Take a Test Drive!
My German heart skipped a beat when I was invited to visit the Porsche Experience Center to test my driving skills behind the wheels of a brand new Boxter GTS.
On the morning of my driving appointment, I strolled over from Kimpton Overland Hotel…with a pounding heart. I checked in, handed over my driver license, and was handed over to my coach Kyler Graham. We walked out to the cars, and I had my first experience of the impact and noise of the Porsches cornering the track next to us. My heart sank. I’d be the snail on the track for sure. I drive an ‘antique suv’ in Far West Texas, where a. we don’t have curves to negotiate, and b. we have a bored cop a mile.
I felt jittery, but Kyler wasn’t having any of it. He introduced me to the car, and took the first 30 minutes of our 90 minute lesson for a little show and tell on the track. With a smile and much charm, he gently scaled up his speed while I held onto anything I could find in the car (damn those G-forces). Then it was time to get over myself and into the driver’s seat. As feared, I pretty much crawled around the main track, trying to get a feel for this powerful beauty. The main one-mile course we started on mimics a windy country road (without on-coming traffic, thank god). And yes, you can drive it at 25-miles per hour too, trust me.
After that first intimidating drive on the main track, Kyler led me onto the Low-Friction Circle, and Low Friction Handling Circuit, the Dynamics Area (full throttle, vrrrm, vrrrm), and my absolute favorite, the Kick-Plate. This is how it works. You approach it slowly, and once you’re on it, sensors randomly move the plate left or right, spinning your car out, which you then have to recover. It reminded me of my dad taking me to an empty parking lot in the depth of winter, to teach me how to recover from a spin in all-to real snow and ice conditions. I spun out extensively after the kick-plate and made beautiful slo-mo donuts. After a few times though, I got it. The thrill!
All the while, my coach was fun and supportive. He assured me that if I had really sucked at driving, he would have asked me about my ‘other hobbies’… The cool thing about our 90 minute in the car was that you learn a lot and that even in a short time, you’re building up your confidence. When I drove the main track one last time at the end, I ‘conquered’ it at least 10 miles an hour faster than before! Kyler could probably still have taken a nap next to me, but at least he never asked me about my other hobbies.
A warm thank you to the Porsche Experience Center (Instagram: pecatl, Facebook:@PECAtlanta #pecatl) for the most fun I’ve had in a while!!!
