Driving Experience at Silverstone - worth it 2yrs on?!?
Discussion
What with COVID and other clashes, I didn't ever get round to doing my free experience day at Silverstone after I ordered my GT4 in summer of '21.
I thought the time had well & truly passed, but this afternoon I received this email from Porsche out of the blue...
Now, given I've had my GT4 since July '22, and also we are heading into Winter, would this even be worth it?
More importantly, I wouldn't have thought they were still running 718 GT4's on their fleet given production stopped quote some time ago...?
Thoughts from those here?
I thought the time had well & truly passed, but this afternoon I received this email from Porsche out of the blue...
Now, given I've had my GT4 since July '22, and also we are heading into Winter, would this even be worth it?
More importantly, I wouldn't have thought they were still running 718 GT4's on their fleet given production stopped quote some time ago...?
Thoughts from those here?
I sort of fell out with it before Covid after having done quite a lot of sessions there. I got a bit bored with it. Then recently I had three old invites stacked up so I took some of the family and had a great day out. I enjoyed it as we drove different cars to ours and we were allowed to swop cars as well.
Given you know your GT4 inside out by now why not try something else? There are so many Porsche models now that there is bound to be something you haven’t tried. I particularly enjoyed a 911 Turbo S with the lightweight pack.
Given you know your GT4 inside out by now why not try something else? There are so many Porsche models now that there is bound to be something you haven’t tried. I particularly enjoyed a 911 Turbo S with the lightweight pack.
I did my GT4 one 2 years from placing the order, before it expired.
The first thing my instructor asked me when we got in the car was, what do you want to get out of today?
I just asked him to teach me something.
So we did a couple of laps of the handling circuit then came in and had a quick chat and then went out again and he preceded to show me what I was doing right and wrong.
I absolutely would do it if you can. And unlike others, if you are planning on keeping the car for a while, I’d do it in the car you have. There is valuable driving training there if you are open enough to ask for it.
The first thing my instructor asked me when we got in the car was, what do you want to get out of today?
I just asked him to teach me something.
So we did a couple of laps of the handling circuit then came in and had a quick chat and then went out again and he preceded to show me what I was doing right and wrong.
I absolutely would do it if you can. And unlike others, if you are planning on keeping the car for a while, I’d do it in the car you have. There is valuable driving training there if you are open enough to ask for it.
As others have said, in a heartbeat. I think I've been 7 times in the last 8 years, but maybe just 3 or 4 of them for the new car experience. I'll be doing another 2 next year, but aiming to combine a new car experience on day 1 with a "Precision" course on the full size International circuit the following day. I have a mate that cheerfully pays to join me every time I do a new car experience, and now has it down as one of his highlights of the year. I've been trying to explain that buying a new Porsche every year might not be sustainable!
I generally go with a different aim every time, and the instructors are really willing to accomodate that. Unfortunately on the smaller circuits, in their cars, you are expected to keep driver aids on, and behave yourself. Probably sensible. But there is so much to learn on all the reduced friction areas that I'll cheerfully spend time practising my reactions to getting out of shape, and inducing understeer and oversteer with everything turned off.
First few I did were before getting the new car. I've now realised the better you know your car, the more you'll get out of the PEC new car experience. I've had my GT4 RS experience available to me since May, got the car late August, and I'll probably have 2000 miles and 3 track days under my belt before going to PEC Silverstone. I'll learn a lot more than if I'd gone before getting the car.
Liam
I generally go with a different aim every time, and the instructors are really willing to accomodate that. Unfortunately on the smaller circuits, in their cars, you are expected to keep driver aids on, and behave yourself. Probably sensible. But there is so much to learn on all the reduced friction areas that I'll cheerfully spend time practising my reactions to getting out of shape, and inducing understeer and oversteer with everything turned off.
First few I did were before getting the new car. I've now realised the better you know your car, the more you'll get out of the PEC new car experience. I've had my GT4 RS experience available to me since May, got the car late August, and I'll probably have 2000 miles and 3 track days under my belt before going to PEC Silverstone. I'll learn a lot more than if I'd gone before getting the car.
