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Don't be misled by the 37, this isn't the 911S from the first page. Kermit (as affectionately named by John's family) is a very fast 911 without the historic pedigree of the orange 911S. That means John can race more aggressively without the stress of worrying about an incident. No one wants an incident with a vintage car but you absolutely don't want one with a historic car. Photo supplied by Machine-Motorsports.
John giving the victory sign as he finishes in third place at a race at Watkins Glen. Photo supplied by Machine-Motorsports.Kermit has been an active participant in vintage racing in Canada and the U.S., with John placing third in class at Watkins Glen. This is a 1973 Porsche 911 that was originally a Texas car. The engine, a 1965 aluminum case, was built by Jim Buckley. Originally a 2 litre it is now a 2.5 litre and is John's personal race car.
John and his son, Calvin, are always at the track together. Quite a few times I have observed the entire family track side. Calvin is John's crew chief and keeps things together at the track. It won't be long before Calvin is in a driver's seat and soon challenging his dad on the track. Photo supplied by Machine-Motorsports.
The advantage of meeting friends at the track is learning from them. John told me a story about his racing at Watkins Glen where Frank Beck, who knew John had been having issues with the car at Lime Rock, took half an hour to diagnose and correct a carb issue. Frank predicted a 2:12 was possible and, by the end of the weekend, John put down a 2:12.93. Photo supplied by Machine-Motorsports.Earlier this summer at Watkins Glen, John and fellow racer and Porsche enthusiast Frank Beck, from Beck European in Arizona, spent a bit of time chatting. Frank took the time to look over John's data and helped him see where and how he could go faster. This paddock discussion and car prep helped John immensely. John was very impressed that a racer would take that much time with a fellow competitor, and hopes to return the favour with other racers in the near future. Frank and John went on to co-drive Jay Fitzgerald's #219 car in a one and a half hour endurance race. The camaraderie experienced track side is rarely seen in other sports – if you see Machine-Motorsports at the track, please stop by and say 'Hi'. Like the first time I met John at Dunnville when he had his Pulsar, he is always ready to chat and share his knowledge.
Coming through Turn Five at CTMP (Mosport). Photo supplied by Machine-Motorsports.This 911 was a street car until 92/93. It is a quick car and John does not mind entering it into more aggressive vintage series racing. It is simply a great vintage Porsche without the pedigree of the 911S or Ralph Meaney's former car.
A new project for Machine-Motorsports is this 1972 911 painted Ferrari Fly Yellow. It's been sitting for ten years and will undergo a cosmetic restoration with a 2.5 litre MFI engine. Photo supplied by Machine-Motorsports.
This 911 is John's first Porsche build. It has a 3.2 litre monster engine and is a beautiful automobile. Photo supplied by Machine-Motorsports.John and Machine-Motorsports have some absolutely amazing automobiles. And I know that there will be another story in the not so distant future as he is constantly on the lookout for another Porsche that needs a bit of knowledgeable TLC to get it back into shape. In fact, during our last phone interview John had to cut it short to take another call. Shortly after I got a text message that he had just picked up a 1970 Porsche 914 race car from the southern states – that had the very rare aluminum case engine that was built to 2.5 litres. It has PMO carbs, JE Pistons, 12:1 compression, and a twin plug set-up. All in all, a very unique engine in an otherwise unassuming Porsche. After all, Machine-Motorsports are the Porsche Hunters!
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