My husband recently drove a GT3 at Okayama International Circuit. He wrote an article about his impressions at that time, so please take a look if you would like to read it.

GT3 to a driving event

Since last year, Porsche's official owners club, thePorsche Club JapanThe company is a member of the

I am not good at this kind of thing because I am not a big fan of group activities and prefer to be alone, but this is a rare opportunity for me to participate. However, this is the first time for me to participate in an event.Since this is a driving event at Okayama International Circuit, we will be participating with GT3.I decided to do this.

I had driven the Okayama International Circuit at home on the simulators iracing and rFactor2, so I vaguely remembered the course, butThis is the first time I've run in real life.

I left home at 6:30 AM to arrive at 9 AM and drove west on the Sanyo Expressway. It was the first time in a long time to drive GT3 on the highway. As usual, the high-speed stability is tremendous.With a super flat ride, the GT3 is transformed into a very comfortable machine, a far cry from the city!Do.

There are several ways to get to Okayama International Circuit, and there is no set route, but this time, I decided to take the route northward from the Wake IC, which was indicated by the genuine navigation system of my Porsche (I wonder why I took this route on this day). (Why did we take this route on this particular day?)

We came here to refuel and kill some time on the way, but somehow we arrived much earlier than planned. We decided to wait for the briefing while admiring the GT3 in the empty pit.

First run at Okayama International Circuit

The briefing was over and it was time for the first running slot.This year's schedule is extravagant, with five 30-minute slots!It is.

Lined up in the pit lane with the GT3RS and GT2RS. At the green signal, they went out onto the track and accelerated.

You can enjoy acceleration that cannot be tested on ordinary roads. The "II knew GT3 was fast.Impressed by the "sound" and acceleration, a lap quickly passes, and when the tires and engine are warmed up, the car moves to full throttle.

Porsche's Track Precision application. Various information such as speed, RPM, acceleration, and braking can be recorded and checked.

The only place in Japan where one can enjoy the 9,000 rpm engine is at the race circuit.It is a really nice turn. It is amazing that the engine brings the car to the red zone so smoothly and without any kind of sluggishness or snagging. This engine is truly amazing.

I ran a light run to get used to it, and it looks like I can run at about 1′49′′ to 1′50′′.Official Porsche Track Precision appThe team logged data with the "Mere Old Man" while running laps and learning the course well.

As you go through each lap, think about where and at what speed you need to drive and where you need to be careful.Running. Of these, I personally have a hard time with Hobbs Corner. When I open the throttle on the exit, the rear slides easily.

I try to open the car as carefully as possible, but the way I take the record line also makes a difference in how much traction I get. I tried many times and tried many different record lines, but it seemed to be easier for me to drive a little out of the way.

GT3 opened my mind a bit.

The Track Precision app has recently added support for Apple Carplay.

When I drove the GT3 at Suzuka before, I was still not used to the car and felt like I was being driven completely, but this time I feel like I can handle the car a little better.

For example, theI got used to how strong the PCCB's brakes were, and I was able to figure out how much I had to step on them to get them to work.I am now fully accustomed to the GT3's unique ability to shift upshifts by keeping my foot on the accelerator pedal, and I am also getting used to how much lateral Gs it can withstand in high speed corners.

Among them, the PCCB is still amazingly effective. On the straight back straight, the car can reach about 220-230km/h, but when it drops all the way down to about 60km/h, the brakes are a little late and the car is unable to "get out of the way".Oh, maybe I'm too late.When I think, "I'm going to do it," I step on it, and it feels like it works from there even more.

It feels like there is still more braking power further ahead of the braking force that you would think this is the best you can do if you feel accustomed to cast iron brakes. So I feel very secure, and I think it is very effective on circuits like Okayama International Circuit, where the key is how to use the brakes.

In addition, this timeI ran 4 frames and must have done about 30-40 laps, and in that amount of time, the PCCB never had any visual problems or seemed to work poorly at all!It should be added that.

I need wings.

The second corner (Williams Corner) is the fastest corner at Okayama International Circuit. The data shows that the corner has a peak lateral G-force of about 1.2 to 1.3G.With GT3 touring without wings, the data also shows strong oversteer.

I honestly wish it had big wings (rear wing) like the GT3RS here.

The GT3RS and I drove together this time, and there was not much difference in straight line speed. According to the owner of the GT3RS, the two cars are not so different in straight line speed, but in cornering speed, they are slightly separated.Just adjusting the angle of the rear wing makes quite a difference in driving comfort.It seems that downforce has a significant impact.

When I think about it, it really hits home.I still prefer the RS series on the track.I think. Well, in my case, since touring is my main use, I am fine with the touring package without wings, but if I were to consider a car for circuit use in the future, I would prefer the GT3RS instead of the regular GT3.

In the end, we did not run the last slot, but finished the session after running four slots. This time, there were some club members from other car clubs, so it was a mixed race, but it was still a great opportunity to see the cars of other car clubs.In the Porsche-to-Porsche driving sessions, everyone is very well mannered and has good driving skills.

Since this is a driving event, it is very enjoyable to drive your car on a circuit to the best of your ability, not necessarily in terms of rankings or times.
I would like to participate again if the opportunity arises.

bonus

If you would like, please enjoy the sound of 9000 RPM.
(I chose a lap where I could see as few other cars as possible, so my times and lines are embarrassing...)