One day at the track.




















First impressions on the new 991: Track Experience

I was invited by PCNA and The Collection to an "Undercover" event at the Miami Homestead Speedway today. One day of pure track events and Autocross behind the wheel of this great automobile. Porsche NA flew 6 instructors from Porsche Driving School in Birmingham, Alabama to Homestead Speedway in Miami for a 3 part day that con sited of Autocross, Track and technical Q/A about the new model. I felt like the smart kid in class… answering every single question the guy asked to the audience!

We all know the first impressions and road test drives and accolades that the car provides but you don't get as many track oriented POVs

We had 2 cars dedicated to Autocross only and 8 cars for the Track. (some of then only had 23 miles!). The Autocross ones came with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control. And it makes the whole car feel like a giant go kart. Turns were "neck snapping" quick and body roll was totally absent. The course was conservative with a long straight for acceleration and a series of twists to test your reflexes. We paired with an instructor as a co-pilot and went ahead 3 laps. Then it rained and we did 3 extra laps with an instructor sitting next to us giving us directions. The car really makes all this seems very easy. We weren't allowed to disable PASM; and with the weather condition, I wouldn't touched that button either! Then, the instructors took the lead and let us go "shotgun" for a hot lap at AutoCross… OMG. I told my instructor… "so, this is how you do it?" (after checking my underwear for leaks!)

We had a short break and move to the Track portion of the event. If you are familiar with Homestead Speedway, you know that you'll get a good mix of fast turns, twists and long banked straights were we could reach top speed…
Again, raining was the ruler of the day but that would make us better drivers. The car handles so well, that you would forget it's raining/wet. Turns were flat and acceleration was splendid. The brakes never showed any fade and provided plenty of confidence. Again, we did 3 laps following a Pace car and we switched with our co-pilot. At the end, the instructor drove us for a HOT lap. Hot when wet. These guys are amazing!

To wrap this up, the car is more than capable on the track, yes, it has a lot of comfort items and it feels luxurious but I don't like to drive a car with metal floor pans, no insulation and just a sequential stick popping from the floor… console less!

If you want that, wait for the 991 GT3.

I hope you enjoy the read and I would like to take 34 words to thank Porsche North America, Porsche Driving School Instructors and The Collection Porsche for putting such a great event for us… mere mortals.

p.s. it was cool that they let us park right at the pits... only requirement: Porsches only!

 

Thanks for the photos and short review. How does it feel like climbing back to your 997?

 

It sounds louder in the cabin than the 997 during acceleration. Is that accurate? It sounds terrific, what RPM were you running it up to?

 

I was wondering, how do you get to do this and I realized the answer!

The dealer saw your mods getting completed so quickly on this car as compared to your last one and is betting that you on the verge of moving on up again!

 

climbing back to the 997 is not bad at all. I wanted to race on the streets...
The sound of the 991 with the PSE is amazing. really loud and lots of burping cracking popping when you lift your feet from the fast pedal

Also, the intake sound channeled to the cabin via the symphomizer whatchamacallit... is the best idea ever.

I loved the event because they really focused on the cars and not tried to make it a big sales pitch

 

we where running up to red line on the cars...

 

"Also, the intake sound channeled to the cabin via the symphomizer whatchamacallit... is the best idea ever."

That's a wild concept for me to handle!

 

to visualize it, it's a plastic tube, controlled by a diaphragm and a valve, that channels engine sound from the air box to the rear deck of the back seats. pretty neat.

 

''If you are familiar with Homestead Speedway, you know that you'll get a good mix of fast turns, twists and long banked straights were we could reach top speed…
Again, raining was the ruler of the day but that would make us better drivers.''




thanks for the video Joel...I've driven homestead...when it wasn't raining... and you can't reach 'top speed' on that course...

welcome to the' sunshine state'

 

100K Sports cars to nut-ball enthusiasts tend to sell themselves.

 

I meant top speed what the track allowed!

 

Was it an S?

 

Yes, all Carrera S's and the ones used for Autocross had the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control. Fully loaded with PSE, Sport, Sport Chrono, Sport Plus... every single button on the console!

 

right you are Joel !!!
looks like a great day !!!