Porsche's build-up to being the centre of the Goodwood Festival of Speed got off to a classic start today as Porsche's chief instructor Gordon Robertson began his
Long Way Doune
charity drive. Gordon is visiting nine of the UK's major racing circuits in three days while driving Porsche GB's
Project 50 race car
Navigator can barely see over the dash!
Kicking off at a misty and midge-ridden Knockhill this morning, Gordon took the wheel of the 1965 911 Project 50 racer for the start of his 1,200-mile journey. With his six-year-old daughter Lucy as navigator, Gordon will lap each of the nine tracks in the historic race car.
The team will be accompanied at each circuit by guest drivers in a brand new 991 Carrera decked out in the same livery as Gordon's classic 911. At Knockhill, 2013 Carrera Cup competitor Rory Butcher was on hand to get The Long Way Doune off to a fitting start by lapping the Fife circuit alongside Gordon in the 911 50 from Porsche's own museum. This is the 1967 car Porsche is taking on a world tour across five continents to promote the 911's 50th birthday celebrations, Goodwood being one of the stops along the way.
PistonHeads grabbed the wheel of the 991 for unique view of the start of Gordon's fund-raising drive for Ninewells Cancer Campaign. As the mist began to lift, we headed on to the track three abreast before Gordon's 1965 took the lead with a bark from its exhaust.
The 'follow 911' world tour car in the Scottish mist
The early 911 may only have a 130hp 2.0-litre engine but it's been fettled to give its best on a race track, so it doesn't like idling about for photography. Coughing and popping at first, the Project 50 racer soon clears and fills the Knockhill track with the noise only a car on straight-through race pipes can. It might be just after 8am, but who cares about noise regulations when a car makes such a divine sound?
Gordon says, "it can be a bit tricky when driving at low speeds, but as soon as the engine comes on the cam, it just goes. The engine has loads of power and the whole car has been so well set up you can just get on with driving it hard. It's a real delight."
Even with the brand-new 991 Carrera working hard to keep pace with its mechanical great grandfather, it's the race car that can be heard over the 991's 3.8-litre motor. On the straights, the 1965 car has more than enough acceleration to keep the younger machine in check too.
Project 50 racer can still show 991 a few tricks
The other noticeable factor is how delicate and small the 1965 car, and its 1967 sibling from the Porsche Museum, look next to the 991. They're not dwarfed or dainty, just more compact and able to use a little more of the track to pick the cleanest line through a corner.
There's little lean from the Project 50 racer and Gordon is soon giving the car its head. Rory Butcher is a little more circumspect in the immaculate 1967 car, which is understandable. "It's a real gem to drive, but the brakes are not quite what I'm used, so better to enjoy it than push too hard."
All too soon the track action is over and Gordon is getting ready to start his journey south, heading to Croft and then Oulton Park today. You can follow Gordon's progress right here on PistonHeads with regular updates from the driver's seat.
You can find out more about Gordon's charity drive in the Project 50 race car at www.justgiving.com/longwaydoune. The schedule for the three-day trackathon is:
Monday July 8
Knockhill - 0800h
Croft - 1230h
Oulton Park - 1630h
Tuesday July 9
Donington Park - 0800h
Mallory Park - 0940h
Silverstone - 1200h
Brands Hatch - 1500h
Wednesday July 10
Thruxton - 0800h
Goodwood - 1100h