Porsche Motorsport will support another talented young driver in the 2020 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
Ayhancan Güven from Turkey will contest the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in 2020 as a Porsche Junior. At the three-day selection process in Portimão in Portugal, the 21-year-old beat eleven other candidates from Carrera Cup series around the world, including Australia’s Jordan Love.
Love has impressed throughout his ascent up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, earning his debut nomination in the Porsche Junior global shootout – after winning both the 2019 Michelin Junior title and clinching the 2019 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Championship on the Gold Coast recently.
He now carries huge momentum into next year with strong opportunities abroad on the horizon.
This year’s Porsche Junior Shootout fielded the strongest field on record, with champions and drivers nominated by their respective national Porsche one-make cups from around the world.
This year was Güven’s second nomination for the shootout earning his nomination as the reigning champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup France. Guven lost out to 2018 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia champion and Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans in 2018, but went onto compete in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup championship this year, claiming both race victories and podiums this season.
Porsche has supported talented young racing drivers since 1997 and helps them on their way up the motorsport career ladder. “For Porsche, it is important to recognise the talents and abilities of drivers and to assist them. The competition in the national one-make cup series is extremely high. This was evident in the shootout this year and underlines how strongly we are positioned in motorsport,” says Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche Motorsport.
“During the shootout at Portimão, the participants were literally checked out from top to toe. We got a comprehensive picture of their physical and mental fitness and also tested their driving skills,” explains Jasmin Steidle-Faas, project manager of the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme.
Güven climbed into a kart at the age of five and was supported by his father, who is also an amateur racer in Turkey. At the age of twelve, the youngster from Istanbul switched to SimRacing and competed for the world’s largest team with today’s Formula 1 drivers Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
At 17, he returned to real motorsport and won several races in Turkey. In 2016, Güven climbed the ladder into international GT racing. The following year he went on to contest the Porsche Carrera Cup France and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux, concluding the latter series as the rookie champion.
In 2018, Güven climbed another rung of the Porsche Motorsport ladder: He took home the championship crown from both the Carrera Cup France and the Carrera Cup Benelux. The following year he contested his maiden season in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, run as part of the Formula 1 support programme.
This year, he again won the Carrera Cup France and concluded his debut Supercup season as runner-up and rookie champion. “That was a strong season and a truly great success for me and Philippe Almeras’s team,” declares Güven.
“It was a great honour to take part in the selection process. When I received the news that I was chosen as the new Porsche Junior I was absolutely thrilled. Being a Porsche Junior is a dream come true. From a very young age I’ve always wanted to win. Coming out on top at the shootout is the greatest victory of my life. I’d like to thank Porsche for the confidence they’ve placed in me,” said Güven.
Porsche traditionally supports two young drivers at the same time: the second driver alongside Güven is Jaxon Evans, who will return as a Porsche Junior in 2020.
As Porsche Juniors, the two receive a sponsorship package that includes 225,000 euros for a season in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. For 2020 they will contest eight rounds at the wheel of a 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.