Early in my track career, I became an instructor with the BMW Car Club. This afforded me many interesting experiences, one of which also happens to be one of my favorite track memories. One trip to Lime Rock Park was on a rainy Saturday; arriving, I found that one of my students had a Porsche 968. The car was well modified, running on sticky Michelin Pilot Sports and replete with a fully upgraded suspension, the 968 looked purposeful in Guards Red with BBS wheels and a 6-speed manual. Now, on paper the 968 was disappointing compared to the earlier Turbo models. Several times I’ve backed up this view because modified Turbos offer so much track performance. I’ve also spent some time in 944 Turbos around the same track – notably, my father’s ’89 Turbo, so I’m not without a point of reference. But this rainy day my student’s 968 was a blazing chariot against the bleak fog of the morning. Usually I get together and talk with my students before we head out about what their experience, expectations and trouble spots are. And this day, my student approached me and immediately said “I’m not heading out”. I figured this was because of the rain; in inclement conditions, the risk of an incident increases considerably, but so does the learning curve. It wasn’t fear of the conditions that was holding him back though; he had taken some medication and prudently didn’t feel as though his mental state was conducive to track time. “But you could drive me around” he said….
