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My 718 CGTS 4.0 PDK

Having thought long and hard, and consulted trusted friends, I have reluctantly and regrettably decided to take no further action on a return to the PEC Precision Driving Course. Many factors are at play in my reaching this decision. Not least of which is to be grateful for the two previous PEC opportunities which did so much to restore and improve my track diving skills prior to returning to competitive motorsport.

Dan is quite right in suggesting taking the PEC hire car rather than using your own car. Besides the obvious wear and tear on tyres and brakes, the Silverstone track sessions are shared with other cars driven by drivers of widely varying abilities. The appeal of driving your own car on this iconic circuit is a strong pull, but no matter how diligent you are at keeping it on the black stuff, other cars sharing the same track space can throw unpredictable consequences in the blink of an eye. Race cars driven by Pro-Am wannabes are always the last of the late brakers and will cut you up at the braking zone approach to slower corners. I had this very experience during the Pilot Sport Challenge when a sports racing Radical mugged me at the turn-in to Club corner. There was not a lot of room I can assure you.

It was a nice thought returning to Silverstone GP circuit for another go in a car as capable as the CGTS 4.0 PDK. On this occasion discretion overruled my heart. I'll rest on my past experiences.

Back to reality and the rewarding spectacle of the tall ships event at Aberdeen last weekend. This international maritime jamboree was a spectacular display of historic sailing ships of all sizes. Over 70 vessels attended during the 4 days at Aberdeen harbour. Visitors were efficiently marshalled on the quaysides to inspect the ships at their moorings, some of which were available for boarding. On the final day huge crowds lined Aberdeen beach promenades to watch the sail away to the next destination in Norway. It had been 28 years since the previous tall ships event at Aberdeen so it is unlikely, nay a certainty, that I shall live to see another revisit of this amazing event.

Brian.
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Just as a matter of possible interest I did the PEC Precision Driving Course in 2019 in my then 987.2. I was glad to have done the course in my own car as it taught me a lot about my particular car. I didnt encounter any problems or issues with other cars on the Silverstone circuit; but I had the piece of mind that my car was covered for the day by my Lockton PCGB policy.
I then did a full PCGB track day at Silverstone a couple of weeks later, again covered by PCGB policy.
 
With the tourist season in the Highlands at its peak in early August, the roads are choc-a-block everywhere. The underfunded intercity road network north of Perth is overwhelmed with the convergence of commercial, tourist, local, and agricultural harvest traffic. It's mayhem frankly.

I thought this the ideal opportunity to do some more cosmetic remedial work on my CGTS 4.0. The scruffy rear brake disc bells have been a point of irritation for some time. Unsightly corrosion and staining have marred these easily visible components. It took me some time to source the correct shade of VHT paint to match the OE finish on disc bells. The ideal product came by way of Halfords no less. At £10.99 a can, the High Temperature Dark Anthracite paint has proved absolutely perfect for the job.

As most of you will already know, preparation is 99% of a successful job. Masking the exposed disc surface and brake callipers took considerable time and effort. I also carefully masked the bare metal surfaces where the road wheel contacts the hub. I have problems handling sticky masking tape due to my hand disability, but perseverance paid off and the considerable effort was worthwhile.

After cleaning the stained disc bell surface with solvent, I applied two coats of VHT paint. The first coat was directly applied thinly to the bare surface. No primer required. The second coat applied 4 hours later and left overnight to harden. The rear brake callipers are sufficiently spaced from the disc bell to enable the full 360 degree surface to be painted without having to rotate the hub, an operation complicated by PDK when the car is jacked up. With a manual car, the hub could be rotated with the gearbox in neutral. I found the gap between the calliper and the disc bell easily accessed by the paint spray nozzle to enable the entire 360 degree surface to be painted without rotating the hub.

The finished result is shown in the photos attached.

Brian.
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Finally happened, configurator says no longer able to order new ☹️ Porsche Bournemouth just advertised a new one with 10k off list 😱 maybe a typo 🤔
 
Hi Brian
i very much enjoy reading your extremely knowledgeable reports.
thankyou.
we are heading north in 2/3 weeks visiting son in north Berwick then driving to Mull for a week then trossachs for a week before back down south.
any good roads to travel advice much appreciated 🙏👍
 
Dylan, I'm pretty sure that it was the B8073 on the north part of Mull which we enjoyed driving. I'm think we also drove a great minor road from north west to south east of the north part of the island but I can't recall whether it had a number. My wife and I also enjoyed a lovely meal at the Am Birlinn restaurant https://ambirlinn.com/

Apologies Brian for taking your thread on a tangent.

Edited to add:
If you're looking for accommodation then when we toured in 2022 we stayed in Oban https://bedandbreakfastoban.net/ (we'd happily stay there again), On Mull https://www.glenforsa.com/ (we wished we'd tried harder to find somewhere else), we crossed from Tobermory to the Ardnamurchan Peninsula to visit mainland GB's most westerly point of Ardnamurchan and stayed here https://kilchoanhotel.co.uk/, and in Fort William at https://www.treetopsfortwilliam.co.uk/ (we'd happily stay there again). Hope that helps.
 
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Dylan,

Thank you for your kind comments.

My good friend Andrew T knows the roads around the Mull and that part of west of Scotland better than me. I would confirm his tips carry much weight. The Trossachs I have more experience of and would recommend the eastern regions around Loch Earn, and Loch Tay. Kenmore to Crieff via the A826 and A822 through Glen Almond is good. Loch Lomond is always very busy in my experience.

My car is booked in for its MOT next month. Both the 3 stud exhaust flanges under the rear wheel arches are being replaced at the same time. At long last this will conclude the programme of repairs of corroded components on this young car. In my long experience of Cayman ownership I never expected so many badly rusted parts on such a low mileage car. Clearly this car's previous ownership had it parked out in the open in a salty environment for extended periods of time unused. It has taken me almost a year, devoting much time and expense, to return the underside of the car to the condition commensurate to the standards of presentation I consider normal with a well kept car.

Brian.
 

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