I Drove a Porsche Cayman S on a Race Track

"WhatDaFunk" (WhatDaFunk)
05/15/2014 at 16:18 • Filed to: Racing School

While in Vegas recently I had the opportunity to visit Exotics Racing ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) and plunk down some cash to drive a Porsche Cayman S around their private track. I couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear from the moment I got into the car until I got out after pulling back into the pit. Here are my thoughts on the experience.

I chose the Cayman for three reasons:

The Cayman is probably the easiest car there to drive. Since I had zero experience driving performance cars or driving on a track I thought this would be a car I could more easily push to the limits (either mine or the cars, but probably mine).

The Cayman is something I could actually see buying, as opposed to a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, so that made the prospect of driving one a little more interesting for me.

The Cayman is the cheapest car there to buy laps in. (If I'm honest this is probably the main reason).

The experience starts off with a briefing; you can choose between a 30 minute classroom session or a 10 minute on track session. Everybody chose the on track option, which involved an instructor driving us around the track in a Porsche Cayenne and going over how to approach the turns. As soon as we got out of the Cayenne I immediately forgot everything the instructor said.

A combination of nerves, excitement, lack of experience and the instructor talking a mile a minute made it impossible for me to process anything that the instructor had just told us. It didn't really matter anyway because of what comes after the "briefing."

Next you get to meet the instructor who will be in the car with you, get fitted for a helmet (they make you wear a hair net under the helmet which makes you feel super cool) and then you get to hop into your car. After a few minutes of getting my seat adjusted and some preliminary tips from the instructor, I attempted to channel my inner Sir Jackie Stewart and was ready to tackle the track.

Once we got on the track the instructor talked me through the course, with the help of cones marking braking points, apexes and targets for coming out of the turns. Having the instructor there made a big difference; without him I don't think I would have really understood what it means to drive fast, and not just like a maniac. Just as things were starting to click the instructor told me to pull off the course and back into the pit. Just like that my 7 laps were over in what felt like the blink of an eye.

It was a great experience, especially for a novice like me who has never had a chance to drive on a race track or drive a sports car. If you're ever in the Las Vegas or Los Angeles area and have the means to visit Exotics Racing, I would highly recommend it.

DISCUSSION (26)

Manuél Ferrari > WhatDaFunk
05/15/2014 at 16:24

Awesome!

Have you driven a 911 on track before? If so how different did the Cayman feel?

I've had a 997 for a little over 3 years. I'm so used to it that the Cayman seems harder to drive than the 997. But I think that's only because I'm not used to the Cayman at all. The 911 doesn't feel like it wants to spin until you push it way too hard. But the Cayman feels like it wants to spin all the time. But I imagine the nice thing about the Cayman is that once you're used to it the oversteer is really easy to correct.

WhatDaFunk > Manuél Ferrari
05/15/2014 at 16:37

I've never driven a 911 on or off of a track, so I couldn't really compare the two. I will say that the Cayman felt very easy to drive, it was easy to place it where I wanted in the corners, and the steering stayed neutral even when I pushed it hard enough for the tires to start squealing. I also had all the traction control doodads on so I assume that made the car easier to control.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > WhatDaFunk
05/15/2014 at 16:52

Was it a Manual? What would you say to someone with limited experience driving manuals? Is this still worth it, or should I get more experience with El Manuel?

E92M3 > WhatDaFunk
05/15/2014 at 16:54

Sweet! I told my wife this is the ONLY way to get me to Vegas again. I'm really digging the new cayman over the 1st gen. At first I thought the wheels were too big, but it's really grown on me.

Manuél Ferrari > WhatDaFunk
05/15/2014 at 17:02

Sounds like a blast!

It's crazy how fast the Cayman S is. Specs don't do it justice. You have to drive it.

WhatDaFunk > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/15/2014 at 17:16

They don't offer cars with manuals, so no need to worry about that.

WhatDaFunk > E92M3
05/15/2014 at 17:19

It's a pretty good excuse to go. If you do go, I would recommend booking as many laps as you can afford, they go by really quickly. I did 7 laps and that was really just enough to whet my appetite.

