However, as soon as he climbs into his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, ten Voorde’s temperament changes. Courageous, passionate and self-confident – the Nebulus Racing by Huber driver is uncompromising on the racetrack. This season, ten Voorde combined these qualities with cleverness. The reward: champion of the 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland.
His goal for 2020 was very clear: In his fourth Carrera Cup season, he was determined to add the national title to his collection to stand alongside the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup trophy, which he claimed in September. Ten Voorde enjoyed a dream start to his season, claiming victory at the opening round at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. On the following race weekend at the Sachsenring, he clinched another win and two second places. The weekend at the Red Bull Ring proved volatile. The 24-year-old climbed the podium at all three races, but was overshadowed by his hottest rival. Dylan Pereira won all three races and replaced ten Voorde at the top of the leaderboard. This blow brought back memories. Last season, ten Voorde got off to an impressive start, only to be thrown off course after a collision and DNF at the Norisring. The youngster’s reaction was to tense up and at times act overambitious. The otherwise confident racing driver seemed to become his own worst enemy and he was thrown out of contention in the bid for the title.
This year, however, the self-proclaimed perfectionist showed a whole new level of resilience under pressure. The result: ten Voorde remained unruffled by setbacks like the one at the Red Bull Ring this year. The 1.7-metre-tall racing driver found the perfect balance between his sheer will to win and tactical cleverness. At the title showdown in Oschersleben, he won the decisive race. Ten Voorde was the only driver this season to climb the podium at every Carrera Cup race.
Ten Voorde’s passion for motorsport was ignited early in life. From the age of eight, he spent every spare moment with friends at the go-kart track in Emsbüren, in Lower Saxony. His father Henk drove him there in the morning, and in the evening he returned to his home, the 2,500-strong community of Boekelo near Enschede. From 2007 to 2012, he won eight titles in various karting series. Ten Voorde then switched to single-seater racing with support from the Dutch motorsport association KNAF. Alongside today’s Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen, he was part of the “Talent First” squad, and at the same time completed a degree in sports and business communication.
Ten Voorde‘s special connection to motor racing was put to the test during the most difficult phase in his career. In 2014 and 2015, financial reasons prevented him from competing. His budding career was in jeopardy, but throwing in the towel was simply not an option. At the Circuit Zandvoort, he cleaned cars, polished rims or sold coffee. He turned laps on the track in his old 1998 VW Polo and he maintained contact to companies and teams through his coaching activities. The effort paid off: In 2016, he made an impressive comeback, promptly winning the Porsche Super Sports Cup at his first attempt. The following year, he took home the rookie title in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. This season yielded the next milestones: champion in both the Carrera Cup and the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
The talented youngster is well on his way to turning his passion into a professional career. Last season he made his WEC debut in the Porsche 911 RSR. Contesting the GTE-Am class, ten Voorde celebrated a victory at Bahrain on the back of clinching second place in Shanghai. He also contested this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. His next mission: he is poised to tackle the final round of the 2019/2020 World Endurance Championship on 14 November for Project 1. With the Carrera Cup title under his belt, Larry ten Voorde is ready for the next big success.
