I cant stop smiling....I and four friends just finished the Porsche Driving School at the Birmingham Barber Motorsports Park. I spent two amazing days on the track with the most incredible instructors This School is a deal at any price. Totally first class . The track and facilities are spectacular and add all new 2009 997 and 997S and you have a Porsche experience that will change your driving life unless your an experienced Track Driver. The Instructors were enthusiatic and accomodating. I just had bought a new 997 with PDK so they put me in a PDK car for the whole weekend .The instructors gave me personal and detailed lessons on how to take full advantage of the PDK . My friends all drove 6 I speeds and I think two of them are going off to buy carreras...One was on the verge of a M3 and went home proudly wearing a porsche shirt......so much for the M3 idea....
Serioulsly if anyone that doesnt currently track their car and wants to see what their 997 is really all about or just wants to learn how to drive their car at a higher level.......they should sign up without hesitation.......now I have to go try to sleep..........hopefully the adrenalin will settle down!!!

 

It's good to hear that you had fun. If you guys never been on a track you are missing out. Putting the car through the g's

How much was the course and any links to the program? This sounds like fun course to attend.

 

It was so good all 5 of us are going back again for the Masters Program.
Go to Porsche.com USA web site and go to the driving school.
It will direct you to the following Link which give you the pricing.
http://www.porschedriving.com

well worth the money.
Get a few friends....but dont worry about going on your own...friendly place.

 

link with a lot of useful information.

http://www.porschedriving.com/

 

What a neat story and sounds like so much fun. Everyone that ever goes says they truly have the best time ever on four wheels Pretty cool that you got to track the same car as yours too.

 

Lockie, sounds like you are hooked!

You need to sign up for some track days, I am off to Seattle for my first one of the year on Friday.

PCA-CWR has a day on April 27th at Mission, I think there might still be some room.

 

Lockie, The weather held off. I am glad. You guys had a good window. I am glad you liked the facilities. I love DE days there and went to an IRL test race there not too long ago

 

I am ....I will be away tomorrow and will go to the web site Wed and see if I can get organized to make those dates.....look forward to meeting you. Thanks for the info.

 

got a little rain Sunday...but we were on the Skid Pad so it didnt matter.
Your lucky to live near such an amazing facility....got to head off to bed..
We had a great time........its a long way from Victoria B.C. but will be back

 

Glad to hear you liked it. I was thinking that'd be my 40th birthday present in a couple years.

 

I won't be at the Mission event, I will be in Seattle for two days in a row with Proformance. Sorry, maybe next event.

 

Not trying to hijack.............but if anyone is looking for a deal, I have a discounted gift card that is transferable. Its for the same Porsche school as OP





https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ng-school.html

 

That sounds awesome; I'd love to go sometime.

My local PCA offers two-day DE at regional tracks for about $225. I recently participated in a High Performance Driving Clinic (HPDC) with them and it was just a tremendously valuable experience.

For some of the tracks, they are close enough that you don't absolutely have to get a hotel.

For those who are just getting into it, I would highly suggest you check out your local PCA offerings. The instructors aren't going to be professional drivers from Porsche, but they will know a heck of a lot more than you and it will cost about 1/13th the price....which means you can go 13 times more often.

Of course, you have to drive your own car at the PCA events. This is good and bad. Good: You get to know how YOUR car feels in the corners. That's worth a lot to me. Bad: You use up your brakes and tires, and you risk your car if something really bad happens. But everyone on the track is in the car with an instructor, so the chances of anything really bad happening are kept to a tolerable level.

 

Your right . the PCA DE days are great. I have been to a few and they are very well run . The people have been very friendly and the instructors definitely improved my driving.

What I found that initially I was quite nervous going to one on my own as I had never been on the track. I also had a new 997. I went to the Driving School a few years ago and it made me confident enough to head to a PCA event for the first time. I knew what to expect and really enjoyed myself.

The Big difference is that at the Driving School they have a very professsional well structured program to take you step by step up to the Track. Each exercise builds on the other so that when your at speed you have the basics to improve.with the correct technique. They really focus on the driving characteristics of the 997. You start on a Skid Pad and then move to a area dedicated to Braking exercises incl Trail Braking etc. You then move to a autocross area and start utilizing these skills and end up on the big track at speed. They take you to levels that would take many days at DE days. The next day the previous exercises are developed further and include Heel Tow shifting etc. You then move to the high speed track and practise at a level which surprises yourself. Whenever you get confortable they step it up a notch so you are constantly being challenged. It really keeps the adrenline pumping and the detailed instruction gives you confidence.

All this while driving their new cars.

The school I think helps you get to a exciting driving level very very quickly . It is more money but IMHO it was the best money I have spent in years.

Due to the cost I was really nervous recommending this to 4 friends who came back with me. They all sent me emails stating it was the most exciting thing they had done in years.......all are going back for the Master program..

 

Sounds like really great time and now you're ready for some track days.

I've purchased my car in August of 2008 and will attend my fourth track event with the local PCA. I went through the skid pads and braking exercise my first time out and I am hooked. No better place to drive the car the way it was meant to be driven!