This is the culmination of two years of planning for me, but hopefully only the beginning of my track experience with the incredible 6GT3.

My last track event was over two years ago in an E60 M5. While that was a ton of fun (actually 2+ tons!), I swore at that moment to sell the M5 and buy a proper track car in which I could learn to drive instead of co-piloting a car with electronic nannies in control. In the M5, I was afraid to turn off the traction control. In the 6GT3, that is not an option!

So I sold the M5 (not an easy task being out of warranty and everyone afraid of various system failures - VANOS, SMG, etc.) and went on the hunt for a 911. I almost bought:

- 996 turbo (convinced by a good friend ultimately that turbos are not the best track cars)
- 993 turbo with 650+ hp built motor (sold out from under me - probably for the best although I'm still pissed about it!)
- 997 GT3 (couldn't really afford a good example at the time in the high $70K's to low $80K's)
- 996 GT3 at a local dealer but it was 100% stock and had a bad respray on the front bumper cover. At the time I thought it was kinda ugly compared to a 997 GT3

and finally when Seth's 996 GT3 came up for sale, I jumped. I love the white/black, I think the wing sets it off and compensates a bit for the 996 narrow body looks, and it has a great suspension, seats, wheels, and provenance!

With my new weapon acquired (and corner balanced and aligned at a local shop) I returned to the track this past weekend for a 3 day event at Summit Point Main circuit with PCA Potomac in a car that ultimately met and exceeded all of my expectations - the 996 GT3

Quite honestly, I entered this event afraid of my car. I've heard so many scary things:

- new 6GT3 drivers always end up in the wall
- the car is twitchy and hard to drive
- 911s are all tail happy
- don't lift!

However, I ended the weekend feeling much more confident in my ability to control this amazing machine and also with a sense of awe and respect for it's incredible abilities.

For reference, here are a few pictures of my car sitting in the paddock between sessions:





A few notes about the car:

- no permanent numbers yet, I had to use the shoe polish method on the windows
- she was sitting on 'street' 19" HREs with newish MPSS tires. Seth just recently shipped the OEM 18s to me but without tires and I didn't have time to choose a track tire and have them installed before the event
- corner balanced and aligned at RRT in NoVA before the event - they are BMW experts, but I know the folks there and didn't yet know any local Porsche specialists (I do now).
- it has the two-way adjustable Moton Club Sport suspension
- PF rotors and pads

My very limited previous track experience:

- 8 days on Summit Main in a Subaru WRX STi (6) and E60 M5 (2)
- 2 days on Summit Shenandoah in E60 M5

My driving impressions:

- WOW!

What else can I say that hasn't been said about these cars ... I was truly blown away by it's capabilities - the communicative feel, the grip, the power, the sound of the engine at high RPMs, and the consistency of it's performance lap after lap and day after day.

Given my limited track experience, I started on Friday in the Green run group. I was handily passing every car in that group and during the last session of the day, my instructor (Tony Kelly from TrackVision) asked me: "How are you feeling?" I said "Great!" He responded with "well the car is going to feel different now because I'm getting out!" So I pulled into the pits and dropped him off, and yes the car did feel different without the 200lb ballast on the right side. I promptly increased my speed down the main straight from 140ish to 150! And the car also started to oversteer coming out of turn 2 but I was able to quickly catch it and correct without drama - I credit the skid pad experience just minutes before with teaching me about fast hands!

One thing that bothered me is that the rear end of the car was squirming all over the place under hard braking. My first thought was that the LSD is shot as has been documented here repeatedly ...

However, the braking force and consistency was UNREAL. I was hitting 140-150 MPH on the main straight and the car would repeatedly haul us down to 40-50 for turn 1 again and again, seemingly defying physics and sanity. This was my favorite part of the event ... my instructor and I were giddy with laughter and amazement time and time again as we went from 'Oh my god we're going to die" to "actually we're fine and you braked too early, I'll walk to the apex from here, thanks."

With the support of my instructor and without a check ride from another (I guess the chief instructor trusted his judgement), I moved into the Blue run group on day 2 where I stayed Sat/Sun. I was only passed by one car in that group during the next 2 days, a 996 turbo with 520 hp at the wheels (and a good driver behind the wheel).

