| |||||
|
Porsche to Build Track at Silverstone, England
22nd April, 2007 | ||||
Porsche Cars Great Britain has been granted planning permission to build
an all-new driving training facility adjacent to the world famous Silverstone
Grand Prix circuit. Ground will be broken on the site within months and it
should become operational by mid-2008. The world class training facility, named the “Porsche Driving Experience
Centre Silverstone”, will be built on a 10.2 hectare plot that is on the outside
of Becketts corner on the Grand Prix circuit. Once complete, it will allow every
customer of a new Porsche in the UK to receive expert tuition on the performance
capabilities and safety systems of their cars. At the entrance to the Porsche facility will be the Driving Centre featuring
distinctive Porsche architectural cues, which will make it a future landmark at
Silverstone. It will not only house reception and display areas for Porsche
vehicles but also a restaurant and an innovative Porsche Human Performance Centre.
This will offer fitness assessments and instruction in techniques aimed at
improving stamina, coordination and reaction times for drivers of all levels. The top floor of the building will offer a platform with panoramic views of the
Porsche track and Grand Prix circuit. The technology of the building will however
be more than skin deep as it will utilise geothermic heat extraction and heat
recovery systems which will significantly lower its electricity usage and hence
its environmental impact. The track itself will allow Porsche customers to be instructed through a variety
of different situations in wet and dry conditions, as well as simulating ice and
snow driving with the use of specially constructed surfaces. Furthermore, the track
has been designed to allow it to be split into four separate areas that can be used
independently of each other or connected together to form a longer handling circuit
with a length of 3.1km. Andy Goss, Managing Director, Porsche Cars Great Britain commented: “The facility
at Silverstone is a major investment for Porsche GB and it will allow us to create a
unique experience for customers that cannot be bettered in the UK market. It makes
perfect sense for us to combine our driving experience activity into one venue and
this location is perfect with over 70% of our UK customers being within a two hour
drive of the Silverstone area.” Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Limited, said: “This
is a very exciting development for Silverstone and a great partnership with Porsche
- a truly iconic and prestigious brand. We will work closely with the Porsche team
over the coming months to ensure that this project, the first phase of the Silverstone
Masterplan, realises the partnership at the Home of British Motorsport.” Porsche GB has been running its driver training experience programme in the UK for
over 7 years and last year over 7,500 Porsche owners participated. |
ABN 47106248033 |
All rights reserved. |