Hi fellow Porsche people! I hope your summer is going good and you are enjoying your Porsche or Porsches. The High Desert region has been providing you lots of Porsche time this summer. Our calendar has been full for the last few months and it isn’t slowing down.
Next up is our track day at ORP (Oregon Raceway Park). We have 14 club members attending this event and some are new to the fun and thrill of track days. Track days are the only way you can truly experience the potential of your Porsche and not run the risk of the wrath of the law. There’s an old adage that goes ”it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow”. Unfortunately we spend most of our time driving a fast car slow, boring! On track days you get to drive your fast car fast, exhilarating!
The “Festival of Cars” is coming September 14th, are you attending? This year it’s a tribute to the 50 years of the Porsche 911 and it’s being held in our own backyard, Broken Top. It would be great to have a HUGE turnout from our club. 911 owners especially should be attending, it’s you birthday party!. Go to oregonfestivalofcars.com to get all the details I’m too lazy to type here.
The other day I was thinking, insert your own comment here, how driving in a group tour is like riding my bike in a pace line. You have to hold the gap between yourself and the person in front of you steady. Use your peripheral vision to hold the gap steady (on bike about 8 – 12 inches) while looking down the road so you can see where you’re going and what’s happening. On the bike you must be looking down the road, around the rider in front and not at the their rear wheel. Same for driving the car, don’t stare at the car in front of you, but rather look as far ahead as you can. Your peripheral vision will keep you steady and now you’ll know what’s going on in front of you so you can be better prepared and not startled and “reactive”. Not knowing to slow down until the brake lights in front of you come on is nerve wracking. Looking ahead and seeing that you’ll be slowing is much better, you can be prepared to slow and not be surprised. This also holds true for passing, looking down the road will help you see the upcoming passing zone and be ready to go if it’s safe. When looking down the road always look where you want to go and the car or bike will follow. It’s amazing to me how that works! If I stare at the rock on the road when riding my bike, I always hit it, If I look where I want to go, I miss it! I’ve stared at some trees in my time and it hurt! Looking down the road improves the whole riding / driving experience whether it’s riding a bike or driving your Porsche.
You’ve got to be able to cover that attack!
Auf Wiedersehen!
tim