Evans promoted to second in Porsche Mobil1 Supercup post-race

Evans keeps his Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup title hopes alive with another podium performance.

The winner of round four of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup was announced not before long after the race had finished. Although the French guest driver Marvin Klein had crossed the finish line first on the Hungaroring, a subsequent technical scrutineering showed that the amount of fuel in the tank of the CLRT team’s 911 GT3 Cup was below the mandatory remainder of two kilograms. As a result, the Stewards of the Meeting disqualified Klein from the race. Thus, victory went to the runner-up, in this case, the current leader of the standings Larry ten Voorde (Team GP Elite) from the Netherlands.

Had the field not completed four laps behind the safety car at a relatively slow speed, Klein may not have made it over the finish line anyway – a situation that speaks against deliberately putting too little fuel into Latorre’s car. “We have no explanation,” said Benjamin Floch, engineer at CLRT. “According to our calculations, we refuelled our two cars identically. And after the race finished, we pumped eight kilos of petrol out of Florian Latorre’s car.”

Larry ten Voorde was not particularly satisfied about his inherited win. “Marvin was clearly the best today, a few kilograms of fuel in the tank would not have made any difference,” he said, paying tribute to the guest driver. With this result, the defending Supercup champion extends his championship lead by 17 points over New Zealander Jaxon Evans (Martinet by Alméras), who took the flag in second place. Third place went to the Frenchman Florian Latorre in the second 911 fielded by CLRT.

Due to a collision, the safety car came out for a few minutes after the first lap so that the marshals could salvage a damaged vehicle. At this point, Larry ten Voorde had already charged from fourth to second place and had settled in behind Marvin Klein. “I took advantage of the fact that Jaxon Evans and Florian Latorre were locked in a battle through the first two corners. This gave me the chance to overtake,” reported the Dutchman.

After taking up the race from second on the grid, Evans was somewhat disgruntled. “Actually, I wanted to reduce my gap to Larry in the overall standings. Unfortunately, that didn’t work,” stated the New Zealander, who currently ranks second overall. Nevertheless, Evans managed to fend off repeated attacks from Latorre over the entire race distance. Ayhancan Güven (BWT Lechner Racing) followed the Frenchman over the line. “After a less than ideal qualifying, I couldn’t really expect much more,” admitted the Porsche Junior from Turkey, who took up the race from the fifth grid spot.

Behind Güven, the two Germans Laurin Heinrich and Leon Köhler took the chequered flag. Both compete for the Nebulus Racing by Huber team. With this result, Heinrich won the rookie classification for the second time in a row. Nicolas Misslin (Lechner Racing Middle East) from Monaco also secured his second straight victory in the ProAm category.

“Gripping races and close qualifying results in the region of thousandths of a second – once again, the Supercup offers plenty of action and variety in the 2021 season. It’s great that spectators are back at the tracks to cheer the drivers on,” said Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, giving a mid-season review.

Next up on the Supercup calendar is one of the fastest races of the season: on the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps from 27 to 29 August 2021.

Race 4 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, 15 laps, Budapest (H)*
1. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite)
2. Jaxon Evans (NZ/Martinet by Alméras)
3. Florian Latorre (F/CLRT)
4. Ayhancan Güven (TR/BWT Lechner Racing)
5. Laurin Heinrich (D/Nebulus Racing by Huber)
6. Leon Köhler (D/Nebulus Racing by Huber)

Overall classification Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup after 4 of 8 races*
1. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 95 points
2. Jaxon Evans (NZ/Martinet by Alméras), 75 points
3. Leon Köhler (D/Nebulus Racing by Huber), 46 points
4. Florian Latorre (F/CLRT), 41 points
5. Dorian Boccolacci (F/Martinet by Alméras), 38 points
6. Laurin Heinrich (D/Nebulus Racing by Huber), 36 points

* Full results and overall classifications:
https://motorsports.porsche.com/usa/en/article/2021/03/12/pmsc-2021-results

Campbell among 12-strong Porsche line-up to tackle the Spa 24 Hours

Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour Preview

With ten customer teams, twelve 911 GT3 R and a total of 40 racing drivers, seven of which are works drivers, Porsche is represented by an impressive line-up at the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race. Hardly any other manufacturer will have more racing cars on the grid of the endurance classic this coming weekend. The legendary event on the 7.004-kilometre “Ardennes rollercoaster” is considered one of the most important GT3 events in the world and counts towards two of this season’s championships: the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC). Porsche is aiming for a hat trick on the Belgian Grand Prix circuit. In 2019, works drivers Michael Christensen (Denmark), Kévin Estre (France) and Richard Lietz (Austria) claimed outright victory in the 911 GT3 R fielded by GPX Racing. Last year, another factory driver trio, Nick Tandy (Great Britain), Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium), won the highlight of the GT3 season, that time with the Rowe Racing squad.

The race
It is a century-old motor racing tradition. The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps has been one of the greatest challenges for drivers from all around the world since 1921. As early as 1924 – just three years after the opening – the first 24-hour race was held in the eastern-most corner of Belgium not far from the German border. At that time, the racetrack measured 14.863 kilometres and ran between the towns of Malmedy, Francorchamps and Stavelot. In 1979, a shorter version was introduced. At 7.004 kilometres and with 21 corners, the storied Grand Prix circuit is still the longest on the Formula 1 calendar. Thanks to the spectacularly steep section Raidillon/Eau Rouge and the downhill passage with the infamous Blanchimont lefthander, the circuit continues to live up to its reputation as the ‘Ardennes rollercoaster’. The tight La Source hairpin at the end of the start-finish straight is one of the slowest corners of the GT3 season.

In the long and illustrious history of this endurance classic, Porsche has so far notched up eight overall victories, the last two in succession. For the Spa-Francorchamps event, drivers and vehicles can earn points towards the IGTC and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup after 6, 12 and 24 hours. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, only a limited number of spectators are allowed to attend the 24-hour race.

An overview of the Porsche teams and drivers
The twelve 911 GT3 R fielded by the Porsche customer teams will tackle the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race in four different class groups. Seven 911 racing cars – each helmed by three drivers – will fight for overall victory in the 25-strong Pro division. Dinamic Motorsport and KCMG each campaign two of the 500+PS Weissach-developed rear-wheel-drive vehicles. The 2019 Spa winner GPX Racing fields one car. For the first time, Rutronik Racing runs a 911 GT3 R with another Porsche entered by Schnabl Engineering. The team known from the Nürburgring-Nordschleife decided at short notice to contest its debut race at the endurance classic. The vehicles fielded by GPX and Schnabl Engineering, the No. 47 car from KCMG and Dinamic No. 54 entry as well as the Porsche of Huber Motorsport and Herberth Motorsport from the Am and Pro-Am classes can also earn points for the manufacturer’s classification of the IGTC.

In the Silver Cup, Allied Racing flies the flag for the sports car manufacturer. In this class, four drivers are permitted per racing car and their FIA status must be no more than ‘Silver’. Simply put, this class is reserved for semi-professionals. With 17 entries expected, this class is the second largest in the starting field.

Fourteen vehicles contest the Pro-Am class. Aside from Herberth Motorsport, ano-ther newcomer campaigns a 911 GT3 R in the long-distance classic: the EBM Giga Racing belongs to Will Bamber and his brother Earl, who claimed overall victory twice at Le Mans in the 919 Hybrid as a Porsche works driver. To be eligible to contest the Pro-Am category, at least two drivers must have “Bronze” status, share the wheel for at least eight hours and spend at least 60 minutes in the cockpit per race quarter.

In the Am Cup reserved exclusively for privateers, Porsche is represented by Huber Motorsport and Hägeli by T2 Racing. In this category, too, four drivers share each cockpit, of which at least three must hold “Bronze” status and the fourth must have no higher than “Silver” status.

Porsche supports its customer teams with engineers and advisors as well as seven works drivers: Kévin Estre and Richard Lietz race for Rutronik, Matt Campbell (Australia) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) fly the colours for GPX Racing. Belgium’s Laurens Vanthoor helms KCMG’s No. 47 car, with Frenchman Romain Dumas driving for Dinamic Motorsport and his compatriot Frédéric Makowiecki for Schnabl Engineering. Moreover, Porsche test driver Lars Kern from Germany provides reinforcement for the Allied Racing squad.

Pro class
Schnabl Engineering (Porsche 911 GT3 R #3)
Michael Christensen (Denmark), Frédéric Makowiecki (France), Dennis Olsen (Norway)
KCMG (Porsche 911 GT3 R #18)
Josh Burdon (Australia), Alexandre Imperatori (Switzerland), Edoardo Liberati (Italy)
Rutronik Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 R #21)
Kévin Estre (France), Richard Lietz (Austria), Sven Müller (Germany)
GPX Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 R #22)
Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Matt Campbell (Australia), Mathieu Jaminet (France)
KCMG (Porsche 911 GT3 R #47)
Maxime Martin (Belgium), Nick Tandy (Great Britain), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium)
Dinamic Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3 R #54)
Klaus Bachler (Austria), Matteo Cairoli (Italy), Christian Engelhart (Germany)
Dinamic Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3 R #56)
Romain Dumas (France), Mikkel O. Pedersen (Denmark), Andrea Rizzoli (Italy)

Silver Cup class
Team Allied Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 R #222)
Julien Apotheloz (Switzerland), Bastian Buus (Denmark), Lars Kern (Germany)

Pro-Am Cup class
EBM Giga Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 R #61)
Will Bamber, Reid Harker (both New Zealand), Adrian Henry D’Silva (Malaysia), Carlos Rivas (Luxembourg)
Herberth Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911)
Daniel Allemann (Switzerland), Antares Au (Great Britain), Alfred Renauer, Robert Renauer (both Germany)

Am-Cup class
Huber Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3 R #23)
Ivan Jacoma, Nicolas Leutwiler (both Switzerland), Nico Menzel, Jacob Schell (both Germany)
Hägeli by T2 Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 R #166)
Marc Basseng, Dennis Busch (both Germany), Pieder Decurtins (Switzerland), Manuel Lauck (Germany)

Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race – all outright victories with Porsche
2020 Tandy / Bamber / Vanthoor (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
2019 Lietz / Christensen / Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
2010 Dumas / J. Bergmeister / Ragginger / Henzler (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
2003 Ortelli / Lieb / Dumas (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
1993 C. Fittipaldi / Jarier / Alzen (Porsche 911 RSR)
1969 Chasseuil / Ballot-Léna (Porsche 911)
1968 Kremer / H. Kelleners / Kauhsen (Porsche 911)
1967 Gaban / Van Assche (Porsche 911)

The schedule (all times CEST)
Thursday, 29 July
10:50 am – 12:20 pm: Free practice
3:45 – 4:45 pm: Pre-Qualifying
8:50 – 9:05 pm: Qualifying 1
9:12 – 9:27 pm: Qualifying 2
9:34 – 9:49 pm: Qualifying 3
9:56 – 10:11 pm: Qualifying 4
10:30 – midnight: Night practice

Friday, 30 July
7:10 – 7:40 pm: Warm Up
7:50 – 8:20 pm: Super Pole

Saturday, 31 July
4:30 pm: Start Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race

Sunday, 1 August
4:30 pm: Finish Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race

Live streaming of the event
The Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours takes off on 31 July at 4:30 pm. A free live stream of the classic is available on the website http://www.intercontinentalgtchallenge.com.

