I had been watching the auction for about 2 months - they post these things way in advance. Of course I didn't submit any bids until there was about 48 seconds left (312,000 miles).
Vrooom!
Has anyone been?
-Steve
Full Version: Look what I "won"...
I have a bazillion Delta Skymiles from work, and won this auction today for the Porsche Driving School at Barber Motorsports Park.
I had been watching the auction for about 2 months - they post these things way in advance. Of course I didn't submit any bids until there was about 48 seconds left (312,000 miles).
Vrooom!
Has anyone been?
-Steve
I had been watching the auction for about 2 months - they post these things way in advance. Of course I didn't submit any bids until there was about 48 seconds left (312,000 miles).
Vrooom!
Has anyone been?
-Steve
Awesome move, sounds like a great experience awaits!!
Vysoc
Vysoc
awesome
This is going to spoil you for our old cars. You might start thinking it isn't fun to smell oil while you cut through the corners
QUOTE(PanelBilly @ Jun 1 2016, 02:14 PM) 
This is going to spoil you for our old cars. You might start thinking it isn't fun to smell oil while you cut through the corners
Ha, I doubt it.
I read this article about the new Boxster (they don't like it):
http://www.evo.co.uk/porsche/boxster/17792...n-t-always-turn
And when I saw this:
> If you, or a friend, ever owned an air-cooled VW Beetle you’ll immediately recognise the unsophisticated clatter when you hear a 2-litre Boxster for the first time.
It sounds like I might actually like it!
-Steve
Nice.....
Good for you. Take pictures and live the dream like most of us can't!
Congratulations! My wife and I spent about 6 hours in the Barber museum last week. If you are ever in the area it's a must. The museum will double in size next year going from 1,400 bikes to nearly 3,000. I also restore vintage BMW motorcycles so this was very special.
You can see the beautiful track from the museum. Nothing like it.
In the basement of the museum is a pristine 72 914 white over tan. The person who took me down to see the car told me that they brought it out to the track while the CEO of Porsche was visiting from Stuttgart. He made a couple of laps in the car and then moved on to the rest of the stable.
Fun place to visit and beautiful country.
Jack
You can see the beautiful track from the museum. Nothing like it.
In the basement of the museum is a pristine 72 914 white over tan. The person who took me down to see the car told me that they brought it out to the track while the CEO of Porsche was visiting from Stuttgart. He made a couple of laps in the car and then moved on to the rest of the stable.
Fun place to visit and beautiful country.
Jack
QUOTE(siverson @ Jun 1 2016, 03:52 PM)
I have a bazillion Delta Skymiles from work, and won this auction today for the Porsche Driving School at Barber Motorsports Park.
I had been watching the auction for about 2 months - they post these things way in advance. Of course I didn't submit any bids until there was about 48 seconds left (312,000 miles).
Vrooom!
Has anyone been?
-Steve
Awesome place - I do track days there on my motorcycle. Super cool track. The place is like the best PGA golfer's paradise but for motor sports. Also, the best motorcycle musem in the world. Enjoy it
Congrats siverson!
I've been to the PSDS and believe me it was an unforgettable life changing experience. Barber Motorsports park is such a wonderful track.
I too won my trip, although it was through the Porsche Passion 60 year anniversary essay contest. Essentially Porsche sponsored this contest where people could write an essay describing their Porsche passion and where it came from etc.
There were 3500 entries that were pared down to the top 20 by a panel of judges within Porsche, those 20 went on to a week of public voting to find the top 3. I was lucky enough to be one of the top 3.
For winning, I received an all expense paid trip to the PSDS for me and one friend. We went through the 2 day course. We were both smitten. Before this trip, neither of us had ever owned a Porsche, only dreamed about it. Now my friend is on his second aircooled 911 and I've got my first Porsche, my 914.
My friend happens to be a professional photographer who had done several magazine shoots at the time, so he took a lot of photos and wrote a story and it's published in this issue of European car
Highlight of the trip was being the only person in the class to get a ride in the first 997 GT2RS that came to the US, this one hadn't even been shown to the press yet.
The museum is breathtaking as well.
