[Grady Clay]

Brian,

I have to agree with Sandy. One of the issues for a new driver, even one as experienced as my son, is the personal restraint everyone must have while driving. With a Porsche, the expectations change. Even with the tame ’85 Camery (parked next to the Cup Car above), we had to remind Chris about speed and following too close for the first few months. Put a kid in a Porsche (or any other cool, hot car) and they typically will drive too close to the limit. That is what a Porsche is all about. Unfortunately, some exceed the limit. After some of his HS friends had serious accidents, the message really got through. He is now a very conservative and defensive driver on the street and very fast and competitive on track.

He regularly tows a 2-horse trailer with a long F350 dully crew-cab. Occasionally he drives the F650 with a 35’ 6-horse gooseneck. That has given him an even more cautious approach to highway driving.

Almost all of these kids have grown up with exposure to a “virtual world” with video and computer games. When you crash, you click a button and continue on. Real life isn’t like that. When I was 16, our HS grade was 17 guys. Three of my good friends were killed that year in traffic “accidents.” All were preventable.

One reason I am a proponent of getting the kids on-track at a reasonably early age is to instill the knowledge that if you crash, you don’t finish and you trash your kart (car.) The race track is the place to test the limits of your car and skills. On the street, defensive driving is the watch-word. Most skilled kids don’t realize how many really bad drivers are out there and assume everyone else has their abilities.

The goal is to have these young Porsche enthusiasts live to be old Porsche owners.

Best,
Grady