Hitting the Track in a 718 GT4 Clubsport
After four years away, Archie Hamilton arrives at test day to prepare for the 2020 Porsche U.K. Series.
One of the best things anyone can do with their Porsche is to take it out on the track for some exercise. There’s nothing like swinging around your machine through the turns and destroying the straights. It might even make some of you want to step up your game. After all, it might not be enough to be a weekend warrior.
YouTuber Archie Hamilton is one such individual. He recently turned up at Silverstone to prepare for his professional return to racing, this time in the 2020 Porsche U.K. Series. And his ride? None other than a 718 GT4 Clubsport.
“I have been waiting for this day for quite a long time,” said Hamilton. “It feels like a dream come true, really, just to be in this situation. A lot of you may be aware that this year is a little bit different for me. I’m making my racing return in the Porsche U.K. Series.”
Thus, Hamilton arrived at Silverstone for the series’ first official test day to determine where he stands among the rest of the competitors prior to the start of competition. His 718 GT4 Clubsport, too, is ready for its first laps around the storied English circuit prior to its first weekend of competition in April.
“This is the team I’m racing for this year: Redline Racing,” said Hamilton. “I raced for them back in 2010. What we have here is our trucks. These are our two trucks, which will follow us around the country for the racing season. And I like how they’ve got Porsche on the visor there.”
Not only does his team have two trucks, but also a boatload of Porsches. Aside from Hamilton’s own 718 GT4 Clubsport, Redline is campaigning seven 911s in the Carrera Cup Series. As he says, racing is expensive, especially with a whole fleet of competitors.
“If you don’t know the GT4 Clubsport, [it has] 380 brake horsepower,” said Hamilton. “They are mega little bits of kit. And around Silverstone International where we’re going today, these are lapping seriously quickly. About 1:07, that’s really the lap time.”
Hamilton says the 3.8-liter flat-six can endure a full season of racing before a rebuild, unlike the 911 Carrera Cup cars which need their engines rebuilt every couple of races or so. Thus, it’s a huge money-saver, especially if you don’t have a budget like Redline Racing has.
“I feel at home in here already,” said Hamilton. “It is cool. What you have in here, you do have a sequential box. What you do here is you just put that to the side, and then, your paddles are then activated. It actually does have a key, which is pretty crazy that this car actually has a key.”
The rest of the setup includes a telemetry system where the gauges would be, a mult-function steering wheel with a drink button, and a few switches and buttons where the infotainment system once was, all housed in the stock dash. That’s something you won’t see too often in a race car.
“That is run number one done in the car,” said Hamilton, “and it went really well. Times are good, as well, which is positive. That was really just a chance to see the car, see what the setup’s like. Then, we work forwards from now.”
Hamilton hops back in the 718 GT4 Clubsport for a second round of laps around Silvestone, aiming to drop his lap times enough to determine how competitive he’ll be when racing begins.
“I’ve just jumped out of the car,” said Hamilton. “You would have seen the on-boards which were going on there. We’re quick!”
His teammate Dino Zamparelli is also happy for Hamilton’s runs around Silverstone, knocking out an average time of 1:07 in his GT4 Clubsport. The time is on par with Zamparelli in his 911 Carrera Cup. Not bad for having been four years away from the track. We can’t wait for him to shake off the ring rust to see what he can really do once the season starts.
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