Hi Everyone. I am new here and wanted to quickly introduce myself. I own a 981 so posting this intro here. I am a retired IBM software architect. I now work for my daughter but that is another story :-) I bought the 981 for my 60th birthday and tracked it at Sebring 6 months later. That's all it took - hopelessly hooked. I am not the fastest on the track and probably will never be but that is ok. I enjoy being on the track and getting better. It is a great hobby - expensive but great - and I have met some really nice people. I do think I have the best looking car on the track! The 981 body style is the boss and mine is Rhodium Silver which I think is best silver Porsche has. Attached is a pic taken at the first Sebring track weekend. I now have the clear bra so I don't have to do the tape anymore.

Any who ... nice to meet meet all you. I've been reading this forum for sometime but never posted anything so thought I start with an intro. My son has a 996 and I am helping him sell some of the parts while he turns it into a track car. You may see some 996 marketplace ads from me from time to time.

 

Cool, great to see another addict. I'm partial to the 987s myself, though I did have a 981 for 3 years.

I do this with a local PCA chapter (and other organizations) and we have a newbie day every year. Lots of (mostly) guys show up, attach their GoPros, do some laps and...never come back. So its great you took the bait.
Lots of good info on this forum, welcome.

 

Welcome aboard!

 

Just the fact you're on track makes 99% of the rest of us hugely jealous! Way to go!

Big thumbs up for Rhodium and welcome

 

Welcome and congratulations on the beautiful Cayman. Be sure to sign up for the Citrus region DE at Roebling Road Raceway in October. You’ll love that track.

 

Oh come on! I bet the Rennlist population of trackers is near 20%.
Even the general Porsche sports car population has to approach 10% of owners who track their car.

 

OP, due to the apparent lack of statistical precision in my prior welcome, please replace it with the following:

Just the fact you're on track makes 80-90% of the rest of us hugely jealous! ...

 

Congrats and welcome!

When I was on the hunt for my Cayman, friend of mine said "it has to be Silver.. just get a silver one".

Hey which flavor did you get, base.. S.. Manual/PDK.. what?

 

You're lucky to have access to an historic track like Sebring. While in college, I made it three years (68,69 and 70) to the "12 Hours". At the time, the track had abandoned WWII aircraft parked on its edges.and the competition included Steve McQueen and Mario Andretti. Is the track still rough in places (especially on the runway portions) or has it been resurfaced since then?

 

Thanks for the welcome. I have the base Cayman and wished I would have bought the S. But the cost to upgrade now is steep and it doesn't change the equation that much on the track. The fewer horses makes you be a better driver to keep up with those with lots more.

I don't understand why more people don't go to the track. It is easy to do and all you need is an inspection, helmet and track insurance. I found the people there very friendly and quickly made a bunch of new friends. You'll get an instructor until you qualify to drive solo and I found the instructors to be both good instructors and nice people.

TEF - I was at the 12 Hours those years as well. My Dad took a home movie of me in the pits with my brother and while he was filming, Steve drove by on a scooter with his broken foot propped up. We lived at Sebring during our high school and college days. The track is still relatively rough, compared to many newer tracks. But it is no rougher than your local interstate highway. If your car is ok on the interstate, it can handle Sebring fine.

 

The year that Steve McQueen (with foot in cast) in a Porsche finished second to Mario Andretti in a works Ferrari is considered one of the greatest endurance races of all time. In those days, I was able to get press passes for the races and, like you, got very close to the drivers and cars during practice. Is the track still surrounded by orange groves?

 

Congrats on the Cayman!

Enjoy in good health and definitely post more pics when you get the chance.

 

Retired and taking your Porsche to the track.

 

Lovely introduction. Enjoy your beautiful Cayman.

 

FWIW I have a base Cayman, which now has over 100 track days. It does exactly what you describe: teaches you how to be the best driver possible. Enjoy in good health!