What do you get when you put together 27 Porsches on Indonesia’s Sentul International Circuit?

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SENTUL, WEST JAVA

After a two-year hiatus, the Porsche World Road Show (PWRS) finally returns to the Asia Pacific region. This year’s instalment was held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

PWRS is a Porsche AG event organised specially for invited guests and Porsche owners from over 45 countries around the world. Designed as a showcase of the car’s dynamic abilities and to let drivers experience the limits in a safe, monitored space, the event was spearheaded by Porsche driving instructors and supported by co-instructors from Indonesia. A fleet of cars flown in from Germany provided us with a chance behind the wheels of 27 different Porsche models (the largest in a PWRS to date) in a variety of on-track and off-road activities.

The initial line-up only consisted of 26 Porsches, however, Porsche AG had a little surprise in store for us…

Before we got a chance to experience the combined 10,000hp available for us to drive, Porsche first unveiled its 992-generation 911 Porsche GT3 RS.  Could this day get any better?

The 911 GT3 RS has always held the mantle of being Porsche’s most aggressive 911, and the new one is no different. It’s just a step away from being a full-fledged race car, but with just enough user-friendliness and accessibility for a regular driver on the road and track. The hydraulic two-piece wing, and active aero in the front bumper, plus the wider track and thicker tyres make the car look mean and fast, from any angle.

Now that Porsche’s brand new track blitzing machines has unveiled before our eyes, it’s time to get on with the programme. 

We were grouped according to the lanyards we received during the registration. I fell in the blue group category which was led by Wim, one of the lead instructors from Porsche AG. Our group kicked things off in the braking exercise in the Porsche Turbo S, a 640hp sports car. This exercise was simple, we had an open road ahead of us on track and all we needed to do was to floor the car, and brake once we pass a set of cones set up some 100m ahead of us. Simple right?

But you see, I discovered flooring the Turbo S first thing in the morning is a way far more effective to wake me up than my iPhone alarm. I got sucked into the seat back with the car’s 2.8-second 0 to 100km/h dash. What was far more impressive was the car’s capability to consistently stop within the small braking zone despite being put into launch mode and working hard throughout the entire day. All thanks to the fade-free carbon-ceramic discs installed on the car. Now that the 911 Turbo S has successfully awakened me, onto the next exercise…off-road!

The weather held up pretty nicely despite the scattered showers during the braking exercise. But where is the fun if you’re not down to get dirty when it comes to off-roading? This was by far one of my favourite exercises as we were put in an SUV, the Cayenne GTS.

One thing I learnt is that the Cayenne is far more rugged and capable than its traditional suburban environment would indicate. For starters, it comes with a standard steel suspension with 8.2 inches of travel and can be upgraded to 9.6 inches with an air suspension system known as Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). Not only is this suspension system beneficial to ground clearance, but it created a smooth ride across the rugged terrain we were driving under. Activating off-road mode also provided higher ground clearance, lighter steering, enhanced all-wheel drive and activated low-speed control function with hill descent control.

So, yes. The Porsche Cayenne GTS is fully capable of handling your off-road needs. However, this capability is more a byproduct of an over-commitment to excellence than intentional design. Porsches are sports cars, first and foremost. When you slap premier German engineering onto a sturdy SUV frame, you inherently get a competent off-road vehicle, even though the typical owner of a Cayenne may not use one in a jungle bash very much.

After lunch, we were scheduled for the slalom course which features a total of six runs in the Porsche 718 Boxster GTS. Two with our instructor Wim, where he showed us a slower version of the full route before showing us what the car could actually do when pushed to its potential. Then, it was our turn behind the wheel with two practice runs and two actual timed trials. My first timed trial felt pretty decent, no cones were hit but my final run in the Boxster ended miserably knocking a cone down and late braking resulted in failing to stop in the demarcated endpoint…boo. Porsche AG only waited till the end of the event to announce the winners and as it turns out, I came in third overall with a time of 21.19 seconds.

Time to hit the track

It was only fair with all the other activities out of the way, it was time to clock in some hot laps on the circuit. Now, what better way to do it than in Porsche’s fleet of 911 cars? 

The day concluded with laps in the bunch of Porsche 911 coupes on site. By this point, you’ll be convinced that everything in a Porsche is superior. The steering input is essentially mental; the car communicates so well, whether it’s the 911 Targa 4S, 911 GTS, or 911 GT3.

The track-focused 911 GT3 is naturally more boisterous and will consume you if you don’t handle it with respect. Thankfully, PSM is there to save the day. The sound of the Flat-6 purring all the way till we had to box-box, the gurgling tone of the free-flowing exhaust, and the hammering of the PDK dual-clutch system’s precise gearshifts leave you wanting more.

The Porsche World Road Show demonstrates how far the German sports car manufacturer has progressed over decades of deliberate and revolutionary development. It highlights how, regardless of body shape or propulsion technology, each of its vehicles possesses the same essence, the same DNA of precise engineering. The everyday supercar, a Porsche truly still is. 

Porsche Singapore said that PWRS is slated to come to Singapore this year however more details will be announced in the coming weeks.

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