Porsche Track Experience

I am, by my own admission and others’, a certified “rain woman.” This time, my husband had signed up for the “Porsche Track Experience (PTE) Master Course” held at Fuji Speedway, and our family was going along, but as usual, the event day was forecasted to be rainy. My husband said,

I knew it would rain as soon as Mina-chan was going, lol. It’s a shame about the rain, but it might be a good chance to experience driving on cup tires in the rain.

He switched his mindset and went to the hotel parking lot the night before to set up the car. As soon as he came back, he said with a wry smile:

I just got a call from an unknown number, and it was Porsche Japan. They said tomorrow’s Master Course is canceled due to heavy rain. After consulting with the instructors and Fuji Speedway, they decided it would be too dangerous to run the cars in such heavy rain tomorrow.

…

…What!? It’s canceled (ﾟдﾟ)!

When I said, “Isn’t PTE supposed to go on rain or shine? The WarmUp event I joined before was held in pretty heavy rain too!,”

That’s true, but the Master Course runs quite a bit on the circuit. Running on the circuit with a forecast of more than 10mm of rain per hour is definitely dangerous. However, since some participants from far away had already arrived, the program for tomorrow is canceled, but there will be a roundtable discussion with the instructors for those who can come. So if you like, you’re welcome to join. Let’s go since it’s a rare chance.

he said.

Oh dear… it’s definitely my fault… I’m really sorry (-_-) Porsche Japan must have had a tough time making that decision. My husband also said,

From now on, when I come to Fuji Speedway, I’ll come alone. Whenever Mina-chan comes, it always rains (laughs). All the PTE events I’ve attended before were sunny, so this is the first time it’s rained.

I had no words left (-_-).

GT2, GT3…

The next day, we slept in a bit and headed to Fuji Speedway to arrive by 10 a.m. When we parked the car, there was a parade of GT3 RS, GT3, and GT2 RS…!

As expected, many people in the Master Course participate with cars like these.

At the appointed time, about 15 people gathered. The Master Course has a capacity of 40, which was quickly filled, so more than half of the people couldn’t attend this time. However, those who missed out due to the rain cancellation can transfer to the December session or next year’s same course.

At the start, the instructor announced the cancellation,

We’ve driven on the circuit in heavy rain like today before, and it’s really scary. You can’t even reach high speeds on the straights. Even for professionals, it’s very dangerous and not something we want to do in the rain. For everyone’s safety and to protect these important cars, we decided to cancel this time.

he explained.

After that, a roundtable discussion with the instructors was held, where participants and Porsche Japan staff exchanged various opinions for about an hour and a half. I was watching my kids moving around here and there, so I couldn’t really listen to the discussion, but it seemed to be a very meaningful time for everyone, with serious talks mixed with laughter.

Despite the unfortunate rain, it’s rare to have such an opportunity to talk closely with the instructors, so in that sense, this might have been a very valuable experience. (↓ My daughters getting bored, lol)

Before leaving, I also had a chance to chat with Ryo Ogawa, who competed in this season’s Carrera Cup Japan (PCCJ). When I told him I was secretly following him on Twitter, he said, “Ah, the Porsche blog… the GT3 with crayons…!” and recognized me!

The instructors and Porsche Japan staff were all very friendly, even playing with the kids, creating a great atmosphere. I really like Porsche events because they feel welcoming for families with children. (Though I haven’t been to other events, so I can’t really compare)

I hope the PTE event next month in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, will be sunny. And I’ve vowed to myself to stay away from Fuji for a while (lol).