Held at the Driver Development Track at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park just outside of Toronto, The Porsche Track Experience is a multi-level driving course that aims to help participants perfect their skills while ensuring a safe and enjoyable ride.
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of previewing the track experience first hand and the event exceeded my expectations. We started off the day with a bit of a crash course on weight transfer. This gave us some great insight into how we wanted to brake and accelerate when we were on the course. I started on the practice course driving the 911 Carrera model. We did some follow the leader exercises and it was super exciting to see how fast I could push the pace of the instructor car.
The instructors were absolute professionals. I learned things about driving that I would never have thought about in my day to day life. Having them there and giving constant feedback, it was easy to see the applicability of this as a full experience. In my brief time there, I learned an immense amount about driving -- when to brake during a turn, how to use the track to your advantage, and weight transfer techniques -- all of which had immediate impacts on my driving skills.
We then moved on to the slalom course where we got a chance to drive the Caymans. This was a fun exercise for multiple reasons. I really got to test out the maneuverability of the 718 Cayman GTS, and received great pointers from the instructors to improve my runs through the course. I was really able to push the car to its highest ability and coming to a full stop was a great experience because I got to see the quality of the car’s brakes.
On the autocross course we tested the Porsche 718 Boxster GTS, which allowed us to push the maneuverability of the car to the max. Porsche also gamified the course by timing everyone during their run.
Lastly, I was thrilled to drive the 911 Carrera T which was fitted with special plastic slip tires which allowed us to practise over- and under-turning.
When our driving was complete, we headed back to the main track and got to hop in the car with the instructors as they did a "hot lap" that recreates a racing-style run. The experience was exhilarating, not only because it allowed us to see the speeds they were able to reach, but because I was able to compare their lines to my own to see how far off I was from their time.
Sitting behind the wheel of a Porsche vehicle was a dream of mine since I was young. The cars absolutely lived up to the incredibly ambitious standards I had for the brand in my head and the Porsche team were absolutely great hosts.
"The goal of the program is to coach individuals with the skills needed to drive Porsche vehicles to their fullest potential with precision through an enjoyable learning process," said the brand in a recent press release. After last month’s media preview of the track experience, Porsche will be offering its packages to the masses until September 2018 with reservations costing participants from $495 to $4,995 per person before taxes.
Immersive Driving Events
The Porsche Track Experience Helps Drivers Perfect Niche Skills
Trend Themes
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