While all of the aforementioned bells and whistles are wonderful in their own right, truth be told, what brought me to the facility was the opportunity to experience the 1.6-mile driver development track behind the wheel of one of 77 high performance vehicles kept onsite. As a Porsche owner (in North America anyway), one rarely has the opportunity to put their vehicle through its paces (not legally anyway), and the experience ofered at the Experience Center is a truly bespoke one. More of a skills course than a true racecourse, an instructor meets with the driver prior to their 90-minute session to assess their ability level and discern what skills they’d like to work on before selecting one of six available driving modules: Handling Circuit: Te 1.6-mile course is designed to mimic a winding country road with a number of corners and undulations. 36 slmag.net
Here, a driver learns the finer points on choosing the correct path when negotiating the curves and proper application of accelerating and braking technique. Kick Plate: The kick plate is a flush-mounted, hydraulically actuated plate placed before a wetted epoxy surface. As a vehicle travels over the plate at a safe speed (approximately 20MPH), sensors move the plate randomly left or right to mimic sliding that might occur during inclement weather conditions. It is a hair-raising experience that tests vehicle control skills when encountering a skid or spin. Off-Road Course: With 21 different off-road obstacles, including a 1.1 ratio hill climb and a 45-degree vertical descent challenge, the course demonstrates the expansive capabilities of the Porsche Cayenne's of-road engineering and safety technology.
