Filed under: Miscellaneous, Porsche
Lined up in a parking lot behind the W Hotel Hollywood, I feel like an A-lister. Strangers wearing hip designer t-shirts snap pictures as we wait. Everyone is all smiles, pointing and staring at the millions of dollars worth of machinery on hand. A few of NOS Energy’s scantily clad models say hello as they pass our metallic silver Porsche Turbo. It’s partly cloudy and around 72 degrees. Today should be entertaining.
I’m strapped into a racing bucket as a participant of Targa Trophy -- one of those many “rally” events usually reserved for socialites with money to blow and cool cars to run. It’s like the famous Bull Run and Gumball 3000, but without the respective $20,000 and $50,000 to $100,000-plus entry fees. The cost to enter Targa Trophy: a more reasonable $900, not including the cost of hotel rooms, food, and drink. Rather than taking multiple days to accomplish, Targa Trophy only takes place on one Saturday.
In lieu of racing each other, competitors try to set the best time over the 200-mile course from Hollywood to the W Hotel in downtown San Diego. To win, drivers and navigators must also compile the most points by stopping at predetermined checkpoints.
From Lamborghini Murcielagos to Mercedes-Benz AMGs, to Lotus Evoras and fully modified BMW M3s, the collective of Targa Trophy participants is beyond impressive. The pre-race expo attracts over 600 of the region’s most pristine automotive examples.
Talk to the cars’ owners and they’re just as diverse and interesting as the rides. Local business leaders, international playboys (and girls), and plain old rich people come from as far away as Europe to run Targa Trophy. Why? Because “it is a rush,” Sevan says. A real life adventure of sorts…
Sevan, the beautiful eastern European redhead with the title to our No. 55 Porsche Turbo and a fire to drive hard, is sitting to my left. After a last minute breakdown of my ride, driving was out of the question, so I’ve taken the role as her navigator.
“I’ve always wanted to try it. Once I got the Porsche, I had to sign up,” she explained the night prior. “There is definitely an element of adventure that attracted me.”
After a quick mileage check by officials, we’re off on our day long journey. The round butt of the No. 09 Panamera Turbo arrives quickly at our nose thanks to some long stop lights. A quick downshift and jab of the right pedal and the quirky four-door falls back into our rear view.
Heading first to Long Beach, we pull off the 105 east and onto the 405 south. A Vons grocery store is our first checkpoint. Forty minutes later, we’re cruising along Newport Beach. After quick lunch at the local Ferrari dealership, it’s time to make the break to San Diego, about an hour and a half to the south. But first, we head inland to hit the region’s smooth serpentine paths.
The road leading up Palomar Mountain is one of Southern California’s most scenic and challenging drives. And if taken without care, it can be one of the most dangerous. Steep canyons filled with thick green forests reside mere feet from the road’s edge. Line the nose of your car or bike incorrectly, and it most likely will be your last. Today, only a few motorcyclists brave the same trail with us.
Sevan’s movements are fluid on the run through Palomar: Brake. Shift. Modulate throttle. Hit it full bore. On to the next apex.
“Two weeks ago I went to a track day at Willow Springs,” Sevan mentioned before our start. “I was taught a few things.”
I can tell. She’s going well over the legal speed limit, poised and collected as ever. Neither her nor the new six-speed 997 Turbo is sweating. Flat as Bonneville and as athletic as LeBron, the all-wheel drive, 500-horsepower Porsche eagerly devours each of the mountain’s countless kinks. It was painstakingly engineered for moments like these, and this redhead is proving she can handle her business behind the wheel.
The higher we climb, East San Diego’s vistas become more breathtaking and clearer. Skeletons of the trees burned by recent unfortunate fires blur by.
Residents hear the Targa cars ahead of us speed past. Some set up folding beach chairs along the road. Others just stand and point. Everyone waves, cheers, and grins happily. One man flashes his latest copy of Motor Trend after picking it from the mailbox. How could he possibly have known? Thumbs up are the norm in these mountains.
On our descent we drive past the small mountain town of Julian, a place known for its delicious apple pie and sweet ciders. Onto Interstate 8 east, downtown is almost in sight. We hit light traffic and venture into the city.
“Pretty fun, yes?” Sevan asks as we pull into the W Hotel San Diego.
“Definitely. Great driving, too.”
Of course, my only regret is that I didn’t actually drive the Targa Trophy. But my alternative wasn’t all that bad, either. It made me realize once again that you don’t always need to be at the helm to have a good time -- especially when you’re in one of Stuttgart’s finest.
Even with my eyes plugged into Google Maps, Targa Trophy proved to be as entertaining as advertised. Unfortunately, we didn’t beat the 72 other driving pairs or even gain a top 10 finish, but with Sevan taking corners, hustling hard up and down some of Southern California’s most scenic mountain passes and desolate country roads, it proved quite the experience -- one that I can see being thoroughly addicting. Now if I only had an extra $2000 in the bank and an exotic car to flog, I’d definitely sign up just for this “rush.”
Photography by Nate Martinez, Vincent Guglielmina, Thomas McCallum, Ryan Siu, Mo Satarzadeh + ID Agency
Read more: http://blogs.motortrend.com/6664417/miscellaneous/call-it-a-rush-running-the-targa-trophy-in-a-redheads-porsche-911-turbo/index.html#ixzz0uTPNqYPe
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