Adventure, luxury and the ultimate driving experience

Sat, May 26, 2012

Archive Search

Adventure, luxury and the ultimate driving experience
February 04, 2011

In the heart of winter, heading to the Arctic Circle is probably the last thing an Indonesian would perceive as a luxury holiday. One Indonesia-based Porsche lover tells SK Zainuddin of his experience of driving the 911 in the winter wonderland, where participants push themselves to the limit..

Far north, well within the Arctic Circle, 60 well-heeled adventurers gathered in the Finnish village of Ivalo. What awaited them were temperatures of minus 30 degrees centigrade, challenging terrain and an adventureof a lifetime.

The 60 individuals hailed from all corners of the world but they had one love that bound them – a passion for Porsche cars, and in particular the iconic 911. Over the next four days, they would pit their driving skills against Mother Nature and the engineering marvel of Porsche cars.

The five-day program, which runs every year from late December to February, is organized by Porsche Travel, a unit of the German carmaker. It is primarily for Porsche owners but car lovers can also apply to join the once-in-a-lifetime trip.

“When you have a Porsche, you want to drive it under challenging conditions,” says Roy Widosuwito, one of two Indonesians who made the trip this year in February. “The trip was perfect as we learn how to drive on ice – not something one can do in Indonesia.”

The 60 Porsche lovers are broken into 10 groups and assigned two instructors per group. The trip to the Finnish Lapland itself is arduous but once they arrive at Ivalo, they are given the red carpet treatment.

Each driver is assigned a Porsche 911 for the entire duration of the trip to drive. The cars are returned to a warehouse each day where they are cleaned and prepared for the next day.

Most of the driving is done on a frozen lake so the experience of driving and “drifting” on ice is unique. “We are given instructions on how to drive on ice but the most fun is learning how to drift,” says Roy.

Five-star service
No expense is spared in ensuring that all the participants are treated like royalty during their stay in Finland. Traditional Scandinavian food is served, while champagne and wine flow freely inthe evenings.

The evenings are also spiced up with snowmobile rides through the forest to spot reindeer and visit traditional Finnish villagers. “Its all first-class and a wonderful experience as you make friends with Porsche owners from all over the world.”

“It’s a great idea. It’s the ultimate travel experience. Once in a while its fun to do something crazy,” says Roy, who is retired and a Porsche lover since boyhood. He owns a 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, which he keeps in Holland.

“I am an engineer by training so I appreciate the technical aspects of German cars, says the former president director of Perfeti van Melle, which produces Mentos candy and Chupa Chups lollipops.

The Finnish experience, he adds, will stay with him forever especially since he is a keen skier and loves the cold. He is certainly looking forward in the future to such trips to get the adrenalin flowing again.