A Day of Speed, Power And Style
Any day is a perfect day when you are driving a Porsche. But a day spent driving five Porsches almost borders on historic. And that would aptly sum up the Porsche Drive Day at Mt Cotton on July 17.
Friday morning dawned in a quiet hush over the Porsche Sport Driving School in the bushland suburb, a short drive out of Brisbane. Pools of water shimmered at the Braking station, the wind raced through the trees lining the Road Course and sunlight warmed the circuit at the Skid Pan.
By mid-morning a group of 20 drivers would arrive at the school to take a sleek fleet of Porsches to limits you cannot achieve legally on public roads. This Drive Day, however, held an unusual twist. All Porsche’s guests were women.
The collective encompassed motoring and lifestyle editors and journalists with varying degrees of driving experience. Their levels of enthusiasm, though, were identical.
The day began at cruising speed with an introduction to the team of expert instructors, a run through of the day’s events and a drop in at the Porsche garage for quick fire driving tips. Then it was time to get behind the wheel.
Three groups assembled at the three stations, and for the rest of the day, the air was filled with the goosebumps-inducing roars and growls of Porsche engines.
At the Braking station, the women took turns flooring the Cayenne, Macan, 911 and Boxster towards a pool of water and then slamming on the brakes the instant the tyres hit wet surface and executing and emergency swerve. Hesitation gradually blossomed into confidence as the cars responded beautifully every single time.
Once the panic braking session was over, the group was taught the motorkhana circuit on which they would be competing for best time at the end of the day.
At the Road Course, a Boxster, a Cayman and two 911s were raring to take their drivers on a 3.5km route designed to hone one’s cornering skills. It was on this route that most of the group truly understood what it means to go from 20km/h to 150 km/h in under 5 seconds.
The last station involved skidding on a figure-8 surface that was slick with diesel in both a manual and automatic car. The first lap saw tentative glides but by the third lap some were performing smoothly executed drifts. There was also another treat in store at this station – off-roading in a Cayenne.
Driven by one of the instructors, the Cayenne unleashed its true off-road prowess on the steep and rough terrain, which was a very far cry from its normal tame urban environment. A sharp and startling reminder that it is, in essence, a four-wheel drive.
Finally it was back to the motorkhana circuit where the friendly race was flagged off. Each guest took the Macan, 911 and Boxster through the track in the fastest possible time. Those waiting in line were whisked back in small groups to the Road Course where the instructors demonstrated what it was like to drive the route at 200km/h with passenger rides in the track- inspired 911 GT3.
The exhilarating day culminated with an awards ceremony for the three women with Best Time, Most Improvement and Zero Penalties. But no one went home empty-handed. For each woman, there was a Precision Level completion certificate and gifts from Mon Purse, Curtis Collection and Island Trading Co to remind them of their extraordinary day at Mt Cotton.
(Image credit: Catherine Muldoon Vivid Photography)
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