More in depth story here.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?...ghlight=porsche
And here's a video he made.
http://vimeo.com/19588981
I've been to the PSDS and believe me it was an unforgettable life changing experience. Barber Motorsports park is such a wonderful track.
I too won my trip, although it was through the Porsche Passion 60 year anniversary essay contest. Essentially Porsche sponsored this contest where people could write an essay describing their Porsche passion and where it came from etc.
There were 3500 entries that were pared down to the top 20 by a panel of judges within Porsche, those 20 went on to a week of public voting to find the top 3. I was lucky enough to be one of the top 3.
For winning, I received an all expense paid trip to the PSDS for me and one friend. We went through the 2 day course. We were both smitten. Before this trip, neither of us had ever owned a Porsche, only dreamed about it. Now my friend is on his second aircooled 911 and I've got my first Porsche, my 914.
My friend happens to be a professional photographer who had done several magazine shoots at the time, so he took a lot of photos and wrote a story and it's published in this issue of European car
Highlight of the trip was being the only person in the class to get a ride in the first 997 GT2RS that came to the US, this one hadn't even been shown to the press yet.
The museum is breathtaking as well.
More in depth story here.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?...ghlight=porsche
And here's a video he made.
http://vimeo.com/19588981
Book in 4-5 hours to tour the facility. It is incredible.
Konrad
Konrad
Cool Steve! I'm Jealous 
. Hey I sent your trophies out this afternoon UPS ground. Should see them mid week I would think.
. Hey I sent your trophies out this afternoon UPS ground. Should see them mid week I would think.
arrived in the mail
914
914
914
Wow - life is busy and this took me forever to plan, but... I'm going this weekend. Vrooom! I will share some photos when back.
-Steve
-Steve
I did ten laps recently here in a GT3 991. Insane car, and really, really fast.
Really good brakes, too. Really good.
Really good brakes, too. Really good.
QUOTE(siverson @ Sep 28 2017, 11:38 AM)
Wow - life is busy and this took me forever to plan, but... I'm going this weekend. Vrooom! I will share some photos when back.
-Steve
Wow what an opportunity,I would love this ,took a friend for a spin in my car through my favorite twisty road and he thought I have raced before I replied no 'its the car".
Damn that is sweet 
Drive it like you stole it
Drive it like you stole it
I went a few years ago. I did the two day course. It was amazing!
You'll spend a little time (30 min, tops) in the classroom, and the rest of the time behind the wheel. Wear comfortable clothes, it can get warm. They have Dramamine available if you get the least bit motion sick. Stay well hydrated.
I was lucky enough to have Hurley Haywood as an instructor. He taught me heel-toe technique. Yes, it was intimidating! He's a great guy, though. You get lots of time with the instructors to talk, like at lunch and at dinner.
If they still do the in-car video camera, make sure yours works. Mine didn't.
Take lots of pictures and video.
Have a great time!!
You'll spend a little time (30 min, tops) in the classroom, and the rest of the time behind the wheel. Wear comfortable clothes, it can get warm. They have Dramamine available if you get the least bit motion sick. Stay well hydrated.
I was lucky enough to have Hurley Haywood as an instructor. He taught me heel-toe technique. Yes, it was intimidating! He's a great guy, though. You get lots of time with the instructors to talk, like at lunch and at dinner.
If they still do the in-car video camera, make sure yours works. Mine didn't.
Take lots of pictures and video.
Have a great time!!
Barber is simply an AMAZING track - not terribly fast but just such a beautiful place! You will have a great time - best facility I have ever been too - really more like a country club for race cars and drivers! Here is what you'll be looking at - but the driving school sets cones all over the place (to show you the lines).
Tony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qclhn6EpY9g
Tony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qclhn6EpY9g
Vrooom.
This was a super fun two-day event. Lots of driving, but its typically about 50% track time and 50% driving exercises (skid pad, heel & toe, launch control, autox, cayenne offroad, etc).
Just some random thoughts I thought I'd share:
- The instruction is great and I actually do feel like I learned a lot of driving basics that I should have learned long ago.
- Super fun to drive all the new Porsches. I had driven a 997 and 993 a couple times, but other than that have virtually new experience with new Porsches (but have owned 7 that were 1974 or older).
