Fourth win and half-time champion – Larry ten Voorde celebrates in Monza

Round 8

Thanks to his victory at the 350th race of the German Carrera Cup, ten Voorde is now the half-time champion after round eight of the season. “That was a crazy race. Ayhancan Güven had a super start. There was a slight nudge in the chicane, but it was fair. In the end, I was rewarded for a good final phase in the rain,” said ten Voorde. The other podium spots were occupied by Rudy van Buren (Netherlands/CarTech Motorsport by Nigrin) and Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing). At the doubleheader event run as support to the DTM on the high-speed Monza circuit. A 29-strong field treated fans to gripping slipstream duels in their 510 PS Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers. 

Under an overcast sky and with an outside temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, Güven got off the line better than polesitter ten Voorde – the Phoenix-Racing racing driver took the lead and eke out an advantage of around one-and-a-half seconds over the first few laps. Two safety car phases and a rain shower that set in during the final stage threw new challenges at the drivers and added to the suspense. Ten Voorde coped with the wet track surface better than Güven, overtook the 23-year-old in lap 13 and brought home his fourth win of the season. Güven took the flag in second place but subsequently had to relinquish it to van Buren, as he had gained an unauthorised advantage at the start of the safety car phase. “That’s a great result. I took a little more risk than my rivals in the final phase and was rewarded for it with second place,” said the CarTech driver.

“As the leader, it wasn’t easy at first to assess the braking points at the entry to the chicane on a wet track. I did my very best in the duel with Larry ten Voorde, but he drove a brilliant race in the rain,” said Güven. As the best driver from the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Talent Pool, Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing) finished fourth. Leon Köhler (Germany/Nebulus Racing by Huber) planted his Cup car in fifth place. 

At the Royal Park of Monza, Max van Splunteren (GP Elite) took the flag in sixth place, with Christopher Zöchling (Austria/Fach Auto Tech) and Jukka Honkavuori (Finland/MRS GT-Racing) following him over the line. Georgi Donchev (Nebulus Racing by Huber) won the ProAm class for the first time this season. The Bulgarian driver beating Jan-Erik Slooten (Germany/Phoenix Racing) and Christof Langer (Germany/Fach Auto Tech) to the flag. The leader of the ProAm division, Carlos Rivas (Luxembourg/Black Falcon Team Textar), who set a record on Saturday with 35 class wins, had to retire from the race early after a collision. 

“The anniversary race rounded off a thrilling first half of the season perfectly. With its 350th race, the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland once again underlined what the series has stood for since its 1990 debut season: action-packed racing to the last lap and a capacity grid of talented youngsters and ambitious ProAm drivers,” said Hurui Issak, Project Manager of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. At the halfway mark of the season, ten Voorde leads the championship with 166 points. His closest rivals are Heinrich (152 points) and Güven (126 points).

The Circuit Zandvoort hosts the next race weekend of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland from 9 to 11 July. The doubleheader event at the Dutch North Sea coast is home turf for the GP Elite squad. The team headquarters of the crew under team manager Torsten van Haasteren is in the town of De Rijp north of Amsterdam. Six local drivers will tackle the weekend for the team: Lucas Groeneveld, Morris Schuring, Larry ten Voorde, Daan and Jesse van Kuijk as well as Max van Splunteren. Loek Hartog (Netherlands/Black Falcon Team Textar) and Rudy van Buren also compete on their home racetrack.

Result race 8, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland

1. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite)
2. Rudy van Buren (Netherlands/CarTech Motorsport by Nigrin)
3. Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing)
4. Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing)
5. Leon Köhler (Germany/Nebulus Racing by Huber)
6. Max van Splunteren (Netherlands/GP Elite)
7. Christopher Zöchling (Österreich/Fach Auto Tech)
8. Jukka Honkavuori (Finnland/MRS GT-Racing)
9. Julian Hanses (Germany/HRT Performance)
10. Loek Hartog (Netherlands/Black Falcon Team Textar)

Points standings after 8 of 16 races

Drivers’ classification
1. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite), 166 points 
2. Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing), 152 points
3. Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing), 126 points

Round 7

“I was able to win the last two races here in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and that gave me a lot of confidence. At the start, I beat Laurin Heinrich in the sprint to the first tight chicane, and that proved decisive,” said ten Voorde. At round seven held as part of the support programme to the DTM, Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing) and Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing) also planted their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars on the podium. Carlos Rivas (Black Falcon Team Textar) joined the list of record-holders in the German Carrera Cup. Over the years of contesting the one-make cup, Saturday’s victory marks the 35th for the Luxembourger in the ProAm class. With this result, Rivas eclipses the former ProAm record-holder, Rolf Ineichen (Switzerland). 

The last time the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland was contested in Monza was in 1991 – at its comeback after 30 years, ten Voorde took up the race from the front of the field. The polesitter defended his lead and immediately pulled clear of his rivals. Thanks to his commanding performance, the GP Elite driver took the flag after 17 laps with a 1.2-second lead over Heinrich. Heinrich, a driver from the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Talent Pool, swept past Güven at the start and secured position two. “I quickly found a good rhythm, however at the beginning, I often had to glance in the rear-view mirror. Larry ten Voorde grabbed the chance to eke out an advantage,” explained Heinrich. 

