Circuit Zandvoort isn’t so much a racetrack as a high‑speed roller‑coaster cut into North Sea dunes. Fourteen corners, two dramatic banking sections and almost constant elevation changes compress its 4.3‑kilometre length into the sensory overload of a giant slot‑car set.
For one spring day, Manthey Porsche transformed this Dutch classic into a playground reserved exclusively for road‑going Porsche GT machinery. Two 40‑minute run groups kept traffic civil, yet the pace was anything but: current‑generation 992 GT3 RS models dominated the entry list, flanked by earlier‑gen GT3s, GT4s and the feisty new GT4 RS. Factory drivers moonlighting as private coaches materialised in mirrors with startling velocity—an ever‑present reminder to signal early and pick a predictable side for the overtake.
The schedule opened with a concise safety briefing rather than full classroom tuition—this was a track‑day, not a school—and a slow reconnaissance lap to memorise Tarzanbocht, the blind Scheivlak crest and the spectacularly banked Arie Luyendykbocht. Mirror discipline quickly became second nature; even the most committed amateurs yielded smoothly when a GT3 RS appeared at improbable closing speed.
Manthey’s support was turnkey. Drivers could arrive with their own cars or rent a GT model from the company fleet, add one‑to‑one coaching with a headset‑equipped factory pro, and even book full mechanical service in the paddock. Between stints, Porsche laid on a gourmet lunch overlooking the pit complex, followed by a champagne dinner to toast lap‑time milestones and shared adrenaline.
Jeff Francis of The Speed Journal slipped behind the wheel of a Manthey‑prepared 911 GT3 RS for the day and discovered that when a roller‑coaster meets a slot‑car track, the result is pure, unsilenced GT euphoria. A sprawling photo gallery will let the images finish the story—because sometimes 9,000 rpm needs no caption.
