Last month I did a lapping day with my 2010 XKR vert at the historic Le Circuit Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada. A friend followed me for a few laps during a morning session with video camera running and it can be seen here...
BruceLCMT092513 - YouTube.

This was my second time at this track, the first being approx. 9 years ago. You'll notice my driving line is fairly conservative as I get reacquainted with the track, not using all of the track's width in corners. It's difficult to get a sense of speed in a video, but I was hitting ~130 mph consistently at the end of the back straight, threshold braking (on the verge of lock-up) for the sharper corners, and speed through those was on the limits of adhesion where you can sometimes just see a little wobble when the Trac DSC senses a little too much slip angle (slide) near the apex, or intervenes under throttle exiting the apex. I'm experienced enough at my home track (Mosport) to safely turn off the DSC completely and use an increased slip angle to improve cornering speeds and reduce lap times. The stock Dunlop tires were obviously very hot, felt remarkably sticky for a street tire, and never lost grip from being over-heated.

It's worth noting that the cornering and braking loads you reach on a race track are typically far higher than what is possible on the street due to the increased grip as the tires heat up to track temperatures. Despite that you'll notice that the car has very minimal lean/roll in the corners, minimal nose dive under braking, and the brakes never faded under repeated and frequent hard application. It's well balanced in the corners, with neither inherent under-steer or over-steer, and the suspension handles well the quick right-left transition through the esses. It absolutely devours the straights and the exhaust note at full song is just sublime.

Comfy and luxurious GT cruiser?...yes! Capable sports car?...yes!! Fun track day car?...heck yeah

Track day review here... https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...e-race-103458/

If any of you would like to enjoy the full performance of your car I highly recommend joining a club that offers High Performance Driver Education events (HPDE). BMW-CCA allows all makes and models and offers HPDEs, and their members are also able to sometimes join Porsche HPDEs if they have room. They offer qualified classroom instruction, skid pad and other exercises, and in-car on-track instruction. They are reasonably priced, a lot of fun, a great way to improve your driving skills, and the safest way to explore and enjoy the performance capability of your car. You'll also have the opportunity to experience some of the most exciting, challenging and iconic race tracks in North America!

Bruce

 

Sweet!

 

Sooo jealous!

 

Very nice, Bruce!

I will second your recommendation for HPDE, it's soooo much fun. Many organizations (especially here in Cali) run similar structured/tiered events that allow novice drivers to obtain personalized instruction at reasonable cost. NASA is a great example.

With experience you can gravitate to your own comfort level in HPDE, from simple cooperative point-by passing on the straights all the way to time trial and competitive licensing.

A performance car deserves a few chances to stretch its legs and run/brake/turn/repeat!

Rich

 

Nice vid! You were pulling away from the camera car on the straights. Any doubts I had about my jag were gone after a day at R academy. The braking of the xkr was better and grip was comparable to my 996 turbo on the track

 

Very nice cant wait to get my XKR out for a track day!

 

The XKR is awesome but lets not kid ourselves about comparing traction to a car that is way lighter, bigger brakes and AWD.

Don't get me wrong... I bought an XKR over an 996TT also and could have found the 911 for less but the XKR will not hook up or stop better.

 

Agreed after buying a 2014 Porsche 981 this year. The handling and braking is much better than the 2009 XKR that I also own.

I love both cars and the 981 is much more of a track car than the XKR.

They are decisively different.

You can still have lots of fun in the XKR on a road racing track. The HPD (High Performance Driving) classes are great. I fully endorse them for someone that wants to put a street car on a track.

 

I spent quite of bit of time on the track with my 996TT. I would get fade in my brakes after repeated laps, but did not get that with the Xkr - that's what I was referring to regarding braking. As far as handling the 996 tt has more understeer than the Xkr and the Xkr has a surprising level of grip for a gt car. Honestly, the handling was not much better in the 996 tt. It's better on 997, boxster, Caymen , etc

 

Bruce

Watching the video made me wish I was back on the tracks. Nice to have the track all for yourself. I am jealous to where you can so obviously enjoy running tracks at safe speeds just for the fun of it. I could never do that, no matter how much I tried. Once I set a time, track driving, running, kayaking, it would always be the time to BEAT and consequently anything less would be a disappointment. You can just guess where that takes one.

That is why I wrecked two perfectly nice street cars and many race cars in my history of tracking and that is why I could never truly enjoy exercise, such as running, as I could never keep the pace to a comfortable level. Always the urge and the drive to go faster than before. Not always bad, as I've just finished my 5th unbeaten season in whitewater kayak racing, setting faster times this year than ever before. Wonder how long I can keep that up....???

You just keep on having fun with your wonderful XKR, wish you the best of days and luck doing so.

