GT3 in Wales – in pictures

Dan Trent writes:
As promised here’s a more detailed photo story of my trip around South Wales in the 911 GT3 earlier in the week. And it was something of a solo epic! Having left the M4 I headed up through Ogmore Vale towards Treorchy.

Now I’ve driven this bit of road before and it’s a stunning entree to the whole Welsh driving thing – bleak, bumpy broken tarmac and tricky to drive, especially in a powerful car with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup+ tyres, these being as close to road legal slicks as you can get away with. Not ideal for roads like this in other words…

Anyway, having made it to the top I caught breath and looked down on Treorchy.

Time to break out the flask and have a coffee!

The next stage was so wet and foggy there wasn’t much point stopping for photos but I’ll have to return again some time when the weather is a little kinder. And after much meandering I found myself in the heart of the Black Mountains on another stunning, but very wet, Welsh mountain road. Excuse the soft focus but I couldn’t keep the lens dry long enough for a clear snap!

After all that excitement and nearly six hours on the road already I was in need of refreshment, the Red Lion in Llangadog serving up a welcome bangers and mash. I got the impression motoring hacks in flash cars weren’t exactly an unusual sight around here!

Back on the road, more stunning sights, more great roads and then this, the Elan valley above Rhayader, scene of many a car mag photoshoot over the years. And it’s not hard to see why. Keen to know what the GT3 sounded like from the outside I set my camera up beside the road for a drive-by.
Sounds like a race car, right? Right! Anyway, up here the roads really are amazing and totally deserted.

And the Elan valley dams really are an amazing feat of engineering.

To be honest I can’t even remember which bit of road the following photo was taken on but it kind of sums up the kind of rolling, flowing B-roads that litter this part of Wales.

One other shock was quite how expensive fuel is out here – you often hear rural drivers complain they are unfairly hit by rising fuel costs and last week even 95Ron fuel was over £1.20 a litre – an expensive luxury on a Porsche road trip but a genuine pain for the locals I’m sure.

For a hardcore track car the GT3 proved surprisingly civilised on the long haul back home along the M4. Nearly 12 hours driving and over 500 miles covered I think I’ve now scratched my 911 itch for a little while.