Dylan Pereira wins the season opener in pouring rain

The race

Larry ten Voorde (Team GP Elite) from the Netherlands crossed the finish line second ahead of the British BWT Lechner driver Harry King. Laurin Heinrich (D/SSR Huber Racing) concluded his first Supercup race as a Porsche Junior in fourth place. The Danish rookie Bastian Buus put in a strong performance in another Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by the BWT Lechner Racing outfit and was rewarded with fifth place.

Five minutes before the scheduled start of the race, torrential rain fell over the grandstands of the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which were packed for the first time after two years of pandemic-related restrictions. All drivers mounted treaded rain tyres on their ca. 375 kW (515 PS) Cup-911 and the field started behind the safety car. Pereira made the most of his pole position advantage and promptly pulled clear of the pack. “My car setup worked well on the wet track. It was very stable in the corners,” revealed the Luxembourger, who opted for a slightly steeper rear-wing setting and thus more downforce on the rear axle compared to the second-qualifier Larry ten Voorde. “I was able to focus on not making any mistakes and choosing the line with the best grip.”

Larry ten Voorde faced a tougher job. The reigning Supercup champion had to fend off his pursuers’ attempts to overtake him for the entire race, which was interrupted by another safety car phase. First, it was Bastian Buus who was glued to his bumper, until the Dane made a driving error which relegated him to fifth place. Then Harry King tried everything to get past the GP Elite Cup-911. “I didn’t quite have the speed I’d expected,” admitted Ten Voorde, “and that made my race anything but boring. Someone even gave me a nudge twice but I saw it coming both times in my rear-view mirror and managed to prepare myself. So I’m more than happy with second place.”

Harry King struggled slightly with the shortened race duration. “I took up the race from the seventh grid spot and managed to quickly work my way up to third. If I’d had a couple more laps I might have overtaken Larry,” concluded the British racer. King, on the other hand, did manage to get past Porsche-Junior Laurin Heinrich already in the second lap. “I didn’t get my front tyres up to temperature. This made my race really difficult. But anyway, I earned critical points with fourth place,” analysed Heinrich.

For a long time, Bastian Buus was running in third at his first Supercup race. In the end, fifth place earned him the trophy for the best-placed rookie. The fastest ProAm driver was Norwegian Roar Lindland from Martinet by Alméras.

“It was emotionally overwhelming to experience the start of the Porsche Supercup’s 30th season on the same racetrack where it all started back in 1993. I’m extremely impressed with how professionally the drivers and teams responded to the unexpected downpour shortly before the start. Despite the tricky conditions, the race was a demonstration of motor racing at its finest,” commented Michael Dreiser, Director Sales at Porsche Motorsport.

For the next race, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup heads to another tradition-steeped Formula One racetrack: From 26 to 29 May 2022, Monaco will host the international one-make cup with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Result Round 1 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Imola (I)

1. Dylan Pereira (Luxembourg/BWT Lechner Racing), 30.09.383 minutes
2. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite), + 2.014 seconds
3. Harry King (Great Britain/BWT Lechner Racing), + 2.995 seconds
4. Laurin Heinrich (Germany/SSR Huber Racing), + 4.371 seconds
5. Bastian Buus (Denmark/BWT Lechner Racing), + 4.659 seconds
6. Dorian Boccolacci (France/Martinet by Alméras), + 7.615 seconds

Full race result on:
https://motorsports.porsche.com/germany/de/category/mobil1supercup/pmsc-2022-results

The qualifying

Dylan Pereira has secured pole position for the first round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season. At the wheel of the ca. 375 kW (515 PS) Cup-911, the Luxembourger from the BWT Lechner Racing team turned the fastest qualifying lap on the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in northern Italy’s Imola. Pereira shares the first grid row with the defending champion Larry ten Voorde (Team GP Elite), who was 0.249-seconds off the pole-setter. Pereira’s BWT Lechner Racing teammate and fastest rookie Bastian Buus from Denmark as well as the Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich (SSR Huber Racing) from Germany tackle the season-opening race on Sunday from positions three and four. The race gets underway at 12.05 pm just before the Formula One Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

“To be on the safe side, I didn’t push too hard on my first set of tyres and only posted the third fastest time,” explained Pereira. “I took more of a risk on my second attempt, got my tyres up to the ideal temperature and took every kerb perfectly.” Larry ten Voorde was also satisfied with his second grid spot. “My second flying lap wasn’t as fast as I’d hoped but I’m starting from the first grid row, and from there, anything is possible in the race,” said the Dutchman confidently. 