Comments before the race
Sebastian Golz (Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R): “After we won the Spa 24 Hours in 2019 and 2020 with the Porsche 911 GT3 R, expectations are obviously very high. In the past few years, teamwork has been the secret to success. This is precisely what we want to continue perfecting. We have ten teams with twelve cars tackling the Pro, Pro-Am, Silver, and Am categories. Everything is possible on Belgium’s tradition-steeped racetrack. Like at the Nürburgring, the weather conditions can change completely within a very short time. So that’s why we put a lot of emphasis on supporting our customer teams with helpful information at the track. We’ll do our very best to make a hat trick at Spa possible.”

Frédéric Makowiecki (Schnabl Engineering, Porsche 911 GT3 R #3): “Even the lead-up to the Spa race was a bit of a rollercoaster for us. I was supposed to compete for Frikadelli Racing but it was cancelled at the last minute because of the disastrous flooding in the Eifel – a devastating situation in Germany where many lives, livelihoods and homes were lost. Michael Christensen, Dennis Olsen and I now get the chance to contest this 24-hour race with Schnabl Engineering. We’re highly motivated and, we’ll do our absolute utmost – I can promise that. Spa is one of the biggest events of the entire GT3 season. I’ve climbed the podium at this endurance classic in second place, but I’ve not yet won it…”

Kévin Estre (Rutronik Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R #21): “I’m delighted to compete at Spa this year. I have shared a cockpit there with Richard Lietz for the last three years and now Sven Müller is joining us. He’s another very fast guy with a lot of experience. Rutronik is new to the series and to Porsche, but they have very accomplished people, for instance, the team’s sporting director Manuel Reuter. They underlined just how competitive they are at the Nürburgring 24-hour race. The field includes a lot of cars capable of winning and that’ll be super cool. Spa is always a highlight for me – with spectators this year.”

Richard Lietz (Rutronik Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R #21): “The 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps is one of the world’s toughest GT3 races. I know my teammates Kévin Estre and Sven Müller really well, and although Rutronik Racing is new to me, we got to know them at the Spa pre-test. The car should be good. I’m feeling positive about the race. The grid will be packed, so we need to survive the start unscathed. Then let’s see where we stand…”

Matt Campbell (GPX Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R #22): “There’s no doubt that we’re well-positioned with our GPX Racing team – we underlined this with our strong performance at the last GT World Challenge Europe race in Le Castellet. We’re leading the championship so we’re heading to the Spa 24 Hours feeling very confident. The team won there in 2019, so they know how to do it. There’s definitely only one goal for us in Belgium – victory!”

Mathieu Jaminet (GPX Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R #22): “The 24 Hours of Spa is my personal favourite on this year’s racing calendar. The endurance race is the largest GT3 event in the world and an important one in the GT World Challenge Europe. We currently rank first in this championship with our GPX Racing team. A good result in Belgium is critical to increase our chance of claiming the title. Our plan is to be cautious in the first few hours then go all-out for the last four or five hours. Let’s see if that works. In the past two years, a Porsche 911 GT3 R has won Spa. That’s a good omen for us.”

Laurens Vanthoor (KCMG, Porsche 911 GT3 R #47): “The 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps is my home race, so I’m really looking forward to this event. It’s one of the world’s largest GT3 endurance races with strong manufacturers, teams and drivers. The competition this year is extremely exciting and intense. I won here last year, and I’d very much like to repeat that with the KCMG squad and my teammates Nick Tandy and Maxime Martin. Like me, Maxime comes from Belgium – he’s from Wallonia, I’m from Flanders. To date, we’ve always been rivals, but now we’re teaming up. That’ll be great fun.”

Romain Dumas (Dinamic Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R #56): “With almost 60 GT3 vehicles on the track, the Spa 24-hour race will be one of the toughest challenges of the year. I won this race in 2003 and 2010 and I always enjoy competing there. But you never know what you’re going to get in the Ardennes. Bad weather could be advantageous for us. In fact, I’d be happy if it rained. Hopefully, we’ll achieve a good result there.”

Porsche wins GTE-Pro in Round 3 of WEC, with Campbell and Evans fifth in GTE-Am

FIA World Endurance Championship, Race 3, Race GTE, Monza

Porsche has won the Monza round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Kévin Estre from France and Neel Jani from Switzerland crossed the finish line first in the fiercely contested GTE-Pro class at the wheel of the No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR on Italy’s high-speed circuit. For the works driver duo, this was the second win from the third race so far this season after their triumph at the opening round in Belgium. Gianmaria Bruni from Italy and the Austrian Richard Lietz concluded the gripping six-hour race on the home turf of their main rival Ferrari in third place. As the best customer team, Project 1 scored fourth place in the GTE-Am category with the No. 56 Porsche 911 RSR.

“Congratulations to the entire team! The drivers and crew put in an impressive performance. And they achieved this feat under the most difficult conditions because, of course, the disastrous flooding in Germany is on everyone’s mind – especially since employees of our Manthey operations team have also been affected. I can’t thank the crew enough,” concluded Pascal Zurlinden, Director Factory Motorsport. “Thanks to this victory in the home of our main rival Ferrari, we’ve reclaimed the lead in the drivers’ classification and significantly reduced the gap in the manufacturers’ championship. It was the perfect rehearsal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which we’ll tackle with maximum motivation.”

“It’s a great result that we hadn’t expected in this form,” explains Alexander Stehlig, Head of Operations FIA WEC. “I’m really very relieved because we were under pressure after not achieving the desired result at the last race in Portugal. We took up this race knowing full well that Monza was not necessarily ideally suited to the Porsche 911 RSR. So, we set everything up to tap the full potential of what was possible. That worked perfectly. It’s a huge achievement to stand at the top of the podium at Ferrari’s home race in Monza.”

The limited number of spectators permitted to watch the FIA WEC race at the racetrack for the first time after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, worked up a sweat in more ways than one – not only due to the hot temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius but more because of the gripping action and nail-biting fight between Porsche and Ferrari in the GTE-Pro class. At the start, polesitter Kévin Estre successfully fended off the red rivals and, despite the occasional yellow phase, maintained a small gap until the end of his double stint. Neel Jani then became embroiled in several duels, which saw him briefly lose the top spot, only to regain it again with an impressive effort. In the last third of the race, Estre brought home the second win of the season for Porsche thanks to a flawless driving performance, perfect tactics and top teamwork.

Meanwhile, the No. 91 sister car was at times hampered by bad luck in the thrilling race. Gianmaria Bruni put in a strong early pace but was unable to avoid a spinning GTE-Am car shortly before the end of his second stint. In the collision, the Italian’s 911 RSR sustained minor damages to the front. However, Bruni and Richard Lietz managed to hold their own against the second Ferrari and ultimately achieved an important podium result.

Thanks to the second class victory from the third race, Kévin Estre and Neel Jani have reclaimed the lead in the drivers’ championship. In the manufacturers’ classification, Porsche ranks second, just seven points off the lead as they head to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The GTE-Am category also treated fans to action-packed racing to the flag. Norway’s Egidio Perfetti as well as the two Italians Matteo Cairoli and Riccardo Pera were in top form at Monza. The trio sharing the No. 56 Porsche 911 RSR fielded by the Project 1 customer team matched the pace of the leading pack in their class, but ultimately had to settle for fourth place due to a less than ideal pit stop strategy. The German squad’s sister car took the flag in P13. The two vehicles campaigned by Dempsey-Proton Racing concluded the race in positions five and six, with the GR Racing’s 911 finishing on ninth.

Round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) is the highlight of the season: the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 21/22 August. The official test day on the 13.626-kilometre Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans will be held a week before the start of the 89th edition of the endurance classic.

Drivers’ comments on the race
Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “I’m extremely pleased because this win came as a complete surprise. We knew that our 911 RSR was really fast over one lap and we proved this with pole position. But at the same time, we had expected Ferrari to be faster than us over the whole distance. We delivered a flawless race – everyone did. Thanks to blisteringly fast pit stops, our team managed to win critical seconds over the competition. What’s more, we had an ideal strategy and my teammate Neel Jani was in top form. That was one of the toughest WEC races I’ve ever contested.”

Neel Jani (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “Mega! What a race – so gripping and so close. It was such a tough fight against the No. 51 Ferrari. The fact that we won the duel is simply sensational. We never anticipated this, so, of course, this just adds to the joy. This victory gives us huge confidence as we head to the highlight of the season at Le Mans.”

Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “We had a difficult weekend, particularly for some members of our Manthey operations team who were affected by the terrible flooding in their home country. Because of this, we had to change our pit crew slightly. At this point, I’d like to thank our team, who worked under the most difficult conditions this weekend.”

Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “Quite frankly, I expected a little more because our Porsche 911 RSR was perfectly set up and very fast. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to fully implement that in the race. Still, much more important than our position in the rankings is that the victims of the flooding disaster receive as much support as possible.”

Egidio Perfetti (Porsche 911 RSR #56): “For many years I kept hearing that Monza was built for Ferrari. I didn’t believe it until I saw it in today’s race. Although we did our absolute best and fought hard to the end, it just wasn’t enough. It’s a shame. Now we have to analyse whether our tactical approach was correct. On a positive note, we were the fastest Porsche customer car. That was great but I’d have loved to be on the podium at Monza.”

