ONLINE VOTING – 2024 RALLY SPORT REGION ELECTION

The President and three board positions are up for election this year. Each member and affiliate member may vote in this election.  We have a large number of candidates running this year, please read their bios below and vote.

We now have an online voting option available in addition to the options in the last email, you can access it here:

Rally Sport 2024 Online Ballot

The Candidate for President is: 

John Thomson:  I have been a region member since we bought our Boxster in 2012, but have been around Porsches and the club all my life.  My dad raced 356’s at Waterford and with SCCA throughout my childhood, so I grew up around the track and drank the Porsche Kool-Aid early and often!  I’ve spent my 30+ year career as an automotive engineer with Roush, spending a lot of time developing powertrains for customers and Roush’s own products.  Since joining the club, my wife Diane and I have been active participants in all of the club’s social, road, and track activities.  We’ve also been active in several Zone events and haven’t missed a Parade since joining, giving us exposure to perspectives from other regions and PCA friends across the country.  This experience led us to join up with the Kishes in starting up a TSD program for the region which we’re really proud of.  We have also been active in Porsches in the Park planning, and in attending board meetings. If elected as President, my most important objective would be to maintain the strength and community we already have, while also trying to expand our events and engage more of our members in event participation and planning.  We have amazing people in our club and getting more of them engaged and active would benefit all of us.  I would be honored to serve this club as President and humbly ask for your vote.  Thank you.

The Candidates for Board Positions are:

Nick Bleau:  I am very excited to run for a board position in this election. I have been with the Rally Sport Region roughly a year and a half now and have truly enjoyed all of the social and track events along with meeting everyone who enjoys these cars as much as I do. I grew up in the Ann Arbor area and graduated from Huron High School in 2006. I then joined the Marine Corps as a mechanic and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Upon leaving active duty I stayed in the Reserves while I attended Universal Technical Institute in Chicago and was accepted into the Porsche PTAP program. I then finally returned to Ann Arbor to work as a Porsche Technician for roughly seven years before moving on to Stadium Auto about two years ago. I have owned a Cayenne for roughly seven years but finally purchased a 1999 911 to enjoy track events last year and I wish I had done it earlier. I have attended every HPDE since joining the club and plan to continue. This winter I will bring back Tech Talks hosted by me at Stadium Auto starting the second Saturday in November and continuing through March. I am the current Tech Chair for the Rally Sport Region and would love to serve on the board to continue helping this club and its members.

George Gilligan:  I have been associated with Porsches since I joined Rally Sport Region in 2009. I bought my first Porsche in 2006 and have owned five Porsches, currently two, a 991 Carrera 4S Convertible and a Panamera S.  My interest has always been in imported cars and I have been involved with them for 50 years, primarily English cars.  In my prior career I was part owner of Falvey Motors of Troy. We had franchises for MG, Triumph, Alfa-Romeo, Land Rover, Saab, Renault and Rolls-Royce.  Mr. Lawrence Falvey was my mentor, and we opened in February of 1974 on 13 acres in Troy, Michigan.  In 1980 I went back to university to finish my BBA, having sold my interest in Falvey Motors of Troy.  After graduation I decided to join the investment community and joined a firm.  Prior to retiring in 2009 I partnered with Duda/Gilligan Wealth Managers, Raymond James and Associates in the Ann Arbor office before retiring as Vice-President of Investments and Certified Financial Planner (CFP). My interest in the Board goes back to 2009 when I became a Board Member for the first time. I have always been impressed with the management of the Board under several Presidents and feel it continues to be a well- run organization.

Dennis Huibregtse:  A four-year RSR-PCA member, I became a Porsche owner relatively late in life.  This was due to life circumstances rather than a lack of interest, though. Having become fully submerged in cars, hot rods, and racing by age 13, I convinced my parents to drive me to nearby Road America to spend a race day watching all kinds of sports cars winding their way around that track. At that point, the hook was set, deeply and permanently. I still go back to RA for an event nearly every year.

                Those “life circumstances” included more than 50 years in the heavy-duty engine and powertrain industry, traveling to and doing business in at least 20 countries, residing in Brussels, Belgium for 16 years, and countless adventures.  They also included experience serving on corporate boards in the US, Belgium, and India, and on the boards of four different non-profit organizations through the years.  I understand governance, process, and procedure, and will be happy to employ that experience as a member of the Rally Sport Region board of directors.

