Porsche Turbo S Launch Control
With the temporary closure of one of the airport runways, the once in a lifetime opportunity to drive the new Porsche 911 Turbo S down the runway became a reality.
Venue
Sydney Airport
Location
Sydney
The Brief
With Sydney Airport operating at an all time low during Covid-19, Porsche saw a rare opening to launch the new 911 Turbo S somewhere it could truly stretch its legs: an active runway. The challenge was simple to describe and hard to deliver – create a high-speed drive program that felt unmistakably Porsche, while meeting strict airport safety requirements and aligning multiple stakeholders through months of planning and sign off.
We Imagined It
We built the experience around the car’s defining feature: launch control. Instead of simulating speed, we used the real thing – a working runway – and designed a guest journey that felt premium, controlled and deliberate, with the runway revealed as the main event.
We Designed It
Guests were welcomed in a luxurious hospitality marquee and moved through the experience in small, staggered groups. The flow was engineered to feel calm and exclusive while keeping the operation precise: arrivals, briefing, transport, pairing and drive were all timed and managed to maintain safety and momentum.
We Made It Happen
The program ran on Runway 16L/34R, with VIP guests shuttled to the pit lane in a fleet of Cayennes. After a safety briefing, guests paired with the Porsche Track Experience team and drove the Turbo S 2.2km down the runway, reaching speeds in excess of 300km/hr. Each run took less than 30 seconds — but required months of planning, strict safety sign-off, and careful coordination across stakeholders. The result was widely regarded as the most ambitious drive program Porsche and Team Event had ever engineered.
What the Day Felt Like
It was the kind of experience you can’t manufacture – the noise, the runway lights, the sense of permission to go flat out. The moment was over in seconds, but it landed with the weight of a once in a lifetime opportunity: a launch that felt as rare as the conditions that made it possible – and unlikely to ever be repeated.
