Story and photos by Andrew Olson
The first weekend of August for the past nine years has brought together the local (and sometimes not so local) 928 owners to Hell, Michigan for what we affectionately call “Sharks in Hell.” We always have a “Hell” of a good time and this year was no different!

One of our local 928 owners Mark Haddlesey and his wife Karen, are the gracious hosts to the roughly 35 cars that show up. Most are 928s, but often include 944s, 911s, Cayennes, Aston Martins, BMWs, bugs, and many more.

There’s camping, swimming, fishing, lawn games, and all kinds of things to do. Kids and spouses seem to have an equally good time as the guys who grunt, scratch, and act like dogs sniffing each others’ butts (but instead we look under hood and do a lot of pointing). We attempt to have an informal tech session each year. In years past, we’ve disassembled a 928 block (which was one of my favorite tech sessions), performed alignments, and clutch jobs. This year, however, I think the atmosphere was a little subdued because of the loss of one of our key members, Dennis Szeremet, as reported in last month’s P4, so instead of doing a tech session I led a short remembrance.

In addition to all the local Michigan 928s, we had people from Chicago, Indiana, Ohio, and Kansas this year. We provided door prizes and t-shirts (and a port-a-john) thanks to our many sponsors. Munk’s Motors of Waterford, Classic 9 Leather Shop of Dearborn Heights, 928s-R-Us in Texas, 928 Motorsports in Wisconsin, 928 International in California, and the 928 Owner’s Club all sent door prizes or cash to help make the event extra special. Special thanks to Andy Thompson from Inland Press in Detroit! Each year, for the past 7 years or so, he has made some commemorative “Sharks in Hell” posters. He’s a 911 guy, but still seems to not mind slumming it with us 928 owners.

For the first time I got to play on the water. The kids were waterskiing, swimming, and having a great time. I got stranded on a dock with two crazies from Indiana, lost my glasses and got my wallet soaked, but we at least had a few beers with us.

We had a mild burnout contest, and one guy (Kurt) decided he wanted to try his hand at a NASCAR-style victory circle celebration. Basically, we had a lot of fun.

It is a family get-together of sorts. We love each other and this is the one time each year where we all come together to celebrate the bond that brought us together. And despite our love and camaraderie, it never seems to get old saying, “Go to Hell!”