Result GTE-Pro class
1. Estre/Jani (F/CH), Porsche 911 RSR #92, 190 laps
2. Pier Guidi/Calado (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE #51, 190 laps
3. Bruni/Lietz (I/A), Porsche 911 RSR #91, 190 laps
4. Serra/Molina (BR/E), Ferrari 488 GTE #71, 190 laps

Result GTE-Am class
1. Perrodo/Nielsen/Rovera (F/DK/I), Ferrari 488 GTE #83, 187 laps
2. Dalla Lana/Farfus/Gomes (CDN/BR/BR), Aston Martin #97, 87 laps
3. Hoshino/Fujii/Watson (J/J/GB), Aston Martin #33, 187 laps
4. Perfetti/Cairoli/Pera (N/I/I), Porsche 911 RSR #56, 187 laps
5. Ried/Evans/Campbell (D/NZ/AUS), Porsche 911 RSR #77, 186 laps
6. Haryanto/Seefried/Picariello (RI/D/B), Porsche 911 RSR #88, 186 laps
9. Wainwright/Barker/Gamble (GB/GB/GB), Porsche 911 RSR #86, 185 laps
13. Olsen/Buchardt/Root (N/N/USA), Porsche 911 RSR #46, 183 laps

Full results and championship standings on fiawec.alkamelsystems.com

Campbell and Evans team-up for Round 3 of WEC at Monza

Porsche aims to reclaim its world championship lead at Monza

The Porsche works team is well prepared as it travels to round three of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Monza. The high-speed circuit in Italy hosts the world endurance series for the first time. At the six-hour race on July 18, the squad of the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer has a clear goal: the Porsche GT team aims to recapture the top spot of the world championship rankings which it lost at the previous race in Portugal. In the GTE-Pro class for factory teams, Porsche fields two ca. 515 PS 911 RSR. In the GTE-Am category, the customer teams Project 1, Dempsey-Proton Racing and GR Racing campaign a total of five 911 racers.

“At the last race in Portimão, we struggled to find the right use of the tyres. The team looked at the causes and took appropriate measures to avoid something like this happening again,” explains Pascal Zurlinden, Director Factory Motorsport. “We firmly believe that we’ll find our way back to our former competitiveness in time for the Monza race and that we’ll reclaim the championship lead at the home race of our main rival Ferrari in Italy.” After two of six rounds this season, Porsche ranks second in the manufacturer’s classification, just 18 points off the top of the leaderboard.

“We’re all excited about the event on the storied circuit with its very special flair. It’s sure to be a highlight,” says Alexander Stehlig, Head of Operations FIA WEC, as he looks ahead to round three of the season. “Still, we’re facing a major challenge. Our Porsche 911 RSR is particularly strong in the semi-fast and fast corners. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of these passages at Monza. The focus is not on downforce or aerodynamic efficiency, but rather on the sheer top speed and braking performance of the cars. We have to respond to this with a special setup. I’m confident that we’ll be competitive in Monza and score many world championship points.”

The race
The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza has a long and rich history. The first races in the Royal Park were contested as early as 1922, at that time on an oval circuit. The remnants of this are still admired today. The now 5.793-kilometre variant of the circuit with its long straights is geared towards high speeds. Since 1950, a total of 70 Formula 1 Grands Prix have been held on the circuit near the northern Italian metropolis of Milan. The FIA WEC conducted its official tests here prior to the 2017 season – the so-called prologue in Monza. This year, a six-hour race will be held for the first time. As part of the preparations, the Porsche GT Team can draw on data and insights from the customer teams contesting the European Le Mans Series (ELMS). The European endurance series has raced regularly on this spectacular circuit since 2017.

The Porsche GT Team drivers
Sharing driving duties in the No. 91 Porsche 911 RSR are Richard Lietz from Austria and his works driver teammate Gianmaria Bruni. This is the first time the Italian races on home turf with the FIA WEC. The duo currently ranks fourth in the drivers’ championship. Their brand colleagues Kévin Estre and Neel Jani from Switzerland lie second in the world championship. Sharing the cockpit of the No. 92 car, the pair won the season opener in Belgium and has so far posted pole position at all GTE-Pro qualifying sessions in 2021.

The customer teams
Dempsey-Proton Racing fields two Porsche 911 RSR at round three of the WEC season. Works driver Matt Campbell from Australia joins forces in the No. 77 car with the team owner Christian Ried (Germany) and the former Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans from New Zealand. The all-British driver crew Michael Wainwright, Ben Barker and Tom Gamble compete for GR Racing in the No. 86 car. Campbell (2016 Champion), Evans (2018 Champion) and Barker are all former competitors in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia series.
Alessio Picariello from Belgium and Andrew Haryanto from Indonesia helm the No. 88 sister car with Germany’s Marco Seefried. Project 1 campaigns the No. 46 Porsche 911 RSR with Norwegians Anders Burchardt and Dennis Olsen as well as Axcil Jefferies from Britain. In the No. 56 car from the German customer team, Egidio Perfetti from Norway shares driving duties with the two Italians Matteo Cairoli and Riccardo Pera.

The schedule (all times CEST)

Saturday, 17 July
9:30 to 11:00 am – Free practice 2
2:00 to 3:00 pm – Free practice 3
6:00 to 6:10 pm – Qualifying GTE-Pro and GTE-Am

Sunday, 18 July
Noon to 6:00 pm – Race

TV and Internet coverage of the race
For a fee, the official FIA WEC app offers live streaming and live timing.

Drivers’ comments before the race
Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “The Monza race is a home event for my Italian teammate Gimmi, so obviously we have to be at the very front. However, there’s still a lot of work ahead of us. At the last race in Portimão, we had an issue with the tyres. I hope we can find a setup that allows us to turn good and consistent laps. If we succeed in this and we’re spared bad luck with our number 91 car, then everything will be just fine.”

Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “I’m an Italian and I’m competing for Porsche on Ferrari’s home turf in Monza – that’s hugely motivating. The event has a very special meaning for me. It may sound strange, but the truth is: although Monza is a famous track in my home country, I’ve not raced there often. I know the circuit, but not much better than many other motor racing venues in Europe. The anticipation is high and so are the expectations. After failing to achieve the success we’d hoped for with our number 91 car, it’s now time to bring home maximum points.”

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “The excitement is huge for me for various reasons. I immediately liked the track at my first race there in 2009 with the Porsche Carrera Cup France. I also have fond memories of the 2017 prologue there. Thousands of spectators turned up – just to watch the test drives! That was fantastic. What’s more, I think Monza is perfect for WEC races with its different classes. The many straights and the occasional long braking zone make lapping traffic much easier. Plus, Monza is practically a home race for me this year. The circuit is only about 300 kilometres from where I live in Austria. No other racing venue is closer.”

Neel Jani (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “Monza is a classic, old-school racetrack. I really like that. I’m curious to see how the WEC competition will be on this extremely fast circuit. The forecast is for very hot temperatures. I hope we cope okay with the tyres and that we ultimate celebrate a success.”

Army assists Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia teams in Townsville

Travel restrictions saw the Australian Army’s 3rd Brigade stepping in to assist the local motorsport community

Four Army personnel from the Brigade’s 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, based in Townsville lent a helping hand to Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia teams on the weekend in support of the local community. Recent travel restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic limited the number of available pit crew, that Carrera Cup Australia teams could have travel onsite at the Reid Park Circuit for Round 3 of the series and their support was greatly appreciated throughout the Porsche paddock.

The four Army soldiers which included the likes of: Captain Dylan Glasson, Private Scott Bennett, Private Kai Watson and Private Lachlan Gill, assisted the Dutton EMA Motorsport Team, Wall Racing and Sonic Motor Racing Team during the course of the weekend.

A thankful Dutton EMA Motorsport Team Manager, Mathew Nilsson said, “It’s been a challenge for all the teams to be up here this weekend with the Covid situation, unfortunately for ourselves and I’m sure a few other teams up and down the pit lane, using contract labour at events has been difficult as some of those contractors have had to stay at home for obvious reasons and couldn’t run the risk of travelling. My brother-in-law is a Major in the Army here and I gave him a call to see if the Army would be able to assist and the opportunity grew from there. They have been on hand to not only help us, but other teams this weekend. It has been great to share our experiences and knowledge. Thank you to the Army for their support and to the personnel that worked with the teams for their exceptional efforts.”

Dylan Glasson, Captain, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, Australian Army said of the experience, “We were just lucky that one of our officers in command at the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment is family with the engineer at Dutton EMA Motorsport, so they made the call out to see if we wanted to help out and we said absolutely, so here we are assisting Dutton EMA Motorsport and other teams, it’s been absolutely amazing weekend.”

David Wall, Team Owner and driver of Wall Racing Team said, “I had Mathew Nilsson come up at the airport and say that he knew we would be quite short staffed this weekend as our staff had been in quarantine for 15 days on the Gold Coast. We only came with five full-time staff to run two cars, which is very minimal. So we met Kai (Watson) here on Thursday and he’s fitted into the team really well, giving us an extra set of hands. He’s not making the changes on the cars, but is doing everything else he possibly can to help us and it’s been very welcome from our behalf.”

Murray back on top with narrow Townsville round win

Stephen Grove claims Morris Finance Pro-Am victory in Queensland

Stephen Grove claims Morris Finance Pro-Am victory in Queensland

Cameron Hill’s 16-month unbeaten odyssey in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia has come to an end as Cooper Murray edged out the championship leader to claim Round 3 in Townsville.

It was a close-run thing, however, with the round result decided on countback in favour of Murray’s higher finishing position in the final race.

Impressive Michelin Junior Matthew Payne completed a remarkable comeback to finish third overall, his first Carrera Cup podium, while also claiming a race victory in the final sprint.

Things were just as tight in the Morris Finance Pro-Am category, Stephen Grove edging out Geoff Emery by a single point to claim the Round 3 victory.

Grove’s single-digit margin came thanks to the bonus point awarded for pole position, while Dean Cook completed the Townsville Pro-Am podium.

Murray’s pathway to his third Carrera Cup round win was anchored by a measured drive to victory in the Sunday morning Enduro Cup race, where he beat home Hill and Matt Payne following another typically combative affair.

He then trailed Payne home in the third and final race to do just enough to claim the round victory, Hill finishing fourth, behind Aaron Love, to ensure his remarkable three-round winning streak came to an end.

Murray’s win was his first since the Adelaide 500 last February and also reasserted his position at the top of the Michelin Junior standings, over teammate Harri Jones.

“I love it here, been here twice and I’ve won the round twice, it’s an amazing track and it was good that we could come back here this year,” Murray said.

“I know I had to beat Cam in the last race to take the round win, but its great reward for the team and I’m just glad that we’re back on top.”

Payne’s remarkable maiden race win and round podium came in just his third ever Carrera Cup round start, the young Kiwi star making an immediate impact in his rookie season.

