A tour of British racetracks in a Porsche 718 (warning: long post) #blogpost

Here’s my new hobby. Whenever I have a few days off work, I go visit places. These places must offer some good driving roads, something interesting to see, and, if possible, a racetrack to do a trackday on.

Here are the first three trips, starting with:

A tour of British racetracks in a Porsche 718 (warning: long post) #blogpost

Here’s my new hobby. Whenever I have a few days off work, I go visit places. These places must offer some good driving roads, something interesting to see, and, if possible, a racetrack to do a trackday on.

Here are the first three trips, starting with:

Anglesey, North Wales

A tour of British racetracks in a Porsche 718 (warning: long post) #blogpost

Most people would probably name Scotland if they were asked about best driving roads in the UK, and rightfully so. However, from my experience, North Wales and Anglesey are not far off.
Like North Scotland, the best thing about Anglesey is that there is absolutely no traffic. Miles of twisty, scenic and empty roads.

718's frunk is big enough for all the stuff you need - a helmet, a pair of gloves (which I never used tbh) and a suitcase for other necessities. There's also a decent size rear boot for your passenger's kit as well as a storage area over the engine bay for some coats.
718's frunk is big enough for all the stuff you need - a helmet, a pair of…

The road surface quality is surprisingly good too; however petrol stations seemed a bit too rare, so keep an eye on the fuel level.
I don’t want to bother you with too much non-car-related content, but just take my word that Anglesey and North Wales are definitely worth visiting if you are ever passing by.

The 718 is amongst the best cars for this kind of trip. Its comfortable on motorways and yet, once you hit some Welsh B-roads, it gives you smiles for days.
The 718 is amongst the best cars for this kind of trip. Its comfortable on…

So let’s move on to Anglesey’s main attraction - the circuit.

Photo via carmagazine.co.uk
Photo via carmagazine.co.uk

Weather was relatively warm and sunny, which seemed like a great starting point for a trackday.

Car number 29! Also the first ever trackday for the 718.
Car number 29! Also the first ever trackday for the 718.

After briefing and a few sighting laps, I started to learn the circuit at a steady pace.

Anglesey circuit seems quite simple at first, but as you try to shave off seconds of your laptime, you realise that it has it’s on caveats.

There are some significant elevation changes, which may help to reduce braking distance when driving uphill, but they also make some corners impossible to see through until you are almost at the end of the braking zone. Hairpins are quite wide and therefore relatively easy to handle.

There is a whole variety of cars. From supercars, to...
There is a whole variety of cars. From supercars, to...
... stripped out hot-hatches and...
... stripped out hot-hatches and...
... JDM heroes, but...
... JDM heroes, but...
... most people choose lightweight sport cars, such as Caterhams, Lotuses and like for ultimate trackday driving fun. Although not all of them come equipped with a V8, of course.
... most people choose lightweight sport cars, such as Caterhams, Lotuses…

Anglesey is perfect for lightweight cars with a decent amount of power - there are plenty of long straights to be able to use that power, however, a few corners are really tight and slow, with some combinations forcing you to go almost from lock to lock. There aren’t many fast corners to make use of any downforce-generating aero.

Porsche crew!
Porsche crew!
Cheekily parked up next to a GT3 RS for a couple of photos...
Cheekily parked up next to a GT3 RS for a couple of photos...

So how did the 718 perform during its first trackday?
I will probably sound too predictable if I said it was absolutely amazing on the track.

But it really was.

This car can put power down to the road like nothing else I’ve ever driven before - I was able to keep up with most lightweights for the first half of the day.
And then, once I learned to trust the car more and more and was able to build more speed, some of them lightweights had to give way for me… Here’s some on-board action:

Remote video URL

(I’m terribly sorry for an overexposed video - I am as hopeless at filming as I am at driving…)

And if you watch the next video, I even managed to overtake the GT3 RS. Admittedly, he wasn’t pushing too hard - but that’s one of the benefits of driving a Cayman - you’re not risking a quarter-of-a-million investment and so able to push harder.

Once my confidence levels grew, I started to play with various settings (adaptive dampers, engine and PDK modes, etc). Most of them make a noticable difference to how the car behaves.

