[200q20v] Serious driving experience, but in the passenger seat

[Cordeiro, Alan]

I spent about 6 hours at the Porsche design center in Weissach today. We
met with about eight engineers and managers, talks went very well all
morning.
We were treated to lunch in their beautiful cafeteria, and as we were
rounding up
closing action items and packing up we were looking out the window on the
third 
floor watching the cars on the test track at the back of the center grounds.

The manager who was our host asked if any of us would be interested in going
for
a couple of laps on the 0.5 km test track. Our German sales person visits
them
twice a month, has BDTD, but I volunteered IMMEDIATELY.

The manager took me in his personal Carrera (a mere 300 HP) to a rest point
on the track where he asked one of the test track drivers to take me around.

The driver spoke excellent English. He has been doing this for 25 years. He
was
testing a 425 HP turbo flat six, fat 30 series P-zeros, large wing on the
back..
Its amazing how fast such a car can go on a twisting track when someone who
knows the track, and the limits of the car, is driving ( no, visitors are
NOT
allowed to drive..) I was given three laps, full acceleration between
corners,
and full braking at the last minute, with controlled wheel side out of the
corner.

More than a few times I wondered if we would make the corner. When we
stopped, 
there was a strong smell from the brakes and tires. I was told later
that sometimes tires only last a few hours

Saw two SUVs, one up close, one on the track, quite large, bigger than the
X-5,
and all I can tell you is that they will be "high performance". We asked if
they
were secret, but were told it would be OK to mention them as long as we were
vague about performance. 

We leave very early tomorrow morning for Munich, I am in Stuttgart right
now,
to visit two well known companies there. And yes, the second company we
visit
right after lunch is located in Ingolstadt...

Just had to tell someone...

Alan