One of the coolest opportunities that I have been able to take advantage of came almost two years ago now back in June 2020 right as lockdowns were easing and track days were re-opening.
I was invited along by my race tutor as he was planning on taking his Porsche around Brands to support the 96 Club of which he was a member. Having been in lockdown for the past few months, I was already itching to get back out on track even as just a passenger for some learning so I was immediately ready with confirm that I’d be able to make it.
The Weapon
To me this car is a really interesting mix of over and understating it’s presence unlike most other Porsches. On the one hand, it demands it’s presence be known with its glaring exhaust notes and beautiful curves as it (with surprising elegance!) merges the front and rear end body kit pf a Porsche GT2RS. However, unlike the usual GT2RS’ that you see. It doesn’t have an intense, fluorescent paint scheme. It sits there unassumingly with grey on grey tones that combine different shades to extenuate the flagrant bodywork whilst somehow keeping it low-key. A sort of, if-you-know-you-know presence. It also keeps it’s roll cage hidden in the inside, and only once you’re in the car do you realise the intense weight reduction that’s occurred with carbon fibre bucket seats among much more.
In classic Porsche style the engine bay is squeezed to it’s limit but has somehow managed to fit an extra turbo along with the standard one, which allows it to produce a rough 600bhp which is insane for a Porsche, let alone one with so much weight reduction, suspension and chassis fiddles!
With Great Power…
As we arrived the amount of rain was already cause for concern. Although the car came equipped with stability control, Matt had yet to see me drive in the rain and this wasn’t my car to throw into a gravel pit. I was certainly assuming that I wouldn’t be able to get a go behind the wheel. I was still more than content with sitting passenger side though.
However after the first few runs, the rain seemed to lift. The track converted from wet conditions to intermediate to damp and to my surprise I was given the keys.
Photo Taken a few months later at Goodwood
Thus far my only on-track experience was my MX5 and a Peugeot 208 (in which I did my license). So to go out on track in something like this was an enormous step up from anything I was used to. For the first time throttle control was a real concern of mine as at Brands Hatch the MX5 is usually low on power so it’s usually on or off. With this Porsche, I was able to feather the throttle to on exit to help the car steer and I was having to ease the throttle as I felt it squirm on the straights as I tried to find the limit of traction on the tyres.
From this angle, I was thankful we were driving in the wet. As it gave me a much better opportunity to find these throttle limits at lower speeds. Catching the car starting a slide at 40mph rather than 70 makes a big difference!
This new application of throttle control was also surprising in where it would manifest difficulty. In the MX5 I always struggled with Graham Hill and so I assumed these difficulties would be amplified. However the need for precise throttle control showed itself primarily mid corner on clearways. As the car hits the apex the camber switches from positive to negative and all of a sudden the weight on the car dramatically changes and tries to rotate the car into the corner resulting in a sudden abundance of oversteer. Seemingly right as you need to put the power down. Combatting this was all in throttle control as you need to be on it as much as you can by that point to get a good run onto the straight. These moments felt fantastic to catch or briefly hold a slide. But each one made for a dramatic loss of speed, which follows you right into paddock.
This kind of braking was also a new experience for me. If it wasn’t for the harness, hitting the brakes at druids would send me straight into the windscreen. Even in the wet the power these brakes could omit without locking up was intense, and it took me the whole day to build up my confidence with them and trust myself to be delicate enough to brake late and hard enough into the corner to still confidently turn in.
This was also early into me learning heel and toe, and so you can hear in the videos I’m not quite at one with the revs and clutch as I should be, but luckily for me this car only takes two downshifts in the whole lap (one in the really wet conditions!).
As I got more in tune with the car. I felt myself really being able to adapt to the changing conditions as the track dried up throughout the day. Although still damp at the end, my confidence and ability to approach the limit (I stay approach as there is still a long way to go before I would truly be toying with the limit on this beast.) had improved drastically with the car. However this could have very likely just been because of the increased grip levels and so my confidence cannot unfortunately be extrapolated to the track time data.
Ending the day
I finished the day really happy with my wet weather driving, but mostly thankful for leaving the Porsche in a respectful state to drive home! It was one of the most educational experiences in racing for to drive this car with Matt. It opened my eyes massively to the constant intensity of driving such a high powered vehicle. But it also surprised me with the amount of feeling that is transferred from the MX5, if only amplified. To be given the chance to drive this car was a truly unforgettable experience and I still look back at it as a highlight of my racing career.