The Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland returns from its winter break: the 34th season gets underway on the spectacular Ardennes rollercoaster of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) from 27 to 29 April. Thanks to its capacity grid of 32 drivers, the start of the season as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC support programme promises some gripping race action. Fans can look forward to two thrilling events with the 375 kW (510 PS) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
“The famous Formula 1 circuit in Spa-Francorchamps is the perfect setting for the start of our season,” says Alexander Pollich, CEO of Porsche Deutschland GmbH. “With young rookies and seasoned one-make cup specialists, the grid line-up promises action-packed racing from the first metres. I’m delighted that ProSieben joins as our new TV partner and offers us a broad platform. With live broadcasts of the DTM and Formula E, two top international series are already part of the channel’s offering.”
As the two-time champion and last year’s runner-up, Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite) now has his sights set on title number three. However, he faces tough competition from Porsche-Junior Bastian Buus (Allied-Racing) from Denmark as well as the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux champion Harry King (United Kingdom/Allied-Racing) and Germany’s Leon Köhler (Huber Racing), who still has a score to settle after claiming third overall in the 2021 season. The two swift Dutch racers Loek Hartog (Team GP Elite) and Morris Schuring (Fach Auto Tech) also belong to the circle of favourites.
In addition to the overall classification, the two Rookie and ProAm categories give drivers the chance to pit themselves against each other. This year, ten talented youngsters from six countries tackle the rookie classification. Among the title aspirants in the ProAm class are Bulgarian Georgi Donchev (ProfilDoors by Huber Racing), Sören Spreng (Germany/GP Elite) and Ahmad Alshehab (CarTech Motorsport Bonk) from Kuwait.
On the media side, the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland repositions itself this year and joins forces with the TV broadcaster ProSieben for the 2023 season. From now on, the “ran racing: Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland” programme will be aired immediately before the DTM races. In this approximately five-minute magazine, TV viewers are treated to fascinating insights and the most important highlights of the series. Moreover, all 16 races will be aired live on http://www.ran.de. The “ran” format was introduced in 1992 and has since broadcast many international sporting events, including the DTM. Moreover, the news channel ntv will continue to televise the programme “PS – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland”.
Drivers and teams can expect a spectacular start to the season in Belgium’s Ardennes. The 7.004-kilometre racetrack of Spa-Francorchamps is famous for its passages Radillon/Eau Rouge, Blanchimont, La Source hairpin and Kemmel straight. However, due to the topography of the region, unpredictable weather has always played a decisive role. The first of the new season’s two races gets the green light this Friday at 3:45 pm with the second round taking off on Saturday at 9:20 am local time. Both races are streamed live on http://www.ran.de, the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Facebook and YouTube channels and the Porsche Motorsport Hub.
Grid line-up of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2023
#4 Georgi Donchev (Bulgaria/ProfilDoors by Huber Racing)
#5 Sören Spreng (Germany/GP Elite)
#6 Vincent Andronaco (Germany/Allied-Racing)
#7 Jasin Ferati (Switzerland/Fach Auto Tech)
#8 Alexander Fach (Switzerland/Fach Auto Tech)
#12 Harri Jones (Australia/Scherer Sport PHX)
#13 Alexander Tauscher (Germany/Huber Racing)
#14 Morris Schuring (Netherlands/Fach Auto Tech)
#19 Harry King (United Kingdom/Allied-Racing)
#22 Matteo Ferrer-Aza (Switzerland/Scherer Sport PHX)
#23 Lukas Ertl (Germany/HP Racing Int. with Huber)
#24 Loek Hartog (Netherlands/Team GP Elite)
#25 Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite)
#27 Ghislain Cordeel (Belgium/GP Elite)
#28 Huub van Eijndhoven (Netherlands/Team GP Elite)
#31 Sebastian Freymuth (Germany/Team Huber Racing)
#34 Theo Oeverhaus (Germany/CarTech Motorsport Bonk)
#40 Janne Stiak (Germany/ID Racing)
#41 Diego Stifter (Germany/ID Racing)
#44 Jonas Greif (Germany/ProfilDoors by Huber Racing)
#54 Michael Essmann (Germany/CarTech Motorsport Bonk)
#55 Lorenzo Ferrari (Italy/Proton Competition)
#65 Kai Pfister (Germany/HRT Performance)
#68 Tim Stender (Germany/HRT Performance)
#69 Holger Harmsen (Germany/HRT Performance)
#77 Leon Köhler (Germany/Huber Racing)
#84 Ahmad Alshehab (Kuwait/CarTech Motorsport Bonk)
#87 Ariel Levi (Israel/Team Huber Racing)
#88 Horst Felix Felbermayr (Austria/Proton Competition)
#92 Luca Rettenbacher (Austria/Huber Racing)
#98 Jan Seyffert (Germany/HP Racing Int. with Huber)
#99 Bastian Buus (Denmark/Allied-Racing)
2023 race calendar Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland
27.04-29.04.2023, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (FIA WEC), races 1+2
10.06-11.06.2023, Hockenheimring (Festival of Dreams), races 3+4
23.06-25.06.2023, Circuit Zandvoort (DTM), races 5+6
04.08-06.08.2023, Nürburgring (DTM), races 7+8
18.08-20.08.2023, DEKRA Lausitzring (DTM), races 9+10
08.09-10.09.2023, Sachsenring (DTM), races 11+12
22.09-24.09.2023, Red Bull Ring (DTM), races 13+14
20.10-22.10.2023, Hockenheimring (DTM), races 15+16
Source. Porsche