Page 74 - KCRPCA JulyAug 2021
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We were out
Flash forward to 2021 and preparation was again upon me.
A lot had happened since the first event. The Turbo S had been sold making way for a Carrera 4S, then a GT3 Touring, and finally landing on a 991.2 GTS. The GTS checked all the boxes for my wife and I, providing Turbo levels of Torque, plenty of amenities for touring and the 2WD offered a generous weight savings over the Turbo. Applying some of the trick suspension of the GT3 Touring and an engine tune, we had a very well-rounded car. Initial testing showed an advantage on every track short of the drag strip and in the wet over the Turbo. Banking on our past experience, my new Co-driver Chris Carey and I chose PS4S tires again.
and again The Shadow Buddies Foundation was able to help us raise another round of donations. Highlights of the campaign were an invitation to the KC Auto show at Bartle Hall with our local PCA chapter, a reveal party for the Taycan and the finale; a charity party hosted by Aristocrat Porsche KC with Geeks for Kids.
For 2021, the competition was steep; after a year off, most of the competitors had more time to scout the tracks and develop their cars. 2021 also brought some big names such as Randy Pobst, Ross Bentley, Gas Monkey Garage and Bucky Lasek. There were also a number
of amateur and professional drivers including my first driving instructor, who was in attendance sporting a prepped McLaren720S. We were out gunned but that did not get us down. Learning from the past,
we were better prepared and even sported a custom roof rack for our spare wheels and tires.
This year wet weather was prevalent, and of course this is true since we had hoped for dry weather by choosing a rear-wheel-drive car. The wet does give the Turbo an advantage over the GTS, but the 911 chassis is incredibly good at putting down power and was still a strong contender vs the high horse- power front engine cars. As with the event in 2018, we completed the week without any hiccups. The car was solid and we moved through the events unscathed building points, but slower due to the incredible competition and some hard learned
gunned
but that
did not get us down. Learning from the past, we were better prepared and even sported a custom roof rack for
our spare wheels and tires.
Unfortunately, due to conflicting schedules, Chris was only able
to test drive the car in April at KCRPCA HPDE. This left him
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Der Sportwagen
at a disadvantage for not having much seat time, but we were both impressed on how quickly he came up to speed in the GTS. This was his first time driving a Porsche more than a few demo laps and as he pushed harder the car never got out of line. He was very amazed at how the 911 could put down power even in the wet, the 911’s superpower. This was not like the domestic and euro exotics he had driven in the past.
This year we started much earlier with our charity campaign; all the way back in 2019 we were hoping to maximize the help we could
offer. This created some momentum