Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/745887
November / December 2016 44 CLUB MEMBER ADVENTURE By Ric Smith Porsche Experience Center THE GT ACADEMY It is not often that us working class guys have the opportunity to experience true visceral high performance driving in the latest, state of the art German track weapons of our favorite brand. But hey, we are Kansas City Porsche Club guys and that's the way we roll. I have previously attended and written about the new Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta and have always come away impressed with the facility, the people and the experience. It is a fantastic venue that provides a safe and exciting way for anyone to really get engaged in the brand; drive these cars as they are meant to be driven- regardless of his or her experience level. This was my third visit, and it was special. I had a business trip planned well in advance and had been itching for a return engagement, so I perused the Porsche.Com website and noticed a new drivers experience called the "GT Academy". I noticed that it did not provide pricing, but did include instructions indicating that I had to call for arrangements. This sounded interesting. Special kudo's go to Colin Smith at the PEC who arranged a "special" GT Academy experience for me, where he substituted the new Cayman GT4 for the regular "ole" GT3, after he realized that I had already driven that sled earlier in the year. He went on to explain that the GT Academy was designed for "more advanced" drivers. Heck, I thought, I have plenty of seat time playing Forza 6 on my Xbox One at home. Let's do this. Stepping into the entryway of the shiny Porsche North American headquarters transports you from the heat and humidity of a south Georgia summer morning and into an uber cool museum environment reminiscent of what you would see in the Porsche Exclusive catalogue. It even smells expensive. I checked in at the desk, filled out some paperwork and signed my life away. (The supplemental insurance is mandatory for the GT Academy) I am given my credentials and "GT Academy" lanyard and head to the Cappuccino bar. Beverages are complementary. It's the least they can do, right?