However, I quickly learned my lesson. One of the toys is the three-stage Porsche Stability Management (PSM, aka ESP) system. I decided to try turning that completely off. For a few laps I was fine managing power as I was coming out of corners, but for approaching one of the faster corners, I was slightly off the racing line (and hence picking up some dirt and rubber). This soon resulted in some scary lift-off oversteer:

Remote video URL

Needless to say, PSM went back on… Although the car is very predictable once it starts sliding (and also shows you just how well balanced it is), I wasn’t feeling like I was good enough to drive with no traction control whatsoever.
Other than one sketchy moment, the track day was absolutely awesome. Plenty of amazing drivers met, cool cars looked at and noises enjoyed.

It was a first proper drive for the 718 too and it really did shine. After that day I wanted to applause to Porsche engineers - this car was able to keep up with some much more hardcore and/or expensive cars. Yet, unlike most Caterhams and the like, I was able to drive it all the way home to the South-East of the UK. In total comfort, with my ears listening to a brilliant stereo system and with my bottom enjoying wonderfully comfortable heated seats. Oh, and did I mention the fuel economy?

A tour of British racetracks in a Porsche 718 (warning: long post) #blogpost

Now let’s fast forward to the next trip…

Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone

A tour of British racetracks in a Porsche 718 (warning: long post) #blogpost

I’ve actually been here a few times before, either at Silverstone watching the British GP or at the Porsche Experience Centre, when I was first test-driving the Porsche 718.

This time, however, was my first drive on the Silverstone Circuit. It was also the trackday which I was looking forward to the most… I’ve seen legends race here, either on TV or, in the last 2 years, in person. It was one of my dreams to drive here myself.

A tour of British racetracks in a Porsche 718 (warning: long post) #blogpost

Porsche really do know how to organise days like this. And then not only you meet some incredible drivers and specialists, you also get to enjoy their amazing facilities. The organisation levels are above all expectations too.

A combination of cars. You can either borrow one of their cars, or you can use your own car. Of course I decided to drive my own car (totally not because I can't afford to rent their GT3 RS...)
A combination of cars. You can either borrow one of their cars, or you can…

I’ve talked about the Porsche Centre facilities and track before. They offer various skid plates, “ice hills” and “low grip circuits” to test the driver’s and the car’s behaviour in extreme driving conditions.
The programme I went for this time was called “Porsche Sport Driving School: Precision Course”

By the way, here are some of the cars you can rent from Porsche for this day
By the way, here are some of the cars you can rent from Porsche for this…
Yep, this GT2 is one of them
Yep, this GT2 is one of them
As well as this orange stuff
As well as this orange stuff
And these two. Which one would you go for?
And these two. Which one would you go for?

Once you practised your driving skills on the smaller track, you can move on to the big one.

Remote video URL

Silverstone has a few difficult corners but generally seems easier than Anglesey (at least judging by the part of the track which I got to drive on). There is little elevation change, the run-off zones are vast (less fear pushing hard) and the surface is very grippy.

The track was slightly wet, but the car handled really, really well. The only problem I started to notice on a bigger track is brake fade - something I didn’t really experience in the 718 before. Longer straights mean that brakes get very hot very quickly (hence why I was braking so early).

The conclusion? If you want to spend more time on the track and less time in the pits, get the carbon-ceramaics. If you can afford them…

Some other beauties at the Porsche Experience Centre
Some other beauties at the Porsche Experience Centre

Silverstone was great fun to drive on. It felt a bit too big for the 718 and something with more power and downforce would be better suited (e.g. a GT3 RS), but for a novice driver like me, the 718 was perfect to experience the track for the first time.

Silverstone is also located amongst some beautiful villages and roads, with plenty of great hotels available within 30-min drive from the circuit, making for a great weekend.

Photo via F1Fanatic
Photo via F1Fanatic

On to the next trip…

Brands Hatch

A tour of British racetracks in a Porsche 718 (warning: long post) #blogpost

Another wet morning. So far Anglesey was the best in terms of the weather. Who would have expected that?

No 45 this time
No 45 this time

Those were my thoughts on a gloomy morning as I arrived at Brands Hatch. Briefing done, a wristband and a car sticker received, time for a noise check.

Brands Hatch has very strict noise regulations. My car was just 4dB under the noise limit (anyone still thinks that the 718 is muted?), but some race teams are permitted to have louder cars. One of the teams brought a Cayman GT4 racecar and Vantage racecar, both of which sounded absolutely heavenly as they drove by at full throttle before performing a few downshifts in the braking zone.

