alexb76

How much does it cost?

George from MD

I've been there long ago (it was at Road Atlanta) and while I think it's a great program I tend to agree with the moderator. What's good is that if you are a novice you will learn a lot in a very little time and have some great experiences. H. Haywood and Doc Bundy were our instructors; they did a great job and hot laps (as well as dinner) with them is not something you forget.

OTOH it really will fund ALOT of DE days and chances are you'd learn a lot more if you spent your money that way. The exercises at PDE taught me more than anything- they were VERY well done. Most of the lapping was not too helpful- you can really go only as fast as the slowest member of your party- it was like being in a train at a DE. A little bit of the lapping was very helpful (when the instructor is in your car and you can approach your own limits) but there wasn't much of that.

I would try to get a synopsis of the program before deciding- a friend recently went and part of the time was spent driving a Cayenne off road- not something I'd be interested in and definitely not something I'd want to pay big $ for. You may also want to check out other schools- some of the instructors we had were from Panoz- who offered comparable (and more advanced) programs for a lot less. There are Car Guys, Bondurant and others which are less expensive also. And check out your local DE program/Porsche club- we have Rolex 24 hour winners instructing as well as no names like me. But the club as a whole strives to provide consistent high quality instruction and I know it compares well with what Porsche offers.

Up to you in the end of course....but DE's do offer more real driving/learning "bang" for the buck IMO- especially if you have some high performance driving experience. Cost depends on the program- I don't know if they still have a one day but I'd invest in the two day one at the least if you're going to go there. You cannot start in the advanced groups- it's structured and you start with the beginner course then can take the advanced.

MJones

Here's the link:

Course-Description--Pricing

russo

If you are new to driving a Porsche, or have no track experience, the basic PSDS course is money well spent. If you plan to track, save your money and use it for track days, you will learn a great deal by having the extra seat time in your car.

Bob in NY

Lets put it this way, if the idea of driving someone else's new 911 for a few days on one of the newest tracks in NA, being instructed by some of the top drivers in a first class, well managed program sounds good to you and if you have an extra 3 grand to spend, go for it. You probably dropped 100k plus for your car, why not fully experience its capabilities without getting a ticket or trashing your car. I've been to the program 2x and will definitely go again at some point. It's a great time, you won't regret it or wish you didn't spend the money. It will also give you a big confidense boost for DE time. Just my .02

John NY-Naples

I took the two day course a couple of years ago, and I thought it was great. I had never been on a track before, and I had no clue as to what these cars are capable of. It also teaches you car dynamics and the proper way to handle a car from over-under steering, driving on wet surface, etc. Once my kids become old enough to drive, I plan on taking them there so that they can get an education on how to handle a car.

Maxsar

While the courses are expensive they have been great for me. I took the advanced and the Masters and plan to go back.

I have wanted to do some DE weekends, but it always seems that I have conflicts with family commitments. At least for me it is a lot easier to go to a course during the week than it is on a weekend.