Güven experienced an eventful race: After Heinrich overtook the Phoenix Racing driver, the 23-year-old initially lost another position to Leon Köhler (Germany/Nebulus Racing by Huber) after the safety car phase. Güven, however, stuck to the German’s bumper, made his countermove during the following lap, and took the flag in third place ahead of Köhler. “Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get the tyres up to the optimal working temperature before the restart. It was critical to get past Leon Köhler again immediately afterwards,” said Güven. As the best rookie, Loek Hartog (Netherlands/Black Falcon Team Textar) scored fifth place. 

Max van Splunteren (GP Elite) achieved sixth place on the storied 5.793-kilometre circuit northwest of Milan. The Dutchman was followed over the line by his two compatriots Rudy van Buren (CarTech Motorsport by Nigrin) and Morris Schuring (Team GP Elite). The Black Falcon Team Textar squad had good reason to celebrate: Thanks to his total of 35 wins in the ProAm class, Carlos Rivas is now the most successful ProAm driver in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. In Monza, the driver from the Luxembourg town of Bereldingen secured his seventh class win of the season ahead of Georgi Donchev (Bulgaria/Nebulus Racing by Huber) and Kim Hauschild (Germany/HRT Motorsport). “My greatest goal was to conclude the race as successfully as possible. Obviously, my mind was on the record over the last few laps and I’m absolutely thrilled about it,” said Rivas.

With 141 points, ten Voorde leads the overall standings after his third win so far this season. Heinrich follows in second place just two points behind. Third place is occupied by Güven with 110 points. On Sunday, a special event awaits teams and drivers: the German Carrera Cup celebrated its anniversary and is holding the 350th race. Round eight of the season gets underway at 4.15pm local and is broadcast live on the German free-TV channel Sport1.

Result race 7, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland

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

Points standings after 7 of 16 races

Drivers’ classification
1. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite), 141 points 
2. Laurin Heinrich (Deutschland/Van Berghe Huber Racing), 139 points
3. Ayhancan Güven (Türkei/Phoenix Racing), 110 points

The preview

Rounds seven and eight of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland will be held in Monza, Italy, this weekend (18-20 June). The one-make cup has good reason to celebrate: the 350th race of the German Carrera Cup will be contested at the DTM event on the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

The first event of the series was held in 1990. Since the debut season, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – the racing version of the 911 – has been campaigned as the turn-key racing vehicle. Twenty-nine drivers will tackle the anniversary race at Monza in the newest Cup car.

“The 350th race is a major milestone in the history of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Since the first race in 1990, our series has exemplified action-packed racing in a professional environment. The greatest contributing factor to the success of the Carrera Cup has been the talented drivers, professional teams and committed partners – the one-make cup is very popular mainly thanks to their great passion for motor racing,” says Alexander Pollich, CEO of Porsche Deutschland GmbH.

Identical cars, control tyres and restricted setup options – since the debut season, the recipe for success of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland has been based firmly on equal chances for all. Drivers pit themselves against each other in the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Over the years, the world’s best-selling racing car has become faster and more spectacular. Olaf Manthey took home the first Carrera Cup championship title in 1990 at the wheel of the Cup car based on the 964-generation. The latest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is the racing version based on the 992 generation. 

Stronger, faster, more spectacular: the new 911 GT3 Cup

Porsche has unveiled the latest generation of the world’s top-selling racing car: the new 911 GT3 Cup.

For many racing drivers, winning the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland title proved to be a milestone in their careers. The previous champions and today’s Porsche brand ambassadors Jörg Bergmeister and Timo Bernhard are now among the world’s most successful sports cars drivers. Carrera Cup champions like Kévin Estre (France) and Thomas Preining (Austria) today compete as Porsche works drivers. Porsche Young Professional Julien Andlauer (France) was also crowned champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. For 28 drivers, the one-make cup has served as a springboard into Porsche’s circle of works drivers. Matteo Cairoli (Italy) and Michael Christensen (Denmark), who recently won the legendary 24-hour race at the Nürburgring with Estre, once underlined their ability in the German Carrera Cup. With the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Talent Pool, the one-make cup has provided support to talented youngsters for the last three years. This year, eight young drivers receive professional coaching from the former Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler.

Michael Ammermüller’s name was added to the record books of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland in 2019: with 17 races wins, the reigning champion of the ADAC GT Masters is the most successful driver in the history of the one-make cup. Thomas Preining also holds a record: to date, the 2018 champion is the youngest driver in the history of the racing series to have clinched the overall title. When he won the title, Preining was exactly 20 years and 63 days old. Wolfgang Land, however, used his years of experience to secure overall victory. The German took home the trophy in 1995 at the age of 51. 

Carlos Rivas (Luxembourg/Black Falcon Team Textar) is on the threshold of setting a new record at the doubleheader event in Monza. The current points’ leader in the ProAm class has won a total of 34 races in his division. On the high-speed circuit at Monza, Rivas could surpass the record held by Rolf Ineichen. The Swiss racer also notched up 34 victories in the ProAm category. Laurin Heinrich (Germany/Van Berghe Huber Racing) travels with confidence to the storied racetrack northeast of Milan. The 19-year-old currently ranks first in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Both races at Monza get underway at 4.15 p.m. local time on Saturday and Sunday. The two races are streamed live on the Facebook account @CarreraCupDeutschland, as well as the official YouTube channel of the one-make cup and on the Porsche Motorsport Hub. Moreover, the German TV channel Sport1 broadcasts the anniversary race live on free TV.