Heading to Sanda Burgring in the GT3

The other day, I took the GT3 out on a Sunday morning drive along the Royu Driveway. Since my mother-in-law kindly offered to watch the kids until evening, I took advantage of that and decided to head out for a drive to Sanda (Sanda Burgring) in the GT3 in the afternoon. (More about Sanda Burgring here↓)

911（964C2）に乗って、サンダブルクリンクを走ってきた。

We left home with my husband driving first. Along the way, it felt like we were reacquainting ourselves with the GT3’s feel after a month’s break, chatting about how “the GT3 sounds louder now,” “is the ride always this stiff?,” and “but compared to driving an air-cooled Porsche, it’s incredibly smooth.”

Later, as we entered Sanda Burgring, we hit a patch of slow, stop-and-go traffic caused by a line of cars ahead. At that moment, I had a sudden thought:

“The GT3 is actually suited for relaxed driving, too.”

If I’d been in the Boxster GTS in the same situation, I’d probably be itching to overtake quickly, eager to feel that explosive acceleration and engine roar again. Like a hunting dog waiting for the moment to chase, I’d be growling “grrrrrrrrrr…” the whole time. (Maybe not the clearest analogy, haha)

But with the GT3, even crawling along felt like “this is fine, let’s take it easy.” When I shared this with my husband, he said:

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s strange how it feels that way. Maybe that’s the difference between the Boxster and the 911. Or perhaps it’s because the GT3’s mechanical engine noise is so audible even at low speeds, making you feel like you’re really driving. I once saw the phrase ‘Race on Sunday, drive on Monday’—the 911 is exactly that kind of car: great on the track, but just as fun in everyday life.”

It’s a strange feeling that a car with a staggering 500 horsepower can still be enjoyable at a relaxed pace. Well, being a manual transmission probably plays a big part in that.

Taking the Wheel of the GT3!

While happily riding shotgun, my husband said,

“Since we came all the way to Sanda in the GT3, let’s switch drivers on the way back.”

Well, yeah, that makes sense (-_-)

But I was pretty nervous because on the GT3’s delivery day, I stalled repeatedly and barely managed to get moving, which left me with a bit of trauma. I thought, “if I mess up like that again, I might never recover.”

Still, I knew complaining wouldn’t help, so I told myself, “I’ve been practicing manual driving almost daily in my BMW 320i, so I’ll be fine,” and bravely agreed to switch.

Sitting nervously in the seat and pressing the clutch, I was surprised: “Wait, was the clutch always this light?” I must have been so tense last time that even the clutch felt heavy.

Then, cautiously trying to pull away… I actually managed it pretty smoothly and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh wow… I did it!!”

…Though I probably shouldn’t be celebrating just for getting moving (-_-)

The 991.2 GT3 Touring automatically rev-matches on upshifts, so you can keep the throttle open while shifting (this feature can be turned off), but out of habit I kept letting off the gas, which meant I didn’t fully take advantage of this brilliant feature and ended up driving less smoothly than I could have.

On top of that, my husband said,

“Your shifts are stiff. You don’t need to use so much force—the GT3’s shifter goes in smoothly with a nice, crisp click.”

When I first started driving manuals, I often made the mistake of trying to shift into 4th but ending up in 2nd instead. To avoid that, I’ve been consciously shifting through neutral like “2 → N → 3” or “3 → N → 2,” easing off briefly between gears.

That habit makes my shifts a bit delayed now.

Also, I kept asking things like “I’m in 4th now, should I go to 5th? I’m in 3rd, should I drop to 2nd for this turn?,” which annoyed my husband:

“Just go ahead and drive however you want already (-_-)”

But despite that, I managed to drive the GT3.

Both the GT3 and the Boxster

This time, I didn’t quite master the GT3, but since I was able to drive it at all, I guess that’s stage one cleared, haha. Also, I found the GT3 much easier to drive than the 981 Boxster GTS. The Boxster’s clutch is heavy and it’s hard to tell where the bite point is, but the 991.2 GT3 is much more manageable.

…Speaking of which, I remember I once wrote a series called “Until the Day I Could Drive the Boxster.” It ended pretty quickly around volume 5 (lol), so I should probably bring that back.

First, I’ll master the BMW, then the GT3, and finally the Boxster GTS. Step by step, I’ll keep at it. And please, may my husband not sell the Boxster GTS until I can truly handle it. (So I don’t win the 718 Spyder lottery, haha)