"The best of both worlds"
While Parker has owned fifteen Porsches to date, this is his first track-day variant. Parker says that the attraction to the new 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport stemmed from the fact that the GT4 is a bespoke track-focussed Porsche, which is nimble in nature and can accommodate slick racing tyres.
“I’ve driven it on a few occasions and it is phenomenal, it really gives you a race-car like feel," said Parker.
"It’s a transitional step-up from a Cayman GT4 or even a GT3, so if you can drive the standard version, you can easily drive this car and feel confident, as it is lightweight and offers not only immense grip but infinite adjustability.”
“It really is the best of both worlds, without driving something too intimidating or too expensive to maintain, you can literally take this to your local Porsche dealer to get serviced. I’m certainly having a lot of fun with it.”
“We are receiving strong interest in the GT4 and have two further cars on order for new customers," said Troy Bundy, Head of Motorsport, Porsche Cars Australia.
"While our Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series remain our focus domestically, we also see a place in the market for the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport as a track day car and GT4 race car.
“The 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport is an ideal track day car for graduates of Level 5 of our Porsche Track Experience, who may be keen to do more track days and state-based racing before moving up the Porsche Motorsport pyramid into Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge.”
All 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport customers enjoy full parts support through Porsche Centres across Australia. Interested parties can contact motorsport@porsche.com.au for pricing, options and further information.
The 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
The mid-engined race car comes in two versions from the Porsche Motorsport factory: the 'Trackday' model for enthusiast amateur racing drivers who enjoy Australian track days and would like to campaign the car in several state-based racing series.
The second is the 'Competition' variant designed for national and international competition, allowing local drivers to contest the Australian GT Championship GT4 Class and Bathurst 12 Hour (GT4 class).
In developing the new 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, the focus was not only on improving the driveability and performance of its predecessor, but also on the sustainable use of raw materials in its development. The 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport is the first-ever production race car to feature body parts made of natural-fibre composite material.
As a result, the driver and co-driver doors and the rear wing are made of an organic fibre mix, sourced primarily from agricultural by-products such as flax or hemp fibres and feature similar properties to carbon fibre in terms of weight and stiffness.
Powering the 718 GT4 Clubsport is a 3.8-litre flat-six engine producing 313kW / 425PS* (horsepower). Compared to its predecessor, this represents a 30kW / 40PS* (horsepower) increase in performance. Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission with a mechanical rear-axle differential lock.
The lightweight spring-strut front suspension is taken from its big 911 GT3 Cup brother. The impressive racing brake system features steel brake discs all round measuring 380mm in diameter. The lightweight 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport tips the scales at a mere 1,320kgs and is delivered from factory with a welded-in safety cage, a racing bucket seat as well as a six-point harness.
* PS (PferdeStärke, German for horsepower) is the standard unit used in the European Union to measure the power output of a motor in ‘metric horsepower’.
