Porsche Experience - Any tips or advice?
Discussion
Don't try to go flat out from the start - you'll unsettle the instructor and get less out of them! Go smoothly & swiftly, but then start asking for advice, hints, tips etc.
Perhaps work on your cornering lines first, then braking points as you start building up speed and finally start using more revs, asking "how early should / could I be getting on the power"?
Personally, my guy let me go as fast as I wanted (really fast) and with his advice I'm pretty sure I was right at the limits of my ability by the time I finished (and sweating with the concentration / exertion).
If you're in a C2S and you hit the limiter in 3rd (or need to briefly grab 4th), before the hairpin onto the start straight - you know you're going fast! (As you're carrying a lot of speed through the bottom corner) .....
Perhaps work on your cornering lines first, then braking points as you start building up speed and finally start using more revs, asking "how early should / could I be getting on the power"?
Personally, my guy let me go as fast as I wanted (really fast) and with his advice I'm pretty sure I was right at the limits of my ability by the time I finished (and sweating with the concentration / exertion).
If you're in a C2S and you hit the limiter in 3rd (or need to briefly grab 4th), before the hairpin onto the start straight - you know you're going fast! (As you're carrying a lot of speed through the bottom corner) .....
mrh1275 said:
drive it like you stole it
practice on the kick plate
and make sure you get a passenger lap with the old boy who
is one of their top instructors, can't remember his name but he is also a farmer in his spare time !
BRILLIANT driver.
^ This ^practice on the kick plate
and make sure you get a passenger lap with the old boy who
is one of their top instructors, can't remember his name but he is also a farmer in his spare time !
BRILLIANT driver.
Could his name be Richard? He races 1930's Masers and Bentley Blowers in his spare time as I recall - he's a really, really nice bloke, and a seriously good driver, and great instructor too. Was very good to both me and my missus in their Cayman R (which is also a great car to learn in).
What are you used to driving?
I'd spend a bit of time initially on the low grip circles (if you can) to get a feel for the weight/balance of the car before you do anything else.
Take control of the session and don't spend more less/time on any one area of the facility than you want. (By all means listen to how the instructor thinks you're best spending your time, but don't let him 'run' the session).
Kickplate - good fun but not that relevant to real life.
Ice hill - again, good fun and a bit more representive of real life.
Low grip track/circles - very good, and is good learning for car control/handling (especially weight transfer from a LH bend to a RH bend i.e. stringing corners together).
Normal handling track - good, but gets a bit boring after you've mastered it (6-10 laps).
Final bit of advice is to come back and tell us how you got on.
(I had a mixed experience, detailed here)
I'd spend a bit of time initially on the low grip circles (if you can) to get a feel for the weight/balance of the car before you do anything else.
Take control of the session and don't spend more less/time on any one area of the facility than you want. (By all means listen to how the instructor thinks you're best spending your time, but don't let him 'run' the session).
Kickplate - good fun but not that relevant to real life.
Ice hill - again, good fun and a bit more representive of real life.
Low grip track/circles - very good, and is good learning for car control/handling (especially weight transfer from a LH bend to a RH bend i.e. stringing corners together).
Normal handling track - good, but gets a bit boring after you've mastered it (6-10 laps).
Final bit of advice is to come back and tell us how you got on.
(I had a mixed experience, detailed here)
Actus Reus said:
mrh1275 said:
drive it like you stole it
practice on the kick plate
and make sure you get a passenger lap with the old boy who
is one of their top instructors, can't remember his name but he is also a farmer in his spare time !
BRILLIANT driver.
^ This ^practice on the kick plate
and make sure you get a passenger lap with the old boy who
is one of their top instructors, can't remember his name but he is also a farmer in his spare time !
BRILLIANT driver.
Could his name be Richard? He races 1930's Masers and Bentley Blowers in his spare time as I recall - he's a really, really nice bloke, and a seriously good driver, and great instructor too. Was very good to both me and my missus in their Cayman R (which is also a great car to learn in).
