Porsche Driver Development Workshop Helps Racers Get to the Next Level

• Porsche hosted 10 drivers for two days this past week of instruction and training in a variety of disciplines at Team Penske’s shop.

• The workshop catered to drivers in the Porsche EBOOST North America Junior Program and Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program North America.

• Young drivers who travel the Porsche road typically concentrate on either the Carrera Cup or the Sprint Challenge.

The ladder to the top levels of auto racing is crowded and steep. For every driver who reaches the golden cockpit in a major series, hundreds stall on the roadsides, dreams drowned and dollars lost.

The Porsche Driver Development Workshop, held last week near Charlotte, North Carolina, is designed to provide younger drivers and participants in the manufacturer’s female driver program with tools and advice to make building a driving career a smoother ride.

A dominant force in car building and racing, Porsche hosted 10 drivers for two days this past week of instruction and training in a variety of disciplines at Team Penske’s shop and operations center in Mooresville, North Carolina. Session topics over the two-day workshop included physical training, nutrition, technology, media and career planning.

The workshop catered to drivers in the Porsche EBOOST North America Junior Program and Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program North America.

Team Penske fields Porsches in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Matt Campbell and Dane Cameron, two successful Porsche factory drivers, were among those offering advice to the workshop participants.

“I think a majority of Porsche drivers have come through similar programs,” said Campbell, one of four drivers (including Cameron) in the winning Porsche in January’s 24 Hours of Daytona. “It’s definitely a proven pathway within Porsche. It’s worked fantastically for me.”

Campbell left behind a possible career as a carpenter to attempt to move up what is known as the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid. He reached the top, claiming a coveted ride in a Porsche Penske 963 factory car.

“The biggest thing, especially when you’re young in the Porsche program, is not trying too hard,” he said. “Just be yourself and learn from others. Watch things unfold. It’s quite easy to jump in and try to do too much too quick.”

Workshop participants attended seminars on nutrition, marketing and technology and participated with Penske team members in both physical training and pit crew practice. For most, the highlight of the two days was a visit to Penske’s 963 shop and interaction with team members around the at-rest prototypes.

Sabre Cook, 30, is a member of Porsche’s female driver development program. Her goal? “The 963,” she said with no hesitation. “To be able to drive a GTP car. I have to keep honing skills and building resources to one day hopefully do something like that. I’d love to run Le Mans, Daytona. In sports cars, there are so many more opportunities than in other disciplines. I like the challenge.

“All Porsche’s help with the resources and access to the right people—all the little nuggets add up. You’re not going to become Lewis Hamilton overnight.”

Young drivers who travel the Porsche road typically concentrate on either the Carrera Cup or the Sprint Challenge, both series featuring competition in identical Porsches so that driver skills can determine success.

Canadian driver Zach Vanier, who started his motorsports journey racing snowmobiles, is racing in Carrera Cup this year. At 21 years old and with numerous race wins and championships on his resume, Vanier is focused on climbing the pyramid.

“There’s a balance between differentiating yourself from others as well as recognizing the work and dedication you’re putting into your performance,” he said. “You do need to push the threshold, especially in a single-make series because everybody is seeing everybody else’s data. It’s hard because talent is a huge part of it, but work ethic counts for at least the same and probably more.”

Cameron grew up in a racing family and thus started his motorsports career ahead of many of his contemporaries. He said he appreciates the difficulties of moving along in racing for those starting with no family background in the sport.

“I came from a motorsports family (his father is a race engineer), so everything was normal,” he said. “If you come from a family that knows nothing about motorsports, it’s the first time you’re seeing all these things. What’s expected of you and what you might bring to the table are not really known until you get there. Programs like this go a long way toward getting people more prepared, especially because time moves quickly through the junior programs.”