The extreme conditions and nature of the event require long and scrupulous preparation to make sure that both the car and team are ready for their new challenge. Martin and Richard have been preparing for the Rallye Transsyberia since April, getting familiar with the Porsche Cayenne S and understanding more about its technology at the head offices of Porsche Cars GB in Reading, Berkshire.

Significantly, the team also participated in an exclusive vehicle evaluation session at the new Porsche Driving Experience Centre at Silverstone circuit, Northamptonshire, which opens summer 2008. In addition to experiencing the chassis dynamics of the Cayenne S on the various handling circuits of the Driving Experience Centre, Martin and Richard also had the chance to experience for the first time the potential of the Cayenne S off-road.

The Porsche Driving Experience Centre at Silverstone is scheduled to open in summer 2008, and once completed, the world-class training facility will allow every customer of a new Porsche in the UK and Ireland to receive expert tuition in their driving skills as well as the performance capabilities and stability systems of their cars.

Martin and Richard were able to test the Cayenne S to the full at Silverstone. One example of the high technology that has been integrated into the Porsche Driving Experience Centre is the so-called ‘kick-plate’. Taking the form of a moveable metal plate set flush with the road surface it is designed to be triggered remotely as a car travels overhead and, in tandem with a complex system of water jets, is able to cause a loss of rear wheel traction. This exercise demonstrates the stability systems, and also illustrates to the driver appropriate reactions.

With a total length of 3.1km, the track has been designed to allow it to be split into four separate areas that can be used independently of each other or connected together to form a longer handling circuit. This environment allowed Martin and Richard to be instructed in how the Cayenne behaved in a variety of different conditions, as well as simulating ice and snow driving with the use of specially constructed surfaces. While the routes during the Rallye Transsyberia will not be snow covered during July, there are likely to be severe rain storms and river crossings to endure, making it critical for the team to be familiar with the Cayenne in similar conditions.

This environment allowed Martin and Richard to be instructed in how the Cayenne behaved in a variety of different conditions, as well as simulating ice and snow driving with the use of specially-constructed wet grip surfaces. While the routes during the Rallye Transsyberia will not be snow-covered during July, there are likely to be severe rain storms and river crossings to endure, making it critical for the team to be familiar with the Cayenne in similar conditions.

Martin and Richard also participated in a training session organised by Porsche AG in Leipzig, Germany – where the Cayenne is built - to learn more about the Cayenne Transsyberia car and the Rallye Transsyberia event in more detail. The off-road course at Leipzig encouraged the drivers to improve their knowledge of the all-wheel drive transmission on the Cayenne, with many sections imitating the rugged Russian and Mongolian terrain likely to be encountered.