Sometimes the best events are the ones that aren’t really events.
This wasn’t an official Maverick PCA tour. There were no registrations, waivers, clipboards, or lead and sweep cars. It was simply a handful of friends from the Weekend Driving Club and Maverick PCA who thought it would be fun to squeeze in a sunrise drive before PlanoPoCo.
When I floated the idea earlier in the week, I figured maybe seven people would show up.
Instead, fifteen Porsches rolled into the Starbucks in Prosper before sunrise.
The lineup was fantastic. 911s, Boxsters, Caymans, Panameras, and Macans. People came from Prosper, Frisco, Plano, North Richland Hills, Highland Park, and even Victory Park in downtown Dallas. That’s a pretty good commitment for a Sunday morning when most sane people are still negotiating with the snooze button.
Starbucks turned out to be the perfect staging area. Bathrooms to empty our tanks. Coffee to fill them back up. We spent the next twenty-five minutes walking around the cars, catching up with old friends, introducing new ones, and talking about everything from tire choices to upcoming track days.
By 6:55 the parking lot came alive.
Flat-sixes barked to life one after another, conversations gave way to exhaust notes, and right at 7:00 a.m. fifteen Porsches slipped quietly out of the parking lot in search of empty roads.
The route covered a little over 100 miles of some of my favorite pavement in North Texas.
Rolling hills.
Fresh asphalt.
Fast sweepers.
Technical corners.
Long sight lines.
These weren’t roads you simply drive. These were roads you seduce. Slow hands, smooth inputs, and if you rush the curves, she’ll let you know who’s really in charge.
The only thing that slowed us down all morning wasn’t traffic.
It was a freight train.
Seeing fifteen Porsches stacked up at a rural railroad crossing probably made for an interesting view from the locomotive. Nobody seemed to mind. It became another excuse to stretch our legs, admire everyone’s cars, and continue the conversations we’d started over coffee.
One of the funniest moments happened near Pilot Point.
We were cruising down St. Joe Road when my phone rang through the PCM.
It was my colleague Brad.
His first question wasn’t, “How’s your weekend?”
It was, “Are you on St. Joe Road?”
Apparently fifteen Porsches had just driven past his horse farm, and he immediately wondered if I had something to do with it.
Guilty.
It’s a small world when your office buddy recognizes your Porsche parade from the middle of horse country.
The drive also gave me another chance to practice something I’ve been working on since doing a couple of HPDE events with the Lizard.
I’ve only tracked the car a couple of times, and not because I’m trying to become the next race driver. I wanted to understand what the car is capable of in a controlled environment so I could become a smoother, safer driver everywhere else. I’d much rather discover where the limits are on a racetrack than accidentally meet them on a country road.
On several of the tighter corners I practiced light trail braking. Nothing aggressive. Just enough brake pressure as I turned in to keep the nose settled and all four Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires planted firmly on the pavement. It’s amazing how just a little pressure in exactly the right spot makes everything stick better.
The steering gets lighter.
The chassis settles.
The car rotates naturally.
It’s less about driving faster and more about driving smoother.
The track teaches you techniques.
The backroads teach you finesse.
And putting the two together is incredibly satisfying.
As we approached the Dallas North Tollway, our convoy gradually got smaller as people peeled off toward home or other Sunday plans. By the time we rolled into PlanoPoCo, we still had just under ten cars together.
I’d call that a pretty successful morning.
More than anything, today reminded me why I enjoy putting these drives together.
Nobody cared whose Porsche cost the most.
Nobody was trying to prove anything.
It was simply a group of enthusiasts spending a couple of hours doing exactly what these cars were built to do.
Drive.
This morning also reinforced something I’ve been saying for a while.
My 992.1 Carrera 4S might just be the perfect touring 911.
I’ve only tracked the Lizard a couple of times so I could better understand her capabilities in a safe, controlled environment. The other 99% of her life is spent exactly like today—road trips, backroads, weekend tours, and making memories with friends. She’s comfortable enough to spend all day behind the wheel, capable enough to make every curve worth chasing, and confidence inspiring enough that she always leaves me wanting one more mile.
Besides… there’s something pretty satisfying about looking in your mirror and seeing fourteen Porsches following your every move. I don’t get to lead a parade very often, but I have to admit… it felt pretty good having that many people riding my tail.
Next time we may point the group west and finish at Ribbee’s in Fort Worth for some outstanding barbecue ribs.
Or maybe we’ll head toward East Texas and discover another collection of forgotten backroads.
Either way, count me in.
Because great roads are a lot like great lovers. They reward smooth moves, punish clumsy ones, and if you treat them right… they’ll leave you smiling long after the ride is over.
P.S. if you would like to try the drive we did, here are the routes:
ROADS https://roads.porsche.com/content/en/route/celina-plano
SCENIC https://scenicapp.space/route/mhklpeoM