As far as other cars in Blue, I had an absolute blast being chased by a 450hp-ish Mustang Cobra pictured here:



When I first saw the snake filling my rear view, I was mentally flustered and started to get my point-by finger ready thinking 'how did he get there, he must be fast!?' However, I was surprised by the fact that I could pull away from him again and again both in the straights and especially in the turns. Then he would catch up in traffic and we would rinse and repeat for the rest of the event. My initial sense of intimidation turned into anticipation as I hoped he would come up behind me again for some more fun together! The driver "Paul" turned out to be a great guy as well. I talked to him in the paddock and he admitted to everyone present that he absolutely could not catch me no matter how hard he tried. We all laughed ... good times.

I also had the opportunity to ride along with fellow 996 GT3 brethren Justin Wine who was in the Red run group and an instructor to see how it's done properly. That man has ***** and can drive! Thanks Justin!

His all business track weapon:



As a testament to what a great track car the 996 GT3 is, there were more of them present at this event than any other car, including 997 GT3 and GT3 RSs. Here's a pic of my favorite:



Unfortunately I didn't find a spot to take action shots, but the rest of my paddock pics are here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1080159...eat=directlink

A final note on the MP Super Sports - I don't have any experience to compare against other tires on the track, so take this for what it's worth. While clearly not the last word in grip, I felt that these tires had very good traction for street rubber and were very predictable - giving me excellent communication audibly and through the steering wheel when they were going to understeer. Also they were extremely consistent in that once I found the right hot pressure (38f/39r was my target), I didn't have to touch them all weekend.

I think I'll probably make the following changes for next time:

- possibly install a roll bar and harnesses - I found myself bracing so hard with my left leg against the seat that it left a bruise after 3 days!
- use the OEM 18s instead of the 19" HRE with an R-compound tire (need to drive to/from the track and occasionally to work so not ready for slicks) - the 19s are rubbing quite a bit which is disconcerting on track
- possibly have the suspension adjusted by a 996 GT3 specialist ... there was some odd clunking in the front right, and probably too much dive under braking
- have the LSD checked

Sorry this is so long, but I'm still buzzing with adrenaline from the experience! I can't wait to do it again ... I'm hooked!

 

nice write-up! thanks for sharing.
yeah, will be better on 18's.

 

Wow, awesome post. I have a feeling I'll be doing the exact same thing as you once I find the right 996 gt3 for me.



Edit- That's a nasty Cobra R... had one of those on my tail when I tracked a 996 Turbo at Dunnville before it closed. Later found out it was the owner of the track

 

Well done. What PF pads and fluid are you running?

 

Thank you. According to the add that Seth was running when I bought the car, they are PFC06 pads front and rear. I don't think he changed them before I picked it up. I think I recall from my discussion with Seth that he was using OEM fluid but I'm not entirely sure. I plan on flushing after this event ... any specific recommendations?

 

SRF is what I use and love it; never an issue. I run 06s in front, and recently tried 01s in the rear and like it; this is with slotted Girodiscs

 

Great post! And welcome to the PCA Potomac family.

 

Thanks for that info. One of the things that my instructor mentioned might help with the 'dancing rear end under heavy braking' was to effectively modify the front/rear brake bias by using a softer pad in the rear. I wonder if that's basically what you have done? I really need to test the LSD though, I bet it's shot like everyone elses.

Thank you Sir! It was a great event and very well run.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience, very good info for me !

I am still debating between 996 GT3 or 997.2 GT3 -- Very different cars, but very different $ and I've heard the 996 GT3 is an amazing machine

 

And down the slope he goes...

 

Not sure if 'softer' is the right word, but the same idea applies; more friction to balance out the bias; yes, that was my intent

 

I'm sure the 997.2 GT3 is a better car in almost every way, unless you count pure rawness!

I forgot to mention that Justin Wine also drove my car on the track in White and during that session we chased a friend of his in a 997.2 GT3RS. The RS was barely inching away from us. Both of these guys are really good drivers so my take away from that escapade was that the 996 GT3 is really close in overall performance to the 997.2 GT3RS! So in terms of the performance/dollar ratio, the 6GT3 is the clear winner.

Slip sliding away!

Did it achieve the intended effect?

 

After 2 events, it feels like it to me

 

Congratulations on the new car. I'm a good buddy of your co-worker Mitch Miller. He had said something to me a couple weeks ago about going up to watch, but he never gave me a call last weekend. Hope to see you at the track!

 

Great write up of the first track day in a GT3! The more you drive that car, the more you will fall in love with it. Looking at white 6GT3 with RS wing is bringing me back some good memories of mine. Hope to see you around.