SEPANG: Porsche Asia Pacific’s inaugural
Licence to Thrill
campaign recently concluded after 30 shortlisted competitors from 13 countries across the region converged at the Sepang International Circuit.
The competitors were selected out of more than 3,600 entries after having gone through an online questionnaire and hailed from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Winning the first-ever Porsche Asia Pacific Driver of the Year was Mohd Elyas Bin Zakaria from Malaysia who takes home not only the title but also a fully sponsored trip to the Porsche Experience Centre in Los Angeles.
“The challenges were unique and definitely one of a kind, stressful yet fun. This is definitely what Porsche is all about. Moving forward, I hope to see Licence to Thrill becoming an annual event on the Porsche calendar. Thank you and keep up the great work,” he said.
Unlike most driving challenges, the six tests that awaited the competitors were anything but conventional and consisted.
Starting in no particular order was the brake test, which allowed a driver two tries in both a 911 Turbo and Turbo S variant by accelerating at full and then brake as hard as possible coming to a complete stop as close to a cone with an egg on top of it – quite ‘egg-citing’ indeed.
It was found that those who started in the Turbo seemed to be prone to overshooting the cone after popping into into the Turbo S and its more powerful engine, launch control and powerful brakes.
But those who started in the Turbo S seemed to find themselves rather far from the cone after hopping into the Turbo – clearly a case of over and underestimation respectively.
Another challenge involved the artistic skills of a driver while helming a 718 Boxster S. With the help of flash-photography, the driver had to drive the car within a demarcated area and ‘draw’ out the numbers – 7, 1 and 8. This left many silent and deep in thought till it was time for their turn.
Probably one of the most upsetting of tasks was the Panamera Challenge, where drivers were allowed to go all out over two laps of a shortened version of the circuit while an instructor rides on board the Panamera 4S or Panamera Turbo.
The catch, however, was that a ‘secret mission’ will be revealed prior to the instructor’s turn to drive two laps while the contestant became the passenger.
It was later revealed that the contestants were required to sketch a picture of the Panamera’s rear-end displayed on the car’s infotainment system with the provided pen, paper and clipboard.
The upsetting part was not about the deed, but rather it was about surviving after having a can of ‘fizzy’ drink or a large plate of food over lunch while seated at the rear.
There was much difficulty enduring as the colour to our pale faces slowly crept back while trying to keep ourselves from throwing-up. The difficulty was probably greater for those in the higher-powered Panamera Turbo.
Next was a more familiar task, where drivers were given two two-lap sessions in a choice of a 911 Carrera S Cabriolet or Targa 4S.
The first session was for the driver to set a timed lap and to have some fun, but for the second session, the instructor will instead set a time for the driver to achieve and it doesn’t necessarily have to be of a faster time.
Moving to the slowest task of them all was the Off Road Challenge, where a pair of Cayennes had a bucket of water stuck to their hood.
The challenge – navigate an off-road course without spilling too much water within an allotted time, simple yet painful to watch helplessly as the water splashes its way over every bump, incline, decline and roll-angle test.
Last but not least was one of the most fun and challenging tasks to have ever undertaken in a Macan GTS and Cayenne GTS, which was the reverse gymkhana circuit.
This is where drivers need to navigate a short course in reverse and come to a complete stop within the shortest time – with the rear window blacked out while relying on the side mirrors and the visual footage of the reverse camera. No easy feat indeed.
Keyword: Porsche Licence to Thrill crowns its first Driver of the Year!