Thanks for the followup! Your TT with the tip is a real beast, however, the GT3 is my current dream car. You can't deny the power of a rocketship however!

I ran the same course at Pocono last weekend with NNJR so the whole course is still fresh in my mind. We had one session in the pouring rain and I had an unfortunate front row seat to a 997S doing a slow spin coming off the back straight into the south infield course. Fortunately no one was hurt and nothing was damaged.

Gotta be extra smooth with everything in the rain. One pinched turn of off you go! I'll probably be back at Pocono with the NNJR group in Sept. for their Porschrama event. I think they'll be running the north course configuration then. Hope to see you at the event!

 

Couldn't agree more, now I can't wait to have people who know how to drive my car better than I, hop in to teach me some stuff especially at unfamiliar tracks!!!

I got lucky, my first time at VIR and my instructor had a modded GT2, I learned a TON and even took him along moving up the run groups, it's helpful!

Hope you had a good time! BTW I don't know any 997 GT3 driver that would say they are getting a turbo just from you blowing by them, especially on a wet track, no offense!

 

iLLM3,

My instructor, Rich Smith, was great. Unfortunately, he had no seat time before my DRE in a 997TT tip. So I did not have the benefit of having an instructor with pointers on my particular setup. On the other hand and most importantly, Rich gave me a boatload of information such as where to place my hands on the wheel, when to brake, how to apply throttle, how to follow the lines, etc. You realize how bad you are in the first 2 laps after the instructor drives your car around the track. Even though my instructor was completely unfamiliar with my car he was 10 times better than I was (maybe 100 times better !!!).

Although you have never heard of a 997 GT3 owner wanting a TT by being blown away on a rainy day, I'd humbly suggest that many GT3 drivers have strongly considered the TT as an option at some point. It appeared to me that Philippe liked the relatively substantial point and shoot power (at least compared to his car) of the 997TT. Also, although I'm a novice driver, I'm 100% certain that the speed advantage on my car would have been even greater in the dry. Why ? My Bridgestones have approx. 14K miles on them while the PS2s on Philippes 997 GT3 only had like 2500 or so miles on them. On a dry track with a set of fresh PS2s I really think that my TT would have fared much better on the infield (with less pushing and sliding) and just completely dominated the straightaways with zero wheelspin. I guess I'll have to wait for my 2nd DRE to find out as its time for some new rubber. Ironically, on the tip the tires really last whereas on my old 03 X50 6 speed I needed new rubber every 5K-6K miles. For the record, my totally stock 997 tip is faster and better handling than my former TT hands down. I'm sure your modded 996 GT2 is a track animal, but in my novice green group I never waived anybody past me and I never was passed by another vehicle. So next time I pray for some fun competition in the novice Green group that will kick my ***. Maybe you should ask to move DOWN a few run groups with your beastie GT2 ? I'm sure a modded 550 hp GT2 would keep me in line way better than the underpowered GT3's on the Pocono long course. Watkins Glen DRE perhaps ? Everybody says it is a really challenging track .....

 

When I started running my 997TT the first thing I noticed was how much my tires were squeeling on just about every turn. You'll want to get some better tread on there to prevent that as you start taking the turns faster.

Right now with the PSS and Toyo tires I feel like the car is a perfect compromise of something thats still driveable daily but also very track oriented. Just waiting to install GMG sways and maybe a few links in the future, but overall, the car is planted completely differently now.

I think I have a few years of tracking before I really start to use any amount of the actual potential of the car, but Im definitely taking enough track days to get there

 

Watkins Glen is a larger track than the Pocono double infield and more importantly, adds serious elevation changes to the picture. Torque will rule at that track and the turns could potentially taken at much higher speeds when you're ready for it.

There is less margin for error however compared to the wide open run-offs in the Pocono infield. In some spots (climbing the esses) the blue armco barrier is basically right next to the track. These barriers are part of the "challenge".

Don't forget the new NJ Motorsports track in Millville, NJ. Can't wait to see what that's like.

You have a great car and it sounds like you're just scratching the surface of it's and your potential. Make it a game to try and do a DE event at all the tracks in the NorthEast over the next year.

 

If we ever hop on track together I would love to go in your run group to check out my line, I am not the most advanced driver but hold my own, especially in this car which just beat an Yamaha R1 in a little short straight bout after Wednesdays Hamtpon run with tons of exotics lol, it's extremely fast despite it's underrated HP level, yet on the track doesn't get out of hand ONE BIT with my setup, the Motons and sticky rubber sure help a great deal as well as just time behind the wheel!

Check out www.exoticsrally.com , we always go out for drives and so on!

I am always in Brookville as well since my friend lives there, maybe we can meet up one day to chat!

Martin