I had barely been in the driving seat of evo Middle East for more than 48 hours and already I was being offered a car to drive at the Dubai Autodrome. Fast work. The occasion was a track day hosted by the Porsche Club United Arab Emirates. The car, an entry-level Cayman. Evidently the car wouldn't be as fast as the offer that came before it, but far be it from me to complain; I had only been the proud owner of a local driving license for a matter of hours.

The Porsche Club United Arab Emirates is run in a similar way to the 500 or so other official Porsche clubs across the globe and was founded back in April 1998 by a group of enthusiastic owners who wanted to get more out of having one of the world's finest marques in their garage. Almost a decade on, the club boasts over 2,000 members and is perhaps the largest active automobile society in the Middle East. Some feat.

Though not a proud owner of Porsche myself, I was more than happy to masquerade as one for the day courtesy of Al Nabooda in Dubai. And in doing so, learn the benefits of being a Porsche Club UAE member. Despite the feeling of being the odd one out at a birthday party, I was determined to break into to the 'inner circle'.

Apart from the obvious social element of being associated with the club, members have the privilege of attending invitation-only test drives of new launches, enjoy drives round the more picturesque areas of the UAE and, as I was about to experience, a free reign (well almost) of the Dubai Autodrome up to five times a year. And all this for the price of three tanks of petrol. Or just the one if you drive a Cayenne S. Membership alone is almost worth buying a Porsche for.

To give us chance to become better acquainted, I arranged to pick up my four-wheeled date for the Autodrome track day a night before the event. For Porsche spotters, it's very simple to tell the Cayman apart from its more powerful sibling; simply look out for the black (instead of red) brake callipers, single exhaust pipe and black (instead of silver) front lip spoiler. For those not so familiar with the marque, the lack of an 'S' after the Cayman badge on the boot is the biggest giveaway...

The Cayman takes the 2.7-litre flat-six straight out of its soft-top sibling, the Boxster. With a satisfying thunk, the door slammed shut and with a quick twist of the key, the engine came to life with a mellow, crisp howl. Yep, it's

The track day itself begins early. 8am. Waking up at such an ungodly hour may not seem too appealing, but you'll certainly appreciate it come the end of the day when you've had almost four hours on the circuit. More than enough time for the uninitiated. Proceedings begin with hot air balloon sightings (not always the case I'm informed) and a hearty breakfast, which is followed by a briefing for all the participants taking part. Drivers are split into two categories - novice and intermediate. No matter your level of competence, you have to have taken part in at least two track days with the Porsche Club to be considered anything but a beginner. One imagines there are certain exceptions to this rule, but I wasn't about to become one of them. The regulation, however, is there for everyone's safety. After all, the day isn't just about competing; the emphasis is on driver education. The idea of the meetings is to allow Porsche owners the opportunity to explore the limits of their car in a safe and controlled environment. And regardless of previous experience, everyone can benefit from the club's four Porsche Germany instructors (there are only another 100 in the world).

So, while the intermediates got some sneaky laps under their belts, the novices - including myself - were treated to a driving academy-like PowerPoint presentation covering everything from the racing line to braking limits and cornering control. Having never had the pleasure of attacking the Autodrome's high-speed straights and long corners, I was desperate to get on the track and get to know my date a little better. Dubai's gridlocked roads had meant I'd had little chance to crank the Cayman out of second gear.

A morning of follow-the-leader precession laps guided by the instructor around the circuit allows novice participants, especially those not familiar with a track, to ease themselves into the experience. Speed is kept to a minimum. It may feel like your off to a slow start, but this controlled acceleration is about getting to know your car, your abilities, your racing line and, most importantly, where and when to break. Anyone can drive at speed in a straight line, but races are won and lost in the corners and this type of tuition demonstrates that perfectly. The Porsche Club also try to ensure that all novice drivers are accompanied by an instructor for at least a couple of laps. Again, this is invaluable in conveying the basics of race driving and manoeuvring your vehicle around a circuit. It's not until you have this type of instruction that you can truly appreciate where and when to find speed on the tarmac. Practicalities aside, I had been left salivating to test the Cayman's true abilities. The car looks sleek and it had absorbed the road impressively at average speed, but I would have to wait for the afternoon session of free laps to see if the strong chassis could be matched by speed.

Following a pitstop lunch to refuel after the morning's rush and a short briefing, it was the novices turn to join in the fun that the intermediates had been enjoying - three half-hour sessions of free laps. At last my time had come. But before I'd even had a chance to warm up the seat, out came the red flags... and with barely two laps under my belt. Adhering to the only-overtake-on-the-straights rule had been tough to abide by, but surely a minor misdemeanour rather than a race stopper!

On entering the pit lane, we were asked to get out of our cars and gather round. The feeling of being that misfit child swept over me again. Memories of those dressing-downs from my dad for cutting the brakes on my brother's go-kart quickly bubbled to the surface. Head hung in shame, Karim Al-Azhari, Gulf Radical Cup champion and President of the Porsche Club UAE, lectured the novice drivers about their conduct and actions on the circuit. Using the term 'idiots', I began to shrink to the back of the gathering. Name (or, in this case, number) and shame time had arrived. My mutterings of, 'please don't say 46, please don't say 46' must have taken effect. Off the hook having escaped public humiliation, I did manage to catch Karim's curt whisper about overtaking as I walked back to my car. I had been warned.

Managing to abide to the rules this time round, I spent the remaining free lap sessions putting the Cayman through its paces keeping just enough distance between myself and the driver in front of me to avoid the temptation to overtake. What can I say; it's instinct. That said, I had bigger problems, namely those in my rear view mirror. With most of the other novices driving Carreras and Turbos, my power-challenged Caymen's distain for big corners and long straights was becoming more apparent.

It is almost impossible to believe that a 260kmh car can feel slow. But when a chassis has such control, such grip and unimpeachable traction, when the engine it's married to delivers when singing towards the rev-limiter, it can. Power is nothing without control, but too much control and not enough power isn't the answer either.

Still, the track day wasn't about racing. Not for me at least. There's a steep learning curve in transforming into a better driver and it requires your full attention - not just an itch to stomp on the accelerator. The intermediates, however, do have a session of individual timed runs at the end of the day to quench the need for speed. Anwar Al-Azhari in a 911 Turbo piping evo Middle East's very own Bassam Kronfli by one tenth of a second for the best time of this event. Something we've still not let Bassam live down. But something he better get used to...

For more information, visit www.porsheclubuae.com