Issue link: https://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/1309033
22 Rick Bohdanowcz report: This article is for those of you who love your cars, but have never tried a PNWR Driver Skills day…or maybe you did it a long time ago. Will you really learn anything new? Is it worth the drive to Bremerton for a full day with no real toilets? Is it worth doing it again, even if you did it five years ago? Or as a volunteer, will you just watch everyone else have fun? In short – Yes, absolutely, no question, and heck yeah, but with real benefits. The lunch is pretty darn good, too. My conclusion after experiencing this event both as a participant and as a volunteer, is that every driver on earth would be safer if everyone did it. Every driver would be more aware, more engaged, more predictable, and more comfortable with their car's behavior. And this isn't even the best part. I think attending Driver Skills events is some of the most fun you can possibly have with a bunch of like-minded people with cool cars in a safe, professionally run environment. Here are some specifics on the participant and volunteer experiences. As a participant: I discovered three flavors of drivers attending – first timers, folks who come back every year or two – maybe with kids or spouses in tow, and those who come back every time they get new wheels to test them out. Everyone wins with the variety of skills events, the variety of professional instructors, and the amazing opportunity to try every exercise multiple times. This ensures that drivers can truly learn, put coaching into practice, and even push themselves (and their cars) a bit to see what happens in a controlled environment. Where else can you possibly practice this safely? I loved it and brought my son along to help build his skills and enjoy a fun father/son experience. I also had a good buddy, Paul Davis join us for his first time. Paul Davis report: "Being a newbie to the Porsche world I knew that I wanted to do the Driver Skills training to better understand the capabilities of my 2013 911 Carrera S and improve my everyday driving skills. I also understood that it was a gating item to prepare me to participate in upcoming track days, which I had already signed up for. I'm a fairly conservative driver, so I was understandably a bit intimidated going into the class, but the instructors immediately put me at ease. They understood my current skill level, while pushing me to improve and step a bit out of my comfort zone in a way that gave me a ton of confidence in cornering, accident prevention, slippery pavements, etc. I'm now much more comfortable pushing the car's limits and better understand that honing your driving skills is a lifelong journey. I was very happy I attended the session and I am thankful to all the instructors and volunteers who helped us become better/safer drivers. This will not be my last session, just my first!" Yes, it's a long day of standing around watching, sprinting to replace cones, trying to direct a bunch of adrenaline-charged drivers, and working with the instructors to keep everyone safe. But I also met a bunch of great people, saw a bunch of cool cars in action, and hung out with a bunch of world class instructors who were never shy about sharing their best advice. It was also very satisfying to witness people learning and then finish a run with big grins on their faces. In addition, I saw almost every model of Porsche perform along with BMWs, Corvettes, Mustangs, Vipers, Miatas, VWs and even a Tesla! Finally, the big bonus – at the end of the class the track is opened to all volunteers and instructors for extended sessions, so everyone gets to play! So please join us in making the world a better place. Sign up for Driver Skills and encourage a family member or friend to join the fun! Article by Rick Bohdanowcz and Paul Davis Photography by Brent Jones Driver Skills – The Inside Scoop Driver Skills – The Inside Scoop