driveopolis
05-10-2016, 02:34 PM
2016 Porsche Cayman GT4 Owner's Track Drive Review at The Ridge driveopolis - YouTube
Just spent an entire day lapping The Ridge with Revscene / The Speed Syndicate. The event was well organized, structured and safe. We got plenty of track time. Enough for me to learn the track a little, give the GT4 some stick and evaluate its performance and feel. By the end of the day, I didn't want to go out any longer even though the track was still open. This is always a good sign.
The circuit was absolutely amazing. I had more fun here than I did at Laguna Seca (http://bit.ly/1Ykh3JK). It is not the fastest by any means, and certainly not as fast as when I drove at COTA (http://bit.ly/1T2NqfT) but it is fast enough to be thrilling, has lots of devious elevation changes and crafted masterfully with rhythm and flow. It also hides many corner entries which makes fast lapping a game of both commitment and precision. It is easy on the brakes. Even though I got faster during the course of the day, I braked less and less. Apart from the very last corkscrew sector, it is a classy momentum track which rewards smoothness, commitment and the right line(s). Started the day in Group B, but after a session on my own and a few laps following Kalson and his Exige around, moved up to A. Group B is very friendly to beginners and appropriate for all levels of cars. If you've never done this before and wish to try, this is a great place to start. Kalson showed good leadership throughout. He set newbies up with instructors and set very strict and clear rules on passing which I saw being observed in both groups. It was a well run event and everyone I spoke to was friendly and approachable. I would only endorse something if I believe in it, and I believe in what Kalson is doing with these TSS/Revscene track days.
I actually learned a lot from the less powerful cars driven by the experienced drivers (like Kevin Young in his Integra Type R) because those guys know how to conserve momentum and brake minimally. Kevin is a great driver, I could tell right away. The Ridge is technical and challenging. Every session that I went out, I learned something on my own or learned something from following others and watching what they do well. I had a lot of fun chasing a fellow GT4 owner and WA local Herrick around in his Guards Red GT4! Even though he's got my nemesis color, Herrick showed me some fast lines in turn 1/2/3 sector. Aside from him, John in an orange 997 GT3RS was an absolute monster, as was another driver in a 991 GT3 from WA. Also, hats off to the swiftly driven S2K and Miata which were driving together and both absolutely going for it. I pointed you two by as soon as you appeared. Impressive to watch you guys! You were both flying. You on here?
My video review is above, please turn up the sound to get the full experience. I put some extra effort into getting a good exhaust recording without clipping. Hope you like it!
As for the GT4, it held up extremely well. I got zero brake fade. The tires did not roll over on their sides and the wear was exceedingly modest, despite some pretty solid sessions. Given how badly I've cooked stock BMW tires after even a brief track session, I would say that the GT4 just shrugged and told me to forget about it. People were mature, car came home safe and I had a lot of fun. Couldn't ask for a better weekend than that. Thank you Kalson and other Revscene people who put this together.
Who's tracked their cars so far? What were your experiences? Would you consider coming out with us next time?
Sam
Just spent an entire day lapping The Ridge with Revscene / The Speed Syndicate. The event was well organized, structured and safe. We got plenty of track time. Enough for me to learn the track a little, give the GT4 some stick and evaluate its performance and feel. By the end of the day, I didn't want to go out any longer even though the track was still open. This is always a good sign.
The circuit was absolutely amazing. I had more fun here than I did at Laguna Seca (http://bit.ly/1Ykh3JK). It is not the fastest by any means, and certainly not as fast as when I drove at COTA (http://bit.ly/1T2NqfT) but it is fast enough to be thrilling, has lots of devious elevation changes and crafted masterfully with rhythm and flow. It also hides many corner entries which makes fast lapping a game of both commitment and precision. It is easy on the brakes. Even though I got faster during the course of the day, I braked less and less. Apart from the very last corkscrew sector, it is a classy momentum track which rewards smoothness, commitment and the right line(s). Started the day in Group B, but after a session on my own and a few laps following Kalson and his Exige around, moved up to A. Group B is very friendly to beginners and appropriate for all levels of cars. If you've never done this before and wish to try, this is a great place to start. Kalson showed good leadership throughout. He set newbies up with instructors and set very strict and clear rules on passing which I saw being observed in both groups. It was a well run event and everyone I spoke to was friendly and approachable. I would only endorse something if I believe in it, and I believe in what Kalson is doing with these TSS/Revscene track days.
I actually learned a lot from the less powerful cars driven by the experienced drivers (like Kevin Young in his Integra Type R) because those guys know how to conserve momentum and brake minimally. Kevin is a great driver, I could tell right away. The Ridge is technical and challenging. Every session that I went out, I learned something on my own or learned something from following others and watching what they do well. I had a lot of fun chasing a fellow GT4 owner and WA local Herrick around in his Guards Red GT4! Even though he's got my nemesis color, Herrick showed me some fast lines in turn 1/2/3 sector. Aside from him, John in an orange 997 GT3RS was an absolute monster, as was another driver in a 991 GT3 from WA. Also, hats off to the swiftly driven S2K and Miata which were driving together and both absolutely going for it. I pointed you two by as soon as you appeared. Impressive to watch you guys! You were both flying. You on here?
My video review is above, please turn up the sound to get the full experience. I put some extra effort into getting a good exhaust recording without clipping. Hope you like it!
As for the GT4, it held up extremely well. I got zero brake fade. The tires did not roll over on their sides and the wear was exceedingly modest, despite some pretty solid sessions. Given how badly I've cooked stock BMW tires after even a brief track session, I would say that the GT4 just shrugged and told me to forget about it. People were mature, car came home safe and I had a lot of fun. Couldn't ask for a better weekend than that. Thank you Kalson and other Revscene people who put this together.
Who's tracked their cars so far? What were your experiences? Would you consider coming out with us next time?
Sam