Albert

 

Albert,

I didn't know I was being videoed at the time, and amazed when I viewed it that at least a dozen 911 GT3s hadn't blown by me. Had that happened I might have been too embarrassed to post the video An in-car video would have captured the drama better, and by mid-day I was running flat out through many areas with confidence and leaving very little on the table. I also tend to go OCD about my passions, and recognizing that I knew to avoid golf at all costs!

And speaking of OCD, I'm feeling an overwhelming urge to buy one of these next...the 2014 Viper TA. This is the one that Randy Pobst set the Laguna Seca record in, and was so impressed with which was more a deciding factor for me. First ones started rolling down the assembly line last week.

 

Oh, now you've done it. That TA is the next-best-thing to an ACR

Actually, it's better. But you know that. And it comes with some electronics which may (or may not) save the driver from... mishaps...


Great choice for a track car and occassional fun driver. As mentioned before, it's a good idea to try one on if you're 6'2 or taller...


Rich

 

Rich,

I should be fine at 5'10"... and shrinking! I may or may not have heard a little something yesterday from the horse's mouth about a performance related electronic system upgrade developed for their Viper racing program that's headed to the assembly line. Good things to come maybe...or not

Btw, was that your friend with a Stryker Red GTS that posted and mentioned using the agricultural part of the track first time out? He seemed to be loving the car on track.

Bruce

 

Bruce

I would commit suicide if a Porsche 911 variant ever passed me. Never happened and, by the grace of God, it never will

That viper is one heck of a performer and looker. I would not hesitate to get one, particularly with your use in mind. However, I am not sure if I ever purchase an other sports car and if I will it will have to be smaller, narrower, with sorter front-end than the Viper. The fantastic winding roads on my home turf are narrow, blind, steep rock walls on one side, drop off on the other, no room for error. On top of that I have to deal with those occasional drivers who get freaked out by the dropoffs and rather cross the center line in blind corners. So, a smaller car is a better fit. My TT-7 is the perfect size for here, even though the last time I started it was for the bi-annual smog test back in June (I think). When driving around my home, I actually much prefer driving the smaller XF to the large XJL.

Hope you get your lady on board and perhaps get that TA and entertain us with some track video and sounds.

Albert

 

Brag, brag, brag The new and newer GT3 3.8 and GT3RS 4.0 on race slicks are at a whole other level than any earlier Porsches you would have diced it up with on track...and there were a bunch of them at this private track day. Most were driven by PCA instructors and club racers. They have really upped their game in recent years, and bear little resemblance to 911s of the past.

 

Well, you know my "love" for rear-engined cars. Still, I said before that Porsche has done a great job in updating that truly scary 911 chassis of past. One of these days they might complete the job when they move the engine/transaxle all the way in front of the rear axle, where it should have been all along.

But, judging from track comparison results the top Vettes beat the GT3 on the tracks. I still think that my TT-7 should have no problem taking them either. 500 HP+with adjustable boost, 2600 lbs, racing suspension, the math is with me. That is just what I think, however, I do not have any more interest on tracking my car to prove it.

Albert

 

Yah, that's my buddy. He's got 3M film on all the "contact" areas, and is not averse to an occassional off-track excursion under control. He drives pretty hard.

Re: upgrades, nobody translates research into the consumer product faster than SRT; that's one of the benefits of being "little".


Rich

 

I made it back to Mont-Tremblant for another go at this famed track with the new car. I was much more familiar with the track and the race line this time, and felt very comfortable at speed. This in-car video is recorded in 1080P so click on HD and full screen. Enjoy!


Bruce

 

Beautiful track. The sound is pretty bad, at least on my PC. Can not hear the engine sounds.

So, now that you have accumulated some track mileage with the Beast, I'd be curious of your comparison to the XKR.

Too bad you let those rear engined contraptions ruin the forward views :-).

 

Albert,

Sorry about the sound quality...I'm working on that. Both cars absolutely excell in their missions, which are very different, and the on-track experience reflects that. Where the XKR is one of the ultimate high performance luxury GT's, and can be driven like a sports car on the road or skillfully driven on the road course, the Viper TA is single focused on track dominance...and delivers.

The TA's steering, suspension and tires (295/355) provide epic grip and control at stupid speeds, it's easier to position the car exactly where you want it, and it's more confidence inspiring at speed. The car surprisingly manages to be quite comfortable on the road in it's street setting, and maybe comparable to the Sport setting on the XKR with 20" wheels.

So it's really an apples to oranges comparison, but when it comes to fun to drive on the track...I'd say they're a tie. Those of you with an XKR that would like to experience a road course have the perfect car to do it. I found the XKR handled very well, and the stock tires give a lot of audible feedback when pushed to keep the driver informed.

Bruce