I won't lie. I mash the throttle plenty of times on public roads. But I think the qualm here is with these repeated posts:
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/46879-test-drove-2013-camaro-ss-manual-not-impressed.html
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/45737-bmw-335ci-not-bad-almost-fast-us.html
boxster vs 350z?
Killed by a modified evo X
No "Race" or "Kills" section?
I've never met Mr. Inquiry in person. I don't know if he drives the way he posts, but if he does, he belongs in a turbo'd civic or a Mustang more than a Boxster. There are soooo many ways to get cheaper speed than a Porsche Boxster of all things.
But back to the conversation about track vs. street.
Even if the street was wide open and there was nobody around to injure, it STILL would not be better than a track environment. Your wreck could block the road, and cause someone unaware on a dark night to hit your smoldering pile of car. Tracks have people watching out for wrecks. There are fire teams and medical teams nearby. We have flag guards on duty for a reason. No 'street' or 'public' scenario will
ever be as safe as a track.
If you want to test you and your car's mettle, take it to the track, because that's where it really matters. Straight line driving is stupid. I would bet money that I could pull faster times in my 1.8L Miata on any technical course than someone who does nothing but highway roll racing.