“It was an awesome race, I got a great start behind the front row and followed them into turn 1, Cooper looked like he locked up a bit and ran Cam wide and I snuck under him a grabbed second place,” he explained.

“Cooper was really quick, I managed to pull him in, get past and pull a gap from there. I love the track, the car was awesome and very balanced the whole race.

“P1 is a little long time coming for us as we’ve qualified pole twice, so to do this in our third race is just awesome.”

Grove’s path to the Morris Finance Pro-Am win was similar to Murray’s, in that it came via a strong performance in the enduro cup race – the three-time champion winning his class in the 23-lap affair.

He finished second behind Emery in the third race to do enough to claim the overall round result – the 17^th of his Carrera Cup career.

“It was a tough race, but Geoff (Emery) is a great guy to race, he’s got good vision and it’s great to go against him,” Grove said.

“Our weekend was pretty good, I was disappointed I couldn’t push much more in the last race, but to finish in P1 overall is a good result. The good thing is I don’t get back into the (Porsche 911) GT3 R until September so I can just focus on driving this car, so I’m looking forward to next round.”

Sunday’s racing continued the intense theme of the Townsville weekend with the Sunday morning enduro cup race a particularly dramatic affair.

While Murray stormed from fourth to first on the opening lap to claim the lead and ultimately the win, Payne continued his march forward by finishing third from tenth on the grid.

He led home David Russell and Harri Jones, the latter pair among an enormous battle pack that included Michael Almond, Aaron Love – recovering to seventh from the back of the field – Dale Wood, Christian Pancione and Luke Youlden.

There were also several high-profile non-finishers; Craig Lowndes an early out after his car was badly damaged following contact from behind from Simon Fallon at turn two.

Following a safety car and restart, the action was again paused after a huge impact saw Sam Shahin and Adrian Flack removed from the race on the exit of turn three.

Flack had spun exiting the corner, glancing the inside wall before entering the path of Shahin’s car as he tried to negotiate his spinning Pro-Am rival. Both drivers emerged unscathed from the incident, however would fail to start the final race.

That was won by Payne as he marched his way past Cameron Hill early in the race before attacking and passing Murray on lap six to grab a lead he would never lose.

The 18-year-old then edged away from Murray to take the win, Sonic’s Aaron Love splitting the McElrea driver and Cameron Hill to grab third and inadvertently help decide the round result.

Harri Jones was fifth with Dale Wood’s recovery from Race one complete in a fine sixth position aboard his Timken / ASM machine. Russell, Youlden, Wall and Almond completed the 10, while Emery beat Grove and Cook to the Morris Finance Pro-Am race win.

With three rounds of the 2021 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship now complete, Cameron Hill holds an expanded 160-point lead over Cooper Murray, who now sits second.

Harri Jones is third in the standings while David Wall and Aaron Love complete the top five.

Geoff Emery’s strong weekend has him with an 80-point lead in the Morris Finance Pro-Am class, Stephen Grove and Sam Shahin split by just 10 points in second and third, respectively.

The fourth round of the championship is currently scheduled for the Sydney SuperNight event at Sydney Motorsport Park this August 20-22.

Hill extends winning streak to six in dramatic Townsville opener

Stephen Grove returns to claim Morris Finance Pro-Am victory

Cameron Hill has claimed his sixth-straight Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Mobil Pro race win in a dramatic opening sprint on the streets of Townsville.

The championship leader crossed the line trailing Cooper Murray in Saturday’s 17-lap affair, the seventh race of the 2021 season, but was handed the win when Murray was penalised for contact earlier in the race.

Meanwhile, Stephen Grove celebrated his return to the championship with a stunning Morris Finance Pro-Am class race victory after a race-long fight with Sam Shahin and Geoff Emery.

A dramatic early few laps saw Murray and Aaron Love make contact at turn two with Murray subsequently penalised five seconds for his role in the incident – dropping him behind Hill, David Wall and David Russell in the final results.

As such, Hill claimed his sixth-straight race win this season and his seventh from the last eight races. It also ensured the runaway series leader was able to further extend his already substantial championship lead heading towards tomorrow’s two races.

The Canberran becomes just the sixth driver in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia history to win six or more races consecutively, joining an elite group that includes Alex Davison, Craig Baird, Jordan Love and – on two occasions – Jim Richards.

“It was a pretty mental first race for the weekend, we started third which is pretty god seeing that we lacked a bit of pace yesterday in practice, but we tuned the car up for the race,” Hill said.

“Matt stalled in front of me and I only just missed him. From there was obviously a bit more action of front and we found ourselves in the lead briefly, before Cooper got back passed me.

“I then settled into a rhythm and maintained my gap to him. I just focussed on putting myself in good positions that weren’t too high risk and it all fell our way, which is good.”

Grove’s pathway to Morris Finance Pro-Am victory was slightly more straightforward than Murray’s, the three-time class champion pleased with his day’s work.

“I got such a good start and got passed three or four Pro’s but I knew they were going to come through, which made it hard to manage the lead,” Grove said.

“But it was terrific race, it was hot out there, very slippery – I’m just really happy to get the result”

The race was dramatic from the outset as polesitter Matthew Payne stalled at the line, his Team Porsche NZ car stranded as the field took evasive action to evade the young Kiwi.

Payne dropped to last while the remainder of the grid was able to avoid any major contact.

That left Aaron Love, who started second, in the lead with Cooper Murray and Cameron Hill in close company behind.

That status quo would only remain until the fifth lap when Murray dived to the inside at turn two, the McElrea car making contact with the Sonic entry – the impact turning the latter around.

While Love briefly resumed in sixth position, it was short lived with the damage sustained to severe and ultimately forcing the young Michelin Junior to the pit lane and out of the race.

After a brief challenge from Cameron Hill, Murray settled into a steady lead while David Wall and David Russell gained spots to run third and fourth, respectively – only to be promoted one spot each at the end of the race.

Behind them was a heady battle for a spot in the top five, as Michelin Junior Christian Pancione spent much of the race fending off Bathurst legend Craig Lowndes, Michael Almond – celebrating his 150^th race – and a recovering Harri Jones.

Jones had started last after his McElrea Porsche broke a driveshaft in qualifying, but made quick work through the field as he looked to salvage points for his title campaign.

Pancione was able to fend off the Wall Racing car until lap 15 when Lowndes finally worked his way past en route to fifth position.

Pancione finished sixth – equalling his best Carrera Cup race result for the third time – while Jones grabbed seventh at the line.

A late move saw Simon Fallon pass Michael Almond for eighth and ninth on the road while Matthew Payne’s remarkable recovery from his start line stall saw him charge to 10^th.

The battle for the win in Morris Finance Pro-Am was just as competitive as the outright fight as three cars spent much of the race scrapping for the class lead.

Stephen Grove led the duration but was forced to spend much of the last half of the race fending off class leader Sam Shahin and The Bend round winner Geoff Emery in a three-car fight.

They finished in that order, with Dean Cook not far behind in fourth and Marc Cini fifth.

Adrian Flack had run second in the Pro-Am class early in the race, however dropped down the order on lap five to ultimately finish sixth.

Earlier in qualifying, Team Porsche NZ driver Matthew Payne recorded his second-straight Tag Heuer Pole Award following an impressive lap late in the 25-minute qualifying session.

Stephen Grove scored the Tag Heuer Pole Award in the Morris Finance Pro-Am battle, edging out Adrian Flack by 0.1 seconds.

Two races complete third round of this year’s Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia on Sunday at the Townsville street circuit.

The action starts early with the 28-lap Enduro Cup race at 8:40am local time, followed by the third and final race at 12:45pm.

Both races will be shown live on Fox Sports and Kayo, while the third race of the weekend will also be shown live on Channel 7.

Murray, Shahin top practice as Carrera Cup returns to Townsville

Incredible North Queensland form continues for Michelin junior, as Pro-Am battle fires up

Returning to the scene of perhaps his greatest racing triumph yet, Cooper Murray has continued to lead the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia field on the streets of Townsville.

After dominating the 2019 event in the North Queensland city, Murray picked up where he left off today in practice to top a competitive field across a pair of 25-minute practice sessions.

The McElrea Racing driver was the fastest Mobil Pro and Michelin Junior amongst the field, while Morris Finance Pro-Am championship leader Sam Shahin led the way in the always competitive Carrera Cup ‘race within a race’ today.

Murray finished Practice 1 in seventh position but as the track improved so too did the times, the Friday pacesetter ultimately jumping to the top of the charts late in the second session as teams began looking towards qualifying tomorrow morning.

He ultimately led David Russell, Dale Wood and fellow Michelin Junior Matthew Payne on today’s combined leaderboard, set based on the results of the faster second session.

The results also came following a complete rebuild of his car, following his involvement in a substantial crash at the most recent round at The Bend Motorsport Park.

“It’s only practice, tomorrow is pay day, but its positive as we going in the right direction and we’re at the front at the moment and hopefully we back up there tomorrow morning,” Murray said.

“The track has rubbered up a lot from this morning, it’s just hotter than when we were here last time. I’m feeling very comfortable with the car and within the team, I have great confidence with McElrea and know they’ll always provide me the best car and I’ve just got to out there and do my best.”

The ever-consistent David Wall had a productive day, topping the first practice session of the weekend and finishing fifth in the quicker afternoon run.

The Wall Racing team has had a challenging build-up to the weekend after being forced to leave their Sydney base due to the current Covid-19 outbreak in the city.

“It’s been a big three weeks and I was keen to get in the car more than I have ever been,” he said.

“The car was pretty good, we made some changes from when we were here in 2019 and they were all positive and we only ran the one set of tyres in that session.

“There still a few little bits in myself and tweaks in the car, but in general it was a great start to the weekend.”

Aaron Love, championship leader Cameron Hill, Craig Lowndes, Christian Pancione and Nick McBride completed the top-10 in the afternoon session, the group covered by exactly one second.

The Morris Finance Pro-Am results were equally competitive on Friday in Townsville, with another close fight expected this weekend.

Adrian Flack paced the first session in the morning ahead of Sam Shahin and Geoff Emery, while the quicker afternoon blast saw Shahin lead the way – Flack and Dean Cook in close company with Emery fourth.

“The pace is hot and its incredibly hot out there as well, having just come from Adelaide at 8 degrees, I was completely knackered after the session – perhaps I need to put the cool suit on for tomorrow,” Shahin said.

“It’s a fantastic circuit and requires a lot of commitment, the session was genuinely enjoyable and its very competitive field, there is no room for error, you have to be committed all the time.”

