Second win of the season for Köhler, Hartog secures rookie class title

Leon Köhler (Nebulus Racing by Huber) celebrates a perfect end to the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland season: The German scored his second win of the season on Sunday at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg. 

Round 16

“The start was a bit turbulent and I managed to benefit from that. I was determined to win another race. The fact that it happened on home turf was of course fantastic,” said Köhler, who lives in the town of Kleinwallstadt not far from the racetrack. Second place at race 16 of the season went to Saturday’s winner and newly crowned champion Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite), followed by Bastian Buus (Denmark/Allied-Racing) in third. At the season finale, the last remaining title decision was made: Loek Hartog (Netherlands/Black Falcon Team Textar) won the rookie class of the 2021 season. A total of 29 drivers tackled the event run as support to the ADAC GT Masters in their 510 PS Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers. 

Köhler laid the foundation for his victory immediately at the start. Polesetter ten Voorde, Morris Schuring (Netherlands/Team GP Elite) and Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing) sprinted to the first corner wheel-to-wheel, where Köhler promptly overtook the trio on the inside line. The Huber driver then pulled clear of the pack and maintained his commanding lead to the flag. Ten Voorde followed him over the finish line after battling against rookie Schuring. “My start wasn’t great and then I got caught between two other cars. Still, I quickly found my rhythm and when Morris Schuring made a mistake, I grabbed my chance,” said ten Voorde.

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, Hockenheimring, Germany, 2021, Porsche AG

Buus also managed to overtake Schuring and clinched his second podium finish in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. In the overall ranking of the rookie class, the 18-year-old was only narrowly defeated by Loek Hartog. “I have mixed feelings about this race. On the one hand, third place is a great result, but I really wanted to win the rookie title. All in all, it was a fantastic debut season for me,” concluded Buus. Fourth place went to 16-year-old Schuring ahead of Jukka Honkavuori (Finland/MRS GT-Racing) and Christopher Zöchling (Austria/Fach Auto Tech).

Repeating his result from Saturday, Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing) achieved seventh place. “To be honest, this weekend was complicated for me. We somehow couldn’t find the right setup. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to put Larry ten Voorde under any real pressure in the fight for the title. Still, second place in my first Carrera Cup season is a good result,” said Güven. The 23-year-old was followed over the line by the two Dutchmen Rudy van Buren (CarTech Motorsport by Nigrin) and guest driver Huub van Eijndhoven (JW Raceservice). Hartog rounded off the top ten, which was enough for him to secure the rookie title. “Last season I won the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux, this year I’m the best rookie in the German Carrera Cup. That’s a great feeling. Bastian Buus proved to be a tough opponent and it was gripping to the last lap,” stated Hartog. 

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, Hockenheimring, Germany, 2021, Porsche AG

In the ProAm class, Carlos Rivas (Black Falcon Team Textar) celebrated a fitting end to a successful season: After winning the ProAm title on Saturday, on Sunday the Luxembourger scored his eleventh class victory this year. On the 4.574-kilometre racetrack near Mannheim, Georgi Donchev (Bulgaria/Nebulus Racing by Huber) and Kim Hauschild (Germany/HRT Motorsport) claimed the other two ProAm podium steps.

“That was a spectacular conclusion to an exciting season. This is mostly thanks to the drivers and teams, who demonstrated huge commitment at all race weekends and who treated us to action-packed racing in the 32nd season of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland,” said Hurui Issak. The Project Manager of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland presented the winners’ trophies on Sunday with Michael Dreiser, Director Sales Porsche Motorsport.

In the final rankings of the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, ten Voorde took first place (326 points) ahead of Güven (275 points) and Köhler (222 points). ProAm class honours went to Rivas (350 points). Hartog earned 301 points as the best rookie. The GP Elite squad won the team classification with 461 points. 

Result race 16, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland

1. Leon Köhler (Deutschland/Nebulus Racing by Huber)
2. Larry ten Voorde (Niederlande/Team GP Elite)
3. Bastian Buus (Dänemark/Allied-Racing)
4. Morris Schuring (Niederlande/Team GP Elite)
5. Jukka Honkavuori (Finnland/MRS GT-Racing)
6. Christopher Zöchling (Österreich/Fach Auto Tech)
7. Ayhancan Güven (Türkei/Phoenix Racing)
8. Rudy van Buren (Niederlande/CarTech Motorsport by Nigrin)
9. Huub van Eijndhoven (Niederlande/JW Raceservice)
10. Loek Hartog (Niederlande/Black Falcon Team Textar)

Points standings after 16 of 16 races

Drivers’ classification
1. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite), 326 points
2. Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing), 275 points
3. Leon Köhler (Germany/Nebulus Racing by Huber), 222 points

Rookie classification
1. Loek Hartog (Netherlands/Black Falcon Team Textar), 301 points
2. Bastian Buus (Denmark/Allied-Racing), 298 points
3. Morris Schuring (Netherlands/Team GP Elite), 265 points

ProAm classification
1. Carlos Rivas (Luxembourg/Black Falcon Team Textar), 350 points
2. Kim Hauschild (Germany/HRT Motorsport), 301 points
3. Georgi Donchev (Bulgaria/Nebulus Racing by Huber), 222 points

