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Dave Standridge Driver Notes
I had an opportunity to take the PTG GTM for a few hot laps around Thunderhill at a NASA event the weekend of June 30/31, 2009. NASA was running the track in the opposite direction that weekend and I drove the car in a HPDE 4 session.
From the moment I sat in the car I was immediately impressed by how comfortable the car felt. The hardest part was getting in and out of the car, the car is a center seater. Personally, I would not have built the car as a center seater for this reason, but after sitting in the car I understand why it was built this way. The roof line is pretty low in the GTM and I don’t think a driver over 5’10” (I am 5’11”) with a helmet could fit in a seat if it the seat was mounted in the standard drivers position.
Once in the car, I felt very comfortable. The guys at PTG know how to build real race cars for sure. The Porsche G50 gearbox made me miss the old days when I use to drive Porsches. The transmission was very slick and tight. Nothing like the Tremec T-5 that I row these days.
On the track, the car handled really well and was very predictable – it certainly handles better than my Factory Five Challenge car which I have spent a lot of time dialing-in. The turn-ins were precise. Although I did not push the car very hard (it’s not cool crashing a car that doesn’t below to you) I did not notice any understeer or oversteer. The car felt as though it was sprung just right for the tracks here on the west coast. The car does not have power steering, but once on the track you would not notice it. The car felt as though it had power steering.
In addition to the very slick trany, the other thing that really stood out for me was the brakes. The brakes are really good. This is a car that can be driven really deep into the turns. I also liked the brake pedal pressure and feel. It had just the right amount of feedback.
On about the third lap, I got a low fuel warning on the instrument panel. Fortunately, Rich had briefed me on how to switch tanks so I flipped the switch with changed from the left tank to the right tank and was able to continue.
The only thing that I would change on this car is the straight line power. The car did not push me back into the seat like the Porsche GT3RS I used to race. Rich told me that the car is powered by a 385 rwhp LS1 motor. I think 450-500 rwhp would be just about right for this car.
Overall, the car handled and braked a lot better than I expected. The car was easy to drive and was very predictable. This is a car that could be easily driven at the limit. It only took me one lap before getting comfortable in the car. Clearly, this car has had a lot of track testing and is probably the most race developed GTM in the world!
Dave Standridge
2008 FFR West Coast Champion
2007 FFR National Champion
2007 Cannonball Winner, SSGT-BB
2004 Rolex 6-Hours of the Glen Winner
2003 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, 3rd Overall
