Taking the GT3 to the Sanda Bullring

The other day, I took the GT3 to Royu Driveway on a Sunday morning. My mother-in-law was looking after the kids until the evening, so I gratefully took her up on the offer and decided to take the GT3 out for an afternoon drive to Sanda (the “Sanda Bullring”). (Read more about the Sanda Bullring here ↓)

ポルシェ 911（964C2）に乗って、サンダブルクリンクを走ってきた。

My husband drove us from home. As we went, we chatted about the GT3’s character, which we hadn’t driven for a month and were beginning to forget: “The GT3 sounds louder than I remember,” “Was the ride always this firm?” and “But after driving an air-cooled Porsche, it feels incredibly supple.”

Once we reached the Sanda Bullring, traffic ahead slowed us to a crawl for a while. And that’s when a thought struck me:

“The GT3 is actually happy cruising at a relaxed pace, too.”

If we’d been in the Boxster GTS, I’d probably have been itching to pass and put my foot down. I’d be desperate to enjoy that Boxster acceleration and the engine’s exuberant roar, like a hunting dog waiting for the right moment, growling away the whole time: “Rrrrrrrrr…” (Not the clearest comparison, I know! lol)

In the GT3, though, even crawling along, I found myself thinking, “This is nice in its own way. Let’s take it easy.” When I mentioned it to my husband, he said:

“Exactly! It’s funny how you feel that way. Maybe that’s the difference between the Boxster and the 911. Or maybe it’s because you can still hear the engine’s mechanical sounds at low speeds, so it feels like you’re really driving and that’s satisfying in itself.
I once saw the slogan ‘Race on Sunday, drive on Monday.’ That’s exactly what the 911 is about: you can take it on track, or simply enjoy driving it in everyday life.”

It felt strange that a car with a staggering 500 horsepower could still be enjoyable and engaging at an easy pace. Of course, the manual transmission probably has a lot to do with it.

Time to Drive the GT3!

I was enjoying the ride in the passenger seat when my husband said:

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

Well, of course. I should have seen that coming (-_-).

But I’d stalled repeatedly on the day the GT3 was delivered and could barely get it moving, and the experience had left me a little traumatized. I was genuinely nervous: “If the same thing happens again, I’ll never get over it.”

Still, I wasn’t going to get anywhere by worrying. I told myself, “I’ve been practicing driving a manual BMW 320i almost every day lately, so I’ll be fine,” took a deep breath, and swapped seats.

I climbed into the driver’s seat, heart pounding, and pressed the clutch, wondering if I could manage it. “Wait, was the clutch always this light?” I was surprised. I must have been so tense the last time that even the clutch felt heavy.

Then I eased away—and, to my surprise, got moving without much trouble. “Oh! I did it!” I blurted out.

…Though getting the car moving is hardly something to celebrate (-_-).

The 991.2 GT3 Touring automatically matches the revs when you shift up, so you can keep your foot on the accelerator as you drive (the feature can be switched off). But out of habit, I kept lifting off the throttle, so I wasn’t making the most of this excellent feature. My driving was anything but smooth.

My husband also had this to say:

“You’re shifting too stiffly. You don’t need to force it—the GT3’s shifter slots in smoothly, with a nice little click.”

When I first started driving a manual, I made one mis-shift after another—for example, aiming for fourth and landing in second. To avoid that, I’d trained myself to pause and pass through neutral when shifting, like “2 → N → 3” or “3 → N → 2.”

That habit is now so ingrained that every shift takes me an extra beat.

I also kept asking questions like, “I’m in fourth now—should I go up to fifth? I’m in third—should I shift down to second for this turn?” Eventually, my husband got fed up:

“Come on, just drive it your way already (-_-).”

Even so, I somehow managed to drive the GT3.

The GT3—and the Boxster, Too

I was nowhere near mastering the GT3 this time, but I did manage to drive it, so let’s call that the first step conquered lol. I also found the GT3 much easier to drive than our 981 Boxster GTS. The Boxster’s clutch is heavy, and it’s hard to tell exactly where it bites. The 991.2 GT3 is much more straightforward in that respect.

Come to think of it, I once wrote a series called “Until the Day I Can Drive the Boxster.” It ended almost as soon as it started, around Vol. 5 lol, so I should probably bring that series back, too.

First, I’ll master the BMW, then the GT3, and after that, I’ll keep working until I can confidently drive the Boxster GTS. And please, may my husband not sell the Boxster GTS before I learn to master it. (And please, may I not get selected for a 718 Spyder allocation before then either—lol.)