Another Porsche of course. But for one Australian Porsche enthusiast his newest addition isn’t a regular road-going German sports car – it’s the track-ready 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport.
Sydney’s Dr Mansoor Parker is the first Australian owner of the company’s GT4 class racing car, demonstrating how Porsche is able to help its owners step up from track days to racing.
The 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport is based on the brand’s awesome 718 Cayman GT4 road car but has some key differences. For starters it misses out on the 4.0-litre flat-six of its road-going counterpart but does get a track-tuned version of the firm’s 3.8-litre naturally-aspirated six-cylinder making 313kW of power. Unlike the 718 Cayman GT4 road car that is only available with a six-speed manual gearbox, the Clubsport is fitted with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
Porsche even offers two different suspension packages for the Clubsport, a fixed shock absorber set-up that’s simpler to adjust for track day use or a more sophisticated three-way damper package for racing.
REVIEW: Read our in-depth review of the 2020 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
Parker recently took delivery of his Clubsport and has already begun exploring its limits at Porsche Australia track days at Sydney Motorsport Park. Despite the move from a road-going 911 GT3 to the race-spec 718, Parker said the adjustment has been straightforward.
“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,” Dr Parker explained.
“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.”
Porsche Cars Australia’s head of motorsport, Troy Bundy, is hopeful that Dr Parker will be the first of many GT4 Clubsport owners as the brand encourages its owners to explore their motorsport dreams.
“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,” Bundy said.
“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.”
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