5CHN3LL

If your PCA region offers a high-performance driving school (like San Diego Region's 3-day class), I strongly recommend it. For a relatively low cost you get to experience your car driven at/beyond "the edge." For example, you'll get practice on a soaped skid pad and learn what the car feels like when it's about to give up - and what to do once it DOES give up. Practicing putting the car into a slide and then catching and recovering the slide, practicing throttle steer, learning just how much space it takes to haul the car down to a stop, and more are all learned in an environment where it's actually safe. A public road is a much less forgiving place to learn things like just how hard you can stand on the brakes without getting into the ABS.

I took the course twice, once when I got my 986 and again when I got my 996. I knew all about (I thought) the 911's snap oversteer and had ridden in instructor 911's at autocrosses; the driving school made me realize just how tame the 996 is compared to earlier 911's and get a basic initial understanding of how the car handles as you approach 10/10ths.

I think it's a great idea to do some kind of car control class before heading out for an autocross and even more so before heading out to a track event...some people are just slow when they hit the track before they really have a good understanding of the car; others can be downright dangerous...

Someone else mentioned Bondurant; I think that's fairly expensive, but still a good idea. I like the PCA version because you do the driving in your own car. The upside is that everything you learn is applicable to your own vehicle; the downside, of course, is that any wreck will involve your own car (that latter point is a joke - a properly run school, assuming you're following instructions, shouldn't be especially risky).

Bubrubb

I second the PDS notion with San Diego Region.

We continually have attendees in from all across the country.

There isn't a better way to learn your car in 48 hours.

mharrison

Driving 911s through corners is a great deal like driving sportbikes through corners. They have very similar characteristics in the twisties. I've found the my experience in riding those through the years makes driving a tail dragger through turns feel much more normal than most people seem to.

My '01 with PSM is NOTHING compared to the old air cooled 911s I have driven. It feels almost too tame compared to them!

Rdrcr

Very true. This is the category I find myself in today. Time to get back on the track!

Mike