Sam
My name is Samer Bekhazi. I was born and raised in Lebanon. I studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at the American University of Beirut, and then did a masters in Bioengineering at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland.
What is your dream Porsche and why?
The 918 Spyder. It’s the beauty and the beast at the same time. It’s the first production car to get less than 7 mins around the Nürburgring! I have not seen one live as of yet. The reason I ended up buying a 981 instead is essentially a typing error. It’s not the lack of 1.5M USD in my bank account 🙃.
Why do you drive? What motivates you? Do you have any goals?
I grew up loving cars. My dad loved cars too. I remember when I was a kid and he had a white BMW series 5. He used to take me and my brother on trips, entertaining us with a corner slide every now and then. My brother also loves cars and is into off-roading as well. As kids, my brother and I would always look around to spot nice cars around us. He used to tell me all about the car, and I would take notes. The main reason I drive is because I enjoy taking road trips. I do it to enjoy the scenery. I love exploring scenic drives and small towns along the way. I also plan to get more into autocross - I’ve only been to one AX event so far and loved it - and eventually graduate to the race track.
How did you get into Porsche?
After spending my first year in California without a car, I noticed how inconvenient it was, how expensive ride sharing is, and how essential having a car is to enjoy life here. I wanted to get a reasonably fast, reliable, small, two seater car that is convenient as a single car to own. I considered the BMW M2 for a bit, but it didn’t really fit the bill, nor did it fit my extremely tiny garage. The Cayman checked all the boxes with flying colors: quite reasonably lightweight and agile, as reliable as a car can get, tiny and fits my garage - I rented one on Turo before committing to buying one to confirm, two seats only, and two boots! I’m amazed how much stuff I can fit in this car. I was even able to fit my bass guitar in its hard case! I spent about 2-3 months browsing used cars online until I found one with the exact spec I had in mind: blue, nice rims, with PCM/BT. I found one in New Jersey from a private seller who recently upgraded to a GT4, so I flew there to give it a test drive, and then shipped it home. It arrived on my birthday!
Do you have any tips for those looking to get into driving and/car event?
I don't have any racing tips, but I do have a “good practice” driving tip. I see a lot of drivers put the handbrake on AFTER putting the car in Park, when parking. This isn’t right: if you’re parked on a hill, this puts quite a bit of strain on the gears. Also, even if you’re parked on a straight, if you get hit by another car, you risk severely damaging your gears. The right sequence of events after parking is: Neutral, handbrake, release the foot brake, Park. This ensures that the handbrake is the first line of defense to stop the car.
What would you like to see the GGR club do?
When traveling, I love to take famous scenic drives. This April I had the pleasure of enjoying a breathtaking drive in Axenstrasse, Switzerland. I am also currently writing this while on vacation in Nice, France, and plan to take a drive to Gorges du Verdon while I’m here. I would love for the club to expand beyond California, and organize drives around the world. I personally wouldn’t mind renting a Porsche for a few days to enjoy some of the most scenic drives of the world.
How many Porsches do you own?
The last car that I took ownership of was a Porsche. Also the first one. Also the only one, for now. I really like the Cayman, so will be looking to upgrade to a GT4 at some point 🤞🏼.