Club event is something I have never been to, neither considered to go to be honest. I have always been attracted to events that bring a lot of people from different background and cars, Le Mans Classic and Goodwood Revival are the one I am talking about. So it was a delight to accept the invitation to the 3rd edition of the Porsche Spring Meeting at Paul Ricard by the French Federation of Porsche Club, and the message was clear – fun for two days around the track and engage with the new generation of Porsche aficionados as well as the ladies.
We have met a lot of people and it was especially nice to bump into @roadrugcars and @hchevalier
The Spring Meeting is for every Porsche enthusiast (not only owners), made of 2 intense days at Paul Ricard with sessions of 30 minutes of free driving on the 5.8 km F1 track. Everyone could find its moment has specific sequences were offered: Porsche Classics, Ladies, Beginners, courses with an instructor … when Paul Ricard is privatized by the federation it immediately push your expectations.
Basically, this was the perfect opportunity to show some love for the Stuttgart rocket factory, all, in a friendly context.
Classics were in minority but still…
The majority of participants came with modern cars to enjoy the track fully. We had the chance to get in the Carrera 4 GTS with one of Michelin drivers (see video) to introduce us the Michelin Track Connect. It is a system that recommends you optimal tyre pressure for your vehicle. The app gives you the pressure and temperature values letting you see in real time whether your tires are operating within their optimum range. A behavioural gauge indicates the change in the balance of your vehicle (over/understeer) according to the change in tyre pressures. You can view, compare and share the data recorded during the different runs in the mobile application and get to know exactly what adjustments to make to your tyre pressure before getting back out on the track.
Just to say that the driver blew us away, the GTS in his hands was performing far better than any other drivers on the track, overtaking some GT3 RS with such a ease I would have felt offended. I suggest you to listen to the quick interview with the driver to understand why…
While I really am a classics car guy, I did have a real good time amongst those Porsche fanatics and hope to enjoy more of these events in the future. I think it is important to mention that fortunately for the Porsche fans, they have many clubs all around the World (29 in France) which allow them to connect, engage and live their passion almost on a weekly basis. It would be great to see other federations doing the same job!
It was also a great opportunity for The Mechanists to introduce our new 911 Bracelets inspired by Fuchs Wheels
