66 Driving a 911 Cup carG E N T L E M A NThinking of making the big step up into the Porsche Motorsport pyramid?Kyle Fortune offers an insight into the world of contemporary Cup car drivingWritten by Kyle Fortune Photography by Porsche GB
67Silence. Awful silence. There’s only the soundof my breathing as I sit looking out thewindscreen at the track, a track which untila few seconds ago I’d been driving on. Thereare four black lines, criss-crossing each other,a rubber inscription on the tarmac that highlights mylack of talent. What had Tom Woollen, technical teammanager, Motorsport, said? Floor the clutch, re-start theengine and pull the paddle down for neutral. I do that,the flat-six fires but the spitting sound of the pneumaticshifter isn’t accompanied by any change in the digitaldisplay in front of me. Third is still being shown,and every, ever more desperate tug at the left shifteris signalled not by that number getting lower, but awarning sound that suggests to me ‘expensive’.A Cayman GT4 Clubsport nips by, while I’m satmotionless on the tarmac, mercifully free of the graveltrap at the big left off Vale. The mid-engined GT4 is thevery car that only a few minutes ago I’d been lappingin, approaching the same big stop with impunity,leaning on the brakes until the ABS was cutting in. Itwas hilariously good fun, it flattering thanks to its finebalance and, if I’m being honest here, the electronicassistance of that ABS and Traction Control.The 911 GT3 Cup car I’m sat in now has no suchdriver assistance, all of which explains my currentpredicament. Nothing for it but to switch it all off, hope,and start again. A quick flick of the ignition, a prayer,and re-start the engine with the clutch floored. Thedigital display in front of me is still showing I’m in third,but my tentative pull of the paddle has it drop to two,then first, then I’m good to go.Talent: you need a lot of it to drive in the CarreraCup. I’ve been lucky enough to have driven a lot ofracing cars, but none have intimidated as much as the911 GT3 Cup car I’m in today. I’d been warned, not justbefore I got into it, but for weeks in advance. The 911GT3 Cup isn’t like most modern racers, it’s a car thatdemands the very best from its drivers – if you make amistake you’ll know about it. And I know about it.If you’ve not seen the Carrera Cup, then where haveyou been? The UK’s fastest single-make championship,the 911 GT3 Cup cars are quicker than the BritishTouring Cars that they follow all around the UK. Almostas quick as a 911 GT3 R depending on the circuit,Woollen saying at Spa, the Cup’s lack of aero, andhence drag, allied to its 485hp mean it’s only a couple ofseconds slower than its more hardcore relation. In theright hands, of course.There are Carrera Cup championships all over theworld, providing support races to Touring Cars, GTChampionships and F1 as the Supercup. If you’re inAsia, America, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Japanand Scandinavia you’ll find a championship. Indeed,
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