Porsche Track Experience

Enter the course with the instructor!

After some classroom instruction, the Porsche Track Experience participants climb into the passenger seat of a 911 GT3 RS (992) and head out of the pit lane onto the track at the Paul Ricard circuit. Before stepping on the accelerator, instructor Phil Bastiaans offers some valuable advice.

“Before you set off, remember what we talked about while analyzing the circuit,” a voice came over the radio, constantly connected to the participants. “Pay attention to your racing line. Remember your braking points. And above all, have fun!” Bastiaans then accelerated the 4.0-liter flat engine, which produces a maximum output of 525 PS, to 100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds.

When the 911 GT3 RS touches the red and white curb, the centrifugal force hits the passenger seat, sending vibrations through their entire body. But this is precisely what makes it a truly rewarding experience. Piloted by an experienced Porsche instructor, the 911 GT3 RS reaches a speed of 258 km/h on the one-kilometer Mistral Straight. Braking at the last possible moment, the driver passes through the Cygnes Corner at a speed of 130 km/h.

Bastiaans, a Dutch driver with over 200 race experience, expertly navigates the hairpin bends of the 5.8-kilometer Paul Ricard track. Pure driving pleasure, adrenaline and top performance: these are the moments that captivate motorsport fans and attract participants to the Porsche Track Experience on race courses around the world.

Lesson menu divided into four levels

Porsche's driving school, the Porsche Track Experience, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a large event held at Paul Ricard in France, attracting many participants. — The Porsche Track Experience offers four levels of training, from “Discover” for your first experience on a circuit to “Race” to become a Porsche racing driver.

Founded in 1974 as the Porsche Motorsport School, the Porsche Track Experience celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. While the name and vehicles are new, the concept remains the same. Anyone interested in experiencing the full performance of a Porsche sports car can join and learn, regardless of their driving ability.

The Porsche Track Experience is divided into four interconnected levels, ranging from a one-off race course experience event to training to become a racing driver.

“Discover” offers first-time circuit experience on a lap course at the Porsche Experience Center; “Learn” focuses on driving safety and vehicle control; “Boost” provides training on an international Grand Prix course; and “Race” is the final training course to become a racing driver.

If you want to reach the top of the pyramid, “racing,” you start at the first level and work your way up, just like in a racing game, but with new real-world experience. From your first track experience event to moving up to professional motorsport, Porsche’s Track Experience team will be there to support you throughout the entire training pyramid.

Supported by Manthey Racing

In recent years, Porsche has been streamlining its Porsche Track Experience events by consolidating them. Five times a year, the Track Experience team spends around ten days on international Grand Prix tracks. During this time, driving events of various levels are organized in collaboration with Manthey Racing. A two-day “Master GT3 RS” training course for advanced drivers specifically focused on the 911 GT3 RS was also held in mid-June 2024.

“Customers will have access to an exclusive range of performance packages on-site, tailored to Porsche drivers. We take care of everything, from the racing suits to the rental vehicles,” explains Monika Tigges, Porsche Track Tour Project Manager.

Tigges’ job is to ensure the infrastructure is ready by the time the event begins: 120 sports cars in total – 90 road cars and 30 racing cars – have to be transported to the south of France by transporter.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Manthey Racing as our partner, who work closely with Porsche’s motorsport development team to provide an exceptional level of vehicle maintenance,” explains Tigges.

To keep everything going according to plan, she and her team at Manthey Racing deal with one logistical challenge after another: “We need four more trucks just for spare parts and tyres,” Tigges shrugs. The work is enormous and requires attention to detail.

To ensure that participants can truly enjoy driving

“We customize our vehicles to suit the individual customer’s wishes, even the interior temperature,” explains Florian Kettel, a member of the Manthey Operations team.

“In addition to preparing the infrastructure, there are also a number of organizational issues that need to be resolved in advance,” says Frederic Klein, Porsche’s Event Operations Project Manager. As the person who works directly with customers, Klein is always present at events to ensure that everything goes according to plan.

“We need to know everything about our customers, from booking to their final lap on the track, including who will be using which vehicle. But now that we have established routines, things tend to run more smoothly. Our customers always speak passionately about Porsche, and that motivates us every day,” says Klein.

Instructors who use their own experience

The Master GT3 RS driving program consists of various motorsport-related elements: vehicle setup, circuit checks, video and data analysis, and racetrack driving. Participants will spend an extensive weekend with an instructor, who will lead the analysis sessions and provide valuable tips in real time via radio on the track.

Konstantin Dressler, a Porsche instructor with 14 years of experience, says, “My main goal is to improve the quality of my customers’ driving. My advice is always to ‘look into the distance.’ In fact, I would recommend this to everyone. If you focus on the road in front of you, you might miss the next curve.”

Like Dressler, Nico Kastrup has been a Porsche instructor since 2010. Both drivers have personally competed in smaller racing series and can bring a wealth of experience to the table when advising customers.

Two Le Mans 24 Hours winners participate

Two Le Mans winners, Timo Bernhard (pictured) and André Lotterer, took part in the Porsche Track Experience at Paul Ricard. — This time, the Porsche Track Experience at Paul Ricard featured two Le Mans winners: Timo Bernhard (pictured) and André Lotterer.

Two Le Mans champions took part in the Paul Ricard event: Timo Bernhard, who travelled from Germany, and André Lotterer, who came from Monaco in a 911 Turbo S Cabriolet. Both have extensive experience in top endurance racing around the world, which they want to share with the Track Experience participants.

Porsche sends its works drivers and brand ambassadors to events around the world to provide workshops, advice on racing lines and optimal braking points, and free practice sessions on the circuit.

“The Paul Ricard track has many long curves and requires good technique,” explains Lotterer. Timo Bernhard also knows the track and its dangers well, having trained there intensively before winning the Le Mans race in a Porsche 919 Hybrid.

“Paul Ricard, with its long straights, is very similar to the Circuit de la Sarthe at Le Mans. We have conducted countless 30-hour endurance tests here. This time, one of our participants was worried about his technique on the course, so we ran in 45-minute increments as it started to rain, and as a result, he managed to improve his time by 10 seconds,” Bernhard explained happily.

Participants from all over the world

Ophthalmologist Andreas Frohn from Siegen, Germany, is participating in the Porsche Track Experience this time.

“The first 911 Cabriolet I ever owned, a Type 964, had a black body color and white seats. I accidentally hit a tree while driving it. I was a little embarrassed, but I brought the 964 back to the dealer,” he recalled with a laugh.

“The salesman at the time said, ‘We’re perfectly happy to repair it, but why don’t you try attending the motorsports school run by Porsche?’ That was 29 years ago.”

Frohn and his wife have been attending the Porsche Track Experience ever since: “At first it was for safety reasons, but it’s always fun. Now we’re learning everything there is to know about the 911 GT3 RS,” Frohn shrugs.

All the way from Porto Alegre, Brazil, Leonardo Fração flies to Europe four times a year to take part in the Porsche Track Experience.

“It’s truly the best event. You can make lots of friends from all over the world who share the same passion… And you can experience driving that is just like in a race. My time improved by four seconds just between yesterday and today!” Frasão said, unable to hide his excitement.

For the past 50 years, Porsche has nurtured passionate amateur drivers like this into aspiring racers. In the evening, all participants gathered again in the paddock and the Porsche Track Experience came to a close. Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday played over the speakers, and a cake with a large “50” painted on it was presented to all participants.

This Porsche-esque endeavor, which began 50 years ago, will continue from here into the next 50 years.