But also don't expect tooo much from the day. The new Silverstone centre is all a little mickey mouse compared to a proper race track, or the sessions they used to run at Millbrook. As mentioned you won't get any faster than the top of 3rd gear, and the kick plate and ice hill are a novelty that soon gets boring if you've done much track work or skid pans before.
At millbrook you could do 0-c.130mph runs down the mile straight, 155+mph around the bowl and then have a MASSIVE skid area to play in.
Still it is a fun day, and good grub....
At millbrook you could do 0-c.130mph runs down the mile straight, 155+mph around the bowl and then have a MASSIVE skid area to play in.
Still it is a fun day, and good grub....
Hawmaws said:
I think we were on a session the same day late last year. I remember reading your thread.
Yeah, I did post something at the time - was November or December last year, (early December at a guess) and windy but very sunny. I was there with my (now) fiancee.I spent nearly my entire session on the handling circuit working my lines, and felt pretty competent afterwards, though I did enjoy some time on the low grip surfaces just playing around.
I didn't use the kickplate at all - as said above it's not terribly relevant to real world driving, but that said, it's one of the most fun parts of the experience I think.
I've been 3 times and always enjoyed it - but I've never had to pay which helps somewhat...
NorthDave said:
monthefish said:
What are you used to driving?
I've got a 997.1 C4S. The drove it like I stole it as a given!Thanks for the tips. I was interested in which areas to prioritise over others.
Will definitely report back!
I chose a 997.2 C4S for the experience, as I wanted it to be (a bit) representative of my car (996t), and you may wish to do the same.
Alternatively you might opt for RWD only if you are purely going to have fun and do big skids...
NorthDave said:
Hi Guys
On the Porsche Experience in a couple of weeks and wondered if anyone had any tips to make sure I get the best out of it? I really want to explore the limits of the car as I have been struggling to do this on the roads.
Thanks
Dave
1. Decide in advance exactly what you want to learn - tell the instructor. Then you won't waste time finding out how great ABS is if what you really wanted to do was learn how to catch oversteer.On the Porsche Experience in a couple of weeks and wondered if anyone had any tips to make sure I get the best out of it? I really want to explore the limits of the car as I have been struggling to do this on the roads.
Thanks
Dave
2. Take sunglasses and a bottle of water. I had to finish my last afternoon early because of a low sun and I was also losing concentration due to dehydration.
3. Don't eat a lot before going out on the track. If the instructor takes the wheel and has the car sideways a lot it can cause motion sickness. Even when driving oneself this can be an issue after many spins and slides. Definitely don't go to the cafe in Towcester that sells fresh homemade cakes and eat three of them before going on the track. Ask me how I know this.
it's a good mix, but the track is a bit of a let down, not long or wide enough. I really enjoyed the kick plate and finally realised just how much lock you have to apply in a skid, really useful knowledge that I hope I won't need. The guy who took me out is an ex-police driver called Mark, very nice guy who suggested we gon on the main roads, high point of the day as he showed me how the police drive quickly and safely, it was very informative. I thought the food was ok and I learned far more than I thought I would, having done countless track days over the years.
Blue62 said:
I really enjoyed the kick plate and finally realised just how much lock you have to apply in a skid, really useful knowledge that I hope I won't need.
The other thing that the kick plate demonstrates is just how much of a difference an additional 2 or 3 mph makes to the difficulty in catching the slide.Actus Reus said:
^ This ^
Could his name be Richard? He races 1930's Masers and Bentley Blowers in his spare time as I recall - he's a really, really nice bloke, and a seriously good driver, and great instructor too. Was very good to both me and my missus in their Cayman R (which is also a great car to learn in).
Probably Richard Attwood - Ex Le Mans winner. I managed to grab a picture with him last time I was there. Could his name be Richard? He races 1930's Masers and Bentley Blowers in his spare time as I recall - he's a really, really nice bloke, and a seriously good driver, and great instructor too. Was very good to both me and my missus in their Cayman R (which is also a great car to learn in).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Attwood
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