Watch: Karim Al-Azhari tests the Launch Control on the Porsche Taycan in Dubai

Karim Al-Azhari is a well-known figure on the racing and supercar circuit within the UAE. The Dubai-based car collector has been the president of the Porsche Club UAE for 21 years and a customer of the German carmaker for 30 years since he was 16.

Al-Azhari began racing for Porsche when he was in his 20s, including the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, and participated in 24 hours as well as sprint races behind the wheel of a Porsche.

Naturally, Al Azhari has been used to roaring full-throated combustion engines. Given the keys to the all-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo could only result in an experience that he wasn’t accustomed to. “[When] I was introduced to the Taycan, I was defensive. After a few metres of driving away from the Porsche centre, I immediately settled in, turned up the music and enjoyed the ride.”

“When I drive a Porsche I know exactly how I will feel, and the mood the car will put me in. I knew I was in a Porsche. The same smile came back to me.”

The racing driver goes on to explain in the video you see above how he experienced what he calls “silent acceleration” something that he has never experienced before.

With 670hp of power and a 93.4kWh battery that can return around 350km under standard driving conditions.

But Al Azhari reserves his biggest praise for the car’s Launch Control feature. It is capable of going from 0-100kph in 3.2seconds. “I’m getting sucked into the seat without the engine screaming –it’s me screaming now,” says a beaming Al Azhari as he keeps his foot pinned on the accelerator.

Watch through to the end of the video for an external view of the Taycan as it leaps forwards through Launch Control.

Read: Interview: Dr Manfred Bräunl, CEO of Porsche Middle East and Africa