MIRA or Millbrook?
Discussion
2something said:
Sorry I can't help with your question, but just out of interest - how long are you expecting to wait for delivery of your Cayman S ?
They said end of September start of October. They couldn't be sure, as what they've been quoted by the factory will change (be earlier) because I've now put down a deposit.Or so they said.
Depends what the format is and what you want out of it.
Millbrook (as mentioned above) has the excellent hill circuit which is great if you want to explore real-world handling of the car. The Bowl is fast, and the straight is...........well, straight.
MIRA has fantastic wet handling circuit. If you are guaranteed to spend time on this, then this is really worth it. The dry handling circuit (lol, provided it doesn't rain) is more like a conventional track. Relatively flat, short circuit with mixture of bends and a section for doing slalom. There is also an outer track that is 2 long straights with a large bowl at either end for high-speed work.
If you are more interested in road driving, then Millbrook. If you are going to track the car, and want to experience the limit handling in wet and icy conditions (provided they let you on the wet handling circuits) then go to MIRA.
Either way, what is not to love about getting to thrash the shit out of someone elses Cayman S, with an instructor, for half a day, for free??????? Why WOULDN'T you do it????
Jack
Millbrook (as mentioned above) has the excellent hill circuit which is great if you want to explore real-world handling of the car. The Bowl is fast, and the straight is...........well, straight.
MIRA has fantastic wet handling circuit. If you are guaranteed to spend time on this, then this is really worth it. The dry handling circuit (lol, provided it doesn't rain) is more like a conventional track. Relatively flat, short circuit with mixture of bends and a section for doing slalom. There is also an outer track that is 2 long straights with a large bowl at either end for high-speed work.
If you are more interested in road driving, then Millbrook. If you are going to track the car, and want to experience the limit handling in wet and icy conditions (provided they let you on the wet handling circuits) then go to MIRA.
Either way, what is not to love about getting to thrash the shit out of someone elses Cayman S, with an instructor, for half a day, for free??????? Why WOULDN'T you do it????
Jack
Edited by jackwood on Thursday 28th June 13:24
I've read the letter properly now and it seems as though I have no choice and Porsche have invited me to Millbrook only.
As I probably won't be tracking the car(no time)this will suit me fine.
I was a bit dubious about going but as it's been confirmed that I'll be able to "rag the arse off somebody elses car" I'm quite looking forward to it.
Thanks for all your replies.
As I probably won't be tracking the car(no time)this will suit me fine.
I was a bit dubious about going but as it's been confirmed that I'll be able to "rag the arse off somebody elses car" I'm quite looking forward to it.
Thanks for all your replies.
When I did Millbrook about 8 years ago, there wasn't much ragging the arse off of anything. Managed to get one of their 911's sideways at one point, the bank manager sitting next to me nearly had a baby, a big brown one at that.
Got a bit of a telling off, and had to take it easier for the rest of the day.
Got a bit of a telling off, and had to take it easier for the rest of the day.
I had my half day at Millbrook last week. I thoroughly enjoyed it. At breakfast/lunch you can discuss with your "instructor" what you would like to get out of your morning/afternoon.
The instructor and I decided we would explore the handling limits. They take you on a rather roundabout way from Flitwick Manor to Millbrook. I got the impression they do this to assess what kind of driver you are.
At Millbrook we spent most of the time on the Hill Circuit, with him exhorting me to go faster. As he said later "I'm not going to tell you to do anything dangerous."
We did a couple of laps of the bowl at 130 mph. At 100 mph you can take your hands of the steering wheel and the car just stays circulating in the lane at the top of the banking - interesting but not really much fun. Also you might get a go on the ABS circuit. We didn't go on the straight. On the Handling Circuit the instructor demonstrated just how hard it is to provoke the PSM.
You swap cars halfway through the morning. What's the point of Tiptronic? Then it back to Flitwick Manor for lunch. My instructor was Rob Newall. I think he races classic Jags. Anyway if you get him he's alright.
The instructor and I decided we would explore the handling limits. They take you on a rather roundabout way from Flitwick Manor to Millbrook. I got the impression they do this to assess what kind of driver you are.
At Millbrook we spent most of the time on the Hill Circuit, with him exhorting me to go faster. As he said later "I'm not going to tell you to do anything dangerous."
We did a couple of laps of the bowl at 130 mph. At 100 mph you can take your hands of the steering wheel and the car just stays circulating in the lane at the top of the banking - interesting but not really much fun. Also you might get a go on the ABS circuit. We didn't go on the straight. On the Handling Circuit the instructor demonstrated just how hard it is to provoke the PSM.
You swap cars halfway through the morning. What's the point of Tiptronic? Then it back to Flitwick Manor for lunch. My instructor was Rob Newall. I think he races classic Jags. Anyway if you get him he's alright.
Yep, Rob Newall is a top bloke. Very enthusiastic and pushes yours and the cars limits. His skills on the handling circuit are inspiring, to say the least.
It's like anything else in life: treat them with a little courtesy and respect, and they will do all they can to make your day as informative and fun as possible. Take the piss, and they'll clamp down on your ass like a rottweilla.
Jack
It's like anything else in life: treat them with a little courtesy and respect, and they will do all they can to make your day as informative and fun as possible. Take the piss, and they'll clamp down on your ass like a rottweilla.
Jack
I did the Cayman S half-day at Millbrook last year - definitely worth it (and I had to fly from Northern Ireland to Luton). I was picked up at the airport in a Cayman, had a pleasant lunch at Flitwick and drove 2 different cars on the hill circuit, the handling circuit, the straight and the bowl - all excellent and some very useful tips on driving quickly on road and track.
You say 'poverty spec' - be warned, some of the Porsche Experience cars are over-specced beyond belief - I drove a £60k Cayman S back to the airport!
You should go - if only because Porsche has already charged you for it in the purchase price of your car.
You say 'poverty spec' - be warned, some of the Porsche Experience cars are over-specced beyond belief - I drove a £60k Cayman S back to the airport!
You should go - if only because Porsche has already charged you for it in the purchase price of your car.
pete.g said:
You say 'poverty spec' - be warned, some of the Porsche Experience cars are over-specced beyond belief - I drove a £60k Cayman S back to the airport!
They've got to show you all the lovely bits you can buy somehow! When I got my Box I, errrm, fell for it and fitted almost 8Ks worth of extras. 
Don said:
pete.g said:
You say 'poverty spec' - be warned, some of the Porsche Experience cars are over-specced beyond belief - I drove a £60k Cayman S back to the airport!
They've got to show you all the lovely bits you can buy somehow! When I got my Box I, errrm, fell for it and fitted almost 8Ks worth of extras. "Aren't you ordering sat nav?"
"I didn't have sat nav in my last car"
"Ah but if you had, we would have given you an extra £1000 for your car"
"Nice, but it would have cost £2000... so I saved myself £1000 didn't I?"
"um.... ah.....anyway... if you'd had an auto 'box we could have given you an extra £1000 too!"
"saved myself another £800 pounds then!"
He then gave up.
My new car will have xenons, white paint, 19" alloys painted black and a sports steering wheel.
Not poverty spec... more like "big issue" spec.
blueyes said:
Thanks again for even more replies.
One more question, should I go before I get my car or a few months after?
I went after I got my car (No Cayman S in the country before I got mine One more question, should I go before I get my car or a few months after?
) and found it great, as I had got used to driving the car to a decent level already, so didn't waist time trying to get used to the controls, throttle, steering etc. I also had some questions about some of it's foibles that I could discuss with Rob.Plus, once you drive it, it would make the wait even harder to bare....................
Jack
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