Porsche's experience in GT racing leaves no doubt that any new automobile it brought about by will succeed. Its previous iteration of the 991 -based 911 GT3 R won on its debut in World Challenge in 2016 with Patrick Long at the wheel. The first generation of the Cayman GT4 procured success in the GTS class, primarily in the hands of Rodrigo Baptista for Flying Lizard Motorsports. For 2019, Porsche has both an updated version of the 991 GT3 R and a new GT4 racer in the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR( portrait above ), the latter taking two success in the season-opening rounds of Pirelli GT4 America SprintX at Circuit of The Americas in the hands of two different squads .
The 718 -based racer has proven an immediate reach among GT4 America squads, occupying a good segment of the grid. The automobile constructs some pretty big steps from its predecessor, most not visible to the eye .
" We learned a lot with the first generation ," says Dr. Daniel Armbruster, Porsche Motorsports North America president and CEO( portrait at left )." Based on this experience and knowledge, it was quite an easy process to develop the second generation. For instance, the first generation was very close to the street automobile, especially the overall electronics, and that sometimes causes difficulties because street-legal electronics are highly complex. During the season we found that for racetracks with a lot of banking, for example, we had to adjust. With the second generation we knew exactly where the potential of the car was, and from there we adjusted the electronics. The electronics are much closer to the[ 911 GT3] Cup automobile electronic platform. That helps us get a more bulletproof system more dedicated for the race applications ."
Much was made after the car's introduction of the alternative door material used throughout this 718 Cayman GT4: hemp. Armbruster says it has similar strength and load to carbon fiber, but is a more sustainable material. He also says that Porsche developed new methods of carbon fiber product for the car which are in a position to carry over to future street autoes.
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The 3.8 -liter flat 6 engine that produces 425 hp( 40 more than its predecessor) and 6-speed PDK gearbox are basically the same as the age-old GT4 Clubsport MR." It's a little bit tuned horsepower-wise and likewise the torque application is a little bit changed ," Armbruster adds." But in general it's a carryover from the street vehicle, and that's our strategy -- to prevent those very cost-intensive areas as close as possible to the street vehicle. It's still service free, so you don't have to do any engine or gearbox service, even at the end of the season. That should be the core of GT4: a very good entering degree for the customers, just go racing with the car ."
Porsche aficionados will note that there is not a flat 6 engine anywhere in the 718 line-up, which is all turbocharged boxer 4-cylinder engines constructing from 300 hp to 365 hp. And while the previous generation Cayman featured a GT4 road-going model, there is no such beast under the present simulation path. As Armbruster notes, in this case the race car predates the road vehicle, and while he wouldn't comment on future modelings, he did note that Porsche worked hard to keep the GT4 Clubsport MR under wraps until its unveiling the beginning of this year. He also said that there are many proportions on the race car he can't talk about because of their projected utilize on future street autoes .
While the 718 Cayman Clubsport MR is based on the latest generation of the Cayman platform, the same is not true for the development of the 911 GT3 R. Based on the 991.2 platform( as are the current GT3 road autoes) as opposes the just-introduced 992, the car has evolved significantly from the one introduced in 2016, thanks in many ways to the 911 RSR GTE/ GTLM race car .
" We have a very good painting where you can see all the carryover personas from the former generation to the brand-new one, and it's less than 20 percent. The car is changed in nearly every single persona, but in general it's more of an progression , not a revolution. The car is much closer to an RSR; we took a lot of hypothesis and ideas and functions from the RSR and implanted them into the GT3 R ," Armbruster clarifies .
That includes how their own bodies panels are assembled and disassembled in order to aid serviceability, and likewise the front suspension, which is now a double-wishbone designing that stimulates setup changes easier. Those two designing components work in concert; draw off the front fenders, and the crew has direct access to the suspension. Easier to work on and, in a sense, easier to drive were the engineering summaries in the drafting of the brand-new GT3 R .
" Our focus on improving the performance was in improving the driveability of the car. The consistency over a stint is still much predictable and the tire degradation is in a smaller window. The aero equilibrium was improved, and the engine are somewhat changed in the direction of more torque in a wider window. It's more predictable for the driver ."
That should perhaps make it more is calling for Pro-Am and Amateur contestants, where lately squads have floated toward other marques that are perceived as more friendly to the gentleman driver. There were seven 911 GT3Rs at COTA, four in the hands of Pro-Am or Am squads. Wright Motorsports posted the most wonderful answer for Porsche, finishing third with Patrick Long and Scott Hargrove .
The 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR appreciates Pirelli GT4 America action next on the streets of Long Beach, when the Sprint series has its third round of the season April 12-14.
Source by racer.com
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