After a day of driving in four different Porsche models, I realised that I am as bad a driver on a race track as I am at Mathematics. I can accelerate and brake hard, like most drivers, but when it comes to consistency, I am a true blue F9 student.
There was a range of mean machines ready for us at the track. The sleek 718 Boxster S and a variety of 911s, as well as the Macan and Cayenne Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) were present. Unfortunately, the recently launched Panamera wasn't available.
The experienced instructors were certainly more entertaining and patient than my previous Mathematics teachers. They came up with a simple yet fun experiment using bottled waters and poles to demonstrate the difference between front-engine, mid-engine and rear-engine layouts. Coincidentally, the German sports carmaker has cars in its lineup that sport all the said engine layouts.
I never took part in any educational experiments before, considering my uninspiring life in school as a student but I most certainly got stimulated by the engaging exercise that shone light on how it feels being in the different cars that sport different engine layouts.
It's all about the lines
Despite being on the race track countless times and driving Porsche cars for a number of years, I was having problems being consistent in the first activity, which was about safety lines on the track.
If pigs can fly, then I can be race car driver. I make an absurd attempt to go in fast near the apex and come out even faster despite my first two near-perfect but slower speed tries with the Macan S. My lines were all screwed.
I swopped over to the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet and decided to maintain a slower but steadier speed, just to ensure a perfect safety line was executed. I failed yet again. I obviously underestimated the power delivery and the braking distance since I was more used to the Macan S that I was in before.
Never mind that, I thought. I went ahead with three more tries and only on the third time did I manage to 'perfect' it. And by that definition, it's still a far cry from the professionals.
It's time for a quick lane change
The second activity, which is lane change, is trickier than the first. Not only do you do it without braking, you'll have to follow the instructor's choice of directions - to swerve left or right. According to the local instructor who was in charge of this activity, it simulates real-life driving situations and helps you to serve to another lane without getting into a collision with the front car.
Of the four in my group, of which one is a fellow Singaporean and two from Taiwan, I was the first to go for the 'exercise'. I was instructed to floor the right pedal and only release it, without braking, at the last minute before making the turn.
With the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) switched off, the Cayenne - which I was driving - was provoked and required more than just an easy control of the steering to maintain its composure. However, with the PSM back on, I felt like a professional. Sudden and quick directional changes were now confident-inspiring, with little inputs from the steering to ensure the car's composure.
Give the brake pedal the beans!
This time round, unlike the second activity, we will need to jab the brake pedal hard and swerve to either direction to simulate avoiding an accident in real-life situations.
While it sounds a lot easier than the second activity, where no braking is allowed, I was a serial cone killer. The first car I was piloting was the Cayenne S. Despite being heavier and slower than the 911 Carrera 4S, which was the second car in the same course, this pint-sized driver was knocking three to four cones at a time.
Naturally, it was easier with the 911 Carrera 4S even though it was faster, thanks to its more compact dimensions and the ability to shed off speed in a flash. Cones were still destroyed by me, but this time round just one at a time.
Come on and twist a little closer now
The last activity was my personal favourite - slalom. Sufficient throttle and fast steering input may be important factors for getting me from one point to another in quick fashion but it's consistency that's ultimately key.
"No need for sudden acceleration here," advised Matthias Hoffsuemmer, our Head Instructor for the programme. I bear this in mind and steadily maintained a certain degree of throttle input, stayed close to the cones and turned the perfectly-weighted steering of the 718 Boxster S.
In and out of the cones I went smoothly and confidently, but I wasn't the fastest nor was I the most consistent. The timing of 33 seconds would clearly suggest that, since the fastest participant clocked a timing of merely 28 seconds!
Last but not least... The thrills and spills
The highlight of the day is putting the cars through their paces rapidly. With the entire day's activities in mind, I was negotiating and correcting 15 turns consistently around the race track.
Acceleration and brake pedals were nailed hard and pounded heavily, accompanied by a string of sonorous exhaust notes that were pure musical symphony to my ears.
It's been a while since I had so much entertainment.
