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Anyone can drive fast if they're driving in a straight line. It's when the road -- or track, if the situation calls for it -- bends that it gets interesting. Bill Monde is all about the bend. Oh, and he's all about the Porsche (pronounced, "Porsh-uh," please) as well.
A Westport resident for the past 20 years, Bill owns three Porsches, two of which are racing vehicles (GT-3s) and one of which (a Cayenne SUV) he uses as his regular street and racecar-towing car.
His racecars don't just gather garage dust, because they are the real thing. "My 2004 GT-3 was originally a street car," he says. "From the outside it looks like a regular Porsche, but inside you know it's a racing vehicle." The car's transformation to racecar, a process Bill literally had his hands in, means its cockpit looks decidedly more airplane than motorcar. The car is now some 600 pounds lighter than its recreational counterpart and also features a roll cage, as well as fire suppression technology -- both of which are handy to have onboard when the driver is exceeding speeds of 130 miles per hour.
His other racing Porsche, a 2005 GT-3 "Cup Car," is a factory-built, bona fide racing vehicle, which "you're not allowed to drive on the street," he says with the slightest tinge of disappointment.
Bill, a corporate tax director, husband and father of two kids, finds plenty of time to race off the proverbial street. He quenches his thirst for going fast, one he's had as long as he can remember, by doing just that. But he does this on a track in an extremely controlled environment. There are mandatory and graduated driver education classes each track driver must attend and pass before an instructor allows a student to drive "at speed," meaning, alone on the track.
He's been racing at track events for seven years and races locally at Lime Rock, as well as at a profusion of other national tracks. Yes, he goes fast. But Bill says driving on the track is all about safety. "As on any professional track," he says, "There are flaggers, and passing signals and zones."
Bill is intent on moving up to the next stage, the club level ranks, of racing. He has a coach and a race shop (Fairfield County Motor Sports), which gives him track support, much like a pit crew. He knows he'll be up to the task. The beauty of racecar driving, he says, is that he improves his speed and skill every year. And for him, driving at warp-like speeds in the non-luxurious cockpit, which is cramped, hot and unforgiving on the body, is a form of stress relief. "You have to focus 120 percent when you're driving and you can't think about anything other than the moment. Your head has to be clear because you can't miss your points and you have to be smooth with your inputs."
For the 50 year-old Bill, whose first muscle car was a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda and whose passion has always focused on cars, racing is not only about getting there first. It's all about the ride.
Do you like driving fast? Have you ever driven on the track? Share some of your off- and on-road experiences here, or email me, at jcurtis@mainstreetconnect.us.
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