Team classification
1. Team GP Elite, 461 points
2. Phoenix Racing, 275 points
3. Nebulus Racing by Huber, 230 points

Round 15

After scoring his eighth win this season, Larry ten Voorde (Team GP Elite) has become champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland for the second time in a row. At the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg, the Dutchman Larry ten Voorde (Team GP Elite) won race 15 on Saturday and thus holds an attainable lead with 306 points before the final race on Sunday. “That was a tough season. I’m absolutely thrilled. During the race, I focused totally on my performance, but when I drove through the final corner the emotions kicked in,” says ten Voorde. Positions two and three in the race run as part of the ADAC GT Masters support programme went to Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing) and Morris Schuring (Netherlands/Team GP Elite). The duel in the ProAm classification has also been decided: The overall victory goes to Carlos Rivas (Luxembourg/Black Falcon Team Textar).

For ten Voorde, the situation was clear-cut: Should the 25-year-old reach the finish line before Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing) in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, he would be champion. Due to a technical defect in the starting lights, the race took off behind the safety car. Polesitter ten Voorde remained unfazed and eked out an advantage of one second in the early stage. Behind the GP Elite driver, drama unfolded. Heinrich put Schuring under increasing pressure and swept past the Dutch rookie in lap 14. However, Heinrich could no longer catch ten Voorde. After 19 laps, ten Voorde beat the Huber driver to the flag by 2.9-seconds. The 25-year-old Dutchman is the first driver to win the title in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup twice in succession. 

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, Hockenheimring, Germany, 2021, Porsche AG
Larry ten Voorde defends championship crown at Hockenheim

Ten Voorde’s teammate Schuring secured his first podium result in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland at Hockenheim. “That’s a great result. Second place would have been better, but Laurin Heinrich was clearly faster and I didn’t want to jeopardise my chances of a great result through making any risky tactical moves,” said the 16-year-old. Fourth place was occupied by Leon Köhler (Germany/Nebulus Racing by Huber) ahead of Rudy van Buren (Netherlands/CarTech Motorsport by Nigrin) and Christopher Zöchling (Austria/Fach Auto Tech).

Bad luck hampered Ayhancan Güven. For a long stretch, the 23-year-old was running in fourth place. After a braking error in the final phase, Güven finished the race in seventh place. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have the pace from the start to be in the fight for the title. Still, I managed to hold on to fourth until shortly before the flag. We will analyse the race and go all-out again on Sunday,” concluded Güven. Jukka Honkavuori (Finland/MRS GT-Racing) crossed the finish line on the 4.574-kilometre racetrack in eighth place.

The race in the ProAm class

In the ProAm classification, Rivas scored his tenth win of the season ahead of Kim Hauschild (Germany/HRT Motorsport) and Bashar Mardini (UAE/Van Berghe Huber Racing). This earned the Luxembourger his third consecutive trophy in the ProAm class. “Defending the title was our goal. I’m proud that we achieved this ahead of schedule. In the race, I was in second place in the ProAm for a long time but I knew that my car would be fast in the final phase thanks to the setup. That paid off,” said Rivas.

Alexander Pollich, CEO of Porsche Deutschland GmbH, and Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport, handed the winners their trophies on the podium. “Three of the four titles were still open prior to the season finale. That says a lot about the consistently strong standard and the high level of competition in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Congratulations to Larry ten Voorde and Carlos Rivas, who have been rewarded for their strong performances in defending their titles,” said Pollich.

Podium: Alexander Pollich, Laurin Heinrich, Larry ten Voorde, Morris Schuring, Torsten van Haasteren, Thomas Laudenbach (l-r), Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, Hockenheimring, Germany, 2021, Porsche AG
Alexander Pollich, Laurin Heinrich, Larry ten Voorde, Morris Schuring, Torsten van Haasteren, Thomas Laudenbach (l-r)

Another title decision will be made on Sunday: Loek Hartog (Black Falcon Team Textar/285 points) from the Netherlands and the Dane Bastian Buus (Allied-Racing/273 points) will fight for the rookie-class crown. A maximum of 25 points is still up for grabs. The GP Elite team already claimed the title in the team classification last weekend at the Sachsenring. 

The 16th and final race of the Porsche Carrera Cup season takes off on Sunday at 3:10 pm local time and will be broadcast live on the German free TV Sport1. Porsche ambassador Jörg Bergmeister shares his knowledge as co-commentator. The race can also be watched via a live stream on the YouTube and Facebook channels of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland as well as in the Porsche Motorsport Hub.

Result race 15, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland

1. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite)
2. Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing)
3. Morris Schuring (Netherlands/Team GP Elite)
4. Leon Köhler (Germany/Nebulus Racing by Huber)
5. Rudy van Buren (Netherlands/CarTech Motorsport by Nigrin)
6. Christopher Zöchling (Austria/Fach Auto Tech)
7. Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing)
8. Jukka Honkavuori (Finland/MRS GT-Racing)
9. Loek Hartog (Netherlands/Black Falcon Team Textar)
10. Huub van Eijndhoven (Netherlands/JW Raceservice)

Points standings after 15 of 16 races

Drivers’ classification
1. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite), 306 points
2. Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing), 266 points
3. Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing), 214 points

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