Flack was similarly pleased with his results in the opening session as he led the way in practice one.

“Great result for the first practice, it’s good to be back in Townsville and really enjoy the track, so should better as the weekend goes on,” he said.

“The track as per normal always feels really greasy in that first session. But by the end as the Michelin rubber is laid down, it felt nice, so it’s looking good.”

Attention now shifts to Qualifying, the 25-minute dash to set the grid set to commence at 9:55am on Saturday morning.

The last time Carrera Cup raced in Townsville, Roger Lago scored a shock outright pole position, the first Morris Finance Pro-Am driver to do so in the categories long history.

Cooper Murray was the fastest Mobil Pro runner and lined up second.

The opening race of Round 3 is set for a 1:45pm AEST race start and will be shown live on Fox Sports, Kayo and live & free on Channel 7.

FULL RESULTS: Practice at Townsville

Hill eyes fourth consecutive round win in Townsville

Grove rejoins Morris Finance Pro-Am battle

The Reid Park Circuit on the streets of Townsville will host round 3 of the 2021 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia series this weekend. The decision to contest the NTI Townsville 500 event followed an anxious wait for many teams, due to the recent travel restrictions – brought about by outbreaks of the Coronavirus pandemic in many states. As a result of the restrictions still in place for parts of Sydney, Tim Miles, Jackson Walls, Drew Hall and Indiran Padayachee will miss out this round, reducing the field size to 22 cars.

The 127^th round in series history sees Cameron Hill enter as the hot favourite in the Mobil Pro class after his Squadra Bespoke liveried 911 GT3 Cup car set the pace at The Bend Motorsport Park last time out. In the process Hill became just the seventh driver in series history to win three consecutive rounds and should the Canberra resident take the round win again in Queensland this weekend, he would join an illustrious group of drivers including Craig Baird (2008), Jim Richards (2003) and Alex Davison (six-straight across 2003/2004) to ever achieve the feat.

Hill as a result, currently enjoys a healthy lead in the championship from Harri Jones (Helimods) and David Wall (Paynter Dixon / Shannons Insurance). Cooper Murray (Phase 8 / McElrea Racing) currently lies fourth overall and will be hoping to repeat his 2019 clean sweep, which saw him become Carrera Cup Australia’s youngest ever race and round winner.

Others to watch among the 15-strong Mobil Pro field include the likes of Dale Wood, Aaron Love, Nick McBride and Michael Almond – the latter pairing celebrating their 150^th Carrera Cup race starts over the course of the weekend. It will also be interesting to witness how series newcomers Matthew Payne and Kyle Gurton fare among their highly experienced competition which includes the likes of Supercar stars such as Luke Youlden, Craig Lowndes and David Russell.

Stephen Grove will be looking to regain some lost ground on his Morris Finance Pro-Am rivals after not contesting Round 2. Sam Shahin as a result, leads the class for the first time in his career and the South Australian will resume his battle with Geoff Emery, Adrian Flack, Scott Taylor and Marc Cini.

After two practice sessions on the Friday, teams contest a 25-minute qualifying on Saturday morning followed by the first Sprint race that afternoon. A 40-minute Endurance race follows early on Sunday morning before the final race of the weekend on Sunday afternoon. All three races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports, with live free-to-air coverage of both races 1 and 3 also available on Channel 7.

For more Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia news follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

ENTRY LIST: Round 3, NTI Townsville 500 

BROADCAST SCHEDULE: Round 3, NTI Townsville 500 

Saturday 10 July 2021

Qualifying  09:55-10:20 25 mins  Fox Sports 506/Kayo Sports

Race 1       13:45-14:10 17 laps    Fox Sports 506/Kayo Sports/Channel 7

Sunday 11 July 2021

Race 2        08:50-09:30 28 laps Fox Sports 506/Kayo Sports

Race 3        12:45-13:10 17 laps Fox Sports 506/Kayo Sports/Channel 7

Townsville Lap Records

Qualifying – Roger Lago (Lago Racing) 1m13.5702s  2019

Race – Jonny Reid (McElrea Racing) 1m14.0389s  2011

Kyle Gurton joins Dutton EMA Motorsport for Round 3

Gurton steps up from TA2 to Australia’s premier one-make series

The Dutton EMA Motorsport team will welcome up and coming 21-year-old racing driver, Kyle Gurton, to the fledgling Melbourne-based team, headed by ex-Walkinshaw Andretti United Co-Team Principal, Mathew Nilsson.

Gurton hails from Far North Queensland and will contest the highly competitive Mobil Pro class in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, after being a frontrunner in the 2021 Australian Racing Group Trans Am category with the backing of Nuveau Construction and Morris Finance.

Gurton is a graduate of the Australia Formula Ford Championship and will campaign the same Dutton EMA Motorsport 911 GT3 Cup entry, which Ben Stack drove to third position in Morris Finance Pro-Am class in the second race of round 2 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia series earlier this year. Nilsson is looking forward to Stack re-joining the team at future events this year.

Gurton has already conducted a rain interrupted test session at Winton with the team, where he amassed 50 laps to get acquainted with the #74 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991.2 generation) race car.

Watch the video of his first test here: https://youtu.be/0FRAjZNCfgs

Quotes:

Mathew Nilsson, Team Manager, Dutton EMA Motorsport:

“We are really pleased to welcome Kyle to Dutton EMA Motorsport and provide him with the opportunity to race at his home event on the streets of Townsville. Kyle did a great job at the recent test day, adapting quickly to the nuisances of the 911 GT3 Cup car, and we are excited to continue that progress during the event.”

Kyle Gurton, #74, Mobil Pro:

“I am excited to have the opportunity to work with Dutton EMA Motorsport in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia series at the Townsville Supercar event. I look forward to continuing the momentum of a successful test day at Winton and competing against some of the best young drivers in the country.

It is also an honour to represent my hometown and Far North Queensland, and I am appreciative of the local support from Micale Cabinets, Albert’s and Nuveau.”

Round 3 of Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera cup Australia series kicks on Friday 9 July and all three races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports CH 506 and Kayo Sports together with Channel 7 free-to-air coverage of Races 1 and 3 on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Jaxon Evans repeats his 2020 Porsche Mobil1 Supercup win in Spielberg

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 3, Race, Spielberg (Austria)

The Red Bull Ring continues to be good turf for Jaxon Evans: The New Zealander won round three of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup on the Formula 1 circuit in Styria. It was here in 2020 that the Martinet by Alméras driver won his very first race in Porsche’s international one-make cup. Evans swept to the front in the first lap and controlled the 32-strong field over the remainder of the race. At the flag, he held a 0.646-second lead over Luxembourger Dylan Pereira (BWT Lechner Racing), who had taken up the race from pole position. Third place was enough for Larry ten Voorde (Team GP Elite) from the Netherlands to defend his championship lead.

The second Spielberg race within two weekends got off to a turbulent start. Taking up the race from the second grid spot, Evans overtook Pereira shortly after the start when he had to veer into the run-off area in a corner. “The brake balance was perfect in qualifying but wasn’t quite optimal in the race – the front wheels locked up for a second,” said Pereira, explaining his detour. While a vehicle was being salvaged from the gravel trap shortly afterwards, the race officials deployed a safety car. The race had only just gone green again when a similar incident caused another safety car phase. Evans kept his cool after the two restarts and even managed to pull clear of his pursuers. “I was certain that Dylan would have problems with his tyres after his brakes locked up so I wasn’t too worried,” revealed the New Zealander, who has advanced to position two in the standings after his victory.

While Evans and Pereira turned their laps at a respectful distance, a fierce fight for third place unfolded behind them. Defending champion Larry ten Voorde, Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (BWT Lechner Racing) from Turkey and Germany’s Laurin Heinrich (Nebulus Racing by Huber) battled amongst themselves in almost every corner and also switched positions. Güven overtook ten Voorde only to have a puncture knock him out of the three-way fight during the penultimate lap. Ten Voorde managed to fend off Heinrich, who ultimately took the flag in fourth place and won the rookie classification. “I couldn’t do more today,” admitted ten Voorde, the reigning champion and winner of last weekend’s race at the Red Bull Ring. “Ayhancan’s overtaking manoeuvre was superb. If it hadn’t been for the puncture, I’d never had caught him again.”

The ProAm category went to the Monegasque Nicolas Misslin (Lechner Racing Middle East), who shared the podium with Stéphane Denoual (F/Pierre Martinet by Alméras) and the defending ProAm champion Roar Lindland (N/Nebulus Racing by Huber). Hollywood star Michael Fassbender (X-Men, 12 Years a Slave) finished the race on 24th as a guest driver in the ca. 375 kW (515 PS) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. “My goal was to beat the other amateur guest driver Georgios Frangulis to the flag – and I did it,” concluded the German-Irish actor, who normally contests the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) in the Porsche 911 RSR.

The winner’s trophy was presented by Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board, Production and Logistics, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. “It’s fantastic that spectators can now return to the circuits. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup races always have a great atmosphere. As the person responsible for production, I’m thrilled that the teams are very satisfied with the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup,” he commented. “As a sponsor for sustainability with our company, I’m proud that the Supercup is powered by regenerative fuel from renewable sources. Motorsport at Porsche has always brought about innovations that benefit production vehicles. Now, motorsport again has the unique chance to advance key elements not only for the automobile but also for society as a whole. In this regard, Porsche has taken the perfect first step.”

Round four of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will be contested in Budapest, Hungary from 26 to 28 July, 2021.

Race 3 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, 17 laps, Spielberg (A)
1. Jaxon Evans (NZ/Martinet by Alméras), 28:31.966 minutes
2. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), +0.646 seconds
3. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), +4.902 seconds
4. Laurin Heinrich (D/Nebulus Racing by Huber), +5.370 seconds
5. Florian Latorre (F/CLRT), +5.850 seconds
6. Tio Ellinas (CY/Lechner Racing Middle East), +10.890 seconds

Overall classification Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup after 3 of 8 races
1. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 67 points
3. Jaxon Evans (NZ/Martinet by Alméras), 55 points
2. Dorian Boccolacci (F/Martinet by Alméras), 37 points
4. Leon Köhler (D/Nebulus Racing by Huber), 35 points
5. Christopher Zöchling (A/FACH AUTO TECH), 29 points
6. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 25 points

* Full results and overall standings:
https://motorsports.porsche.com/usa/en/article/2021/03/12/pmsc-2021-results

To keep abreast of Jaxon Evans performances in 2021 follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Hollywood star Michael Fassbender joins Jaxon Evans in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 3 Preview, Spielberg

Michael Fassbender will join New Zealander, Jaxon Evans, in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup this weekend. Fassbender has a score to settle in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. In August 2020, the German-Irish actor (X-Men, 12 Years a Slave) made his first guest appearance in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at the Barcelona round of the international one-make cup. At that time, he was the unwitting victim of a race accident and had to retire after a few kilometres. This weekend, Fassbender gets another chance when the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup contests its second round in a row at Spielberg as support to the Austrian Grand Prix (2 to 4 July).

