Festina, it was a great pleasure to meet you and share the event
I cannot say it was "better than sex," but it was a once in a life time experience for certain. The event was well organized down to every detail. To my surprise, we spent a lot of time on the track with the cars, and about 45 mins running on the track with the Cup car. The price is well worth the admission IMHO.
After a wonderful dinner the previous night with all the attendees and instructors, in the morning of the event we only had a 30-min class just introducing everyone again and going over the schedule. Then we were at the track by 9 am, and besides a lunch break, we were on it until 4 pm. I was totally exhausted at the end of the day with my ribs bruised from driving the cup car
We also did not have the usual "follow the leader" stuff, they handed us the keys, sat in the next seat and said "go for it." Moving from the Turbo to the GT3 and then the Cup was a very good format. The turbo initially seemed out of place, but it actually helped prepare us with the throttle input coming off the corners. With the GT3 you can be almost brutal with the throttle at exit, but with the Turbo and the Cup, you have to be quite gingerly, more so on the Cup of course, but the Turbo did not like heavy throttle application before pointing the car straight.
We spent two 45-min sessions in the morning in the Turbo and GT3 (boy the GT3 feel so at home, so comfortable to drive, love every min I spend in it), and we got our first ride in the Cup with the instructor driving it. After I came out of that ride, I was very apprehensive and intimidated driving it, I almost thought about refusing it and keep driving the GT3; that's how much I love driving the GT3, but I am so glad I did not do something as stupid as that frankly, except my instructor might have wished I did
After lunch we again spent one 45-min session in the Turbo and GT3, then suited up for the Cup, I was really nervous. Many buttons, fully strapped in with their helmets, HANS, a crew of 4-5 people, etc. I felt as if I was going into the space shuttle. Everything is authentic, pure race-ready Cup with brand new Michelin slicks. These cars apparently came off the plane just few weeks ago, had very few hours on them.
So, I pushed the "On" button, pushed down the ignition switch and then the starter button. OMG! the bark when it comes to life is surreal. Everything was trembling, and the sensation of coming off the air jacks is so special as well. I stalled the car from stand-still as the clutch pick up point is very short, but once you get going, it becomes easier and easier. The sequential shifter with auto-blip is just superb, makes life so easy on the driver and the tranny. These cars also had ABS on them with a knob with 12 different settings, I am sure it comes very handy and saves a lot of tires.
Once on the track, you can feel the weight difference, the huge grip from the slicks (I could not sleep on my left side last night due to brused ribs, no kidding), and the throttle is so immediate that you have to be very careful with it. The dynamics of the car was not that different from the GT3 aside from all its features I mentioned above; I think I was up to speed pretty quickly, within 2-3 laps, that my instructor told me to use 5th gear even on the short straights as I was reaching the 4th gear redline pretty quickly. It had shifter lights on top of the dash, which were very useful for me, although I barely had time to look at them, Barber is like a huge autox track, not much time to check stuff out on the dash, there is something happening at every second. The brakes don't have power assist, so that was the most different component. I pushed on brakes like I never did before, and you feel everything that happens with the brakes. They are superb to say the least.
For those that know, coming into T14 up hill fast and you trail the brakes, to weigh the front to make a tight right hander preparing for T15 before the front straight, so it is an important turn for positioning the car. Just like in the GT3, I would get on throttle generously and rear would just slightly rotate and position the car perfectly. With the Cup, I kept doing the same and rear would also rotate, even better than the GT3, and just squeeze the throttle, breath a little for T15 entry, back on full throttle for the straight. Well, this one lap, I did not brake enough into T14 was out of position by about a foot, and gave a little too much throttle to rotate the rear. Oh boy! it did rotate violently, snapped and there I went for a spin (180) and started sliding towards the guard rail on grass, which is very close to the track. I though, OK, I am about to reck a quarter million dollar Porsche Cup car, better brace myself. My instructor shouted "off the brakes!" so I came off, the car swung back onto the track, back on brakes again, did another 180 in the other direction and stopped in the middle of the track, let off the brakes roll back to the other side and we stopped. I did NOT stall it!
Went back into the pits, the crew checked the car out, and they told me to go again
I went on, a little more gingerly, and after 4-5 laps I came back in and parked it. When I came out of the car, I was soaking wet from sweat. The fan was on through the whole thing, but the excitement overwhelmed the fan.
Getting on plane now (that's another story), will continue later...