Larry ten Voorde celebrates the start of the season with a double victory

Round 2

After his victory on Friday, the Dutchman followed up with another win on Saturday ahead of Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing) and Christopher Zöchling (Austria/Fach Auto Tech). “I’m over the moon with this top result. We prepared intensively during tests and that has now totally paid off. It was important that I kept complete concentration over the entire race distance,” said ten Voorde. At the opening round held as support to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) on the Belgian Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, 29 drivers treated fans to gripping races with the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Spearheaded by polesitter ten Voorde, the competitors rolled onto the grid in bright sunshine and an outside temperature of ten degrees Celsius. The GP Elite driver beat Heinrich in the sprint to the first corner – but the duel for the lead was not yet a foregone conclusion. After ten Voorde pulled almost a second clear of his pursuer, Heinrich proceeded to close the gap to the leader as the race progressed. In lap twelve, Heinrich attempted to catapult out of ten Voorde’s slipstream with his 510 hp Cup car but found no gap. Two laps later, the 24-year-old took the flag 0.9 seconds ahead of Heinrich. “Shortly before the finish I saw a chance but unfortunately it didn’t work out. Still, two second places are a great start to the season for me,” said the 19-year-old.”

Zöchling occupied the third step of the podium. “I wanted to put pressure on the frontrunners right from the start, but I only managed to match the pace for the first few laps. In the end, I took home crucial points towards the championship for third place,” summed up the experienced Carrera Cup driver. Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing) was satisfied with fourth place: “Obviously, I would’ve preferred to be further up the order, but fourth place is a good result after my retirement on Friday. More may have been possible in the last laps, but with a view to the overall standings, I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks.” Fifth place went to Leon Köhler (Germany/Nebulus Racing by Huber) ahead of Sandro Kaibach (Germany/Fach Auto Tech) and Max van Splunteren (GP Elite) from the Netherlands.

As the best rookie, Bastian Buus (Denmark/Allied-Racing) crossed the finish line on the tradition-steeped 7.004-kilometre racetrack in the Belgian Ardennes in eighth place. In the ProAm class, Carlos Rivas (Black Falcon Team Textar) celebrated a double victory: After securing first place on Friday, the Luxembourger again won his division on Saturday ahead of Georgi Donchev (Bulgaria/Nebulus Racing by Huber) and Kim Hauschild (Germany/HRT Motorsport). “Two action-packed races with many in-fights on one of the world’s most famous racetracks – that was a successful start to the 32nd season. Both the talented youngsters and the seasoned racers treated us to some great motor racing. That’s precisely what characterises our one-make cup,” said Hurui Issak, Project Manager of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland.

After his two wins at the season-opening weekend, ten Voorde leads the championship with 50 points. Heinrich (40 points) and Zöchling (32 points) round off the top three in the rankings. Next on the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland calendar is the doubleheader event in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, held from 14 to 16 May as part of the ADAC GT Masters.

Result race 2, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland

1. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite)
2. Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing)
3. Christopher Zöchling (Austria/Fach Auto Tech)
4. Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing)
5. Leon Köhler (Germany/Nebulus Racing by Huber)
6. Sandro Kaibach (Germany/Fach Auto Tech)
7. Max van Splunteren (Netherlands/GP Elite)
8. Bastian Buus (Denmark/Allied-Racing)
9. Loek Hartog (Netherlands/Black Falcon Team Textar)
10. Morris Schuring (Netherlands/Team GP Elite)

Round 1

“It’s always a very special feeling to win the first race of the season. Of course, I could see Laurin Heinrich in my rear-view mirror, but I focused on my own performance, and that was crucial. The new car is noticeably more streamlined and therefore is significantly faster in the corners,” says ten Voorde. The two other podium spots were occupied by Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing) and Christopher Zöchling (Austria/Fach Auto Tech). A total of 29 drivers in the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup tackle the doubleheader event held as support to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

In qualifying, the defending champion ten Voorde secured an ideal starting position and took up the race from pole position in his cup car. Immediately after the start, the 24-year-old managed to pull clear of his competitors. Ten Voorde held a convincing lead over the entire distance and crossed the finish line after 14 laps in first place. While his pursuer Heinrich maintained a steady gap of under a second, the 19-year-old was unable to put the GP Elite driver under any real pressure. “I got close to Larry ten Voorde twice, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to win. Still, it’s a great result and the race was terrific fun. I’m taking up Saturday’s race again from second place and obviously I want to attack,” said Heinrich. With this result, the youngster was the best driver from the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Talent Pool, the junior development programme of the one-make cup. 

In an action-packed race on the storied circuit in the Ardennes forest, the seasoned driver Zöchling claimed third place after cleverly outwitting Leon Köhler (Germany/Nebulus Racing by Huber) in the final stage. “In the last lap, Leon Köhler put me under a lot of pressure. We’ve spent many hours driving sim races together, so I know a few of his tricks and I managed to defend myself successfully,” explained Zöchling. Köhler was followed over the finish line by guest driver Dorian Boccolacci (France/Martinet by Alméras) as well as the two Dutchmen Max van Splunteren (GP Elite) and Loek Hartog (Black Falcon Team Textar). 

Victory in the ProAm class went to Carlos Rivas (Black Falcon Team Textar). The Luxembourger won his division ahead of Bashar Mardini (UAE/Van Berghe Huber Racing) and Kim Hauschild (Germany/HRT Motorsport). Misfortune struck Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing) on the 7.004-kilometre Ardennes rollercoaster. The Porsche Junior took up the race from tenth on the grid, but lost several positions due to an accident and had to retire early after just six laps. “My start was great actually, and I managed to make up a few positions, but then I was hit by two vehicles. Unfortunately, my front rims were so badly damaged that I couldn’t continue racing. I have a new car for Saturday’s race so I’ll do my absolute utmost,” stated Güven.

Race two of the season starts on Saturday at 11:55am (CEST) – Larry ten Voorde again starts from pole position. Fans can watch the race via a live stream on the official Facebook and YouTube accounts as well as on the Porsche Motorsport Hub.

Result race 1, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland

1. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite)
2. Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing)
3. Christopher Zöchling (Austria/Fach Auto Tech)
4. Leon Köhler (Germany/Nebulus Racing by Huber)
5. Dorian Boccolacci (France/Martinet by Alméras)
6. Max van Splunteren (Netherlands/GP Elite)
7. Loek Hartog (Netherlands/Black Falcon Team Textar)
8. Bastian Buus (Denmark/Allied-Racing)
9. Rudy van Buren (Netherlands/CarTech Motorsport by Nigrin)
10. Lucas Groeneveld (Netherlands/GP Elite)