The 33-strong field of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars took up the hunt for top times in sunny weather. As a guest driver in the No. 911 VIP car, five-time motorcycle world champion Jorge Lorenzo contests his second car race. “As a Supercup newcomer, having only 30 minutes out on the track, which was also interrupted at one point, is very short. I didn’t get a clear run,” reported the Spaniard, who drives with an Italian racing license and whose Cup-911 thus flies the country’s tricolour flag. 

In 1993, the Porsche Supercup celebrated its world debut on the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit. Since then, very little has changed on the storied racetrack in the hills of Emilia-Romagna. The 4.909-kilometre strip of asphalt features 17 turns with rollercoaster passages that are somewhat unusual for modern Formula One tracks. After the pandemic-related spectator restrictions, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup now competes in front of packed grandstands for the first time in two years. “It’s fantastic to see so many spectators. The lawn grandstands on the hills add to the great atmosphere of this tradition-steeped racetrack,” grins pole-setter Dylan Pereira. “The Autodromo is pretty ‘old school’ in other respects, too: if you fly off the track, you end up in a gravel bed rather than on an asphalt area. The track is comparatively fast and the extreme kerb-hopping gives fans a great show.” 

Ex-Supercup champion Jörg Bergmeister is the “Driver Steward”

In 2001, Germany’s Jörg Bergmeister took home the Porsche Supercup crown. On his way to the title, today’s Porsche brand ambassador won seven races, including the season opener in Imola. This weekend, Bergmeister returns to Emilia-Romagna – in a one-off role as “Driver Steward” for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. In this position, he mediates between the drivers and the race director should there be any controversial disputes on the racetrack. 

“I have good memories of Imola: This racetrack is very demanding but great fun. During the 2001 qualifying, I managed to get a perfect run and was significantly faster than everyone else. Winning the race was a perfect start to the season,” recalls the German, who in the course of his career has notched up victories in racing versions of the Porsche 911 at the 24-hour races in Le Mans (France), Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) and Daytona (USA). Bergmeister is familiar with the latest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from his job as a development driver. “The current Cup-911 is much more of a race car than the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from 2001,” he enthuses. Technologies that are totally familiar today like shift paddles on the steering wheel were unknown in the Supercup 21 years ago: “Back then, we had an H-pattern gear shifter like in the production 911.” 

The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup on TV and the Internet

The 14-lap season-opening round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes off on Sunday (24 April 2022) at 12:05 pm CEST. Among others, the TV channels Eurosport2 and Sky Sport as well as the streaming service f1tv.formula1.com broadcast the race live. Eurosport airs a rerun of the entire race on Monday (25 April 2022) from midday. Fans can follow the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup on the social media networks Twitter (@PorscheSupercup and @PorscheRaces), Instagram (@PorscheSupercup) and Facebook (@PorscheSupercup). 

Result Qualifying, Race 1, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Imola (I)

1, Dylan Pereira (Luxembourg/BWT Lechner Racing), 1.42.741 minutes
2. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite), + 0.249 seconds
3. Bastian Buus (Denmark/BWT Lechner Racing), + 0.305 seconds
4. Laurin Heinrich (Germany/SSR Huber Racing), + 0.456 seconds
5. Marvin Klein (France/CLRT), + 0.460 seconds 
6. Dorian Boccolacci (France/Martinet by Alméras), + 0.461 seconds

*Full qualifying results on:
https://motorsports.porsche.com/germany/de/category/mobil1supercup/pmsc-2022-results

The preview

The success story of the international one-make cup began in April 1993 at this same venue. In 2022, eight races will be contested as support to European rounds of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Nine teams from Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, France and Germany will tackle the race in Imola with a total of 33 drivers from 12 countries. At selected events, Porsche Motorsport will campaign the No. 911 VIP car. The guest driver at the season opener run as part of the support programme to the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix is the five-time motorcycle world champion Jorge Lorenzo. The 34-year-old Spaniard contests his first automobile race in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

