So where do I begin? I have a 991 but can't really use it to its potential on public roads. I also have ZERO tracking experience. In fact I can't heel and toe (but want to learn). I have no mechanical skills. That being said, I don't feel qualified to track such an expensive car given my experience.
So I want advice as to where to begin. Courses to take? Expenses (I don't want to go broke)? How did members here first start off? Sorry for such a broad topic, but I'm sure they're are others on here who will benefit from other's experiences and advice

 

Join your local Porsche Club. They run all kinds of DEs and Autocross events for novice groups.

 

+1 you can also join your local BMW club as well as they will accept non-BMWs you could also contemplate taking a Porsche Sport Driving School introductory class.

 

And if you don't fancy using your car initially there are plenty of courses that offer a car to use, even Porsche do that. It works for those who don't want to track their own car or need more confidence before taking their own car.

 

I agree on joining a P club. They bring you along slow until you have some experience. You'll just run with other new guys, and you only go as fast as you're comfortable.

It's a lot safer than driving fast on the street.

 

Another option could be attending a driving/racing school. Browse the internet and search for racing schools and the classes they offer. I was in the same situation and are going through the 3-day Advanced Racing School offered by The Mid-Ohio School. In my opinion a good and safe option to hone your driving skills and learn your new P-car. Good luck

Steph

 

https://rennlist.com/forums/991/8125...ight=hammer911

Check this thread i started (if link doesn't work, search Hammer911's first DE)

 

I've done over 300 track days and have been instructing since 1996 - and in my opinion the very best way to get into this is to NOT take a $ 100K car out on the track, but to sign up for one of the many schools around the country that supply training and cars. It depends on where you live as to which one to use, but perhaps my favorite on the East Coast is Bertil Roos, as they have excellent pricing, good instructors and are friendly guys that will put you at ease. Do a 1-day to get your feet wet, and then if you really like it go back and do one of the more intense courses. They supply the cars which are very light and will have almost the same overall performance as say 996 Carrera, which is plenty. They run on street tires, too, so you can feel the car rather than running slicks and having insane cornering loads that go away suddenly. Lose an engine or have a mechanical issue, they'll roll out a fresh car for you, too. While the cost may look high at first glance, you'll put that much wear and tear on your 991 on a 60 lap track day + cost of the DE school + extra track day insurance.

You'll get spoiled running in open wheel cars though, and your Porsche will feel like a Mack Truck when you get back in it

http://www.racenow.com/Programs/oneday.html

 

Go on-line and look for PCA and BMWCCA Driver Skills and autocross programs in your area. Forget about the track, that's for later. Both BMWCCA and PCA run very similar Driver Skills programs. You will learn the basics of threshold braking, throttle steer/weight transfer, late apex line, and more, all on a course marked off with traffic cones and run at moderate 1st/2nd gear speeds for safety and very low levels of wear and tear on you and your car.

After learning the basics at Driver Skills, put them to use at autocross. Autocross is a competitive timed event. Technically, racing. But with one car at a time on a course marked off with cones its the safest racing there is! Autocross allows you to develop your car control skills at moderate speeds while continuing your learning about things like tire pressure, seating position, how to look down the road, etc.

Only after putting in your time with the above should you try Driver Ed. (Brace yourself for the coming onslaught of naysayers!) Driver Ed is on a track, at much higher speeds. They teach all the same things as the above programs. The difference is that speeds are so high, and you run for 15-20 minutes at a time, meaning zero time for you to stop and think about what you did right or wrong- just keep driving! Also because of the speed and time everything gets a lot hotter and wears a lot faster. It really is great experience- just a little too much like learning to swim by being rowed to the middle of the lake and thrown overboard. Can we at least learn to float in the shallows a little, first?

 

Skip Barber is also a good option. They run driving schools all over the country at premier race tracks. Might be a good idea to do one of these schools prior to doing PCA or BMW CCA DE events, because you'll be assured top-level, pro instructors, and as others have said, you'll be able to use their cars. HPDE instruction is typically very good, but can be hit or miss--some instructors are better than others. Do a couple Skippy or Bertil Roos or Bondurant courses first, and then start the DE process with your car. Have fun!

 

OP - I recently did a few of my local PCA chapter's autocross events and it's a blast. Highly recommend as a starting point - teaches you a lot about your car at a speed where you're not going to damage it (or yourself).

Others - I'm thinking of also checking out DE. If I was to try a school first with someone else's car (although I really do want to wind out my car), what would people recommend in NorCal / Bay Area for good bang for the buck ie reasonably priced?

 

This is all great advice. Looking into all of the options. One key is to find something local. Any DE in the SoCal area people liked?

 

Have you tried looking on-line? Here's a good one coming up in a few weeks-
http://pcasdr.net/2013/?events=perfo...black-forest-2

 

Jim Russell has a school at Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point, then Infineon) in your neck of the woods. Looks like they do a full-on race school as well as a High Performance driving school using your own car.
http://pdc.simraceway.com/

 

Thanks. For roughly the same cost (excluding wear on the car) I may be tempted to just to do PCA.