Brands Hatch trackday was a sessioned event, meaning, that unlike an open pitlane format, you can’t go in and out on to the track at any time you want during the day. All drivers are split into three groups (depending on their trackday driving experience), with each group only being permitted to use the track for 20 minutes every 40 minutes.

Anyways, enough text, here are some car photos for you.

Yep, managed to overtake this. Once. Hehe
Yep, managed to overtake this. Once. Hehe
GT2 + Elise
GT2 + Elise
A GT4 is probably the perfect car for Brands Hatch
A GT4 is probably the perfect car for Brands Hatch
Some absolute hero took his 2002 onto the track.
Some absolute hero took his 2002 onto the track.

Now, remember I mentioned the Cayman GT4 Clubsport? Well, things didn’t go so well for him…

Yep, thats no rear light. Heavy damage to the rear and the side of the car. Bits of the front end had to be collected somewhere from a gravel trap too.
Yep, thats no rear light. Heavy damage to the rear and the side of the car…

This almost made me cry. I hope they had trackday insurance and the GT4 is fixed now…

Not sure if this was a related incident, but there was a very broken Zenos too:

A tour of British racetracks in a Porsche 718 (warning: long post) #blogpost

With this in mind, it was time for me to join my group for another few laps on Brands Hatch:

Remote video URL

In between the sessions, there was some time to check out other cars:

Brands Hatch GP circuit is possibly one of the riskiest racetracks to drive on. The run-off zones aren’t that big and the walls in some areas are very much concrete. Some drivers who brought slick tyres with them decided to use regular tyres instead.

Unlike the Indy circuit (which I’ve driven in my Golf), GP circuit does not seem to be too short - the straights are long enough and there is a mixture of longer, sweeping corners and hairpins, making this racetrack more suited for balanced cars with good levels of grip. I managed to get some tuition from a professional driver too, who was able to give me some tips as to when to brake and where to place the car on the track.

Waiting for that green light
Waiting for that green light
A tour of British racetracks in a Porsche 718 (warning: long post) #blogpost

Brands Hatch is also amongst the few tracks to use blue lights. Which means that they just flash constantly and you don’t know if it’s for the car in front of you, or if they are flashing at you and there is a faster car coming from behind, or they just don’t bother to switch them off.

Getting that apex right (not)
Getting that apex right (not)

Brands Hatch is probably the most fun track for the 718. The straights are long enough to fully exploit the 300-horsepower 2-litre boxer, yet the track is not too big for it to feel overwhelming for the car. It also offers a few tricky corners of all sorts which allow you to develop your skills as a driver, as well as get a better understanding of your car’s chassis.

A tour of British racetracks in a Porsche 718 (warning: long post) #blogpost

Remember that tyres do get quite worn after trackdays and I will need to change my P Zeros quite soon already, having only used them for about 6 months… The car did really, really well though. Apart from brake fade after 15 minutes of hard driving (which is normal), nothing ever overheated or went wrong. Porsches really are built for the track, so if you own one, do take it onto a track, you won’t be disappointed.

That’s all from me, hope you enjoyed this long and messy post. Drive safe.

A tour of British racetracks in a Porsche 718 (warning: long post) #blogpost

Thanks for reading :)
-DL

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Comments

Anonymous

AWESOME BLOGPOST!
Definitely hope to be able to do the same one day!

05/09/2017 - 22:57 |
5 | 0
DL🏁

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Thank you!!

05/10/2017 - 08:17 |
0 | 0
Porschephile

Well DL, this looked like a fun trip around some of UK’s best tracks. The skid at Anglesey really shows you have to keep PSM on at track days. The interference from the systems are minor if not imperceptible. This is a lesson for all these kids who come up on their first track day with street experience only and listen to these idiot automotive journalists like Matt Farah who claim that TC interferes with their driving. Although Matt Farah has some experience driving fast, he’s not by any means a pro driver. It’s just bad influence on its viewers. Jack Baruth has a great article on that subject I’ll link it below. Anyway, rant over! DL, this was a fantastic article and one I enjoywd very much reading AND watching!

