FCA 2021 Experience in Portland

I haven’t thought about that specifically, but heard long ago that getting out of bed every morning “may be a bad idea” and might apply regardless of location or type of automobile. Hasn’t stopped me yet and pandemic permitting, hope to see you too in Portland.

 

Portland is still burning. Hopefully something will be left & repaired by then. It doesn’t look very F car friendly at the moment. I was thinking about going as I loved the Scottsdale event, but with each additional night of XX nights of continuous rioting (peaceful demonstrations don’t include fires & helmets & paint cans), I think maybe not.

 

Ya think? I wonder how many of my race buddies did not race Portland earlier this month? Every lost racer cost them about $2-3k . How much total economic destruction has occurred? How are they going to support $15/hr. with no business? Are they going to blame McDonald's and the Feds for their economy going in the toilet? These days my Ferrari might just become a dedicated trackday car. We are not safe on the streets anymore.

 

Krylon and Rustoleum are enjoying a 1000% increase in spray paint purchases.

 

I was planning on going, but I will wait to see what the situation is like next year. If the event was scheduled for this August, I would definitely pass.

 

The entire political climate in Portland leaves me cold. I would rather spend my time and money somewhere else. At least we have 2022 to look forward to.

 

Is this my friend Alan Wilson, track designer extraordinaire?

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

Not even close....retired international investment manager.

 

Our chapter has attended the last few FCA annual meets and we were bringing a large group to Quebec this year, but nobody is showing much interest in going to Portland with the political climate the way it is now. Maybe things will change, but if it were this month there wouldn’t be much interest from our group.

 

I have been reading the previous posts and thought I should say a few words about the FCA 2021 Annual Experience planned to be held in the Northwest, on the outskirts of Portland, July 11-17th, 2021. I am Erik Swensson the Regional Chairman for the FCA 2021 Annal Experience and Drive Oregon 2021, to be hosted by the Northwest Region. I agree the nightly news makes it look like the entire city of Portland is burning, but the city is 145 square miles and the rioting is taking place in about a six block area in central downtown. I am not in anyway condoning or making light of the serious situation but putting it into perspective. This summer has been very difficult and unusual in many ways. I doubt we will have another like it for a long time. As a physician, I strongly believe we will have a functioning vaccine for the coronavirus by the 1st Qtr of 2021. The venues we will be using for the FCA 2021 Annual Experience are miles from the center of Portland. The Northwest Region members are excited about showing our national partners in the FCA our spectacularly scenic region. In addition to the usual four days of fun at the Annual Experience we have put together four separate, three day drives that will be led by NWRFCA members. These drives will go to different parts of the state. We have an Oregon Coast Drive, a Crater Lake Drive, a High Desert drive and a drive across the coastal range to play Bandon Dunes golf courses. These drives all immediately follow the Annual Experience. Our website's homepage can be visited now at FCA2021.org using a Chrome browser or a PC. You'll be glad you checked it out. Ciao!

 

Portland 2021 will be a FANTASTIC event. All of the venues are fantastic and within a few minutes of the host hotel - no long drives to get to the track or the Concours field. The host hotel is large enough to accommodate everyone so we won't be split up into multiple hotels as is often necessary. And to get folks really motivated to bring their cars from all over North America, the NW region has organized add-on 3-day drives that offer up some of the finest sports car driving in the country. I just pre-ran the High Desert drive with a small group last month and can honestly say I have never had such a great driving experience from start to finish. Imagine mile after mile of smooth roads with virtually no traffic, long stretches of wonderful sweepers and twisty mountain roads. These trips are for folks who love to DRIVE! If you haven't looked at the video yet you must - and as crazy as this sounds, it undersells what the actual experience will be like.

 

Okay.... I watched the video.

I'm in. Sign me up. Seriously; what could cap the ownership-experience more than the PCH / HWY 1? Looks perfect.

 

I just got back from Portland for work. Was supposed to also go to Medford area but the highways were closed because of evacuations and multiple really giant wildfires.

I would like to go and will check back in with the situation in early 2021.

main issues for me are:

Will the state be burning on fire again in July 2021?

The entire central area of downtown (many more than 6 square blocks) looks like a scene out of The Walking Dead with homeless - not to mention the protests. This also extends across the river to the East....

Will there be pleasure drives each day / rally during the event or mainly organized after the event? This was my favorite part of the event in Scottsdale, AZ.

Robb

 

Thanks for the questions about FCA 2021 AE and Drive Oregon. Forest fires are a regular occurrence in Oregon.They are almost always late in the summer or into the early fall. This year has been much worse than most, due mostly to a rare windstorm early in September. Our dry season usually starts sometime in mid June to the first week in July. Therefore the chance for fires in mid-July is rare, but the weather then is 90+% of the time sunny and dry.
The social unrest this summer in many cities in our country has led to widespread destruction. Usually this activity does not occur in the winter. I doubt the summer of 2021 will be like the summer of 2020, for many reasons.
As for the activities to be found at the FCA 2021 Annual Experience, there will be pleasure drives to the Oregon Pacific Coast, through the Columbia River Gorge, to Mt Hood and Timberline Lodge, and a hill climb at the Maryhill Loops. In addition we will be featuring drives to world renown wineries. There will of course be the Concours, and track time at the Portland International Raceway, home to the Portland Gran Prix, an Indycar Series race.
These are just some of the events scheduled for the four days of the FCA Annual Experience and I have not mentioned the four separate, three day drives, that will be well organized and NWRFCA member supported, known as, Drive Oregon 2021.
You can go to FCA2021.org using Chrome or a PC to watch two videos of what we have planned. The full website will be up this November, registration will begin in January. Looking forward to a great time.

 

FCA members received an email
notice today that the official registration for the FCA 2021 Annual Experience and Drive Oregon 2021 will open on Jan 16th at 1000 EST. Full information about both events can be found at FCA2021.org. The Drive Oregon is a new event for the FCA. Hosted by the NWRFCA it consists of four Drives, each three days and two nights of driving and experiencing different parts of Oregon, from the Oregon Coast to the Cascade Range and the High Desert. Each Drive has it’s own appeal. We only have approximately 30 rooms each night for each drive. So to be sure our guests from other Regions get first chance to book a Drive, the NWR members will not be placed into a Drive until Feb 16th. They will then be placed in a Drive on the basis of their choice and when they registered. If you have ever wanted to Drive the Oregon Coast, the Cascades with Crater Lake or open driving through a High Dessert terrain now is your chance. We also have a Drive going to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. All Drives are mentored by NWR members so you won’t be out in the desert on your own. Hope you can make the time.

 

As a recent transplant to the Portland area (yes moved across the country during COVID) the city is no different than a other major city in the US. Watching the news makes it seem like the entire city is burning, as it has been said this is not true. The surrounding scenery is more than you can take in with one quick look, picture perfect adventures in every direction. Missing out on the 2021 Annual Experience in Portland due to misleading images of the city would really be shame. Hope to see some familiar East Coast faces!