"There are a few tricks to building a suspension that take the hitches out of a mid-engine design and teaches it manners," claims Walter Rohrl, two-time WRC champion, Italy's rally driver of the century and the last winner of the famed Monte Carlo Rally in a mid-engine rear-wheel-drive only sports car (in a Lancia, not a Porsche). "An engine in the middle means the centre of gravity is in the middle ... great for turning quick as a weasel, but if you take this too far the next second you'll be looking straight at oncoming traffic."
I could use all of Rohrl's "tricks" today since I'm piloting a Porsche Carrera 4S round the slimiest of racetracks, Mont Tremblant, Quebec's Mecaglisse racetrack, a super slippery, and supremely frigid, combination of snow and ice that will spin a car quicker than you can say "incipient loss of traction". And, of course with two dozen mad motoring journalists - including some Latin American fellows who are definitely acting as if this is the first time they've seen snow or ice - hooning around the high-speed course, "looking straight back at oncoming traffic" is not the preferred outcome of the full-lock powerslide I'm trying to master.
Truth be told, I have much more confidence in the 911's abilities than my own. A week recently spent in a 911 Turbo S revealed that 530 horsepower can indeed get along the Great White North's wintry roads as long as it's mated to all-wheel-drive powering four very grippy Nokian Hakkapeliitta snow tyres. Save for less ground clearance that reduces (but does not eliminate!) the Porsche's snowbank ploughing ability, there was nowhere an SUV could go that the mega-powerful Turbo couldn't.
On the other hand, concern for my fellow man and the six points I already have on my driver's licence meant that I was then trying to keep all four of the Turbo's wheels deliberately in line and the twin turbo's 700Nm of torque in check. Now, I am quite literally trying to chew up all the ice a particularly cold northern Quebec winter can muster. The C4S is running on impressively studded snow tyres, the little one-millimetre spikes sending a shower of sharded ice skyward every time I let all those horses loose.
And loose them I do! It all requires a little adjustment, most particularly because Porsche's most recent version of its all-wheel-drive system is now electronically controlled (as opposed to the first generation's viscous centre coupling). The new computer-controlled version reacts more quickly, says Porsche, and can transfer almost 100 per cent of the flat six's torque to the front wheels in extreme conditions.
And these are, indeed, extreme conditions. You see, we're taking part in Porsche's Camp4Canada winter driver training programme and part of the curriculum (and don't you just love it when "learning" involves wide open throttle on a 385hp Porsche) is flinging the Carrera 4S around Mecaglisse's skid pads. And, unlike my previous experiences on this frozen track, said circles are totally bereft of traction-enhancing snow. Standing is difficult, walking almost impossible and, were those Hakkapeliittas not studded, the Porsches would certainly be undriveable.
Still, there we are getting the C4's totally sideways. And, true to Rohrl's admonishments, once the 911s start slewing sideways, it's easy to spin them like tops. Until JP Clinging, racer and driving instructor extraordinaire, reminds us that, since this 911's AWD system can transfer all of the engine's torque to the front wheel, if sideways oversteer gets out of hand, flooring the throttle will see the front tyres "pull" the car out of the slide. That matting the throttle is counter to every instinct one has when you're fast-forwarding towards a big fir tree seemingly out of control makes the lesson difficult to apply. But, sure as shooting, as soon as I get the gumption to actually wring the engine hard, the seemingly uncontrollable slides correct themselves and I suddenly become a powersliding god (hey, it's my story) circling the skid pad two and even three times in one fluid, controlled power drift.
I have to unlearn it all when I start flinging a Cayman S around Mecaglisse's "handling" track. The cheaper Cayman lacks the C4's all-wheel-drive saviour so drifting the littlest Porsche is a much more traditional experience of judicious throttle application and supplication to the great gods of grip that your enthusiasm won't carry you over the snow bank.
It's just as much fun, however. Without the front wheels to minimise all the sliding, it turns out to be even easier to swing the Cayman's tail back and forth in setting it up for Mecaglisse's tricky series of ess turns. Get it right - hey, even, we the untalented, can get lucky once in a while - and the screaming Porsche never once has its front and rear wheels in line through the entire course.
Of course, besides all the fun, the main reason Porsche Canada hosted this inaugural Camp4Canada (for consumers and press flunkies alike) is to show that Porsches, suitably equipped (that would be the additional of top-notch snow booties) are perfectly capable of year-round use even here in the Great White Frozen North. Certainly, my experience with both a two-week test of the Turbo in Toronto and now hooning about central Quebec says Porsches and winter driving are certainly not mutually exclusive and proves, once again, that Porsches really are the practical supercar.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
SCORES
Multiply Titans 81-2 in 12.1 overs
(Tony de Zorzi, 34)
bt Auckland Aces 80 all out in 16 overs
(Shawn von Borg 4-15, Alfred Mothoa 2-11, Tshepo Moreki 2-16).
Company%20Profile
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20Profile
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
Results
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Avenue, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: My Catch, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile (TB) Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
