Double success for GP Elite team with commanding win for Larry ten Voorde

The race

“I’ve never had such a well set-up car, it was so easy today,” said the 23-year-old from Enschede after his solo drive to the flag. “But I also benefited from the fact that I was able to stick to the racing line at the front, while my pursuers were kept busy with duels and lost time.”

Thanks to Ten Voorde’s teammate and compatriot Max van Splunteren, his Dutch team GP Elite also notched up a double victory. Over the entire 13-lap distance, the rookie managed to fend off a fair but unrelenting attack from Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans (New Zealand/BWT Lechner Racing). “I was always faster than Jaxon in the exits of the corners, which meant I managed to gain enough ground to defend my position in the next braking zone,” explained Van Splunteren. “Max was clever,” Evans admitted. “My main priority was not to risk too much after going home empty-handed from the previous race in Budapest and to earn as many points as possible.”

For his part, the New Zealander managed to successfully defend himself against attacks from Florian Latorre (France/CLRT) and Jaap van Lagen (Netherlands/FACH AUTO TECH), who ultimately saw the flag in position four and five. 

Damage control was the main goal of championship leader Dylan Pereira (BWT Lechner Racing). After experiencing problems in finding the right suspension setup for the high-speed racetrack, the Luxembourger took up the race from the seventh grid spot. “It got better, but overtaking is virtually impossible on this circuit, so I’m pleased with sixth,” stated Pereira, who managed to maintain his lead in the overall Supercup standings ahead of Ten Voorde. 

Rookie Marvin Klein (France/Martinet by Alméras) took the flag in seventh place ahead of his teammate and Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (Turkey). “I got caught up in the pack in lap one and that allowed Dylan Pereira to get past me. It was a tactical error that I couldn’t rectify later,” admitted Güven. “I actually wanted to catch up to Dylan in the points, but unfortunately that didn’t work out.” 

Behind Güven, the two rookies Leon Köhler (Germany) and Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (France/both Lechner Racing Middle East) rounded off the top ten. Honours in the ProAm class went to Roar Lindland (Norway/Pierre Martinet by Alméras) ahead of Clément Mateu (France/Pierre Martinet by Alméras) and Philipp Sager (Austria/Dinamic Motorsport).

Next weekend (7 to 9 August 2020), iconic Silverstone once again hosts the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Round five will be held as part of the Formula One “70th Anniversary Grand Prix”.

Results round 4

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Silverstone (GB), 13 laps
1. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 27:00.440 minutes
2. Max van Splunteren (NL/Team GP Elite), + 11.741 seconds
3. Jaxon Evans (NZ/BWT Lechner Racing), + 12.113 seconds
4. Florian Latorre (F/CLRT), + 12.408 seconds 
5. Jaap van Lagen (NL/FACH AUTO TECH), + 13.055 seconds
6. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), + 13.399 seconds

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2020, standings after 4 of 8 races
1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 80 points
2. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 73 points
3. Ayhancan Güven (TR/Martinet by Alméras), 56 points 
4. Jaxon Evans (NZ/BWT Lechner Racing), 54 points
5. Florian Latorre (F/CLRT), 45 points
6. Marvin Klein (F/Martinet by Alméras), 42 points

The qualifying

Loud cheers from the GP Elite team: Larry ten Voorde and Max van Splunteren from the Dutch squad share the first grid row at round four of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at Silverstone. “This is the first pole position for our fledging team, and the second-best time in qualifying, as well. It couldn’t have gone better,” said a delighted Ten Voorde (NL), who lapped the tradition-steeped 5.901-kilometre racetrack around three tenths of a second faster than Van Splunteren (NL). “Flawless teamwork. I followed Larry during my flying lap,” describes the 24-year-old, who was the fastest of the nine rookies in the field of 25 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racing cars.

Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans (BWT Lechner Racing) and Jaap van Lagen (NL/FACH AUTO TECH) locked out the second grid row. “I’m satisfied with the third grid spot, but the gap to Larry ten Voorde is more than I’d expected,” admits Evans. “Unfortunately I had to halt my final attempt to improve my lap time because another driver spun in front of me.” Qualifying on 19th, Roar Lindland (N/Pierre Martinet by Alméras) was the fastest in the ProAm classification.

The Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, where the first Formula 1 race in history was contested in 1950, is one of the faster racetracks on the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup calendar. On his flying lap, polesitter Ten Voorde averaged over 173 kph. At the end of the longest straight, the Hangar Straight, he was clocked at 255 kph. Albeit, the Formula 1 reference point for the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is already within the braking zone. “We’re even faster just before that,” states Ten Voorde.

In the quest to find the highest possible speed on the Hangar Straight, drivers choose different approaches in their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers. Polesitter Larry ten Voorde opted for the steepest of the nine possible settings. He is willing to accept the relatively high drag. “I think the speed through the Maggots-Beckets-Chapel corner combination is more important and, for that, I need a lot of downforce at the rear axle,” says the Dutchman explaining his counterproductive-sounding setup choice. In fact, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (F/Lechner Racing Middle East) was the fastest with a time of just under 259 kph at the reference point – with the rear wing at a more streamlined mid-setting.

The disadvantage of higher drag due to the steeper wing setting, which is good for the straights, is partially offset by lower rolling resistance. The rear axle of the Supercup vehicles is set for less camber at Silverstone compared to other racetracks. “But this significantly changes the handling,” explained series leader Dylan Pereira (BWT Lechner Racing). “The rear axle offers less mechanical grip, so the rear gets twitchy.” This proved not ideal for the Luxembourger, who concluded the qualifying session only on seventh.

The preview

Round four of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, run as support to the British Grand Prix, will be contested on one of the world’s most time-honoured racetracks. In 1950, the Silverstone circuit hosted the first-ever Formula 1 race. Since 1994, the former airfield north of London has served as the venue for the international one-make cup with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers. 

“Despite the difficult circumstances with the Coronavirus, we’ve made a great start into the season. The first three races offered superb motor racing. The fact that the best drivers from the virtual edition of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup are also at the top of the real races speaks volumes for the versatility of the drivers,” emphasises Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. “Now we can look forward to two gripping races at Silverstone over the next two weekends.”

“The Silverstone Grand Prix circuit is a demanding racetrack,” said Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), who currently leads the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup standings after winning in Austria and Hungary. “The pace here is usually very high and there are a handful of corners that take courage. What’s more, you always have to be prepared for rain in England. I’m expecting a very exciting weekend.”

Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (TR/Martinet by Alméras) has fond memories of the 5.901-kilometre racetrack. The current number two in the rankings celebrated his first Supercup victory here last year – an important step on the way to claiming the rookie title as well as being named the best newcomer in 2019.

Info

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, round 4, Silverstone/United Kingdom
Friday, 31 July, 5:55 – 6:40 pm: Free Practice
Saturday, 1 August, 12:45 – 1:15 pm: Qualifying
Sunday, 2 August, 11:30 am: Race (13 laps)
All local time (CEST: -1 hour)

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Standings after 3 of 8 laps
1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 70 points
2. Ayhancan Güven (TR/Martinet by Alméras), 48 points
3. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 48 points
4. Jaxon Evans (NZ/BWT Lechner Racing), 37 points
5. Marvin Klein (F/Martinet by Alméras), 33 points
6. Leon Köhler (D/Lechner Racing Middle East), 31 points

Round four of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes off on Sunday (2 August) at 11.30 am local time. Fans can enjoy the race via live stream on F1 TV.