There was an instructor in each car, teaching us the proper braking points and cornering lines, while at the same time correcting our steering angles and throttle application. And because each car handles differently (the rear-engined 911s are tail-heavy, while the mid-engined Boxster and Cayman have a more neutral attitude), learning to quickly adapt to each car was an experience in itself.
But as your confidence grows, you’ll find yourself pushing said cars harder and faster than you’d ever thought possible. The best part about the course is that you only have to drive within your comfort zone – outright speed isn’t the goal. In fact, according to the school’s chief instructor, Tomas Mezera, his aim is to turn participants into safer, not faster, drivers.
But just to give us a sense of the kind of velocity possible on the Mount Cotton track, we were given “taxi” rides in a 911 GT3 (the previous-generation 997 model). The amount of grip and downforce a GT3 is capable of is awe-inspiring – you’d swear the tyres were glued to the track.
More terrifying, on the other hand, are the g-forces the GT3 is capable of generating. As we carved through numerous high-speed corners, I could feel the fat on my face shifting from one cheek to another!
The most difficult exercise for the Precision level was the skid pan, where we were taught how to correct a slide. But first, we had to induce oversteer by flooring the throttle while making a turn. To create the slippery conditions, the instructors not only flooded the circuit, they also mixed diesel fuel with the water and fitted worn tyres on the 911 and Boxster cars used for the exercise.
Correcting a slide isn’t easy. You have to ease off the throttle (not release it entirely) while steering in the direction of the skid until the car regains traction. While you’re doing this, you also have to resist the urge to look sideways, and instead focus on where you want to go. Just getting the hang of this manoeuvre took us almost an entire day.
However, the best was yet to come. Before the course ended, everyone did two gymkhana runs, one in the 911 Cabriolet and another in the Boxster.
The purpose of this competition wasn’t just to demonstrate who was the faster “pilot”, but to show how much everyone’s driving skills had improved. As participant Benjamin Tan learned, going “slower”, by moderating the throttle and steering inputs, are the secrets to setting faster times.
Indeed, everyone earned their racing stripes as individual lap times were, on average, five seconds quicker than the ones clocked that morning. And just like in most competitions, there’s no greater glory than coming out on top. It was a lesson that our group’s winner, Bryan Chin, learned very well.
Click here to read what Walter Rohrl has to say about turbocharged Porsche 911s, driving aids and the art of driving quickly
One of our intrepid contributors attended the Porsche Media Academy 2017 and found the experience very much to his liking
