Last Friday, the Porsche Club of America Chicago Region, held a drivers’ education day at Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit, Illinois. I know, I know…I drive a MINI, so you’re probably wondering why I am talking about Porsches? Well, my boss is a fellow car enthusiast, and Porsche owners, so he invited me to drive his 1986 Guards Red Porsche 944 Turbo for the day. Uh, yeah…I said yes. The day consisted of four track sessions, a classroom session with PCA instructors, and the opportunity to watch other Porsches tear around Blackhawk Farms Raceway.
Being that this was the first track day I ever attended, I really did not know what to expect. Obviously, I was in the Novice driver group, and I was paired with a former SCCA Club Racer as an instructor, who had previously driven a 944 Turbo, as well as a couple 968’s. In the first three sessions, the instructor rode along, giving pointers…where the racing line was, hitting the corner apex, etc. A lot of stuff that actually came fairly natural. Still, it was good to have someone sitting alongside telling you that you could push further into a braking zone, stay a bit wider entering a corner to hit a late apex in order to get a few extra MPH down a straight. However, midway through the third session, the 944 started having issues…backfiring terribly, and eventually it cut-out on track. I had to limp her off an escape road, and pull back into the paddock area, not wanting break a car that wasn’t mine by continuing. I figured my day was done, but my boss offered up his 2006 Porsche Cayman S for the final session. I was able to rejoin the third session for two laps in the Cayman S…just enough to get a rough feel of the car on track. A very rough feel. But that was apparently enough to earn my SOLO sticker, so I was able to do the fourth and final session alone.
Running the final session solo was the best part of the day. After two laps, I started getting to grips with the Cayman S…I found my brake points, I felt more comfortable with how the car handled, and found how much further I could push it through different parts of the course when compared to the 944. Still, I left a lot of time on the track…mostly because I was still getting to grips with the car. I had a GoPro in the car as I was doing the session, and after looking at it, I see where I could push further into a corner, be in a lower gear for a better corner exit, etc. But hey, it was my first time on a track, and it was a good learning experience. The day was a blast though, and definitely something I hope to do again.
In between runs on the track, I had the opportunity to shoot some of the PCA Chicago member Porsches on track. I’m no Darren Heath, but I came away from the day pretty happy with my haul of photos.
I have included a few here, and a full gallery can be found on Flickr: PCA @ Blackhawk Farms Raceway.