Fassbender, who competes in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) at the wheel of a Porsche 911 RSR and is familiar with the 911 GT3 Cup from testing, explains: “To tackle a one-make series like the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is always a challenge. The competition is stiff. All the drivers are fast, they know the car inside out and can get the best out of it. So, I’m here to learn. Surprisingly, the Supercup drivers are really open to helping. The new 911 GT3 Cup is slightly different to the 911 RSR, which has a more efficient aero. The brakes bite a little more, as well, so I have to adapt.”

Fassbender is impressed by the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup’s strategy of using synthetic fuel made from renewable sources. “I love racing. At the same time I’m aware that we have to care for the environment. Re-fuel, which takes carbon dioxide out of the environment during production, is definitely a step in the right direction.”

A 32-strong field of ca. 375 kW (510 PS) 911 GT3 Cup are expected to contest round three of Porsche’s international one-make cup. Once again, the hot favourite on the 4.318-kilometre Formula 1 circuit is Larry ten Voorde (GP Elite) from the Netherlands. The defending Supercup champion won the first two races of the season as support to the Monaco Grand Prix as well as the Red Bull Ring race last weekend. “Over the past few years, the Spielberg racetrack hasn’t been particularly lucky turf for me. But I’m doing much better there now with the new 911 GT3 Cup. I can thank my team for this. They prepared my car perfectly for the track,” said ten Voorde.

Evans, a two-time Porsche Carrera Cup Champion (2018 – Australia / 2020 – France), is a product of the Porsche Michelin Junior Development Programme in Australia and currently lies third in the standings after round 2, one point behind his Martinet by Almeras teammate, Dorian Boccolacci.

The second Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup race within two weeks at Spielberg takes off on Friday with free practice, with Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s main race both broadcast live on Fox Sports channel 506 and Kayo Sports at 20:45 (AEST).

Complete results and standings: https://motorsports.porsche.com/usa/en/article/2021/03/12/pmsc-2021-results

Calendar adjusted: Silverstone replaced by doubleheader at Monza
Many countries’ current quarantine restrictions for travellers coming from Great Britain have made it necessary to adjust the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup calendar. In liaison with the teams, the originally planned Silverstone event run as support to the British Grand Prix (16 – 18 July 2021) will be replaced with a second race on the final weekend at Monza (10 – 12 September 2021). As a result, the total number of eight races contested this season remains unchanged.

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup relies on Esso Renewable Racing Fuel
Porsche and ExxonMobil are implementing a two-stage strategy in the introduction of renewable fuels in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. This season, the racing vehicles will be powered by a blend of bio-based fuel. This advanced biofuel is obtained from food waste products. Additional components are blended in to enable the required fuel properties and combustion behaviour. In 2022, the next step will be to introduce synthetically manufactured eFuel. This Esso Renewable Racing Fuel is anticipated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85 per cent, when blended to current market fuel standards for today’s passenger vehicles(1). The partnership between Porsche and ExxonMobil aims to gain valuable experiences to find pathways toward potential future consumer adoption.

Broadcast Schedule round 3 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (all times AEST)
Saturday, 3 July
21:25-22:00: Qualifying Fox Sports Ch 506 / Kayo LIVE
Sunday, 4 July
16:00-16:30: Qualifying Fox Sports Ch 506 / Kayo

20:45-21:30: Race (18 laps) Fox Sports Ch 506 / Kayo LIVE

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, overall standings after 2 of 8 races
1. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 50 points
2. Dorian Boccolacci (F/Martinet by Alméras), 31 points
3. Jaxon Evans (NZ/Martinet by Alméras), 30 points
4. Leon Köhler (D/Nebulus Racing by Huber), 27 points
5. Christopher Zöchling (A/FACH AUTO TECH), 23 points
6. Ayhancan Güven (TR/BWT Lechner Racing), 20 points

2021 calendar Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup*
20 – 23 May Monte Carlo (Monaco)
25 – 27 June Spielberg (Austria)
2 – 4 July Spielberg (Austria)
30 July – 1 August Budapest (Hungary)
27 – 29 August Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
3 – 5 September Zandvoort (Netherlands)
10 – 12 September Monza (Italy), two races
* Subject to change

(1) The GHG emissions reduction stated here relates to the comparison of the calculated carbon footprint of product (CFP) for the renewable components in the PMSC race fuel versus a 94 grams CO2e/MJ of EU Renewable Energy Directive II baseline comparator. Emissions reduction of up to 85% from renewable components vs. conventional are based on carbon footprint of product calculations conducted under ISO 14067 methodology, effectively referenced as a well-to-wheels boundary, taking into account the feedstock, production, transportation, and combustion related emissions to manufacture the blend of renewable components mentioned here. A functional unit of 1 MJ of fuels was used for the comparison.

Porsche 911 GT3 R wins Nürburgring 24-Hour race

The Manthey customer team has clinched its seventh outright victory at the Nürburgring 24-hour race.

The Manthey customer team has clinched its seventh outright victory at the Nürburgring 24-hour race. At the 49th edition of the endurance classic, works drivers Kévin Estre from France, Michael Christensen from Denmark and the Italian Matteo Cairoli crossed the finish line in first place at the wheel of the No. 911 Porsche 911 GT3 R. This triumph rounds off the 25th anniversary celebrations of the team from the Eifel. Manthey expanded its accomplishment as the most successful team with the seventh win at the 24-hour race. It was also the 13th victory for a Porsche racing car. The Huber Motorsport customer squad achieved an emphatic win in the Pro-Am class with a 500+PS 911. Bad weather saw the race red-flagged for over 14 hours on Saturday evening. Consequently, the total driving time was only around nine and a half hours.

“Congratulations to the Manthey team. The crew did a flawless job, the drivers gave a terrific show at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R,” said a delighted Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “I’m also particularly pleased about Huber Motorsport’s Pro-Am class win. Our customer teams can be very proud of their achievements. Unfortunately, the strong performance was not always rewarded accordingly, as numerous vehicles had to retire after becoming entangled in other competitors’ accidents.”

The 24-hour race took off on Saturday afternoon in difficult track conditions. Works driver Kévin Estre gave an inspired performance in the Manthey-run Porsche 911 GT3 R on the partly flooded track. Within four laps, the Frenchman had charged through the field from eleventh to the front. The identical vehicles of Rutronik Racing, Huber Motorsport, KCMG, Frikadelli Racing and Falken Motorsports made up many positions until the beginning of the 14-hour break at 9:30 pm. Thick fog was the reason for the interruption. Prior to this, Frikadelli Racing’s No. 30 entry was hampered by bad luck. First, a power steering defect had to be repaired; a little later a damaged differential – the result of a puncture – threw the car out of contention. For the final sprint over three and a half hours, the customer teams lined up the other 911 GT3 R on the grid in promising positions on Sunday morning.

At the restart shortly before midday on Sunday, it was again Kévin Estre who treated around 10,000 spectators in the grandstands to some gripping racing. At the wheel of the so-called “Grello” Porsche 911 GT3 R, the 32-year-old came from sixth place to the front of the field and handed the car off to Michael Christensen in first place. The Dane turned heads with consistently fast laps and maintained the lead in the No. 911 car. Estre successfully fended off all attacks in the last hour of racing to take the flag by a margin of 8.817 seconds. In addition to Estre, Christensen and Cairoli, Lars Kern also competes for the Manthey squad, however the experienced Porsche development driver was unable to contest the race on account of ill health.

The Falken Motorsport team battled for a podium spot to the last lap in the No. 44 car but narrowly missed out on a podium result. Germany’s Sven Müller, the two Austrians Martin Ragginger and Klaus Bachler as well as Alessio Picariello from Belgium finished in fourth place. The No. 33 sister car achieved ninth place. Eighth went to the Porsche 911 GT 3 R fielded by Huber Motorsport with the German drivers Stefan Aust, Philipp Neuffer, Nico Menzel and Marco Seefried. The outfit under team boss Reinhard Huber remained in the top ten over the entire distance and even spent some laps in the lead. In the Pro-Am class, Huber Motorsport was the unchallenged leader.

“A race weekend doesn’t end much better than that,” states Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R. “In the preparation, our customer teams drove from one victory to the next on the Nordschleife, and now this big win at the 24-hour race – simply perfect. This victory is the result of a strong team effort from Manthey, close cooperation with Porsche and open communication between all teams. Thank you to everyone!”

Porsche’s other customer teams experienced less luck. The vehicles campaigned by Frikadelli Racing, KCMG and Rutronik Racing were fast over long distances but were all involved in accidents. The damages sustained forced the vehicles into the pits before the end of the 24-hour race, which ultimately only ran for only nine and a half hours due to the prolonged interruption.

Comments on the race
Nicolas Raeder (Manthey team principal): “We’re incredibly proud that we managed to win the Nürburgring 24-hour race on our 25th anniversary. It was a very short but extremely intense race. We didn’t compete last year and I’d almost forgotten how exciting it is. The team and the Porsche back office worked brilliantly. We didn’t make any mistakes, and that gave us the leading edge in the end.”

Olaf Manthey (Manthey team founder): “2006 was the most emotional victory at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring because it was our first. But this one on our 25th anniversary, I can only say: I love the entire Manthey team and I will never stop loving them!”

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “First I have to catch my breath and take it all in. The race was unusually short and perhaps for this reason it was extremely intense and exhausting. Our car was really strong over the weekend and the team did a flawless job. I’m proud of the Manthey crew. It means a great deal to win in the anniversary year.”

Michael Christensen (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “We worked our way to the front with a mammoth team effort and defended it consequently. Thank you to everyone who made this success possible. I’m incredibly proud of the team, of my teammates Michael and Kévin – and a little bit of myself too.”

Matteo Cairoli (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “This is the most wonderful moment in my life so far! I still have tears of joy in my eyes and I have no words to describe how I feel. Kévin’s drive was simply out of this world. Of course, our victory is a team effort and also Porsche’s but I think Kévin actually achieved something absolutely magical in this race.”

Reinhard Huber (Huber Motorsport team principal): “Last year we competed in two classes and won both. This year we did it again with our Porsche 911 GT3 R in the Pro-Am class and also won the SP7 class. Of course, you always hope for such a result, but when you see it on the official results it’s just incredible.”

Stefan Aust (Porsche 911 GT3 R #23): “That was a tough and very unusual race. Unfortunately, there weren’t even ten hours of real racing so we amateurs couldn’t contribute much. Our professional drivers and our team did a great job. We deserved this victory and we’ll be celebrating accordingly.”

Results for the Porsche 911 GT3 R
1. Estre/Cairoli/Christensen (F/I/DK), Manthey #911
4. Bachler/Ragginger/S. Müller/Picariello (A/A/D/B), Falken Motorsports #44
8. Neuffer/Aust/N. Menzel/Seefried (D/D/D/D), Huber Motorsport #23
9. Bachler/Werner/Preining/Arnold (A/D/A/D), Falken Motorsports #33
22. Pilet/Makowiecki/Martin/Olsen (F/F/B/N), Frikadelli Racing #31
63. Imperatori/Burdon/Liberati/Holzer (CH/AUS/I/D), KCMG #18
DNF. Dumas/Andlauer/L. Vanthoor/T. Müller (F/F/B/D), Rutronik #3
DNF. Jaminet/Tandy/Bamber/Campbell (F/GB/NZ/AUS), Frikadelli Racing #30

Jaxon Evans to tackle the third round of the European Le Mans series this weekend

Evans readies for new ‘Holywood’ racing challenge

NEW ZEALAND racing star Jaxon Evans will grab another opportunity to continue a remarkable 2021 racing season when he tackles the third round of the European Le Mans series this weekend.

Evans, the 2018 Porsche Payner Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Champion and 2020 Carrera Cup France Champion, will line up alongside actor-turned-racer Michael Fassbender and Porsche expert Richard Leitz at the Paul Ricard circuit as a late addition to the Proton Competition squad.

Evans’ races full time for Dempsey-Proton Competition contesting the FIA World Endurance Championship, but also raced in the opening European Le Mans Series (ELMS) round for Proton, where he joined team owner Christian Ried and Gimi Bruni to finish second in Spain.

Proton runs a two-car Porsche team in the European series with Fassbender piloting the sister car to the one Evans’ raced earlier this year.

Originally scheduled for a rare off weekend, Evans’ was called in to replace Fassbender’s regular co-driver Felipe Laser, who is committed to racing at the Nürburgring 24-hour this weekend.

Famous for starring roles in the X-Men and Alien / Prometheus movie franchises, Fassbender is a life-long racing fan and began competing professionally in 2017.

He made his European Le Mans Series debut in 2020 with Proton Competition, while a YouTube Series produced by Porsche called Road to Le Mans has documented his driving career and pathway to the world’s most famous endurance race.

It won’t be the first time that Evans, who hails originally from New Zealand’s South Island, has mixed with Hollywood royalty during his racing adventures; Patrick Dempsey serving as a co-owner of the Dempsey-Proton team in the World Endurance Championship.

The call-up to action in France continues a remarkable string of events for Evans who has firmly settled into life racing at a high level in the European Sportscar and GT scene.

The 24-year-old moved to Europe in 2019 following his success in the 2018 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship – which he won.

He finished 6^th outright in his rookie Porsche Supercup season, before scoring his first win and finishing 4^th in the Covid-19 affected 2020 Season. Doing double-duties last year, Evans also claimed the 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup France Championship.

A switch to the Martinet by Almeras team for 2021 saw Jaxon open his 2021 Supercup account with a fine second position on the streets of Monaco last weekend.

Earlier in the year, Evans paired with Christian Ried and Matt Campbell to finish 3^rd in the LM GTE-AM class in the opening round of the World Endurance Championship at Spa Francorchamps.

A one-off return to Carrera Cup France, in a bid to get miles in the new Type-922 Carrera Cup Car prior to Monaco, saw Evans claim a win and a second in the two races, in addition to his podium finish in the ELMS opener.

Evans, Fassbender and Leitz will be in action at the French track this weekend, with streaming coverage available via the series’ website and social pages.

All of his Porsche Supercup races are broadcast live on Fox Sports & Kayo Sports in Australia, and Spark Sport in New Zealand.

JAXON’S 2021 RECORD BOOK:  

Round 1, European Le Mans Series (Barcelona) 2^nd, LM GTE
Round 2, Porsche Carrera Cup France (Paul Ricard) 1^st Race 1, 2^nd Race 2
Round 1, FIA World Endurance Championship (Spa Francorchamps) 3^rd, LMGTE-AM
Round 2, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (Monaco) 2^nd

Q&A: JAXON EVANS 

This is a great opportunity to get back into the ELMS with Proton Competition. How did it come about?  

“I did the first round of ELMS with Proton, they’re running the two cars, #77 and #93. I was only down to do the first round as a fill in driver, because the Silver, Cooper MacNeil, wasn’t able to make it to America.

“During the Monaco race weekend, I received a message from Christian Ried, the team owner at Proton, asking if I was available for the third round of ELMS. At that stage I thought I was joining him in 77, but then it was obvious to me that there was a date clash with he 24 Hour of Nürburgring this weekend.

I got the message to see if I could join Michael Fassbender, which is a pretty cool opportunity… I made sure I was available for it!

“His usual Silver driver, Felipe Laser who has been with him since he started his road to Le mans, is unavailable as he’s racing in the 24 hour.

“It’s on a circuit I’ve raced at quite a lot now, in French Carrera Cup and some testing, and have tasted success there, so I’m excited to join Michael and Richard Lietz. (Richard) is a funny guy and we’ve been in the same team but never shared a car. He’s another works driver I can learn from and grab some experience while also enjoying it.” 

Monaco one week, co-driving with Michael Fassbender the next.. it’s a pretty surreal thing you’re doing! 

“It’s crazy! Last weekend I was in Monaco, which is the country of the rich and famous, so this weekend to be sharing a car with someone like Michael Fassbender, who has some great A-list movies next to his name, it’s such a cool opportunity.

“In the end he shares the same passion; he’s passionate about racing, he’s got a crew following him around documenting his journey and it’s sort of a pinch yourself moment.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity and I’m just thankful for the chances that have come along in 2021.”

Talking about 2021.. it’s been a huge start to the year with a lot of success..  

“It’s been a busy start to 2021. My two programs locked in at the state of the year were World Endurance championship with proton, sharing a car with Christian Reid and Matt Campbell, which is bucket list stuff for me.

“You get to race at some incredible races and also the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And then there’s the Supercup season.

“To already have some success as well has been great. We finished on the podium in the first round of the year in ELMS, which was exciting, we did a lot of testing with Supercup where we have already been competitive and fast.

“To top things off we were able to stand on the podium in Monaco which to me was probably one of the coolest podiums I’ve had the pleasure of standing on.

“As a driver you always want to win, but even standing there in second it was a great feeling and almost felt like a win. It was a great start with my team, Martinet by Almeras, so we’re really excited and pumped to continue that momentum rolling onto this weekend.”

Thing’s don’t exactly slow down from here though, do they?  

“I’ve got ELMS at Paul Ricard this weekend, then the next weekend is Portimao for the second round of WEC and then there’s back-to-back rounds of Supercup at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

“It’s exciting!”

Campbell to help Porsche customer teams fight for 13th outright victory in Nürburgring 24-hour

Nürburgring 24-hour race, Preview, Nürburgring

Porsche customer teams tackle the Nürburgring 24-hour race with a large contingent of 38 vehicles in ten different classes. The famed Eifel marathon has been contested since 1970 and is considered one of the world’s toughest motor racing challenges. No less than eight Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by six squads take on the top SP9 class to fight for overall victory at the long-distance classic, which gets underway on 5 June at 3:30 pm (CEST).

One lap of the racetrack consists of a 25.378-kilometre combination of the Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit. The odds look good for a Porsche to clinch the 13th win at the Nürburgring.

The customer team Frikadelli Racing has clearly underlined the huge potential of the 500+hp GT3 racer from Weissach with a one-two result at the qualification race. The squad from Barweiler, a village just a stone’s throw from the Nürburgring, campaigns two vehicles helmed by three works drivers from the Porsche squad , including 2016 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Champion, Matt Campbell, as well as five other Nordschleife specialists.

At the 49th edition of the tradition-steeped race, Falken Motorsports also fields a pair of 911 GT3 R, with a driver line-up that includes factory driver Thomas Preining from Austria. The customer teams Huber Motorsport, Rutronik Racing and KCMG each run one GT3 vehicle from Weissach. With six outright victories to its credit, Manthey-Racing is the most successful outfit at the 24-hour marathon in Germany’s hilly Eifel region and competes with the famous yellow and green “Grello” vehicle with the starting number 911. Works driver Kévin Estre from France is one of the drivers for the squad, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Porsche makes up the largest contingent on the grid
Every year, the 24-hour race on the 25.378-kilometre combination of the Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit is a highlight on the Eifel racing calendar. This year, around 125 cars in 24 class divisions have registered. “With almost 40 vehicles on this year’s grid line-up, Porsche is once again the most strongly represented brand. This once again emphasises the trust that customers have in our racing cars and our service,” says Michael Dreiser, Director Motorsport Sales. “We’re absolutely delighted and I’d like to thank them all very much for this. The performance and reliability of the cars are important factors on the way to possible success on the Nordschleife – and the rest is up to the drivers and teams. I’m certain that our customers are well prepared for the tough task ahead.”

“The season couldn’t have started better: three wins from three races,” states Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R, referring to the first two rounds of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS; known as VLN until 2019) as well as the qualification race for the 24-hour classic. “The results clearly show that the work invested by the teams, drivers and Porsche is heading in the right direction. Still, we can’t afford to rest on our laurels. On the contrary: With extra test kilometres and a lot of creative ideas, we travel to the Eifel feeling positive. In conjunction with our experienced customer teams, we’ll do everything we can to continue our winning streak this season.”

Porsche’s history at the 24-hour race
Porsche’s success story at the Eifel classic, which has been held since 1970, has so far included twelve overall victories. In 1976, Fritz Müller, Herbert Hechler and Karl-Heinz Quirin clinched the first victory for the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer at the wheel of a Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0. In the two following years, the 911 Carrera RS proved unbeatable. In 1988, Dören Motorsport was the fastest with a 911 Carrera RSR. Five years later, Konrad Motorsport triumphed. In 2000, Phoenix Racing won with a 911 GT3 R, with Manthey-Racing starting its unprecedented winning streak soon after. From 2006 to 2009, the team from Meuspath near the Nürburgring secured four outright victories in a row. Two more victories followed in 2011 and 2018. Thanks to six overall wins, Manthey-Racing is the most successful squad at the Nürburgring 24-hour race.

An overview of the Porsche teams and drivers (SP9 class)
Rutronik Racing (#3) – Dumas/Andlauer/L. Vanthoor/T. Müller (F/F/B/D)
KCMG (#18) – Imperatori/Burdon/Liberati/Holzer (CH/AUS/I/D)
Huber Motorsport (#23) – Neuffer/Aust/N. Menzel/Seefried (D/D/D/D)
Frikadelli Racing Team (#30) – Jaminet/Tandy/Bamber/Campbell (F/GB/NZ/AUS)
Frikadelli Racing Team (#31) – Pilet/Makowiecki/Martin/Olsen (F/F/B/N)
Falken Motorsports (#33) – Bachler/Werner/Preining/Arnold (A/D/A/D)
Falken Motorsports (#44) – Bachler/Ragginger/S. Müller/Picariello (A/A/D/B)
Manthey-Racing (#911) – Estre/Cairoli/Christensen/Kern (F/I/DK/D)

The schedule (all times CEST)
Thursday, 3 June
12:30 – 2:00 pm: Qualifying 1
8:30 – 11:30 pm: Qualifying 2

Friday, 4 June
3:30 – 4:30 pm: Qualifying 3
6:30 – 8:50 pm: Top Qualifying 1+2

Saturday, 5 June
11:30 am – 12:30 pm: Warmup
3:30 pm: Start 24-hour race

Sunday, 6 June
3:30 pm: Finish 24-hour race

TV and internet coverage of the 24-hour race
Live coverage and timing of all sessions are shown on the website https://www.24h-rennen.de.

Drivers’ comments before the race
Julien Andlauer (Porsche 911 GT3 R #3): “I’ve been racing on the Nordschleife for three years now, but I still lack the experience of many of my teammates. I’m very familiar with the Porsche 911 GT3 R, but I’ve never driven it at the 24-hour Eifel classic before. It’ll be exciting! At the two NLS events and the qualifying race, we collected a lot of data that will help us immensely with the setup for this big highlight. There’s huge excitement, but there’s also respect. I’m still a rookie in this race.”

Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 GT3 R #30): “I’m thrilled that I’m sitting in one of Frikadelli Racing’s extremely well-crewed cars this year. The squad has prepared meticulously for the upcoming 24-hour race and has achieved great successes on the Nordschleife. The car is very well set up and we’re very happy with how things are panning out. Now we want to tap the full potential of the car, the team and the drivers at the highlight of the year.”

Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 911 GT3 R #31): “It’s one of the most beautiful and toughest races on the planet, and I always look forward to it. We’re heading to the 24-hour race very well prepared this year. The two previous outings on the Nordschleife ran perfectly. Frikadelli scored one-two results twice – and we’re keen to repeat this on the first weekend in June. I don’t like to talk about luck when it comes to motor racing, because that’s something you can never rely on in our sport. Still, you need a bit of luck if you want to win on the Nordschleife. A lot can happen in 24 hours on this difficult track, especially with changeable weather conditions and in a field with cars going different speeds. It’s sometimes out of the hands of the teams and drivers. In this special case, it helps to have Lady Luck on your side.”

Thomas Preining (Porsche 911 GT3 R #33): “It’s always full on at the Nürburgring 24-hour race – and I love it! We prepared well at the NLS races and in the subsequent qualifying race and we’re heading into the weekend feeling very confident. Still, compared to the competition, the lead-up to the 24-hour race is more labour-intensive for us. We’re the only team running on Falken tyres, so we’ve had to be responsible for finding the right compounds. That has been our focus over the past few weeks. I expect a very close fight in the top SP9 class.”

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “At last another 24-hour race at the Nürburgring! I couldn’t compete last year because Porsche didn’t send all of the Le Mans drivers to the Eifel. That makes me all the more excited for this year’s event. Our preparation with Manthey-Racing’s Grello went well. We won a race in the endurance series at the Nürburgring and were consistently fast at the other events as well. The competition is really strong – especially when I look at the other Porsche 911 GT3 R in the top class…”

TAG Heuer expands partnership with both Porsche one-make series in Australia

Swiss watchmaker to be the Official Watch and Naming Rights partner for Fastest Lap Awards

Porsche Cars Australia (PCA) is pleased announce that Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer has increased its partnership with the German car brand in Australia, expanding its motorsport involvement across both the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series in 2021.

Together with TAG Heuer’s global partnership with Porsche, Porsche Motorsport and the Porsche Formula E team, domestically the brand will be the Official Watch and Naming Rights partner for the Fastest Lap Champions in both Australian one-make series.

In return, TAG Heuer brand will be featured on the Fastest Lap graphic displayed during the qualifying sessions at seven premier Carrera Cup Australia rounds in 2021. At each of these rounds, the TAG Heuer Pole Position Award will also be presented to camera for the fastest qualifying driver in both the Mobil Pro and Morris Finance Pro-Am classes.

Together with post produced telecast coverage, photo calls and media releases, the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap Award will be presented at both the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Awards nights at the end of year.

The TAG Heuer brand also be included on both the carreracup.com.au and porschesprintchallenge.com.au websites as well as related content on the Porsche Motorsport Australia (@PorscheMortsportAU) social media channels. Porsche Cars Australia will also provide a bespoke driving experience for ten TAG Heuer customers at a tailored Porsche Drive the Range event.

Quotes:

PCA Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy: “This relationship between TAG Heuer and Porsche connects two of the world’s most premium brands and extends across all areas of our business in Australia and abroad. To see that partnership enriched further at a local motorsport level allows not only Porsche, but TAG Heuer to continue their strong heritage in motor racing and both our one-make series in Australia.”

TAG Heuer, General Manager Australia & New Zealand, Van Mulryan:  “We are honoured to strengthen our partnership both globally and locally with Porsche, the alliance which further reinforces our passion and commitment to motor racing. Both brands share an uncompromising commitment to quality and technology, we are excited for what the future holds and look forward to seeing what we will achieve together from this dynamic partnership

The TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph

Carrera as an icon of a name has been associated with Porsche and TAG Heuer for generations – so it was a natural choice for the first creative product collaboration. A tribute to the heritage of two brands, the new chronograph offers a first glimpse at what they can achieve together and is a seamless blend of the Porsche and TAG Heuer universes, reflecting the excellence of both names without diluting the essence of either.

Porsche’s engraved inscription is visible on the bezel and the unmistakable font is also used for the indexes. The Porsche colours of red, black, and grey – which also recall historic Heuer models – are incorporated throughout the watch, and on clear display through the transparent crystal case back is the oscillating mass, which has been redesigned in affectionate tribute to Porsche’s celebrated steering wheel. It is printed with “Porsche” and “TAG Heuer”.

The dial’s asphalt effect, created especially for this watch, expresses a passion for the road, while Arabic numerals suggest the numbers on the dashboard of fine Porsche sportscars. The timepiece is presented either on a soft strap in luxurious calf leather and innovative stitching that echoes the Porsche interior or on an interlocking bracelet reflecting streamlined racing design. At the heart of the timepiece is the in-house Calibre Heuer 02 manufacture movement with an impressive 80-hour power reserve.

Evans takes second in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season opener

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 1, Race, Monte-Carlo (Monaco)

The action-packed opening round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup ended with a convincing win for the reigning champion Larry ten Voorde (Team GP Elite). The Dutchman controlled the twice red-flagged race on the famous street circuit of Monte Carlo and crossed the finish line more than three seconds ahead of New Zealander Jaxon Evans (Martinet by Alméras).

“That was the perfect start to the season,” said the jubilant winner ten Voorde. “I pushed hard in the first few laps to gain an advantage over Jaxon Evans – he’s the guy I feared the most. My tactic worked. Towards the end, I was even able to ease off a bit and control the gap.” Rookie Dorian Boccolacci (Martinet by Alméras) from France fended off repeated attacks from Austria’s Christopher Zöchling (FACH AUTO TECH) to win the gripping duel for position three.

The first race of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, at which the Esso Renewable Racing Fuel produced from regenerative sources was used, got off to a hectic start. After just a few metres, several vehicles collided in the uphill section heading towards the Casino. The race was red-flagged due to the blocked racetrack. Six drivers were unable to restart behind the safety car. Another crash into the barriers shortly after the restart saw the safety car deployed again, this time for one lap.

After each of the two restarts, ten Voorde held on to his lead and proceeded to pull clear of his pursuer Evans by tenths of seconds. In the meantime, the New Zealander eked out an advantage over Boccolacci and Zöchling. Bad luck hampered Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven. While running in position five, the Turkish racing driver had to retire shortly before the finish with technical problems. However, his teammate at BWT Lechner Racing, the Luxembourger Dylan Pereira, launched an impressive charge through the field. After an accident in qualifying, the fastest in Free Practice had to take up the race from P27 – the second to last grid spot. The sports soldier took the flag in eleventh place and was rewarded for his outstanding performance with five championship points.

In addition to ex-Formula 2 driver Boccolacci, who gave a strong debut in Porsche’s international one-make cup with third place, Britain’s Harry King (Parker Revs Racing) and Ludovico Laurini from Italy (Dinamic Motorsport) completed the rookie podium. Victory in the ProAm class went to Frenchman Clément Mateu (Pierre Martinet by Alméras) ahead of Austrian Philipp Sager (Dinamic Motorsport).

“The start of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup’s 29th season couldn’t have been more spectacular. Congratulations to the defending champion Larry ten Voorde on his victory. The race also underlined that some new names will appear in the top group this year,” commented Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

The next venue on the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup calendar is Spielberg, Austria, where two races are held on consecutive weekends. First part of the double-header is the Styrian Grand Prix (25 to 27 June 2021).

Race 1 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, 15 laps, Monte Carlo (MC)
1. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 25.45.487 minutes
2. Jaxon Evans (NZ/ Martinet by Alméras), +3.276 seconds
3. Dorian Boccolacci (F/Martinet by Alméras), +6.610 seconds
4. Christopher Zöchling (A/FACH AUTO TECH), +7.213 seconds
5. Florian Latorre (F/CLRT), +10.043 seconds
6. Leon Köhler (D/Nebulus Racing by Huber), +12.540 seconds