NOTHING beats driving a Porsche car on a racetrack. It’s every motorhead’s wet dream: the blistering acceleration, impeccable handling and braking power. Name it, it’s all there!
This is what happened to us when PGA Cars—the sole importer and distributor of Porsche in the country—spoiled a group of motoring journalists (including this writer) at an event that allowed us to experience a new level of driving excitement via 22 Porsche cars packing 300 to 400 horsepower each.
The event dubbed as Porsche World Road Show is an international driving program of Porsche, which provides training for drivers in a high-performance car.
Held at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga, Porsche’s latest lineup of cars, such as the Boxster GTS, Cayman GTS, 911 Carrera, 911 Carrera S, 911 Carrera 4, 911 Targa S, new Cayenne (V6, Diesel, S, GTS and Turbo) Macan S (Diesel and Turbo), Panamera and Panamera S were made available to participants.
From all the countries that made a pitch to host the coveted event, only 10 were given the chance. The Philippines was the only Asian country selected. Of course, it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of five Porsche-certified driving instructors from Germany, who offered lessons in intermediate and advanced driving techniques.
Speed ’em up
The first day of the event was dedicated for the motoring media. After the drivers’ briefing, the journalists were divided into four groups. Participants were obliged to attend a short lecture and demonstration of Porsche Tequipment and Exclusive—a customized interior selection of Porsche.
Our German instructor Bjoern Leiss, a race and rally driver at Porsche Leipzig in Germany, allowed us to get familiar with each car. Bjoern started with the basics of proper driving position. Bjoern also instructed participants to turn-on the Porsche Stability Management, which continuously monitors the direction, speed, and lateral acceleration of the car and applies selective braking on individual wheels to restore stability when the car begins to oversteer or understeer.
During the drive, the Macan and Panamera’s exceeded expectations. The four-cylinder turbo and six-cylinder turbo diesel variants, as well as the twin-turbo six-cylinder Macans showed impressive performance on the track. Their power is transmitted on the road via active all-wheel drive. The Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus of the Macan helped the driver maintain control by varying the torque distribution to the rear wheels and significantly improving handling and steering precision.
The Panamera S and the Panamera 4S, meanwhile, were both equipped with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine, which, thanks to clever downsizing, has more power than the naturally aspirated engine of the previous model, but with significantly lower fuel consumption—420 hp at 6,000 Revolutions per minute and 520 Nm, between 1,750 rpm and 5,000 rpm.
A fun “slalom” ride
The slalom exercise was the most memorable part of the event. The objective was to set the fastest possible time in the new Boxster GTS. Accompanied by Bjoern, each participant was tasked to drive through the 800-meter course lined with pylons without hitting a single one. “The key to have best time is to drive smoothly,” Bjoern said.
As soon as the marshal waved the checkered flag, I floored the pedal to summon the 330 hp under the hood. The car accelerated from zero to 100 kilomete rs per hour in a mere 4.7 seconds. I accidentally hit one pylon which resulted in a penalty added to my time.
Riding a bullet
Last but not least, we got a taste of the 911’s racing pedigree in the Carrera S, Carrera 4S, Targa 4S and Cayman GTS.
The cars’ futuristic designs, high performance engines, efficiency enhancing technologies, such as auto start/stop, thermal management and electrical system recuperation, intelligent lightweight construction, and Porsche Traction Management active all-wheel drive, rekindled participants great love for sports cars.
As we alight from the car, we imagined ourselves as the fictional genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist Tony Stark. For one whole day, our character changed. So, too did our faith in cars—for the best. The shot of speed and performance was like chasing the wind.
Story and photos by Kris C. Lim
Image credits: Kris C. Lim