Dreaming of Indy as I bomb around the track
The first thing I learned at the Porsche Track Experience I attended a few weeks ago is that the “10 and 2” position for hands on a steering wheel is so 2017 and the “9 and 3” position is now preferable.
Why? Because if the airbag in the middle of that steering wheel inflates, as the result of a crash, it can cushion your sudden stop unimpeded, thus saving your life in the extreme and preventing injury otherwise.
If your hands are at “10 and 2,” the airbag will encounter your hands and arms first and could drive those hands into your face, causing injury. If you should happen to be wearing a watch, the force from the airbag could cause it to cut you.
The things you learn at driving school …
This track experience — I was among about a dozen journalists who took part in the oneday taster — was held at the Driver Development Track at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Porsche introduced the track experience to Canada a year ago and it proved to be so popular that a full program is scheduled again for 2018. More than 400 people are expected to participate.
Jonathan Urlin was the chief instructor the day I was there — his father is well-known southwestern Ontario stock car racer Russ Urlin — and it was Jonathan who talked to us about driving physics, proper seating positions, hand positioning and so-on.
Then it was off to do some supervised driving around half of the development track (later expanded to include the whole 2.88-kilometre circuit), some accident avoidance, skid-pad work and car-control techniques. A variety of Porsche sports cars were available, from the 911 Carrera S to the 718 Boxster GTS.
During the first driving session, I had a flashback to a Wheels Father’s Day promotion 10 or a dozen years ago, in which sons or daughters wrote to tell us all about their won- derful dads and the prize — of which there were eight, if I recall correctly — was an introductory lesson for the winning father and their son/ daughter that had been donated by the Bridgestone Racing School.
Naturally, I had to take my oldest son in order to properly write about the day, and so we were bombing around in the school’s Formula 2000 race cars and, as was the case with the Porsche experience, following a pace car that was there to make sure we didn’t get carried away and kill ourselves.
Of course, I was tootling along in the F2000, right behind the pace car, and I’m wishing race cars had horns because the guy was going too slowly and I wanted to honk at him to pick up the pace. No horn, though, so I just pulled out and passed him. They black-flagged me and made me and my car sit in the penalty box for 10 minutes. They also told me not to do it again or they would kick me out.
So the last thing I was going to do in the Porsche 911 Carrera S I was driving the other day was get too racy too early — for two reasons: I didn’t want to get black-flagged again, and I’m a little older. Although I still think I’ll make it to Indy, I’m maybe not as good a driver at high speed as I think I once was.
Now, before I describe all the fun I had bombing around the CTMP development track in some of the finest cars in the world to drive, I want to tell you more about the Porsche program. I had a nice chat with Marc Ouayoun, president and CEO of Porsche Cars Canada Ltd., about this initiative that has been going since 1974 when the first Porsche Sports Driving School was launched at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany. Today, the renamed program is available in countries around the world.
Essentially, the programs have one focus — to help attendees safely achieve individual goals in everyday driving and on the race track. There are four levels — Warm-up, Precision, Performance and Master — and each is progressively challenging. The first two were on offer in Canada in 2017 and the Performance and Master have been added this year.
“Regardless of the program,” Ouayoun said, “the professional instructors will take each driver’s skills to the next level.”
The president acknowledged that Porsche uses the programs to sell cars (“there is a correlation; we are a company and we have to make money — I think this kind of experience can be a very good thing for prospects … people who do not own a Porsche right now) but that “it’s more than that.”
“It’s about providing a real Porsche experience,” he said. “Everything is about experiences when you are talking about our cars. They are not just cars for mobility, or cars for commuting. They are for having an emotional experience, for having fun, for being part of the Porsche family and all that goes with that.
“This is part of the Porsche DNA. We make sports cars, so we want a connection between the car you own and that you drive every day to the car that wins at Le Mans. One step is the driving school, the next step could be going on the race track with your own car, and then you can go all the way up to going against professional drivers. Whatever you want; it’s up to you.”
I kept that in mind when our instructor finally turned us loose on the entire circuit. I didn’t have to consider honking the horn to pick up the pace because we got going at a pretty good clip. And I was somewhat proud of myself because I only missed two braking points — although they were sufficiently serious that I had pucker-up experiences with both (and I’m not talking about preparing for a kiss). The worst thing you can do when participating in a program such as this is to pile up a car, so I eased off.
Talking about slowing down, we participated in an exercise where we would drive the car as quickly as we could through a slalom course and then drive straight at an instructor — Graeme Peppler of Ottawa — who, at the last moment, would point right — or left — and you would have to steer in that direction and bring the car to a stop.
I thought Peppler was the bravest person on the planet because I wouldn’t trust myself in a situation like that, never mind a complete stranger. But later, at lunch, he told me he’s never been hit and never really had a close call. “Most people are pretty good,” he said, although he did acknowledge that he always has an escape route in mind.
The last time I attended a skid school, the instructor put a load of manure on the tarmac and although it did the trick of creating a slippin’ and slidin’ environment, it was not the most pleasant of experiences because that stuff can stink.
That was many years ago. Now, to create a situation in which the car “oversteers” (the rear end comes around), they attach plastic covers over the tires and when you apply the accelerator and start to drive, it’s like being on a sheet of ice.
I was so intent on not being caught out that when I went to correct the inevitable spin that happened when I put the pedal to the metal, I managed to also turn on the windshield wipers, which resulted in mirth. Others participating in the course were awaiting their turn when this happened and, despite their best efforts, greeted my performance with giggling.
It’s a good thing I have a sense of humour, because nobody laughs harder at me than me.
Our last exercise of the day saw us driving a Boxster around an obstacle course (on a large patch of pavement usually occupied by Hwy 407 — they have an electronic toll reader on a stanchion there and are constantly testing ways to catch cheaters) and the person with the fastest time would win a backpack. I did not win, but they gave me one anyway. “Nice try,” said chief instructor Urlin who, in fact, gave one to everybody.
I made a reference to Father’s Day earlier, which is tomorrow. If you are stuck for a lastminute gift, I suggest one of the following courses. If your dad has never done anything like this before, the Warm-up would be for him. If he is a really good driver, the Master might be a fit.
The price is $495 for Warmup (half day), $2,795 for Precision, $3,795 for Performance and $4,995 for Master. The price includes the driving program, meals and instructions by Porsche-certified instructors.
For more information, go to porscheexperience.ca.