Slipstream - January 2017

Porsche Experience Center L.A., Dude!
By Greg Dranow
Photos courtesy of the Author
aturday, October 29 was
S
the grand opening of
the Porsche Experience
center in Los Angeles.
I was fortunately able to secure a
10:00 am drive in a 2017 C2 S on
this Opening Day!
The weekend started early with
excellent transportation services
provided by Bill Beard and Ben
Connell. Bill picked me up at home
in his gleaming Panamera and we
enjoyed the Thursday Maverick
lunch at Kincaid’s. From there, Ben
graciously took me to DFW airport
in his Cabriolet while we were enjoying
the great weather. Why was I
leaving such a great group on such
a beautiful day? Oh yeah, to visit the
Porsche Experience Center in Los
Angeles!! Brenda was already out
west and obviously this was the biggest
reason for my journey. Honest.
Really. Well, let’s stick to that story.
Arriving at the Center on
Saturday morning, access was refreshingly
simple. Go through the
unattended gate and park with any
one of the over 100 Porsches in
the parking lot. Apparently one of
the local Porsche Clubs had a meet
there that morning. Angry Bird
found a spot among at least five
other GT4s.
Angry Bird at the L.A. Porsche
Experience Center
22 January
Entering the building, we were
warmly greeted for check-in. From
there, we explored the Center, seeing
some amazing Porsches from
both present as well as years past,
perusing the gift shop and talking
to other excited attendees and employees.
While not nearly as many
cars on display as the PEC in Atlanta,
it was still very impressive.
Impressive Porsches on display
We were then met by Patrick
(my instructor) and were given an
overview of the playground. Similar
to Atlanta with the kick plate,
skid pad, and low friction course,
but with a few added challenges.
One is a “toilet bowl” type of turn
mirroring part of the Nürburgring;
a 25-degree banked turn that really
allows one to experience G forces
while exiting at an impressive
speed. The road course is purported
to be 1.8 miles (.1 longer than
Atlanta). Then there was the ice
hill. My nemesis! A watered-down
downhill slick surface where the
object is to line up wide, turn in,
get the rear end out then navigate
the approximately 180 degree turn
at the bottom sideways using the
throttle to steer. Awesome!
The new 991 is amazing! Nearly
all of the 420 horsepower seem
to be at the beck and call of the
driver’s right foot at a point barely
above idle. No appreciable flat
spots all the way to the redline is
extraordinary -- as linear as a V8 of
twice its displacement! While some
say the noise isn’t as “cool” as last
year’s model, I say the overall experience
is so refined one hardly notices
while grinning from ear to ear
with all of this car’s improvements.
Well done, Stuttgart!
After the 90-minute session,
Brenda and I enjoyed lunch at 917
Restaurant upstairs. The ambiance
overlooking the “playground” was
great, the food was up to the same
standard, and the service was excellent!
The General Manager, Jerry
Perez (who is 100% French), made
sure our entire dining service was
impeccable! Top notch all the way
around!
In addition to being a lot of fun,
I learned some car control techniques
that I anticipate will really
help smooth out my driving and,
as an added benefit, lower my lap
times.
Braking: not only is it important
to brake smoothly and firmly, brake
release is also important. Rather
than simply letting off the brake,
releasing the brake to about 70%
then the rest of the way significantly
reduces weight transfer and vehicle
upset.
Acceleration: a direct correlation
between accelerating and releasing
the steering wheel allowing
the vehicle to gently and smoothly
use up the road surface with the tire
contact points in the right places at
the right times. Been doing this for
years but to consciously identify,
discuss, and implement was terrific.
A smooth flow that becomes
such a natural tendency, resulting
in a smoother ride for passengers
as well. I even applied this turning
and acceleration technique in the
airplane while taxiing. While I’m
not sure it made a big difference
for the passengers and crew, it did
make made me smile once again
thinking about this exceptional day
at the Porsche Experience Centereven
while piloting a business jet.
It just makes you want to get out
and drive!