05/09/2017 - 23:43 |
0 | 0

I agree completely
Its an urban myth that you have to switch TC off to have fun

I remember I had to switch TC off in my Golf - the traction control on that car likes to cut off power and slam brakes halfway through a corner
Porsche system is much cleverer and you really can’t feel it working, so indeed it never interferes with driving. You can go to PSM sportmode to allow more slip, but even with PSM fully on, you won’t notice it

05/10/2017 - 05:36 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

On the trackday at Anglesey did you see a rather quick grey Lotus Exige R S1 with a K20 swap?

05/10/2017 - 07:45 |
0 | 0
DL🏁

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I can’t remember one of the top of my head…
But I need to check my photos - I might have seen it in the paddock
Why?

05/10/2017 - 07:57 |
0 | 0
JenstheGTIfreak (pizza)

Awesome blogpost mate! Really enjoyed reading it and it seems like had a lot of fun! Also love the CT sticker on your car ;)

05/10/2017 - 10:16 |
1 | 0

Thank you very much!!
Yeah I like it as well :) I also like to keep the trackday stickers for a few days too, just so that everyone can see that I am one of those Porsche owners who takes his car to the racetrack :)

05/10/2017 - 12:21 |
0 | 0
JenstheGTIfreak (pizza)

MattRobinson

05/10/2017 - 10:16 |
1 | 0
StuttgartMadness

Great post! I can totally believe the 718 is a great track car, Motor Trend said it was incredibly fun in the new episode of Ignition, and the BOXSTER is faster than the last Cayman GT4! And since the 718 Cayman is stiffer, it should handle even better than the Boxster, which means better lap times :D

05/10/2017 - 10:20 |
1 | 0

Yes, I was on par with some GT4s out there :) the problem is that most GT4 owners are so good at driving that you can’t keep up with them even if you have a faster car

05/10/2017 - 12:24 |
0 | 0
Ayoub

Thanks for the post it was pleasing to read but i have a question about a quote and i would like to know WHY ?
“Some drivers who brought slick tyres with them decided to use regular tyres instead.”

05/10/2017 - 10:27 |
0 | 0
DL🏁

In reply to by Ayoub

Thank you!
Mostly because it was slightly wet
But secondly slick tyres are considered to increase risk of an accident
One of the reasons is that if you have slick tyres, you end up driving much faster and more committed, especially through corners
And if things start to go wrong, they tend up to go really, really wrong
Cornering speed is much higher and slick tyres tend to loose grip slightly more unexpectedly than regular tyres
Thats why most trackday organisers either ban slicks or require to have a full roll cage installed

That crashed Cayman GT4 had slicks on
And as you can see things didn’t go so well

05/10/2017 - 10:49 |
0 | 0
Porschephile

In reply to by Ayoub

Slick are not advised in the rain since they don’t have sidewalls to evacuate the water underneath the tire which lead to hydroplaning. Also, slick tires aren’t as progressive as a street tires. At the limit, street tires losing traction is slow enough that more novice drivers can regain control of the vehicle. With slicks, once you’re past the limit of the tire, everything happens quickly which means you have to have a lot of experience with the car as they will be a lot more tricky to get a hold of (ie: car starts to oversteer, slick can make you spin in an instant where as the street tire will make you progressively oversteer, a lot slower than with the slick.)

05/10/2017 - 14:34 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

This is the best post ever.

05/10/2017 - 14:45 |
1 | 0
DL🏁

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

wow that sounds like an achievement of a year to me! thank you

05/10/2017 - 16:59 |
0 | 0
Mr.Beam

Nice job m8. If you can’t adjust the exposure manually, put the camera on the dash facing the track, ideally infront of the rear view mirror. By the way, do you plan on going to Oulton Park?

05/12/2017 - 05:58 |
0 | 0

Thank you! I want to go there as well, although I don’t have it booked yet
There are two things with camera placement: 1. I wanted to make interior visible 2. For most trackdays, suction mounts are not permitted, so I mount the camera on the roll bar behind the seats
There is some way to do it. Maybe a polarizer can help.
For example this awesome dude managed it: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKKs-Dupxz9OR-zxCT26kuQ

05/12/2017 - 06:08 |
0 | 0
Chewbacca_buddy (McLaren squad)(VW GTI Clubsport)(McLaren 60

I would go for the 911R ;)

05/12/2017 - 22:55 |
0 | 0
Chewbacca_buddy (McLaren squad)(VW GTI Clubsport)(McLaren 60

In reply to by Chewbacca_budd…

Awesome post btw! Deserves it’s editors pick :)

05/12/2017 - 22:56 |
0 | 0