Driving Porsches and watching Porsches

Fifth Gear’s Vicki Butler-Henderson has taught a Dorset motoring journalist how to drive properly.

Tim Saunders from testdrives.biz participated in a YouDrive@Porsche event at Silverstone where Vicki Butler-Henderson, a Porsche driving consultant, ran the theory session alongside chief Porsche driving consultant Gordon Robertson.

“This is the third year I have been involved with YouDrive@Porsche,” says Vicki, who has been racing since the age of 12 and has been a racing instructor for 10 years. “I love the brand. I wanted to get involved to improve the driving skills of motorists and see how I could collaborate with the manufacturer. The course, which runs eight times a year at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone, makes you aware of perception, peripheral vision and reaction times.”

Gordon Robertson, Chief Porsche Driving Consultant adds: “The £165 YouDrive@Porsche course was designed for friends and relatives of Porsche customers who wanted to learn about driving regardless of the cars they owned. It’s all about thinking about the right way of driving. All driving consultants at Porsche have a mixed background. I am an ADI driving instructor while others are racing drivers and ex-police instructors.”

Tim Saunders adds: “It was a fabulous experience where I learnt much about driving in treacherous conditions and what to look out for and how to control my vehicle. Of all transport deaths (road, rail, sea and air) road deaths account for 96 per cent.

Consider that 2,222 people die on UK roads annually and 24,950 people are seriously injured and that 75 per cent of these accidents occur in 30mph zones and you can see the huge importance of this course.”

Vicki Butler-Henderson, a motoring journalist for the past 20 years, is currently filming the latest series of Fifth Gear, which will be on our screens later in the year.


Vicki teaches Tim road safety in style at YouDrive@Porsche



Porsche at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012

Goodwood’s Festival of Speed is the only public motor show that Porsche has a presence at in the United Kingdom, according to Porsche Press Officer, Joanne Davis.

She says that the event, which runs this year between June 28 and July 1, is “the right audience for Porsche”.

“It gives us the chance to promote Porsche dynamically,” she adds. “We run a Cayenne dynamic experience in a field. Driving consultants from Porsche give people a high speed drive sideways in a very safe environment,” she explains.

“We also work with Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. This year three historic Porsches from their collection will appear at the event.

“There will also be a supercar run where there will be two 911 Carrera Ss and a Panamera GTS.”


The Porsche 959. One of the baddest and rarest racecars ever built. You might get lucky and see one at Goodwood


By Tim Saunders

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