Have you outgrown your weekend jaunts to the race track with your buddies? Is the occasional endurance race no longer enough to get your adrenaline pumping? Well, the next thing to do is to experience the thrill of wheel-to-wheel racing on a professional level. If you have half a million dollars to spare, then Porsche's Carrera Cup Asia is your ticket to motorsport heaven.

Carrera Cup Asia, which debuted in 2003, is one of eight Porsche Carrera Cup series that the German sports car maker organises around the world to promote professional-level racing to the 'masses'.

Besides deep pockets - it costs an average of $400,000 all in to complete the full season of 12 races over seven weekends - interested clients need to demonstrate a certain level of racing competency. A valid FIA international racing licence 'C' is required to take part in the Class B category for non-professionals or what is otherwise termed 'gentlemen racers', while Class A is for professional drivers.

Once you've proved yourself a worthy competitor, only then are you entitled to purchase a $267,000 400 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car equipped with a six-speed sequential gearbox. The car belongs to you and is yours to keep after the season is over.

While each driver is allowed to make subtle changes to the chassis set-up, such as alignment, camber, ride-height etc, Eddie Koay claims that most drivers find the factory set-up delivers the best compromise.

Mr Koay is the team principal of EKS Motorsport based out of Bandar Sunway, Malaysia - the official workshop that supplies the 40-odd factory-trained mechanics who follow the series around circuits in Asia, including Sentul in Indonesia, Zhuihai in China, and Macau.

'It's the most hassle-free way to go racing,' claims Michael Dreiser, Porsche's motorsport manager. 'We call it the 'arrive and drive' concept. All the logistics and paperwork in shipping the car from place to place are handled by Porsche.'

All the drivers have to do is turn up at the track where the fully prepared cars are waiting for them.

'Most of our drivers are businessman who have full-time jobs and this is the ideal platform for them to go racing at a professional level, on a level playing field,' explains Mr Dreiser.

Participation in all seven Asian race weekends as well as expenditure for service mechanics, vehicle transport and hospitality costs totals $124,000. And that does not include consumable items such as tyres and fuel.

'This is not chequebook racing,' quips Christer Ekberg, managing director of Porsche Asia Pacific. 'The 911 GT3 Cup cars are all completely identical. No one is allowed to work on the car except the EKS mechanics. This is by far the most fair one-make challenge in the world.'

Geoff Morgan, who won in Class B last year and is competing for Class A honours this year, will have his work cut out this year as the field includes two-time British GT Champion Tim Sugden among stalwarts like Nigel Albon and Intraphuvasak Vutthikorn.

And while Class B may be for non-professional racers, the racing is no less intense. The field this year is headed by five-time Carrera Cup Asia veteran Phillip Ma. Mr Ma finished third overall in Class B last year, and while he admits he will be gunning for the top step on the podium in 2007, it is the fun and excitement that keep him coming back year after year.

Singaporean newbie Ian Mao, who bought a pre-owned GT3 Cup Car and was present at the official launch and test event at Sepang International Circuit this week, sums it up best.

'It's a lot of fun but demanding to drive at the limit. It's really not easy being a race driver,' he says. And it isn't cheap either - his car's wayward handling during testing led to a bent damper that cost $2,000 to replace.

The first round of the 2007 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia starts on April 8 as the official support race to the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix, with the final race weekend to be held in conjunction with the Macau Grand Prix on Nov 18.