E92M3 > WhatDaFunk
05/15/2014 at 17:45

Its the only way. My wife has customers from Asia, and whenever they come to the states it's the first place they want to see. I've been 7 times. Unfortunately they were all before this place existed.

Slow4o > WhatDaFunk
05/15/2014 at 20:59

Glad you liked it. I am doing a similar thing in Vegas in August too, but the car I want to drive is a teensy bit faster.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > WhatDaFunk
05/15/2014 at 21:06

WUt.!?!? I wouldn't have thought that, haha.

Goofnik > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/26/2014 at 10:17

Take rate for manual transmissions for all cars in the US is 6%. Most people (more than 9 in 10) I know age 35 and under don't know how to drive a manual transmission.

A car with a manual would be the least used car as a result. Think, this is Vegas. Vegas is mostly full of people in their 50s and 60s who are otherwise going to drink a Long Island Ice Tea so big that they wear it like a bandolier while they park themselves in front of a slot machine for 14 hours a day.

meatatarian > Manuél Ferrari
05/26/2014 at 11:21

the way the Cayman rotates makes it feel like it might want to spin, but it never does. When you pitch it hard into a turn and rotate through/past the apex via some throttle application it will oversteer very gently without actually breaking loose. It's a stupidly balanced car that strongly encourages bad behavior pretty much all the time. Unfortunately I've never pushed a 911 to the same boundaries so I can't compare their at-the-limit character. My E36 was far more prone to breaking loose and I did spin it a couple of times. I did however have the suspension and alignment intentionally set up for oversteer/front-end grip.

Manuél Ferrari > meatatarian
05/26/2014 at 13:48

Ah, I see. So basically you can use its quick rotation to your advantage and not have to worry about it actually spinning unless you really mess up. Very cool, thanks for the info!

meatatarian > Manuél Ferrari
05/26/2014 at 14:28

right. It may feel almost a little 'jittery' in comparison to a 911. It's suspension geometry, alignment, and relatively short wheelbase make the handling very darty, they just love to turn. It's fantastically stable and planted through corners due to where the weight in the car is- central and very low, which makes them also unprone to spins

Manuél Ferrari > meatatarian
05/26/2014 at 15:26

It all makes sense now. The "jitteriness" is what was so foreign to me because the 911 is the opposite of jittery, at least up to a point and then it gets all out of sorts when the traction breaks.

I can't wait to see the Cayman GT4 thing (who knows what it will actually be called). It will be a riot!

Arch > Manuél Ferrari
05/26/2014 at 15:31

True dat! I have an '11 S and everyone knows they handle amazingly well, but I also think it makes do just fine power wise.

Arch > WhatDaFunk
05/26/2014 at 15:32

Great little write up!

Manuél Ferrari > Arch
05/26/2014 at 15:33

Yeah they definitely don't feel underpowered! The new S almost feels like it has too much power (I know that sounds crazy, haha).

What color is your S?

Arch > Manuél Ferrari
05/26/2014 at 15:41

:-)

Kinja'd!!!

Manuél Ferrari > Arch
05/26/2014 at 15:44

So nice!!!

For some reason the recent 911s look weird to my eye in red, but the Cayman and Boxster look really good in red.

Arch > Manuél Ferrari
05/26/2014 at 15:53

Thanks! It's a little uncivilized on rough city streets, so I wouldn't chose it as a daily commuter, but as a weekend mood enhancer? Perfect!

Manuél Ferrari > Arch
05/26/2014 at 15:55

Haha same goes for my 997.2 C2. I don't have PASM and it is rough on bad roads. Luckily the roads by my house are good so I like driving it around town. But it's a bear in traffic when I have to drive to LA...

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Goofnik
05/26/2014 at 17:20

I'd still say that many of the car enthusiasts that this place attracts wold like to drive a manual.

Goofnik > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/26/2014 at 19:05

Most people just look at it as a cheap way to drive a Ferrari or Lamborghini, and the venue knows it. It's Instagram selfie fodder and something of interest to post on Facebook or Twitter.

WhatDaFunk > Arch
05/27/2014 at 00:27

Thanks!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Arch
06/04/2014 at 14:03

Such a great design... I still prefer it to the 981.