If you haven’t heard of the PCA RTR “Taste of the Track” (TOTT) program, you owe it to yourself to check it out. This is your opportunity to ride safely at track speeds with a qualified instructor. Driving fast isn’t just having the car, the opportunity and a stretch of blacktop. In fact, street driving and racing have a unidirectional relationship. Practically applying racing concepts to daily driving develops driving skills, but employing the habits we’ve accumulated to racing on a track, is at the very least dangerous and potentially deadly.

I signed up for the TOTT in October at Summit Point in scenic West Virginia. My wife and I came down Friday afternoon to enjoy the ride and to be there early Saturday. We are new PCA/RTR members, and the thought of getting my 2009 Cayman out on a track was tempting, but also terrifying. I just wasn’t sure it’s something I wanted to commit to, and I needed an opportunity to find out. TOTT seemed to be a great alternative, and I can attest it was all that and more.

 We arrived Saturday morning fully 90 minutes before the classroom event, and took the opportunity to wander around looking at the array of cars; talking to enthusiasts from all over the region. I’m a gear head of the muscle-car variety, but I’ve always been in awe of Porsche ever since my dad’s boss pulled up in a new 1972 911 Targa when I was 13 (story for another day). It turns out that many started out like me, which was encouraging as by now I’d seen (and heard) some serious machinery wailing around the track, and I was feeling a bit intimidated.

Ten o’clock finally came around and a group of us gathered in the training room for a discussion about racing concepts, control and vehicle dynamics as presented by veteran instructor Brian Minkin. He emphasized smoothness; don’t stab the gas and brakes, or jerk the wheel. Steady, controlled input from the driver results in a comparable response from your car. We learned about the racing “line”; the theoretical path to travel through a turn, and the importance of completing the braking process before the turn to maximize tire contact with the road surface.

Afterward, we staged our cars for “parade” laps. The very sound of this is a bit boring, right? Mere highway speeds around a track like Summit Point? But we carefully followed Brian’s lead, noting the different reference points on the track to help us through the ideal line. Not as easy as it first appeared. I was all over the place, and being the immediate car behind the instructor, this wasn’t very helpful to the others that followed me. By lap three, I was getting more comfortable, and by the time we “pit in”, I hadn’t embarrassed myself too badly. Now I was pretty juiced up.

Finally the time arrived; hot laps with a qualified instructor. After being fitted with a loaner helmet, we paired off. I was fortunate enough to ride with Brian, so introductions were out of the way and we got right to it. I was strapped into the passenger racing seat; a little snug I thought, but I was thankful later. We cruised over to the staging area and in seconds went blasting down the straight. Each turn came alarmingly fast, and I was immediately stunned by the staggering forces at work on the car (and me). I’d crossed my arms and gripped the harness as instructed, which kept me from smacking Brian in the face as we ripped through each turn. On the approach to the pit area, I got the Brian’s “thumbs up” sign and signaled my approval. For those of us who tend toward motion sickness, “thumbs down” gives you the chance to stop; the instructor will slow down and “pit in” at the earliest opportunity. No one wants you to have a bad experience after all.

I cannot describe the astonishing speed followed by the pressure of sudden and immediate deceleration as we approached the first turn for the second lap. You can only prepare yourself so much for the oh-my-God velocity and astounding handling. The grip these cars in the corners is nothing short of impossible. As we rumbled back to Brian’s trailer 15 minutes later, I was shaking from the rush. I climbed out of the car and landed on rubber legs. My wife approached with a little concern as I removed my helmet and babbled off several ill-constructed sentences. I could not put words together…

I’ve spent my whole life wondering what something like this could be like, when all I had to do was plunk down $25 and commit a Saturday. Don’t wait as long as I did. You owe it to yourself to try it once. Wander around; talk to the enthusiasts who love nothing more than to share their experiences with you, and listen to yours as well. The racing bug may bite you; it may not. I can guarantee you won’t regret it however. If you decide to take the next step, drivers are divided into colored run-groups and there is no pressure, and no preset pace. No one was standing there at the end of my run with a contract and a cattle prod. What better chance are you going to get? After all, this is what Taste of the Track is all about.