Our Last Royu Drive of 2019

As I mentioned in a recent post, late last year we welcomed Riko Otsuka, MC of the GTSport Housoukyoku YouTube channel, and GT player Tatsuya Sugawara to our home.

While they were here, we thought it would be a great opportunity to head to the Royu Driveway and let world-class GT player Sugawara take the wheel of our GT3. My daughters, Riko, and I followed along in the Panamera.

Sugawara has loved Porsche since he was a boy and had always dreamed of driving a GT3. This was his first time ever behind the wheel of a real Porsche.

And get this!

Even though he’s usually so composed, Sugawara was buzzing with excitement. “I never imagined the first Porsche I’d drive would be a GT3…!”

Just past the Royu toll gate, my husband and Sugawara switched places, and Sugawara took the wheel of the GT3. He’s used to high-pressure situations from racing, but even so, he said, “I’ve never been this nervous about driving a car before”—which made us laugh.

What Makes Porsche So Impressive

After taking the GT3 for a drive, Sugawara had plenty to say:

“Fast! Seriously fast! Put your foot down in second gear and things get very quick, very quickly. Now I understand what people mean when they say it’s more car than you can use on public roads. And the brakes are incredible. People say Porsche brakes are the best in the world, and I really think that’s true.
The most important thing a car has to do is stop. If it isn’t moving, nothing can happen—but once it’s moving, failing to stop can lead to a serious accident.
So it’s amazing how confidently the brakes work from just about any speed.
And the steering is every bit as good as you’d expect. It turns with incredible precision! But that doesn’t mean it’s unusable day to day. If you want to just cruise, you can do that too. Just amazing!”

He was full of praise. I was glad to hear it!

Meanwhile, my husband was riding in the passenger seat, experiencing Sugawara’s driving firsthand.

“A champion really does drive smoothly. I’ve ridden along with all kinds of people on this road, but he’s easily the smoothest and most skilled of them all.
He never forces the car into a turn. He’s in sync with it and drives so naturally and smoothly.”

My husband was impressed. Next, Riko got to ride in the GT3, while Sugawara took the Panamera for a drive.

As a Panamera fan, I was eager to hear what Sugawara would think. Here’s what he had to say:

“It really is completely different from the GT3! It’s smooth and luxurious, but a Porsche is still a Porsche. The brakes have a little more initial travel than the GT3’s, but you still get that reassuring strong bite deeper into the pedal.
Since it’s a sedan, I expected the steering to feel a bit loose and lazy, but not at all. It’s amazing! You could drive this for hours without getting tired.”

He was just as enthusiastic about the Panamera.

The kids had already fallen asleep in the back, so Sugawara said, “I’ll take it easy so I don’t jostle the kids too much.” Even though he’s still young, I thought that kind of consideration was so gentlemanly.

At the end, I asked Sugawara to sum up what it was like driving a Porsche:

“With a production-based car, you don’t force it to turn. You listen to the car and work with it, almost as if you’re asking, ‘Will you turn for me?’ I think that’s better for the car, and ultimately helps you drive faster, too.”

That makes sense.

Skilled drivers and professionals seem to say much the same thing. It reminded me of advice from an instructor at a Porsche driving school.

Riko also seemed to have a great time in the GT3, which was wonderful to see! Apparently, footage from the day will be featured on GTSport Housoukyoku at a later date.

To wrap up the day, we asked Sugawara and Riko to sign the uniform Sugawara had worn at the World Series.

It had been a while since we’d spent time with such young guests, and it was a genuinely fun and rewarding day.

Sugawara and Riko, thank you so much for visiting!