MOTORMAN
Two decades ago Donn Anderson improved his driving skills and gained a better appreciation of Porsches at a Queensland driving centre
Of course we are all great drivers — definitely above average — until we find out we aren’t. And finding out in a safe way is clearly the major benefit of driver training and why almost all of us who use motor vehicles should experience it.
Driver training applies to all types of cars and commercial vehicles, and logically it is even more applicable to high-performance specialist machines — at least for their drivers and passengers — and, of course, if you are not exploiting or understanding the abilities of your car you are not making the most of it.
When I attended the Porsche Driving Experience Centre in Australia more than 20 years ago, one participant told me, “I’ve had my Porsche parked in the garage for several years and have never known how to use it properly — until now.”
Most enthusiasts unconsciously seek to improve their abilities but this is not usually by actually being taught. As a motoring writer I’ve been fortunate to receive instruction from brilliant drivers such as Jackie Stewart, Denny Hulme, and Chris Amon and it has always been gratifying. Back in the ’90s I spent a day driving a modest Toyota Corona with Amon on lower North Island rural roads. My great plan was for our legendary Ferrari Formula 1 (F1) driver to do the steering while I watched in awe. However, Chris had other ideas, encouraging me to do the driving while he told me what I was doing wrong.
Hulme once told me that if an accident seems inevitable, do not look at the danger you are trying to avoid because that is where you will end up. The natural instinct is to stare at the looming pole or bank. His message was to look at where you want to go to avoid the carnage.
A Porsche driving instructor believes there is no such thing as a bad driver, just an unfamiliar driver. If this is the case, New Zealand is blighted with large numbers of unfamiliar drivers and the tragedy remains that successive governments, including the current administration, have seriously neglected driver training. It is an underspent, underfunded education that saves lives, reduces injury, and reduces damage to vehicles and properties. It should be a no-brainer.
By Donn Anderson “I’ve had my Porsche parked in the garage for several years and have never known how to use it properly — until now
LESSONS LEARNT REMAIN
The lessons learnt at the Porsche Driving Experience all those years ago remain with me today — not only in advancing one’s skill behind the wheel but also in being able to own and drive a highperformance car proficiently and safely. Taking part in the two-day Queensland driving experience has long attracted Porsche owners on both sides of the Tasman and you do not need to count yourself among the owners of this highly esteemed marque to take part. Around eight out of 10 attendees do not own a Porsche — although many will want to after completing the programme.
Although the emphasis is on the 911 range, of which there are several to drive — including an awesome $35K 3.6-litre twin-turbo version with 300kw of power driving the rear wheels — on hand to put through the tests is the $130K Boxster convertible, and nowadays a chance to compare the handling and response traits of front-engine, mid-engine, and 4WD mechanical layouts.
The track experience is held at Mount Cotton, a purpose-built driver facility with three separate training areas located midway between Brisbane and Surfers Paradise. While establishing the real attributes of owning a Porsche, the course majors on safety and awareness. Clearly, the tools of trade are impeccable
— and the teachers are not bad, either.
Back in 1997, Peter Bradbury, managing director of the centre, briefed us that the course was not a racing driver’s school, even if most of the instructors had competition experience.
“We’re teaching people how good these cars are and how they can use the vehicle’s safety equipment,” said Bradbury, who went on to become an Australian Porsche Cup champion and also competed in the Carrera Cup Australia series.
Our teachers were Steve Johnson, son of Queensland’s famous
Dick Johnson, and Ian Luff, who established Drive to Survive, supporting motorists with education, training, and driving. As Steve says, even instructors continue to learn from experience. More recent instructors have included Czech-born V8 Supercars and Bathurst pilot Tomas Mezera, Jack Brabham’s son Gary, Supercars driver Steve Owen, and Carrera Cup champion Alex Davison.
ROAD CONDITIONS AND GRIP
Road conditions have a huge effect on grip. Luff said power and chassis dynamics mean nothing without tyres. Pressing this point he held up a hand illustrating the width of a tyre’s handprint. It is sobering to think that the entire link between a car and the road is confined to four small areas the width of a hand.