Liam
I was in exactly the same boat as you, bought my Panamera 18 months ago and they sent me the email saying my Experience was about to expire. I’d done it once before about 6 years ago in a 911 GTS and it was a lot of fun but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it again. Anyway, I did it Monday morning this week. I did all the driving and left about 11:30 to go back to work. It was great and I got to drive the updated version of the Panamera Turbo S that has just come out. You get to experience your car in ways you’re likely to never do on the road and I think they do a great job of making it a fun but educational experience. Do it!
So I finally did this a couple of weeks ago. It was nice to have a blast out with the VERY knowledgable instructor to learn the limits of the car on their 2 circuits, but truth be told after all this time I didn't really learn anything new about the GT4 specifically that I could take back into the world with me. If you've not done the experience before, it's good fun and a nice half-day out, but IMO probably not worth doing if you've had your car for a while, and certainly not if you have to pay.
The highlight of the day was seeing how fast I could get in/out of the bomb-hole. Lap after lap I was encouraged to drive it hard and get the line perfect, making adjustments each time as the track dried. To the point that the brakes 'went', and we had to go and cool them down.
The instructor, as mentioned, was amazing, a sound bloke who managed the traffic and let me treat the 2x circuits like a race track to find optimal lines and limits.
My steed for the afternoon; a very well used 19k mile car. It had comfort seats, but it was all they had left in their stable given the 4 is no longer made. It’s certainly had a VERY hard life...
A few other pics...
The highlight of the day was seeing how fast I could get in/out of the bomb-hole. Lap after lap I was encouraged to drive it hard and get the line perfect, making adjustments each time as the track dried. To the point that the brakes 'went', and we had to go and cool them down.
The instructor, as mentioned, was amazing, a sound bloke who managed the traffic and let me treat the 2x circuits like a race track to find optimal lines and limits.
My steed for the afternoon; a very well used 19k mile car. It had comfort seats, but it was all they had left in their stable given the 4 is no longer made. It’s certainly had a VERY hard life...
A few other pics...
Edited by kmpowell on Tuesday 31st December 10:56
Nice one, although I did say might have been better to check out how much it might have been to try a different model as you’d already had the GT4 for a while.
TDT said:
Book it... It's a half a day doing something else other than work and you'll get free food too!.
Maybe also ask if you can add some extra money and drive another model.
Nonetheless, fun way to close out the year. Maybe also ask if you can add some extra money and drive another model.
TDT said:
Nice one, although I did say might have been better to check out how much it might have been to try a different model as you’d already had the GT4 for a while.
When I booked I asked if I could try a 4RS (and I also offered to pay), and they said I should ask when I arrived. On the day the greeter said it wouldn't be possible because all the drivers/cars had been allocated for the day. It felt very "computer says no", so I didn't push it.TDT said:
Nonetheless, fun way to close out the year.
Indeed. It was overcast all afternoon, so at the end of the day when the light was failing and it was pretty much dark, we were still allowed to continue for our full allocated time. That was a plus.Edited by kmpowell on Tuesday 31st December 11:33
Whilst trying to decide whether my new Cayman R should be manual or PDK I was given a Porsche Experience session.
When I took delivery of my PDK Cayman R (yes it was that good) I was allocated a second Experience Day .... which I was able to exchange for a 997 GT3RS experience day .... 3.6 / 3.8 / 4.0 and GT2RS ... an experience that I still dine out on ...
Thankyou P. (I also had Richard Attwood in the four cars, mega !).
When I took delivery of my PDK Cayman R (yes it was that good) I was allocated a second Experience Day .... which I was able to exchange for a 997 GT3RS experience day .... 3.6 / 3.8 / 4.0 and GT2RS ... an experience that I still dine out on ...
Thankyou P. (I also had Richard Attwood in the four cars, mega !).
LiamH66 said:
They've been pretty accomodating in letting me get out in another car I want to try during meal breaks in the past. Never had a "computer says no" moment at the PEC so far.
Yes, they also let me out in another car on my 2nd visit during the lunch break a GTS Targa 4, I wanted to see how compromised it would be as I love the design. On the PEC circuits it was!!!Gassing Station | Boxster/Cayman | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff