Tough weekend for Evans and Love in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 5 Race, Silverstone

At round five of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2020 season, held on the occasion of the “70th Anniversary Grand Prix”, Porsche Junior, Ayhancan Güven, took victory after a duel with Larry ten Voorde with Dylan Pereira crossing the line third to defend his overall lead in the international one-make cup.

After having to settle for eighth place last weekend at the same venue, Güven dedicated his first victory of the season to his mechanics. “We’ve improved with the car setup from race to race. We have to keep working in this direction.”

It was a tough weekend for Pereira’s BWT Lechner Racing teammate, Jaxon Evans, finishing in a hard-fought eighth position after a mistake in the last sector of the Silverstone circuit in Saturday’s qualifying, saw him start the race behind the lead pack in eighth.

Jordan Love’s race was over almost before it had even begun. The Australian in the #6 Fach Auto Tech Porsche was taken out on the first lap of the race.

“My start wasn’t too bad, and I was on my up through the field,” Love explained. “I got a push from behind and spun, before being hit by another car. The incident brought out the safety car and my Porsche had to be recovered. I’m really sorry for the team. I was looking to make up ground in the race after a difficult qualifying but never had an opportunity to do so.”

The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup teams now travel straight to Barcelona. There, they will contest round six this coming weekend as part of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Results round 5 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Silverstone (GB), 13 laps
1. Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Martinet by Alméras), 28:57.721 minutes
2. Larry ten Voorde (The Netherlands/Team GP Elite), + 0.753 seconds
3. Dylan Pereira (Luxembourg/BWT Lechner Racing), + 1.135 seconds
4. Max van Splunteren (The Netherlands /Team GP Elite), + 5.569 seconds
5. Jean-B. Simmenauer (France/Lechner Racing Middle East), + 5.911 seconds
6. Marvin Klein (France/Martinet by Alméras), + 8.958 seconds

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2020, standings after 5 of 8 races
1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 97 points
2. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 93 points
3. Ayhancan Güven (TR/Martinet by Alméras), 80 points
4. Jaxon Evans (NZ/BWT Lechner Racing), 62 points
5. Florian Latorre (F/CLRT), 54 points
6. Marvin Klein (F/Martinet by Alméras), 52 points

Padayachee dominates NSW Production Sports Car Championship in Porsche 911 GT3 Carrera Cup car

Duvashen Padayachee took outright victories in both NSW Production Sports Car Championship races at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend

Duvashen Padayachee took outright victories in both NSW Production Sports Car Championship races at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend, driving his Porsche 911 GT3 Carrera Cup car.

While the start to 2020 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup season is yet to get underway due to the Coronavirus restrictions, Sydney-based Mobil Pro driver, Duvashen Padayachee, and his father, Indiran, took the opportunity to compete NSW Production Sports Car Championship races at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend.

The results saw both Garth Walden Racing-prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars in the top-five against current-specification GT3 race cars, with Duvashen taking outright victory in both races and Indiran finishing in sixth and fourth respectively for the two races.

Duvashen Padayachee returned to Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia in 2019 after a short break from the championship, becoming teammate to his Pro-Am ranked father Indiran at the Sydney based GWR Australia team.

While the duo had never faced one another in Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup competition before 2019, they did become the first father-son combination to race any international Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup round in the same entry during the 2015 two-driver Pro-Am event at Phillip Island. Since then the Padayachees have become consistent competitors in the national championship.

Porsche Cars Australia permitted owners of Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup cars to race in other series while the start of the national series was delayed, providing a boost to its teams and drivers as well as state-level categories like NSW Production Sports Car Championship.

After the event Duvashen said, “We learned a lot this weekend – we were able to do some race runs in the Carrera Cup car and we were able to see how the tyres worked in different scenarios.”

“We knew it was going to be a challenge competing for outright wins up against some high-quality GT3-spec cars this weekend, but our performance just shows the quality of Porsches and we were pleased to showcase the potential of the current generation Cup cars.”

Father Indiran said, “It would have been nice to have followed Duvashen across the line for a 1-2 finish, but I’ve had a lot of fun this weekend.”

“The Production Sports Car field is very competitive and I was always in a battle with other cars.”

For more race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU  / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Jaxon Evans finishes on the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup podium in Silverstone

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 4 race, Silverstone

Round four of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season in Silverstone, saw Larry ten Voorde claim victory by twelve seconds over the chasing field.

“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).

“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.

Van Lagen’s teammate, Jordan Love, got off to a good start from 15^th on the grid and gained three places in the very first lap. The young Australian Porsche driver finally finished twelfth and secured fifth place in the Rookie category in his first visit to the Silverstone circuit.

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

Evans and Love head to Silverstone for Round 4 of Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 4, Silverstone 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 485-hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup teams using the Silverstone circuit as their base over the next two race weekends.

The 5,901 kilometre Silverstone Circuit ranks as one of the most demanding in the world, with its blend of long straights, fast and slow chicanes. While the circuit’s Maggots, Becketts, Woodcote and Hangar Straight are recognized by racing fans all over the world.

“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.”

Pereira’s BWT Lechner Racing teammate and Porsche Junior, Jaxon Evans, currently lies fourth in the Championship after winning the opening race of the season in Spielberg, Austria.

After claiming his first Rookie podium in the last round, reigning Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Champion, Jordan Love, will be doing his first laps on the ‘The Home of British Motor Racing’ in Free Practice on Friday, 31 July.

Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, while the 13-lap race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Channel 506 as well as Kayo Sports at 20:23 on Sunday evening.

Broadcast times: Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 4, Silverstone (AEST)

Fox Sports 506  Sunday 02 Aug 20:23 21:05

Fox Sports 506 HD Sunday 02 Aug 20:23 – 21:05

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Standings after 3 of 8 races

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

Love claims his first Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Rookie podium

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 3 Race, Hungary

Dylan Pereira (BWT Lechner Racing) put in a dominant performance to take victory at round three of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup on the Hungaroring. After qualifying in pole-position, the Luxembourger achieved an uncontested lights-to-flag victory on the Grand Prix circuit close to Budapest.

“Ayhancan Güven put pressure on me during the first lap after the start and straight after the safety car phase, but I managed to fend him off. Afterwards, I focused on not making any mistakes,” Pereira commented after the race.

Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans (BWT Lechner Racing) qualified in sixth, after his fastest lap in the Saturday session was disallowed for exceeding track limits. After sparring with Jaap van Lagen (NL/FACH AUTO TECH) for fifth place in Sunday’s race, the two Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars made contact in the braking zone for Curve 1.

A resultant puncture saw van Lagen retire out of contention and the race stewards adjudge Evans to be at fault, handing the New Zealander a drive-through penalty and effectively end any hopes of another top five finish.

By contrast, in only his third Supercup race, reigning Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Champion, Jordan Love, would achieve his best ever result for the Fach Auto Tech team.

The young Australian put together an excellent drive from 14th on the grid to finish in eighth position. “I’m happy with that result,” the 21-year-old said. “I made up three places on the first lap, and that was a great foundation for my maiden top 10 finish and the third in the Rookie class.”

After a non-stop three weeks, the first third of the Supercup season is already concluded. The next race sees the teams travel to Silverstone in the UK from 31 July to 2 August.

Result round 3 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Budapest (H), 15 laps

1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 28:24.825 minutes
2. Ayhancan Güven (TR/Martinet by Alméras), + 1.915 seconds
3. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), + 7.704 seconds
4. Marvin Klein (F/Martinet by Alméras), + 8.082 seconds
5. Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (F/Lechner Racing Middle East), + 12.308 seconds
6. Florian Latorre (F/CLRT), + 13.293 seconds

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2020, Standings after 3 of 8 races

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

Evans and Love head to the Hungaroring for Round 3 of Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 3 preview, Hungary

Three rounds within three weeks – the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup races now come thick and fast. After the two events at Austria’s Red Bull Ring, the 25 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup will compete as part of the Hungarian Grand Prix this coming weekend (17 to 19 July).

“Overtaking on the Hungaroring is difficult – for us and also the Formula-1-drivers. For this reason, a decent grid position is critical,” says series leader Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing).

Round three of the season also marks Jordan Love’s debut at the Hungaroring circuit. The reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion is competing in his maiden season in the one-make Porsche series. However, the young Aussie feels there is room for improvement despite a pair of top 15 finishes:

“We were able to lay the groundwork for the season at the Red Bull Ring but I definitely think there is potential there. I still have a lot to learn and can’t wait to get back on track.”

Round three of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will be broadcast LIVE on Sunday (19 July) at 20:23p.m. (AEST time) on Fox Sports channel 506 and on Kayo Sports.

Broadcast times: Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, Round 3, Hungary

Fox Sports 506

Sun 19 Jul – 20:23pm – 21:05pm LIVE

Fri 24 Jul – 08.25am – 08:55am

Fox Sports 506 HD

Sun 19 Jul 8:23pm – 9:05pm LIVE

Fri 24 Jul – 08.25am – 08:55am

Belford clinches Porsche PAYCE & MICHELIN Virtual Cup Pro-Am Championship

Matthew Payne and Marc Cini dominate the final virtual round

Matthew Payne and Marc Cini dominate the final virtual round

After claiming nine race victories, and an enviable average finishing position of second, Cooper Murray, had a comparatively eventful round – by his lofty standards – finishing off the Silverstone podium in the final three sprint races of the inaugural Porsche PAYCE and MICHELIN Virtual Cup Championship.

Fortunately for the Melbourne based McElrea Racing pilot, he had already sealed the Mobil Pro Championship after Round 5 in convincing style, leaving the Silverstone event to decide the minor placings and crown a Champion in the Pro-Am class.

Patrizicorse karting ace, Matthew Payne, set the pace from the very first practice session of the evening, taking pole position and going onto claim three dominant victories. The New Zealand driver was never challenged throughout the Silverstone round, his efforts netting him the runner-up position in the overall Championship – overtaking reigning Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Champion, Harri Jones, in the final standings. Jones who would end up just 16-points behind Payne, marking a strong result for the McElrea Racing squad.

With six drivers still in with a mathematical chance of taking the Pro-Am class championship heading into the final round, all eyes were on the mid-field battle in the 32-car strong field. After a strong showing in round 5, Marc Cini, again used all of his Porsche experience to control the class taking victory in the evening’s three races.

But it was the consistency and pace of Cini’s Porsche Centre Melbourne teammate, Matthew Belford, who would retain his Championship lead heading into the final round and emerge victorious thanks to two strong podium performances in races 1 and 2.

Graham Williams couldn’t defend his second place in the Pro-Am Championship from Sergio Pires, who would finish ahead of the Melbourne driver by a margin of 40-points.

All three races from Round 5 in Silverstone will be shown on the @PorscheMotorsportAU Youtube channel at 20:00 (Melbourne time) on Friday evening.

Results: Round 6, Silverstone

Race 1

Mobil Pro

1. Matthew Payne
2. Harri Jones
3. Cody Burcher

Pro-Am

1. Marc Cini
2. Emanuel Palyaris
3. Matthew Belford

Race 2

Mobil Pro

1. Matthew Payne
2. Hugh Barter
3. Christian Pancione

Pro-Am

1. Mark Cini
2. Matthew Belford
3. Sergio Pires

Race 3

Mobil Pro

1. Matthew Payne
2. Cody Burcher
3. Aaron Love

Pro-Am

1. Marc Cini
2. Adrian Flack
3. Sergio Pires

Championship classification:

Mobil Pro

1. Cooper Murray 924pts
2. Matthew Payne 778pts
3. Harri Jones 762pts

Pro-Am

1. Matthew Belford 745pts
2. Sergio Pires 688pts
3. Graham Williams 648pts

Silverstone to decide Porsche PAYCE & Michelin Virtual Cup Pro-Am champion

Six competitors still in with a chance of clinching Pro-Am title in season finale

Thanks to eight dominant victories in the first five rounds, Cooper Murray enters the sixth and final round of the Porsche PAYCE & MICHELIN Virtual Cup as the Mobil Pro Champion, enjoying a 196-point buffer over McElrea Racing teammate, Harri Jones, in second.

With the absence of both Matt Campbell and Jaxon Evans for the final round, expect Matthew Payne and Cody Burcher to again challenge the leading Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup drivers for line honours in tonight’s three sprint races.

By contrast, the Pro-Am battle is still wide open, with the top six drivers in the class standings all having a mathematical chance of clinching the title.

Matthew Belford leads the way after a strong second half to his season, with the ever-present Graham Williams in second – only 40-points behind.

Sergio Pires, Dean Cook, John Goodacre and Marcel Zalloua make-up the remaining quartet still in the hunt, but based on past form, it would require a drastic turn of events for the leading pair to be ousted from the podium, having thus far showed great consistency,.

After technical issues plagued Marc Cini’s campaign in the first three rounds, the last round produced a master class from the seasoned Carrera Cup driver and he will be a favourite for the Pro-Am class victory heading into the Silverstone circuit – which again will be hosted on the iRacing platform.

The Porsche Team entry for crew members from Carrera Cup teams, will be entrusted to Cameron Hill Racing’s Media officer, Lachlan Mansell, who also manages both SimracingOz.com website and Chequered Flag media service.

All three races in the season finale will be broadcast on the @PorscheMotorsportAU Youtube channels at 20:00 (Melbourne time) on Friday 17 July.

Follow Porsche Motorsport Australia on Facebook and Instagram @PorscheMotorsportAU to keep up-to-date with information about the Porsche PAYCE and MICHELIN Virtual Cup Australia Championship.

Entry list: Round 6 – Silverstone

Evans finishes in top five in Round 2 of Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 2 race review, Spielberg, Austria

Dylan Pereira (BWT Lechner Racing) shone at round two of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at the Red Bull Ring. The Luxembourger took the flag at the Grand Prix circuit in Styria almost four seconds ahead of a trio consisting of Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (TR/Martinet by Alméras), Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite) and Leon Köhler (D/Lechner Racing Middle).

“No one can plan that, everything simply ran perfectly,” said an elated Pereira. With his win, Pereira moves to the top of the points table in the international Supercup, which has represented the pinnacle of Porsche’s one-make cup series since 1993 and is currently contested with 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers.

Porsche Junior, Jaxon Evans (BWT Lechner Racing), the winner of the season-opening round at the same venue, rounded out the top five, moving up three places after a poor qualifying session saw him start the race from eighth.

“I lacked confidence in my car in qualifying,” admitted the New Zealander, “But my goal was to finish in the top five, so at least that worked,” said the New Zealander

2019 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Champion, Jordan Love, just missed out on the top 10, but his FACH AUTO TECH Team Principal, Alex Fach, said he could recognize an upward trend.

“It was an extremely difficult start to the season”, Fach explained and added: “But in comparison to the first race a week ago, we’ve made some improvement. Even though results don’t show this at first glance, we’re on the right track.”

Jordan Love delivered the proof with his twelfth in Free Practice, which was a considerable improvement to his start position (18^th) in his debut race. The Supercup rookie driver moved forward briefly during the race but fell back to finish 13^th, two places behind teammate, Jaap van Lagen (11th).

After two back-to-back races at Spielberg, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup now travels to Hungary, where the third round of the season will be held at the Hungaroring near Budapest next weekend.

Result round 2 Lauf Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Spielberg (A), 17 laps
1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 26:08.539 minutes
2. Ayhancan Güven (TR/Martinet by Alméras), + 3.750 seconds
3. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), + 4.342 seconds
4. Leon Köhler (D/Lechner Racing Middle East), + 4.856 seconds
5. Jaxon Evans (NZ/BWT Lechner Racing), + 7.120 seconds
6. Marvin Klein (F/Martinet by Alméras), + 8.860 seconds

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2020, Standings after 2 of 8 races
1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 45 points
2. Jaxon Evans (NZ/BWT Lechner Racing), 37 points
3. Leon Köhler (D/Lechner Racing Middle East), 31 points
4. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 31 points
5. Ayhancan Güven (TR/Martinet by Alméras), 28 points
6. Florian Latorre (F/CLRT), 21 points

Murray dominates penultimate round of Porsche PAYCE & MICHELIN Virtual Cup

Cooper Murray takes his eighth race victory of the season in Le Mans

Round 5 of the Porsche PAYCE & Michelin Virtual Cup saw Championship leader, Cooper Murray, extend his lead in Mobil Pro class with three hard-fought victories in the three 20-minute virtual sprint races on the iRacing platform.

Murray made a clean start in Race 1 from pole position, to lead Cody Burcher and real-world Le Mans winner, Matt Campbell, into turn 1. The long straights of the iconic French circuit saw drafting playing a key role in the numerous battles through the field, with the front pairing swopping positions on several occasions in the opening laps.

Murray would then drop to fourth behind Burcher, Campbell and Matthew Payne after a mistake onto the pit straight. The front quartet was in a race of their own after an early spin by Ryan Suhle split the chasing pack – Thomas Maxwell again an unlucky opening lap casualty.

Further back, Marc Cini had made his best start of the season to lead the Pro-am class in the early laps and was lying an impressive seventh overall. Cini would run wide and later spin while chasing down Max Vidau, handing Sonic Motor Racing race engineer, Jaidyn Job, the lead which he would hold to the flag.

Cini would hang on for second in class with the ever-consistent Graham Williams in third. At the front, Matt Campbell had made his way past Burcher and while embroiled in the battle for the lead, made contact with the young Formula Ford star, sending both off track and down the order.

This left the door open for Murray and Payne to take the top two positions from Burcher in third. The damage sustained by Campbell as a result of the accident saw him eventually limp home in seventh.

Race 2 saw Murray make a clean start followed by Matthew Payne. The young New Zealand karting ace would make a mistake however, exiting the famed Tertre Rouge and fall down the running order.

Murray and Burcher would then scrap for the next laps for the lead, before the inevitable contact between the pair, saw Burcher again relegated down the order. Murray would go onto claim the race win, with a 7.5-second advantage over his McElrea Racing teammate, Harri Jones, with Campbell recovering to third.

Despite contact with Christian Pancione while ninth, Jaidyn Job would regain the Pro-Am lead from Marc Cini in the second half of the race, with Graham Williams again third in class. Repeating the same results as Race 1.

The final race of the evening saw Campbell spin while following Murray and Jones into the first turn. Job also ran-wide on the same corner, handing the Pro-Am Lead to Sergio Pires.

Jones would eventually lose touch with Murray and fall back into the clutches of Payne. After clearing Jones and gradually closing the gap to Murray, Payne would carry too much speed into the same chicane as Jones did laps later, handing the Helimods driver back second place. The McElrea Racing teammates would hold that advantage to the end of the race, with an unlucky Burcher recovering to third.

Cini would overtake Pires for victory in the Pro-Am class, with Matthew Belford in third – extending his Pro-Am class lead to 40 points over Graham Williams heading into the final round at Silverstone on the 13 July.

All three races from Round 5 will be shown on both the @PorscheMotorsportAU Youtube channel and Facebook page at 20:00 (Melbourne time) on Friday evening.

Results: Round 5, Le Mans

Race 1

Mobil Pro

1. Cooper Murray
2. Matthew Payne
3. Cody Burcher

Pro-Am

1. Jaidyn Job
2. Marc Cini
3. Graham Williams

Race 2

Mobil Pro

1. Cooper Murray
2. Harri Jones
3. Matt Campbell

Pro-Am

1. Jaidyn Job
2. Mark Cini
3. Graham Williams

Race 3

Mobil Pro

1. Cooper Murray
2. Harri Jones
3. Cody Burcher

Pro-Am

1. Marc Cini
2. Sergio Pires
3. Matthew Belford

Evans and Love set to contest Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season-opener

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 1 preview, Spielberg, Austria

This weekend, drivers contesting the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will tackle a real-life race for the first time since October 2019. Most of them have spent the last months competing in virtual racing cars. At the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, the 28th season of the international one-make cup gets underway as a support race to the Austrian Grand Prix (3 – 5 July 2020).

The 2020 calendar is made up of eight races, all run alongside the FIA Formula One World Championship. Drivers from twelve countries, including Australia, Guatemala and the USA, will take the wheel of the 485-hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. To prepare for the upcoming Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season, two official test days were held at the Red Bull Ring.

“Judging by the two test days in Austria, the fight for the 2020 title will be between a handful of young guns who are known for their spectacular driving style. This means that the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup once again lives up to its key role as the springboard for talented young racing drivers who are eager to become works drivers. Although the competitors will find it strange to race in front of empty grandstands, the line-up this year promises some gripping race action,” said Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, referring to the spectator-free races for the time being.

Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans (BWT Lechner Racing) set the fastest time at the Spielberg tests. “It felt amazing to finally sit in a real racing car,” says the New Zealander. “I’m perfectly prepared for the start of the season.”

The second Porsche Junior, Ayhancan Güven (Martinet by Alméras) from Turkey, still has a score to settle at the Red Bull Ring. “The last time I drove here I got entangled in an accident in the second corner – and that was the end of my race.” Güven is one of the few drivers to claim a victory during the postponement of real races due to the pandemic. Driving for the Porsche Esports Team, he won the GTE class of the virtual “24 Hours of Le Mans” in the digital reproduction of the Porsche 911 RSR.

Reigning Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Champion, Jordan Love, improved from 13th to 10th in the test standings after just two sessions, in his first visit to the Spielberg circuit.

The picturesque panorama of the Styrian Alps makes the 4.318-kilometre-long Red Bull Ring unique on the racing calendar. With the combination of high-speed passages and tight corners, the racetrack is famed for its many overtaking manoeuvres. Last year, Julien Andlauer (F) won the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup race on the Styrian circuit.

Round one of the 2020 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes off on Sunday 5 July 2020. Australian fans can enjoy the race via a live stream on F1.com or via the FoxSports broadcast on channel 506.

Broadcast Schedule:

SUNDAY 5

FOX SPORTS 506

Sun 5 Jul 8:23pm – 9:08pm

MONDAY 6

FOX SPORTS 506 HD

Mon 6 Jul 11:30am – 12:15pm

FOX SPORTS 506

Mon 6 Jul 11:30am – 12:15pm

FOX SPORTS 506 HD

Mon 6 Jul 3:45pm – 4:30pm

FOX SPORTS 506

Mon 6 Jul 3:45pm – 4:30pm

Le Mans winner returns for Round 5 of Porsche PAYCE & Michelin Virtual Cup

Circuit de la Sarthe to host battle royale between Campbell and Murray

The spiritual home of global endurance racing, the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, will host the penultimate round of the Porsche PAYCE & Michelin Virtual Cup.

Porsche holds many enviable records on the French circuit including the most recent GTE-class win at the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the record for the most Le Mans victories by a constructor at 19.

2016 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Champion, Matt Campbell, also has a strong affiliation with the famous classic after the Queenslander took the victory (together with teammates Christian Ried and Julien Andlauer) in the GTE-Am class aboard the #77 Porsche 911 RSR of Dempsey-Proton Racing in 2018 – notching up the German manufacturer’s 107th class win in the process.

On Monday evening, the country’s top Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car drivers will get the opportunity to race the Porsche factory driver on the Le Mans circuit in Round 5 of Virtual championship – hosted on the iRacing platform.

Heading the challenge to Campbell will be Michelin Junior driver, Cooper Murray, who thanks to a string of early-season victories, currently holds a massive 166-point advantage over McElrea Racing teammate, Harri Jones, in second, with just six races remaining.

Round 4 saw Murray challenged to the line in all three Bathurst races by New Zealand Karting ace, Matthew Payne, and young Formula Ford star, Cody Burcher.

Others to watch in the Mobil Pro class include Josh Hunt, Garth Walden Racing’s Ollie Shannon and Thomas Maxwell, with Jaxon Evans missing the final two rounds of the virtual season due to his ‘real-world’ Porsche Mobil1 Supercup commitments.

The Porsche Asia Pacific Championship will again be well represented by both Reid Harker and Will Bamber, younger brother of Le Mans winner, Earl. While Sam Brabham, son of 2009 Le Mans 24 Hour winner, David Brabham, completes the international line-up.

The Pro-Am battle has been a balance of consistency and attrition this season and the class championship is still wide open, with new leader Matthew Belford only 14-points ahead of Dean Cook and 40-points ahead of John Goodacre.

The Porsche Team entries for Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup crew members have so far produced some of the strongest competitors in the Virtual Cup and this race will see the turn of Sonic Motor Racing Services’ Race Engineer, Jaidyn Job, take the reins.

Post-race highlights of each event will be broadcast on Porsche Motorsport Australia social channels, with all three races broadcast on the @PorscheMotorsportAU Facebook and Youtube channels at 20:00 (Melbourne time) on Friday 03 July.

Follow Porsche Motorsport Australia on Facebook and Instagram @PorscheMotorsportAU to keep up-to-date with information about the Porsche PAYCE and MICHELIN Virtual Cup Australia Championship.

Entry list: Round 5 – Le Mans

Revised 2020 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia calendar revealed

Porsche announces revised 2020 Carrera Cup Calendar

Following the first two rounds of the 2020 season in Adelaide and the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit earlier this year, Porsche Motorsport is pleased to announce its revised 2020 calendar for the Carrera Cup season following the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The draft calendar dates for the remaining five rounds of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia season see Australia’s top one-make Championship return as the premier support race for four Virgin Supercars Championship rounds in 2020, as well as a single Shannons Motorsport Australia Championship round in mid-August.

The revised calendar – which drops from eight rounds to seven – re-starts in Winton on the 18-19 July, before joining The Shannons Motorsport Australia Championship program at Sydney Motorsport Park on the 15-16 August.

Teams then head north to Townsville at the end of August – in its new time slot – before returning to Sandown Raceway in mid-September. The season finale will now be held at the Bathurst 1000 on 8-11 October – the last two rounds retaining their original time slots.

Fans and competitors will be able to enjoy extensive broadcast coverage of every Carrera Cup race with Supercars rounds televised both on Fox Sports Channel 506 and free-to-air on Channel 10. The Sydney round of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championship will be broadcast free-to-air on Channel 7 and live-streamed on the 7 Plus app.

On the announcement, Head of Motorsport at Porsche Cars Australia, Troy Bundy said, “We are pleased to reveal our revised 2020 calendar that will see Porsche brand racing again in Australia, which is something that we are very passionate about. I would like to take the opportunity to thank both Supercars and Motorsport Australia for the support they have given us in developing this great line-up of events for the remainder of this season.”

“We are really looking forward to returning to the track and continuing to provide an excellent show for our fans, customers, teams and partners and we would like to thank them for their patience and support during this time.”

“We are blessed to be able to work with such a great group of people that are as passionate about motorsport as we are and we are looking forward to seeing everyone at the track again soon.”

Further details regarding race formats for each round will be announced in the coming weeks.

*Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup – 2020 Revised Calendar

Winton Motor Raceway                   July 18-19

Sydney Motorsport Park                 August 15 -16

Townsville                                          August 29-30

Sandown Raceway                            September 19-20

Bathurst 1000                                    October 8-11

*All events on the revised calendar are subject to change. Both Porsche Cars Australia and Supercars will ensure that all events are compliant with appropriate State, Territory and Federal regulations as they continue to be updated in response to COVID-19 and otherwise. The stringent guidelines developed by Supercars for each event are based on expert medical advice and the advice of their Australian Government partners (as well as Motorsport Australia) to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of all teams, drivers and officials.

Evans and Love return to real racetracks as the Supercup calendar revs up again

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, 2020 season preview

The enforced timeout from racing is over: On 5 July 2020, the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup makes a belated start to the season at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. And the programme is packed: Eight races within less than ten weeks make up the calendar of the one-make cup featuring 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racing cars. As always, all races are held as support to the FIA Formula One World Championship.

After a second round in Spielberg one week later, teams head to Budapest followed by two consecutive race weekends at Silverstone before travelling to Barcelona (Spain) and on to Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium). The finale is contested at Monza (Italy) on the first weekend in September. Each weekend features a 30-minute sprint race. To prepare for the most compact season in the history of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, official tests will be held at the Red Bull Ring on 23-24 June 2020. Porsche also fields a VIP vehicle at selected rounds of the 2020 season.

“Along with Formula 1, we are trailblazers within Europe with our return to the racetracks. This exceptional situation entails a high degree of responsibility. The health measures required to protect everyone involved pose a major challenge, but we have meticulously prepared for them,” says Oliver Schwab, Project Manager of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. “I’m looking forward to a shortened but extremely gripping season. As originally planned, the calendar includes eight races. Despite the difficult situation, the grid line-up is just as strong as in previous years. The sporting value of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is still high.”

The two Porsche Juniors for the 2020 season are the New Zealander Jaxon Evans (BWT Lechner Racing) and Ayhancan Güven (Martinet by Alméras) from Turkey.

“It’s been almost eight months since I last drove the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in Mexico City,” says Evans, who now enters his second season as a Porsche Junior.

“The waiting time has really tested my patience. Words can’t describe how eager I am to finally get into a racing car again. I reckon the 2020 season will be pretty hectic, but I’ve already had a year in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Now I’m driving for another team, but I know all the racetracks so I’m feeling very confident.”

“Over the past months, I’ve been contesting virtual races on a simulator. That was huge fun and great practice,” says Güven, for whom 2020 is his first season as a Porsche Junior. “But now, I can’t wait to drive a real Porsche on a real Grand Prix circuit. The races come in quick succession. I’m anticipating ten weeks of intense pressure. There’ll be no time for recovery or if need be, a mental reboot.”

Joining Evans and Guven is 2019 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Champion, Jordan Love, who announced his Supercup return earlier this month following a freak surfing accident which broke his hip in three places.  All Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup races will again be broadcast on FoxSports in 2020.

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2020 calendar:

5 July – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg (Austria)

12 July – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg (Austria)

19 July – Hungaroring, Budapest (Hungary)

2 August – Silverstone (Great Britain)

9 August – Silverstone (Great Britain)

16 August – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona (Spain)

30 August – Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)

6 September – Autodromo Nazionale Monza (Italy)

Burcher, Payne and Collins share the spoils in Bathurst

Murray increases Championship lead in Porsche PAYCE & MICHELIN Virtual Cup

Following three thrilling iRacing rounds in Europe and the United States, the top Carrera Cup and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge drivers turned their attention to the infamous Mount Panorama Circuit for round four of the Porsche PAYCE & Michelin Virtual Cup.

After amassing seven victories from nine races so far this virtual season, many wondered if Championship leader, Cooper Murray, would continue his winning form in Bathurst.

With both Jaxon Evans and Matt Campbell, sitting out this round after an arduous Virtual 24 Hour Le Mans schedule on the weekend – which saw the German sports car manufacturer claim victory in the GTE Class – Murray was a strong favourite to continue his winning streak.

But after the 20-minute qualifying session early on Monday evening, it was clear that the Melbourne resident’s steepest opposition in this round would be from rising young Formula Ford star, Cody Burcher, as well as New Zealand karting ace Matthew Payne – who had both challenged Murray on separate occasions already this season.

Payne and Burcher would proceed to lock-out the front row for Race 1, recording times more than 0.6 secs faster than Murray and his McElrea Racing teammate, Harri Jones.

There was also an impressive performance in the Pro-Am field by Ashley Seward Motorsport mechanic, Andrew Collins, who qualified in fifth overall on debut – over 1.2 seconds faster than his nearest class rival.

Race 1 would see the top five make a clean start before Burcher overtook the young Kiwi into Quarry corner on the opening lap. With Murray, Jones and Collins in close attendance, the top five cars quickly amassed a 4.5-sec gap over Ollie Shannon and Sam Brabham.

Jones would be the next to lose touch with the leading trio, after swerving to avoid a spinning backmarker. Collins meanwhile, had built-up a commanding lead in the Pro-Am battle over Matthew Belford, David Ryan and John Goodacre.

With five minutes remaining, Burcher and Payne were glued together with Murray just hanging on in third. Jones and Collins, by contrast, were having relatively lonely races, occupying fourth and fifth respectively.

The inevitable contact came between the two young guns in the dying laps though, when Payne nudged Burcher wide into turn two, and sportingly redressed straight away to stay in second position.

Burcher would succumb to the pressure moments later though, out braking himself into the pit straight on the final lap, dropping him to third behind Murray. This left Payne to take a well-earned victory, with the front pair, yet again, crossing the line with less than half a second between them.

Jones and Collins would retain their fourth and fifth positions over the line, while Marc Cini would post his best result of the season with second place in the Pro-Am class, ahead of both Belford and Goodacre.

Payne would make another clean start in Race 2 and take a defensive line to keep Murray behind him on the opening lap. Murray would out-brake himself into The Chase just laps later, dropping the Phase 8 driver down the order.

After gradually building a lead of 1.6secs over Burcher, it was then Payne’s turn to make a mistake from the lead dropping him to tenth position. In the remaining laps, he would recover to fourth with Burcher taking the race win ahead of Jones and Murray.

Collins would repeat his race 1 win ahead of Belford and Sergio Pires in the Pro-Am class, with Belford earning valuable points for his championship fight with Dean Cook.

Jones would make a poor start in Race 3, losing a position to Payne and tangling with Maxwell on the exit of Turn 1. Burcher unfazed by the carnage behind him quickly built a 1.2-second lead, while Payne would overtake Murray for second.

By the halfway mark, only 0.6 seconds split the top three, with Shannon a further 13 seconds back in fourth.

Unlike Collins, Pires and Zalloua had escaped the early carnage to lead the Pro-Am field from both Goodacre and Belford. But the quartet was gradually caught and passed by a recovering Collins in the dying laps of the race. Collins would go onto claim his third class win of the night in convincing fashion, coming home ahead of Goodacre, Pires and Belford.

At the front of the Mobil Pro field, Murray had lost touch with the front pair by the final laps. Burcher then pressured Payne into a mistake exiting The Chase.

This allowed Burcher to take the outside line and undercut Payne onto the pit straight. He would go onto hold this lead until the end of the race, followed home by Payne, Murray, Shannon and Josh Hunt.

All three races from Round 4 in Bathurst will be shown on both the @PorscheMotorsportAU Youtube channel and Facebook page at 20:00 (Melbourne time) on Friday evening.

Results: Round 4, Bathurst  

Race 1

Mobil Pro

1. Matthew Payne
2. Cooper Murray
3. Cody Burcher

Pro-Am

1. Andrew Collins
2. Marc Cini
3. Matthew Belford

Race 2

Mobil Pro

1. Cody Burcher
2. Harri Jones
3. Cooper Murray

Pro-Am

1. Andrew Collins
2. Matthew Belford
3. Sergio Pires

Race 3

Mobil Pro

1. Cody Burcher
2. Matthew Payne
3. Cooper Murray

Pro-Am

1. Andrew Collins
2. John Goodacre
3. Sergio Pires

Porsche wins GTE class at the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans

Race GTE, virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, France

The newly founded Porsche Esports Team has won the first edition of the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the hands of works driver Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Porsche-Junior Ayhancan Güven (Turkey) as well as the professional sim racers Josh Rogers (Australia) and Tommy Östgaard (Norway), the digital version of the 2017-spec 911 RSR took the flag in first place on the 13.626-kilometre Circuit des 24 Heures after a total of 339 laps. In the GTE class, they crossed the finish line after a flawless marathon sprint twice around the clock with a one-lap lead over the second-placed crew.

Exactly 50 years after Porsche’s first overall victory at the real classic, the quartet now adds to the success of Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood. On June 14, 1970, the German-British duo won the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the wheel of the 917 KH. With a total of 19 overall wins at the endurance season highlight, Porsche has notched up more victories than any other manufacturer to date. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the real Le Mans 24 Hours has been postponed to the 19/20 September.

Porsche tackled the digital event with four virtual 911 RSR. Each car was crewed by two real racing drivers and two esports professionals from the Coanda Simracing team. From the very beginning, the driver crew of the No. 93 car proved particularly competitive. After a strong start for Dempsey-Proton’s No. 88 Porsche 911 RSR, Tandy – the 2015 Le Mans overall winner – handed the car off to Östgaard and after a good four hours, they swept into the lead. Putting in a remarkably steady drive, both Güven and Rogers extended their lead, and not even two pit stops due to technical problems could halt their charge. At around 6.15am with the rising sun, 20-year-old Rogers also turned the fastest race lap in the GTE class in 3:48.203 minutes.

The No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR was also on a steady course for a podium spot, only to have works driver Matt Campbell (Australia), Porsche-Junior Jaxon Evans (New Zealand), Mack Bakkum (Netherlands) and Jeremy Bouteloup (France) fall victim to a server error almost an hour before the end of the race. They reached the finish line ranking 11th in the GTE class.

Another candidate for a top-three finish was the No. 91 car, driven by the two Porsche Formula E works drivers André Lotterer (Germany) and Neel Jani (Switzerland) as well as the American Mitchell de Jong and Martti Pietilä from Finland. After running in the top four until the early hours of the morning, a server problem while changing drivers cost valuable time just as they were about to head into the final third of the race. For them, the digital Le Mans concluded in 12th place.

Bad luck plagued works drivers Simona de Silvestro (Switzerland) and Patrick Pilet (France) as well as sim racers Martin Krönke (Germany) and David Williams (Great Britain). De Silvestro became entangled in an accident after just 30 minutes and fell far down the field. Pilet’s crash midway through the race then threw them out of contention.

Comments on the race
Fritz Enzinger (Vice President Porsche Motorsport): „In the virtual world of racing, as well, meticulous preparation and total concentration over more than 24 hours contributed to this great result. My heartfelt thanks to Marco Ujhasi, the drivers and the entire Porsche Esports Team.“

Pascal Zurlinden (Director Factory Motorsport): “That was a dream weekend for Porsche – what better way is there to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Porsche’s first overall victory at Le Mans than to win the GTE class at the inaugural edition of the virtual 24-hour race? Congratulations to all drivers and particularly to the crew of the No. 93 Porsche 911 RSR. My sincere thanks as well to the fledgling Porsche Esports Team. The hard work of the last days and weeks has paid off. Congratulations as well to the ACO and the WEC for organising such a great event within just a few short weeks. Our endurance fans couldn’t have wished for a better replacement for the originally planned real Le Mans race. This event made us even more eager to tackle the postponed race in September.”

Marco Ujhasi (Manager Esports Porsche Motorsport): “I’m particularly proud that we were able to win as the Porsche Esports Team today. For me and many others, the story behind it began years ago: in 2013 we won Le Mans with the 911 RSR on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911. In 2018, the victory coincided with the ,70 Years of Porsche Sports Cars‘ celebration. And now, exactly 50 years after Porsche’s first overall Le Mans victory, we secured the GTE class win at the inaugural virtual edition. This was not only thanks to the four drivers in the number 93 car but also to a 30-strong team. And we also have to acknowledge our partners, Coanda Simsport and Peter Dimov, the founder of the Virtual Racing School, for this great success. Thank you so much. And now we’ll celebrate. In real-life.”

Nick Tandy (Porsche 911 RSR #93): “This win is balm for the soul. We have some very difficult months behind us. The long break without real racing was and is a real strain for everyone at Porsche Motorsport, as well as for the fans and the drivers. For this reason, the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans was a brilliant initiative to revive motor racing. On this very day five years ago, I climbed to the top step of the podium as the overall Le Mans winner. Now to win the virtual race, it doesn’t get much better!”

Ayhancan Güven (Porsche 911 RSR #93): “That was pretty nerve-wracking in the final hours, I hardly dared to look, but it all went well. Victory feels great, especially since we’ve had some extremely exhausting weeks of preparation. The perfect teamwork paid off, and we deserve this win. We were definitely the fastest GTE vehicle in the field throughout the race. My first win at Le Mans is a virtual one – hopefully, I’ll be able to compete in the real race one day.”

Joshua Rogers (Porsche 911 RSR #93): “I don’t know what to say – we put so much work into this project over the last few weeks. It’s a massive team effort. Our weekend started very well with pole position. This allowed us to keep out of trouble at the start of the race and then we only had to turn our laps. We also managed to avoid mistakes when lapping slower cars and we tried to build on our lead as much as possible. Our strategy worked perfectly.”

Tommy Östgaard (Porsche 911 RSR #93): “This was an incredible race, everything ran perfectly for our car from start to finish. We were unlucky with the two red flags, but we’d prepared for every situation and stayed cool. Everyone at Porsche and Coanda made an incredible effort to ensure we could pull it off in the end. We were the quickest car and we made no mistakes. Once again, Porsche is writing Motorsport history, and I couldn’t be more proud to be part of it.”

Jaxon Evans (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “Wow, what an event – from the intensive four-week preparation window to the final hours of the race itself. It was a privilege to start the race in the #92 Porsche Esports Team entry. We knew we had the speed across all team members to be within podium contention come Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately with 90 minutes remaining, we had a network failure – taking us out of podium contention. Surviving the chaos proved to be difficult, we had everything thrown at us – but we continued to fight on. A massive applause to not only the #92 crew – but everyone behind the scenes!”

André Lotterer (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “I was really excited to contest the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans and was impressed by how realistic it was and also by the new Porsche Esports Team. It was very professional. I learned a lot from the esports world. Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well for us because a few glitches on the sim platform threw a spanner in the works. A podium result would have been within reach. Driving was great fun, although sometimes it wasn’t easy. I think I’d do it again.”

Simona de Silvestro (Porsche 911 RSR #94): “We got off to a good start but unfortunately an ex-Formula 1 world champion shunted me off the track after just 30 minutes. The repairs needed to get us back on track cost us 90 seconds. There was a heavy thunderstorm at my home in Switzerland overnight. The result: my internet connection dropped out and it took me five minutes to get back on the server. We were running far behind when Patrick ended up in the gravel and got stuck. Unfortunately, there are no virtual salvage vehicles in the simulation, so our race ended early. What a shame.”

Result LMP2 class
1. Deletraz/Marciello/Wisniewski/Brzezinski (CH/I/POL/POL), Oreca 07 LMP2, 371 laps
2. Dillmann/Guerrieri/Simoncic/Pedersen (F/ARG/SLO/DK), Oreca 07 LMP2, 371 laps
3. Canapino/Aitken/Arana/Romanidis (ARG/GB/E/GR), Oreca 07 MP2, 371 laps

Result GTE class:
1. Tandy/Güven/Rogers/Östgaard (GB/TR/AUS/N), Porsche 911 RSR, 339 laps
2. Thiim/Westbrook/Sörensen/Biancolilla (DK/GB/DK/I), Aston Martin Vantage, 338 laps
3. Juncadella/Beche/Jajovski/Kappet (E/CH/NMK/EST), Corvette C7.R, 337 laps
5. Pera/Hartog/Francesconi/van Dooren (I/NL/I/NL), Porsche 911 RSR, 337 laps
9. Pereira/Olsen/Neuendorf/Siara (LUX/N/D/POL), Porsche 911 RSR, 335 laps
11. Evans/Campbell/Bakkum/Bouteloup (NZ/AUS/NL/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 333 laps
12. Lotterer/Jani/DeJong/Pietilä (D/CH/USA/FIN), Porsche 911 RSR, 333 laps
16. Hörr/Kolkmann/Giusa/Müller (D/D/D/D), Porsche 911 RSR, 325 laps
DNF Barker/Watson/Maguire/Masciulli (GB/GB/IRL/I), Porsche 911 RSR, 324 laps
DNF Pilet/de Silvestro/Krönke/Williams (F/CH/D/GB), Porsche 911 RSR, 166 laps

Rogers puts Porsche on Pole in qualifying for the virtual Le Mans race

Four Porsche 911 RSRs in front in qualifying for the virtual Le Mans race

The Porsche Esports Team takes up the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans on Saturday from pole position in the GTE-class. After the 20-minute qualifying session, four 911 RSR cars locked out the first four grid spots, with a total of six Porsche cars placed in the top ten. Joshua Rogers clocked the best time on the 13.626-kilometre Circuit des 24 Heures in 3:46.550 minutes.