- Like others have said, facilities, hotel, and track are all top notch. I don't think I've ever been to a fully landscaped track before and this one is pretty amazing. It's not just grass, but details everywhere and is more like a backyard (that is many, many acres).
- It's $3,200 (plus hotel plus airfare, etc) so for two days of 50% track time its a pretty expensive way to just get track time. But the instructors, variety of cars, nice food/etc, really still makes it a fun experience. Much more like a vacation and fun, than say, driving to Willow Springs for the weekend and slogging out 2-days of track time in a dusty desert and crappy motels.
- All the new cars are pretty amazing and super capable. The slowest car around the track was a new 718 Boxster S, and that thing still RIPPED around the track and had amazing grip.
- Got track time in Boxster S, Cayman S, 911 GTS (PDK and manuals), 911 Turbo S.
- My first time using PDK and I liked it. Especially on the track its fun to have one less thing to think about and just drive. But, we also had two manual sessions (different boxsters and 911 GTS) and they are a blast too.
- The new Rev Matching feature (automatically blips the throttle on downshifts) works really well, but... then does take something else away from manual shifting (no need for heel and toe).
- The boxster and caymans do obviously feel most 914-like (mid engine). My favorite to drive was the Cayman S.
Anyways, was really fun time.
-Steve
Just some random thoughts I thought I'd share:
- The instruction is great and I actually do feel like I learned a lot of driving basics that I should have learned long ago.
- Super fun to drive all the new Porsches. I had driven a 997 and 993 a couple times, but other than that have virtually new experience with new Porsches (but have owned 7 that were 1974 or older).
- Like others have said, facilities, hotel, and track are all top notch. I don't think I've ever been to a fully landscaped track before and this one is pretty amazing. It's not just grass, but details everywhere and is more like a backyard (that is many, many acres).
- It's $3,200 (plus hotel plus airfare, etc) so for two days of 50% track time its a pretty expensive way to just get track time. But the instructors, variety of cars, nice food/etc, really still makes it a fun experience. Much more like a vacation and fun, than say, driving to Willow Springs for the weekend and slogging out 2-days of track time in a dusty desert and crappy motels.
- All the new cars are pretty amazing and super capable. The slowest car around the track was a new 718 Boxster S, and that thing still RIPPED around the track and had amazing grip.
- Got track time in Boxster S, Cayman S, 911 GTS (PDK and manuals), 911 Turbo S.
- My first time using PDK and I liked it. Especially on the track its fun to have one less thing to think about and just drive. But, we also had two manual sessions (different boxsters and 911 GTS) and they are a blast too.
- The new Rev Matching feature (automatically blips the throttle on downshifts) works really well, but... then does take something else away from manual shifting (no need for heel and toe).
- The boxster and caymans do obviously feel most 914-like (mid engine). My favorite to drive was the Cayman S.
Anyways, was really fun time.
-Steve
Some photos...
-Steve
-Steve
914
All the boxsters were this super ugly color. I think it's Miami Blue or something horrible.
Skid pad
Somehow I pulled off a win in the Autocross.
-Steve
-Steve
Here are three laps when I was following my brother around the track. Both in 911 GTS PDK. Then following the instructor (red Cayman).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGM8tHkdK28
-Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGM8tHkdK28
-Steve
Been there, done that several years ago, and it was a great experience. Where else would I have the chance to learn about the handling of my new Cayman, but driving the school cars instead of my own! Also had opportunity to sample Spider and Carerra at speed which I couldn't have had otherwise.
You'll spend a little time (30 min, tops) in the classroom, and the rest of the time behind the wheel. Wear comfortable clothes, it can get warm. They have Dramamine available if you get the least bit motion sick. Stay well hydrated.
Have a great time!!
[/quote]
One of my best Porsche buddies went and puked. He said the teacher told him it was fine and when he pulled in they had a crew come and clean him and the car up like it never happened.
Bob B
Have a great time!!
[/quote]
One of my best Porsche buddies went and puked. He said the teacher told him it was fine and when he pulled in they had a crew come and clean him and the car up like it never happened.
Bob B
This is now on my bucket list. Thanks for the videos.
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