enjoying a different variety of roads. Saturday included an off-road section, many, many cattle guards, livestock and tight single-lane country roads. Sadly, our group leader Jed had a fuel pump failure, but the rest of the route was expertly led by Jim Bauer.
The good news is, if you’re going to have a mechanical issue, the HCR is not the worst place to be. With 200 cars registered there’s a plethora of expertise and tools on hand. This year the guys from Rs-werks were on hand to help remedy any issues, and they were kept busy!
Once again, the event was a roaring success, and my memory bank was stuffed full of lots of memorable moments. A tip of the hat to the organisers for another outstanding weekend. Can we hurry up and do it again, already?