The Australian topped the time charts in all three sectors, albeit not in the same lap. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old driving the No. 93 RSR relegated his American teammate Mitchell deJong to second place by 0.632 seconds.

The second grid row is occupied by the No. 88 Porsche campaigned by Dempsey-Proton Racing driven by Kevin van Dooren from the Netherlands, and the Frenchman Jeremy Bouteloup in the factory squad’s third 911 RSR.

Bouteloup is paired with Porsche Junior, Jaxon Evans, and Australian Porsche factory driver, Matt Campbell in the #92 911 RSR entry. While David Williams rounds off the result for Porsche with sixth place in the #94 car.

The virtual 24 Hour of Le Mans gets underway on Saturday, 13 June at 3pm (CEST). Each of the four 911 RSR cars in the Porsche factory Esports Team is shared by two professional sim racers and two works drivers, including the three overall winners of the real long-distance classic, Neel Jani (CH), André Lotterer (D) and Nick Tandy (GB).

Motorsport fans can follow the race as a live stream at motorsports.porsche.com, which is supplemented by background reports on the Porsche Esports Team. The Porsche channels on YouTube, Instagram and Twitch offer exclusive behind-the-scenes insights into the paddock of the Porsche works squad. Moreover, the digital race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 24 Hour of Le Mans can be viewed on YouTube, with the Le Mans 24 Hours also shown on Facebook and Twitch.

Qualifying quotes

Marco Ujhasi (Manager Esports at Porsche Motorsport): “What a great start for our fledgling Porsche Esports Team. We worked hard during the past weeks and, thanks to perfect teamwork, we managed to fully incorporate the experiences from the real and virtual racing world. The significantly higher grip conditions didn’t surprise us and enabled this fantastic result in today’s qualifying. Now we’re going to have a virtual dinner together and then we’ll turn our full attention to preparing for the race.”

Joshua Rogers (Porsche 911 RSR #93): “Wow. That was one of the best laps I’ve ever done. I made a few mistakes, particularly in the last chicane. But now I’m on pole, and I even beat my teammate, Mitchell. I couldn’t have expected anything more in the quali. All in all, that was a strong team effort. We’re looking forward to the race. Starting on the front row makes it a little easier but it’s not the be-all and end-all in a 24-hour race.”

Mitchell deJong (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “I’m very happy I could put the number 91 car on second place and to have a front-row Porsche lockout in the GTE class. I’m thrilled that the race gets underway soon with Neel Jani taking the car to the green flag. We’re in a great position to fight for some fantastic results.”

Jeremy Bouteloup (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “Things went okay in the number 92 Porsche Esports 911 RSR. I’m not entirely satisfied with my performance although both of my attempts were decent and safe enough for place four. This is just one small part of the job and we’re looking forward to doing most of it in the race.”

David Williams (Porsche 911 RSR #94): “To lock out the front row and have four cars in the top six overall is an incredible result for the whole team! I was a little conservative on my first run and a bit scrappy on my second but still very happy to put the number 94 car in sixth position for the race.”

Result Porsche participants

1. Joshua Rogers/Nick Tandy/Ayhancan Güven/Tommy Östgaard (AUS/GB/TR/N), Porsche 911 RSR, 3:46,550 min
2. Mitchell DeJong/André Lotterer/Neel Jani/Martin Pietilä (USA/D/CH/FIN), Porsche 911 RSR, 3:47,182 min
3. Kevin van Dooren/Riccardo Pera/Loek Hartog/Michael Francesconi (NL/I/NL/I), Porsche 911 RSR, 3:47,819 min
4. Jeremy Bouteloup/Jaxon Evans/Matt Campbell/Mack Bakkum (F/NZ/AUS/NL), Porsche 911 RSR, 3:47,965 min
5. David Williams/Patrick Pilet/Simona de Silvestro/Martin Krönke (GB/F/CH/D), Porsche 911 RSR, 3:48,213 min
6. Zbigniew Siara/Dylan Pereira/Matteo Cairoli/Tim Neuendorf (POL/LUX/I/D), Porsche 911 RSR, 3:48,897 min
7. Adam Maguire/Ben Barker/Andrew Watson/Eros Masciulli (IRL/GB/GB/I), Porsche 911 RSR, 3:48,931 min
8. Danny Giusa/Laurents Hörr/David Kolkmann/ Lukas Müller (D/D/D/D), Porsche 911 RSR, 3:50,226 min

Bathurst to host Round 4 of Porsche PAYCE & Michelin Virtual Cup

The best local and international Porsche drivers do battle on Mount Panorama

After three thrilling virtual rounds, the country’s best Porsche Mobil Pro and Pro-Am drivers take on the infamous Mount Panorama Circuit on the iRacing platform for Round 4 of the Porsche PAYCE & Michelin Virtual Cup.

At the mid-point of the season, present and former McElrea Racing drivers occupy the top three positions in the Mobil Pro class overall. After six classy victories from the last six races, Cooper Murray has built up a 72-point advantage over Porsche Junior international driver, Jaxon Evans.

Evans has challenged Murray in all three rounds to date, but has not been able to close the gap to the dominant Melbourne resident in the overall leader board.

Murray’s real world teammate, Harri Jones, occupies third spot- a further 63-points behind Evans – with three rounds remaining. With Porsche factory driver, Matt Campbell, unavailable for the Bathurst races on Monday evening – following his participation in the Virtual Le Mans 24-Hour this weekend – the top three are likely to again be challenged by the likes of Callum Hedge and Matthew Payne for race honours.

Others in contention include Christian Pancione and Porsche Asia Pacific regulars Will Bamber and Reid Harker, with the likes of the UK’s Sam Brabham and Bathurst winner, Jono Webb regularly in the top 10.

In the Pro-Am class, Matthew Belford will be looking to replicate the form he showed in Monza last time out and close the gap to the ever-consistent form of Dean Cook and Graham Williams, who share the top two class positions.

Others to watch include John Goodacre and Brett Boulton, having both shown strong pace at various points of the Virtual Cup season so far.

Post-race highlights of each event will be broadcast on Porsche Motorsport Australia social channels, with all three races broadcast on the @PorscheMotorsportAU Facebook and Youtube channels at 20:00 (Melbourne time) on Friday 19 June.

Follow Porsche Motorsport Australia on Facebook and Instagram @PorscheMotorsportAU to keep up-to-date with information about the Porsche PAYCE and MICHELIN Virtual Cup Australia Championship.

Entry list: Round 4 – Bathurst