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After a long week hammering out photoshoot after photoshoot for our sister magazine RIDES, Crenshaw and I were in need of something fun to let off some steam. Our loaner car was a brand new STI Sedan, so we did what anyone in charge of a car that isn’t theirs would do… we drove it responsibly, under the speed limit, obeyed all posted traffic signs and stored it inside at night….Bullshit….you know as well as we do that we beat on it and here’s the proof.

Of course, we weren’t alone for this. Beating a car is fun, but Crenshaw and I are famous for pushing the envelope. How do you make flying up and down desolate mountain roads more fun? We pondered that question from the comfort of our lavish surroundings at “The Inn at Marina del Rey”, for about three seconds before we decided to place a call to our model and friend Sabrina Jane (who you can see more of right here at her website). She agreed to strap into the STI and take the thrill ride up the canyon to our photoshoot location at the top. Enjoy. You know we did. —Andrew Link

DISCLAIMER: Porsche wanted us to partake in this event so badly that they flew us to and from Monticello Motor Club by private helicopter, just so we could beat on some 911s, Caymans and Boxsters. The Porsche World Roadshow is an event that truly explains Porsche’s brand philosophy: The cars they’ve honed over generations are meant to be driven and experienced, not just taken around the block or blasted down the highway. They want their customers to know this—it’s important to find out first hand that the Porsche you purchased is capable of hitting 125 mph on (the shortened) back stretch of Monticello without shaking itself into a screeching frenzy when you stomp hard on the brakes for entry into a sharp right, left, right chicane. Isn’t it? Porsche wanted us to witness and participate in this unique event. We were transported by helicopter from 34th Street in Manhattan—which if you’ve never done, book it right now—to the infield at Monticello Motor Club. It’s strange, and also inspiring, partaking in a driving experience with the consumers; instead of what us journalists are most used to, spending time with other journalists in automobiles we’ll ultimately go home without keys in hand.

Point is; we’ve become accustomed to throwing a helmet on and lapping a beautiful track all day, because that’s just a part of the job, sometimes. But this was different. We were able to see how these cars made the customers feel; there was a statement made by the look on their faces. And that pretty much altered my whole perception of what it’s like to own a Porsche. This ownership can be simplified into a simple expression: an effortless smile describing true satisfaction and happiness. It might be cheesy, but hell, it’s true. These cars are damn near perfect. After doing lead-follow laps in a slew of 911s—the Carrera GTS, 4S, S and base Carrera,—I hop out of the car and turn around to see two guys, undoubtedly Porsche owners, who didn’t know each other prior to the event. They seemed like lifelong friends. Getting out of the GTS to swap drivers and just giggling as they walked past each other around the smooth nose of the car. I noticed I was laughing too, and so was my coworker as we performed the same swap.

And while thrashing any sports car you don’t actually own will make you feel like this, doing it in a Porsche is just better. You’re so attached in every sense of the word, most noticeably in the GTS. Steering input is more mental than anything. You just think about turning in, and there you have it, a perfectly hit apex, a tiny bit of oversteer that’s just as easy to control as it is driving in a straight line, the sound of a flat six, purring to redline in a sinister yet classy rasp, and the banging of precise gearshifts through an automatic, dual-clutch transmission gives you just enough feeling of control while letting you truly focus on your next braking point (though I’d still opt for a 6-speed. I’ll never change). And then there’s that last part of attachment, the one you don’t feel while piloting these machines around Monticello’s pristine facility—leaving the keys in the car and walking away. No matter what seat you slide into on a daily basis, if it’s not a P-car, it just doesn’t matter. Driving a Porsche makes you feel like a kid again—a really, really lucky kid. This event places Porsche in another league as far as customer service goes. There were representatives on hand to help you build your desired vehicle to spec—however ostentatious your Porsche may be—and then shuttles going directly to dealers so orders could be placed. For some people, it’s that easy, and for the rest of us, it’s a dream worth holding onto. Words & Photos: Alex Bernstein

Falken's Azenis RT-615 was already a stout performer—one you saw literally everywhere at track days and Auto-X events. And while most didn't notice anything terribly wrong with it, Falken's engineers found some areas for improvement. The result? It's called the RT-615K and it is absolutely awesome in every sense of the word.

On your first Auto-X run of the day, you expect you'll need to take it a bit slow to learn the course and heat up your tires, but RT-615K's kind of run away from traditional rubber rules. They love air pressure and they're sticky in almost any condition, so long as it's not 40 degrees outside. In a 255 width, you feel like you're riding on 275 slicks.

The grip is so mind-blowing it makes you question how such insane traction is even possible on a street tire: barely breaking the rear end out in 2nd gear at full throttle in a 420whp Evo, while cutting hard to the left. Granted, suspension setup has a lot to do with this, but there's only so much the tires can do before they are past their point of adhesion, and the RT615k's push that point to a level you'd have to literally drive like an idiot to find.

Vaughn Gitten, Jr. likes the new RT-615Ks, too, and if anyone knows what rubber compound works and what doesn't, it's a two-time Formula Drift champion. "The RT-615K's are a HUGE improvement over the original RT-615's; the increase in grip is phenomenal all the way around," he says. "I'm most impressed with the consistent grip through all heat ranges from relatively cold to smoking hot."

Vaughn isn't the only racing driver with praise for the RT-615K, either. Tyler McQuarrie, another Falken Formula Drift driver, did a few laps of the Streets of Willow to see if the new RT-615K is faster than the RT-615 it replaced—and Falken caught it on video. You can guess what happens...

Check out the Azenis RT-615K in high quality here.

Size Tested: 255/40/17, which is approved for wheels 8.5"-10.0" wide but fits especially well on a 17x9.5 wheel.

Tread Depth: 8/32