Motorists who fail to slow down
The lessons learnt at the Porsche Driving Experience all those years ago remain with me today
should remember that high-quality tyres like Pirellis need to pump six litres of water every second at 100kph. While it may seem obvious to do it, Luff said people did not check their tyre pressures often enough.
Prior to the practical work we were encouraged to spend time setting ourselves up in the cockpit. When learning to play golf, the club must be held properly. So, too, it is important to adopt the correct driving position. Forget straight-arm driving positions and snuggle up closer to the steering wheel. Sit as low as possible and do not lean into corners. The experts advise that while a bent-arms driving position may feel a little cramped initially, in the long run this position is not only safer but more comfortable.
Early into the test we were told that all the technology in the world is not going to make up for driver inability. Students learn and experience emergency high-speed braking. Most people start with light pedal pressures and then push harder when they should be doing the reverse if driving a car with anti-lock brakes. On a BMW drive programme in Germany, instructors were adamant that most people did not use ABS to its full advantage in an emergency situation. ABS allows drivers to jump on the brakes as hard as they can in a panic stop.
Back at Mount Cotton we were told a 911 Turbo could accelerate from a standstill to 100kph and then stop in the same time as a Holden Commodore HSV V8 needed just to accelerate to 100kph. We soon learnt that Porsches have brilliant brakes on the limit. The emergency braking tests are completed in both manual gearbox and automatic versions of the 911. Autos are better for braking since there are just two pedals and using the left foot for braking means less pedal reaction time.
UNDERSTANDING SPEED AND RELATIVITY
Understanding speed and its relativity is important. For every 10kph increase in speed, you need twice the distance to stop. Vision, of course, is critical and a key to good driving. You need to look ahead, well beyond the immediate environment, and plan for avoidance manoeuvres.
We were taught to experience understeer and oversteer and embarked on the slalom and handling sections. On the tight handling course, where adhesion was reduced by using a mixture of water and diesel, both the two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive 911s showed why they are memorable classic cars. They are light and delicate to control and are surprisingly predictable at their limits.
One of the great assets of the Porsche Driving Experience was the lessons in throttle control. Instructors ride with participants and talk pupils around the slippery handling tracks, entering corners more slowly than one might expect and then exiting with greater speed. We learnt how to be light and easy on the accelerator, squeezing the pedal as if there was an egg between the foot and pedal — a great Jackie Stewart tip. As the car starts to lose traction and slide, the driver waits for the tyres to gain grip before applying more throttle.
So, with level one successfully under our belts, on day two we tackled level two and tried the high-speed, 2.1km circuit. This is a challenging mixture of adverse cambers, blind corners, and tightening bends. Unlike the other tests, which offer a large margin of safety with run-off areas, the road circuit takes no prisoners.
In more recent times the Porsche Driving Experience, now known as the Porsche Track Experience, has been extended to six levels, with test vehicles comprising near-new Cayman, Panamera, Macan, Boxster, 911 Carrera, and Carrera 4 models. Training runs are made to allow participants to learn efficient use of electronic stability systems. Transferring to the Queensland Raceway at Ipswich, with an introduction to racing lines, the top three levels involve GT3 Cup cars that are sure to raise pulse rates. Last year packages that included return air fares from New Zealand, transfers, and two nights accommodation, were priced from NZ$3570 — about the same as 20 years ago.
Ponder, too, on how buying a new Porsche is actually less expensive than it used to be while the effect of inflation on other commodities has caused them to rage ahead. In 2020 a least costly Porsche 911 Carrera is $217,500 — the same retail price as it was in 1997.
Venues such as Mount Cotton provide a safe environment for simulating the kind of hazardous situations drivers may face in everyday traffic at various speeds. Porsche driving experiences are also offered at Hampton Downs and Taupo, although the sessions earmarked for April and May this year had to be cancelled due to Covid-19.
As Porsche states, there is nothing like practical instruction to enhance your driving skills. More’s the pity our politicians, the NZ Transport Authority, and police do not seem to be aware of this.
Understanding speed and its relativity is important. For every 10kph increase in speed, you need twice the distance to stop