Driver's Notebook: Sport Über Vehicle
February 1, 2008
Any SUV skeptic can tick off the Cayenne’s negatives: Less
cargo space than a Honda CR-V, no more passenger room than a midsize sedan,
crushing weight and a resulting fuel thirst in the teen-mpg range. But the U.S.
is known for sport-ute enthusiasts, not skeptics. For those with the means to
match the enthusiasm, the Cayenne remains the Porsche of SUVs.
Porsche, www.porsche.com/usa
Peak Performance
Taking a vacation does not have to mean getting
stuck driving a rental car. Over the years, Porsche has hosted travel driving
events at more than 50 destinations worldwide, including ongoing 911 weekends in
Germany’s Schwarzwald, or Black Forest; Cayenne S tours in the Andorran Pyrenees
and Dubai desert; and a camp for Cayman S fans in the Tyrolean Dolomites.
Unfortunately, locations in the U.S. were not part of their
offerings. In 2007, Porsche has rectified that with Camp4 Colorado, a series of
one- and five-day winter driving programs in Vail Valley, that take place
through February 12, 2008. Per person, the single-day class costs $1,800, while
the five-day, four-night program is $6,000, all-inclusive.
Consider Camp4 Colorado Porsche’s own Rocky Mountain High:
Participants manuever four-wheel-drive Carrera 4, Carerra 4S, and Cayenne models
on an icy, challenging track carved into a mountaintop golf course, while honing
their skills on the slippery stuff with professional instruction. "It’s like
what you used to do in K-Mart parking lots as a kid, only now you get to do it
in $100,000 sports cars," says Bill Buckley, Porsche driving programs manager.
Participants receive hands-on training from top instructors,
including several from Porsche Sport Driving School at Barber Motorsports Park
in Alabama—whose credentials include top series competition from Formula cars to
NASCAR. To maximize one-on-one instruction and seat time in the cars, each
session is limited to 16 participants.
While participants have a fun and memorable time on the track,
Buckley says the serious lessons in safety, car control, and situational
awareness dramatically improve their real-world driving and accident-avoidance
skills. "If you can control a car in a near-zero traction situation, you’ll be
that much better on dry roads in everyday conditions," he says.
Guests for the five-day, all-inclusive program stay at the
Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, a four-diamond resort in Vail Valley, 15 minutes
from Beaver Creek ski resort and 25 minutes from Vail Mountain. With its
recently expanded RockResorts Spa and intimate 56-room accommodations, the
chateau-style resort is regularly ranked among the nation’s top golf and ski
destinations.
Guests are chauffeured from nearby Vail/Eagle County Regional
Airport (EGE) and enjoy sleigh and Sno Cat rides through Vail Valley’s postcard
landscape.
Later this year, Porsche’s U.S. travel program will expand to
host several race-themed events in conjunction with this year’s American LeMans
Series, including a travel package to Florida’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
in March.
The Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, 866.650.7625,
www.cordillera-vail.com
Porsche Travel Club, 888.204.7474, www.porschedriving.com
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