Real-world reports from our global collective of 911 owners
Our contributing enthusiasts from around the world share their real-life experiences with their Porsche 911s
Chris Wallbank
Leeds, UK @chris_wallbank @chrisjwallbank
Model 997.1 CARRERA S
Year 2005
Acquired NOV 2012
It would be all too easy to start off this month’s piece by talking about the unprecedented times we’re all facing around the globe, but instead I’m going to remind myself of the last outing I managed to squeeze in before lockdown with my 997.1 C2S!
It was a track day I had been planning for a while with a few close friends at a circuit near me called Blyton Park in Lincolnshire; some of you may have heard of it, some maybe not because it is a relatively small circuit in comparison to most in the UK – but it’s definitely not any less fun!
It’s now owned by a good client of mine, Ginetta Cars, and the great thing about this track is you can hire it exclusively to yourself for a relatively cheap price when you split the cost of the day between you and some friends! On this particular day we had 14 cars and at a total cost of £1,400 for the day, that worked out at just £100 each, which to me is a bit of a bargain considering you have got the track exclusively for you and 13 pals!
I was originally meant to be taking my E92 M3 track car but the track tyres didn’t turn up in time, so I thought what better opportunity to take the Porsche and do a few steady laps, seeing as I was just about to replace the old Pirelli tyres in the near future anyway. May as well get that last bit of use out of them without having the worry of wrecking new tyres!
Unfortunately a lot of my Porsche pals couldn’t make it, but I was joined by EX-LTL columnist Joe Croser in his new Lotus and another 997.1 C2S owner who has written for Total 911 in the past called Sunny Hoyle; he wrote a piece on five road trips to conquer in a Porsche 911 back in issue 183.
I’ve driven the circuit many times in various cars, and it really is a great short, technical track. With it being shorter, it doesn’t take long to get dialled in and it soon becomes addictive! We were really lucky with the weather, but I must admit I only ran my car for four or five laps, as I was a little conscious about chipping the immaculate paintwork I had just spent a fortune on just last year, which is one of the main reasons I bought the M3. From now on my 997.1 C2S is strictly reserved for epic road trips and weekend meets!
It was great to have some passenger laps in Sunny’s C2S though; first time I’ve been in a 997 with PSE from factory and it sounded absolutely amazing!
If you’re a bit of a track day enthusiast and fancy a track exclusively for you and your pals, find more information about track and facilities at blytonpark.co.uk.