- Versatile GT4 race car from Porsche secures victories and titles
- Competes in sprint and endurance races as well as one-make series
- Extensive use of natural fiber composite materials in body components
The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport has established itself as a pivotal and successful customer racing vehicle within the growing GT4 segment. Bridging the gap between pure club racing and professional customer racing, the latest model version competed in over 550 races last year, achieving 19 overall victories, 80 class wins, and securing 11 championship titles. This mid-engine race car remains a key player across all five continents.
The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport had an impressive start to the 2025 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season opener in Daytona, finishing in second place. In an intense battle, Belgian driver Jan Heylen and American Luca Mars narrowly missed victory for Team RS1 by just 0.364 seconds after the four-hour race.
The 368 kW (500 PS) mid-engine race car has firmly established itself in the North American motorsports scene and beyond. In 2024, Porsche customer teams claimed titles in the Pro-Am, Silver, and Am classes of the Pirelli GT4 America series, while also winning the GT4 championship in the GT America Powered by AWS series for the German sports car manufacturer.
“Motorsport is and will always be at the core of Porsche’s brand identity. The 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport is proof of this: it is the most successful GT4 race car we have built to date,” emphasizes Volker Holzmeyer, President and CEO of Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA). ” It represents a strong commitment to the GT4 category and continues to be versatile in design and engineering, where it is competitive and accessible to drivers and teams from club racing all the way through IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. It’s popularity among our customers reflects those attributes, and we are pleased to support them both in open competition and in one-make racing in the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and Porsche Endurance Challenge North America “
The 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, alongside the competition models based on the 911 (Generation 992), is a cornerstone of Porsche’s customer racing program. Since its debut in the 2022 season, it has consistently delivered top results in sprint and endurance races worldwide. Outside the U.S., national GT4 series champions in Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Thailand have relied on the versatile Porsche race car.
In Germany, W&S Motorsport secured all titles in the 2024 ADAC GT4 Germany series, which – along with the GT4 European Series – ranks among the most prestigious GT4 championships. The German series is contested within the DTM framework and serves as a stepping stone to the top-tier GT3 racing category.
“The GT4 segment has become a key area for Porsche Motorsport,” explains Michael Dreiser, Director of Sales at Porsche Motorsport. “With the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, we have developed an outstanding race car. It enables our customers to compete in numerous series and championships worldwide, achieving great success. It is also gaining increasing popularity in Porsche one-make series and track day events.”
The 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport has solidified its presence in Porsche one-make series. In 2025, six Porsche Sports Cups will feature dedicated GT4 series, while six additional series will integrate it into mixed grids. Endurance races in the Porsche Endurance Challenge will also be held in the Benelux countries, North America, New Zealand and Germany – including on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. However, the so-called PETN as part of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) still relies on the 313 kW (425 PS) predecessor version with the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport.
More than 1,500 Cayman-based GT4 race cars built by Porsche
Porsche introduced the Cayman GT4 Clubsport in 2016, based on the 981 generation, as a competitive race car for the then still young GT4 customer racing format. Between 2016 and 2018, 421 units were produced. The successor – based on the 982 Cayman generation – debuted in 2019, with a total production of 510 units. High demand was driven in part by relatively low operating costs, as the combination of durable production-based technology with motorsport-specific components significantly reduced expenses for teams.
Continuing this tradition, the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport has been in production since 2022, further enhancing its competitiveness. Its 368 kW (500 PS) 4.0-liter flat-six engine, derived from the current 911 GT3 Cup, delivers nearly 18 percent more power than its 3.8-liter predecessor. Optimized air intake design allows maximum power output at 8,300 rpm – 800 rpm higher than before – while peak revs reach 9,000 rpm.
Torque has also increased to 465 Nm at 6,000 rpm, compared to 425 Nm at 6,600 rpm in the previous model. These improvements result in a broader and more usable powerband. The vehicle also benefits from significant chassis upgrades, including two-way adjustable dampers with refined characteristics, adjustable anti-roll bars at the front and rear, a high-performance racing brake system, and enhanced aerodynamics.
“In developing the Clubsport model, we incorporated insights and customer feedback from previous years,” says Michael Dreiser. “The improved lap-time performance combined with enhanced drivability ensures that our customer teams will continue to have a competitive product for GT4 racing worldwide in the coming years.”
Innovative use of natural fiber composite materials
The first-generation 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport was the first production-based race car to feature body components made from natural fiber composite (NFC) materials. The share of these materials has further increased in the GT4 RS Clubsport model, now extending to the front hood, fenders, aerodynamic elements at the front, doors, rear wing, and steering wheel. The flax-based fibers serve as a potential alternative to carbon fiber composites and are tested in motorsport applications for potential use in production vehicles. Porsche has utilized motorsport for over 70 years as a testbed for new technologies, processes, and materials that later benefit road-going models.
