Driver's Ed in a new car

This is a great question! You raise some legitimate concerns. I don't have many answers for you, though. But, I share your concerns. These are some of the reasons I have decided NOT to do any AutoX or DE events with the local Porsche Club.

I have opted instead for the Road Rallye and Concours route. Much safer!

Maybe I'll do some of the more aggressive events in another year or two. My other concern was buying a $400 helmet (and possibly not like doing the DE and AutoX stuff) and not passing the "broomstick" rule. I am 6'2" and don't know if I'd pass inspection.

[z12358]

bmussatti,
Glad to hear from someone sharing similar concerns. My main initiating concern started building up over the last few weekends (after the break-in was over), and after I took some friends for a spin on some country roads. How do I know how safe (to myself and especially others) am I when I play with the abilities of such a powerful and exciting car on public roads? The judgement is very subjective and clouded by adrenaline at the moment. What looks safe to me may not look safe to others (passenger, other drivers, etc) and may actually not be safe at all. So pushing the car, or driving it "spiritedly", always comes at a risk on public roads, even at 8am on Sunday morning in the country. That risk is much smaller at the track, and one can explore the car's abilities much, much more freely.

It seems like I'd be more interested in Driver's Ed than AutoX. Even in skiing, I'm much more excited by high speed, smooth, turns (super-G) rather than fast, sharp and jittery action (slalom, moguls). So I feel that driving in 1 and 2 gear all the time (AutoX) may not be my thing.

Your concern that you may not like the track is valid. I did a little bit of karting as a youngster and I also love driving my Boxster "spiritedly" so it's a valid assumption that I will like the track. Perhaps paying for a day at a high-performance driving school (Skip Barber, $1500 to learn driving BMW M3, 330i, 911, and base Boxster on a track) may not be a bad idea as a test for either of us.

As for the "broomstick" test, I think there are $600 snap-on roll bar extensions that are supposedly very safe and accepted at all PCA events. I am 6' so I may pass it without them if I lower the seat all the way down. Looks like there's plenty of room there.

[EPIQTodd]

I had a track event scheduled (not drivers ed, a track event, 2 days) and didn't have enough miles on my '05 at the time so I had a friend take it with him to Vegas to put the necessary miles on it. Talk about fresh start...