“The 30th anniversary of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup promises to be one of the most exciting. The official pre-season test already underlined how competitive it will be at the top. At least a dozen drivers are good for podium spots. A capacity grid, a new team to the series and six rookies also show just how popular the Supercup is. On top of this, it’s a wonderful opportunity to kick off this season on the same racetrack that hosted the very first Supercup race back in 1993. Nevertheless, we’re not only committed to tradition. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is also working towards a sustainable future, which has involved the use of renewable fuels since the 2021 season,” states Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Defending champion Larry ten Voorde shares Schwab’s view of the fierce rivalry at the top. “To win the overall title for the third time straight will be very difficult,” explains the Dutchman who competes for the reigning team champion GP Elite. Ten Voorde faces tough competition for the crown, among others from the former Supercup champion Michael Ammermüller from Germany, who makes a comeback in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup after two years, and the Porsche-Junior Laurin Heinrich. Like Ammermüller, the youngster competes for SSR Huber Racing.

“I’m excited to tackle my first race as a Porsche-Junior and my first race at Imola,” says the 20-year-old from Germany’s Würzburg region. “I think this racetrack is one of the most difficult on the Supercup calendar after Monaco. Still, it’s huge fun driving the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup there.”

Laurin Heinrich named Porsche Junior and receives comprehensive support

In a selection process, the 20-year-old from Germany beat 11 candidates from the worldwide Porsche Carrera Cups. 

Three questions for MotoGP legend Jorge Lorenzo

Until your retirement at the end of the 2019 season you were one of the world’s best motorbike racers. How difficult was the transition to a race car?

The bike is much faster on the straights and it accelerates better, whereas a car is much faster in the corners. On a motorbike, you have to constantly use your body to transfer weight to the front, rear or sides. Obviously, that’s not possible in a car. In the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, you have to use the throttle and brake to transfer weight from the front to the rear axle. I still have to learn this. I think it’s possible for a motorbike racer to switch to a racing car and be competitive but it’s not possible the other way round.

You got to know the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup during test sessions, among others in Imola. What is your impression?

I have a lot of fun driving the 911 GT3 Cup, although it’s a very demanding racing car, especially because it has neither ABS braking nor traction control. But they say it’s the best car to learn. If you’re quick in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, you’re quick in every GT car.

What do you expect from your very first car race?

I’ve never raced in Imola, not even on a motorbike. Plus, my debut will be on the highest level possible with a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The Supercup drivers are the best in the world with this car. It’ll be very difficult for me to finish within the top 20. But I simply couldn’t say no to the opportunity to race in Imola in front of a Formula One crowd.

Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola (Italy)

Opened in 1953, the racetrack on the outskirts of Imola is one of the most traditional circuits in Formula One, which returned here in 2020 after a 13-year break. The 4.909-kilometre rollercoaster course follows the natural contours of the Emilia-Romagna hills. On 25 April 1993, the Porsche Supercup celebrated its world debut on this racetrack named after the Ferrari founder and his son. Germany’s Uwe Alzen crossed the finish line as the winner in the ca. 202 kW (275 PS) Porsche 911 Carrera RS (Generation 964). Until 2006, Imola and the San Marino Grand Prix were regular fixtures on the Supercup calendar. Now, Porsche’s international one-make cup returns to the place of its premiere performance to contest its 304^th race.

Schedule round 1 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (all times CEST)

Friday, 22 April
18:30 – 19:15: Free practice

Saturday, 23 April
14:00 – 14:30: Qualifying

Sunday, 24 April
12:05: Race (14 laps)

2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup calendar *

22 – 24 April, Imola (Italy)
26 – 29 May, Monte-Carlo (Monaco)
01 – 03 July, Silverstone (Great Britain)
08 – 10 July, Spielberg (Austria)
22 – 24 July, Le Castellet (France)
26 – 28 August, Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
02 – 04 September, Zandvoort (Netherlands)
09 – 11 September, Monza (Italy)

* subject to change