Porsche Camp4 Canada driving program encourages drivers to "never hivernate"

Three-day winter driving event challenges drivers to explore the extremes of Porsche sports cars – and the Canadian climate

Staring late this February, a fleet of 20 Porsche Caymans and 911 Carrera models can be found carving through the snow, engines singing and lights ablaze, in blatant defiance of conventional wisdom that says high-performance sports cars should be garaged for the winter.

The candy-coloured driving fleet is the highlight of Camp4 Canada, a new three-day driving experience being offered by Porsche Cars Canada this winter. Behind the wheel of these 300-plus-horsepower rear- and all-wheel drive sports cars, Camp4 Canada participants will learn valuable winter driving skills and explore multiple specialized snow-bound “racetracks” at Mecaglisse, a dedicated snow- and ice-driving facility outside of Montreal. Two multi-turn road courses are complimented by an enormous winter skidpad, all of which allow drivers to explore the Porsches’ limits in safe and controlled situations.

Using the nearby Fairmont Mont Tremblant as its base, Camp4 Canada is ideally situated in one of the most picturesque parts of the country. Participants from Canada, the U.S. and around the world will be treated to spectacular winter scenery and the five-star hospitality for which Porsche Driving Experience events have become known for worldwide. The Mont Tremblant location also makes it easy for participants to integrate Camp4 Canada into a more extended holiday that might include skiing in the Laurentian mountains.

“Camp4 Canada is in some ways the crown jewel of our winter marketing campaign, which we call Never Hibernate,” said Jasmin Rawlinson, Porsche Canada’s Director of Marketing. “Today, we are also launching a new winter microsite on www.porsche.ca/neverhibernate. It’s designed to convince potential customers that all Porsche vehicles, including the sports cars that form the foundation of the Camp4 Canada program, are all-weather machines and can be driven through the winter with a bit of preparation and the proper driving techniques. Customers can also expect to find dedicated winter displays in our Canadian Porsche Centres, with special offers on winter wheels, tires and accessories.”

“We are very excited to be hosting a Camp4 driving event for the first time in Canada,” added Joe Lawrence, President and CEO. “Porsche has long provided drivers the skills to drive with precision, performance and mastery in all kinds of adverse conditions. Our focus with the three-day Camp4 Canada program will be to train participants’ muscle memory for emergency situations and teaching them how to drive with precision in treacherous Canadian conditions, including special techniques for driving on snow and ice.”

Camp4 Canada is just one part of a comprehensive range of winter driving programs offered by Porsche worldwide, including Camp4 events in Austria and Finland, as well as more advanced Camp4S and Ice Force events staged on specially-prepared frozen lakes north of the Arctic circle.

Porsche Canada will offer only four three-day waves of Camp4 Canada. Wave 1 runs from February 20-23, 2011; wave 2 from February 23-26; wave 3 from February 27-March 2 and wave 4 from March 2-5. The introductory price of $4,995, valid until November 30, includes accommodations, food and transfers between the hotel and the driving centre. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-PORSCHE or by visiting www.porsche.ca/camp4canada.