Wally Haley:  As a founding member and former officer and current board member of the Rally Sport Region I am proud of how the club has evolved and continues to provide a great club with diverse experiences for our members.  As a long time member, track instructor, insurance chair and legal “beagle” I believe I can continue to provide a unique perspective to support the continued success of our region.

Tom Neil:  As a long-time car enthusiast and lover of my Boxster, I believe I can contribute to the club.

                I rebuilt and modified my first car, a 1960 Chevy wagon at the age of 15.  It was reliable, quick and ideal for cruising and, importantly, hauling our rock band equipment to gigs.

After college, I found that cars could turn left and right quickly, too.  That led to me highly modifying my FIAT 131. 

                Various cars have come and gone, but settled in a little after I restored and highly modified my 1947 Plymouth Sedan Deluxe. That was followed by a Corvette C4 that I sold to purchase the Boxster. Then I added a C6 Corvette last year.

                Throughout my adult life, I’ve served in leadership positions in township government, founded a motorcycle chapter, serving as state director for the club’s parent organization working with 12 chapters until 2020.  I was the sports car racing manager at Quaker State Oil Corporation in the late 1980s.  I was secretary and vice present of the Chelsea Classic Cruisers car club from 2010-2018 and am currently the Membership Chair for the Huron Valley Corvette Club.

                With some experience and having learned a little I may be valuable serving on the Board of the Rally Sport Region Porsche Club.

Diane Thomson:  Since joining Rally Sport Region Porsche Club, I have participated in and enjoyed many car events.  I am interested in sitting on the board of the RSR to add a different perspective.  I currently am the President of the United Spinal Southern Michigan chapter and have been an event chair. II also sit on the planning committee for the Detroit Region SCCA autocross.  Along with these roles, I have been on the planning committee for Porsches in the Park, working with the team to make this a fun event with lots of ways for people to participate.  I have also been one of the rally masters for the RSR time speed distance rallies and look forward to continuing to expand this fun activity.  I have attended many national PCA events and have made relationships throughout the country.  Our track program is very strong, but I also believe there are members who would enjoy other activities.   I believe we can expand our activities and increase our member participation without ending any of our current activities.  It would also be great to increase our philanthropic work in the community.  I am very dedicated and work very hard in commitments I make.  Please consider me for the board position.  I look forward to making our club more fantastic than it already is.

David Walker: I am excited to submit my candidacy for a seat on the PCA Rally Sport Region board. I have been an RSR member for five years and have met some great people in that time. I am an engineer, a career I was led to by my youthful enthusiasm for all things automotive. My current car is a Prussian Blue 1985 Carrera that I have owned since 2017 and drive almost daily. With a few exceptions, I do all the work on my Porsche myself and the club is great for seeing and learning from other people’s cars. This year, I have participated in most of the RSR HPDE events; as a novice I find this challenging but rewarding. At the track, I have met another set of great people, furthering my enthusiasm for the club. Over the last year, I have attended several RSR Board/Member meetings and have been impressed with the organization and its leadership. As a board member, I would hope to contribute to sustaining the club on its current positive trajectory. Your vote would be greatly appreciated.

Conrad Zumhagen:  I hereby offer my candidacy for a Board Member position in our club, and welcome and honor the opportunity to serve as such. As a lifelong car enthusiast and member of the Rally Sport Region of PCA, I increasingly appreciate our club and its optimal combination of events and activities Ð most of all, the camaraderie and embodiment of the motto, “It’s not just the cars, it’s the people”. I’m very happy to have been a fellow Porsche person (since 2000, with a bit of a lapse during a Porsche-less period), and highly value the many friendships made here in RSR.

                I’ve been active in the club and its events, as a member, a small but enthusiastic sponsor of the Bahn Stormer and the 2023 DE season, and as a (retired) track participant and instructor. Whether or not I am elected (and I hope I am), I will actively and enthusiastically participate in, and contribute to the board, our meetings, and events in every way I can.

                In summary, I care about this club and the people who make it the success that it is. I am ready, willing and able to offer my experience and abilities to serve as a Board Member and ask for your vote.