8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 2-8, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com 831 A man sitting next to me glances at his phone and chuckles. He shows me a directive from his wife, sent via text. “You can sit in one, but don’t drive,” it reads. Outside, a line of cars wait on pit lane in groups of three or four. The colors vary, but they are all Porsches, model 911 Carrera S, that need just a few ticks over three seconds to go from standing to 60 miles per hour. There is no way my neighbor—or anyone in the room—is going to follow her advice. We have gathered for the Porsche Track Experience, a new feature at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca that allows ordinary people to splurge on instruction from professional race car drivers—former Formula 1 and IndyCar star Roberto Guerrero, Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge champion Nick Galante, current IMSA sportscar driver Jade Buford and the like—and pilot a Porsche around the famed circuit. The experience, they reassure us, will be relatively easy, provided we follow instructions. Besides, “You’re driving someone else’s car on a race track,” Chief Instructor Cass Whitehead tells the group. “How can that not be fun?” He’s right, of course. Laguna Seca is a roller coaster. G-forces tug at you through the hairpin. The car flies through turn 4. It falls blindly into the Corkscrew and threatens to throw you forward as you brake hard into turn 11. And then there are the quirks of the track itself. As you tear toward the crest of the front stretch, it’s best to aim toward the third telephone pole in order to get in position for the hairpin. When the track plunges from sight as you turn into the Corkscrew, drivers put the car in line with the second tree from the left. The team has marked the corners from braking point to exit to guide participants. Further assistance comes over the radio as Buford, in this case, relays his observations: “Dave, you missed the apex…be patient through the corner…unwind the steering…that was better.” There is a lot to process, such as late apex cornering, active vision, weight transfer and string theory (which has nothing to do with the particles that make up the universe). We learn that dealing with understeer is relatively straightforward. But oversteer—when the rear end of the car breaks loose— requires a little CPR, an acronym for Correct, Pause, Recover. “The pause is something you are feeling for, not something you do,” Whitehead says during our classroom introduction. We are participating in the half-day experience, which is meant to introduce the concepts and give people a feel for them, while at the same time filling many bucket lists. Correcting oversteer happens on the skidpad— after several wild spins. “Unless you do this a lot, it’s hard to develop the muscle memory,” explains Jeff Purner, Porsche Track Experience manager. “But once those skills are ingrained, they are there for good.” The half-day program is divided into time learning braking skills, active vision (staying ahead of the car to pick out the racing line) and car control, the last being something that should be mandatory for every driver. Porsche Track Experience also offers a one- or two-day course at the track, as well as the three-day Masters RS program for a racing license. Even for the half-day, the schedule emphasizes time on the legendary track—around 45 minutes. Porsche has been operating the track experience at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama since 1999. For their inaugural season at Laguna Seca, the organization has 80 days on the calendar, including two Masters RS sessions—already fully booked at $14,000. (Only one spot remains available for the $2,000 half-day courses.) “It filled up immediately,” Purner says. “We figured that was going to happen. We poll people about which tracks they would like to see. Laguna Seca is always at the top of the list.” The Porsche Track Experience will keep 54 cars at the facility, as well as a garage and permanent local staff. Half a day of instruction did not make us race car drivers. But you do leave with a much-improved understanding of driving in general. You also leave wanting a Porsche 911 Carrera S for your own, which is unfortunate to bear for a writer. Purner just chuckles. “It’s a great marketing tool,” he says. Wheel Deal New to Laguna Seca, a program from Porsche gives people a chance to drive the track. By Dave Faries “You’re driving someone else’s car on a race track.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE MO SATARZADEH/PORSCHE TRACK EXPERIENCE The Porsche Track Experience provides instruction at Laguna Seca. While acknowledging that it is a once-in-a-lifetime deal for many, program manager Jeff Purner says the lessons “apply no matter what you drive.” BEYOND THE HANOI HILTON: A conversation with former naval flight officer and vietnam pow larry fries Enjoy light breakfast, an update from Monterey Bay Defense Alliance Chairperson Fred Meurer, and a conversation with Guest Speaker Larry Friese followed by a Q&A WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 • 7:30 - 9:00 AM MONTEREY CONFERENCE CENTER TICKETS: $45 REGISTER AT: MONTEREY.GOV/MBDAEVENTS
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