Harry King (18, Maidenhead) has been announced as the Porsche GB 2020 / 2021 Junior at the Porsche Carrera Cup GB ‘Night of Motorsport’ end of season awards. King succeeds 2019 Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion Dan Harper in the role, following in the footsteps of Charlie Eastwood (2016 / 2017) and Josh Webster (2014 / 2015) who have both furthered their careers on the international motorsport stage.
King, the newly-crowned Ginetta GT4 Supercup champion, faced intense competition from three other talented finalists; Luke Browning (17, Kingsley), Louis Foster (16, Odiham), and Lorcan Hanafin (16, Guiseley). All four drivers – chosen from over 40 applicants – were put through a challenging multi-faceted assessment day on- and off-track at Silverstone on Wednesday 30 October. The quartet were evaluated by an expert panel for their technical ability, media aptitude, physical fitness, driving skill and mental approach – each undertaking timed laps in the second-generation 485 hp ‘Type 991’ 911 GT3 Cup.
The Porsche GB Junior role seeks to identify and nurture young racing talent, and offers one of the largest prizes in UK motorsport – including an £85,000 budget contribution per season – to facilitate an entry into the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid. Underlining the effectiveness of the opportunity for career development, over half of the current roster of Porsche factory drivers were previously Juniors.
Outgoing Porsche Carrera Cup GB Junior Dan Harper (2018 / 2019), Charlie Eastwood (2016 / 2017) and Josh Webster (2014 / 2015) each secured championship honours during their time with the programme. 2019 champion Harper is the youngest overall champion in Porsche Carrera Cup GB history, while 2014 victor Webster went on to compete in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and 2017 champion Eastwood has subsequently tasted success in the World Endurance Championship.
James MacNaughton, Motorsport Manager, Porsche Cars GB said: “The competition was incredibly close this year – Harry, Lorcan, Louis and Luke are all established talents with successful careers. It meant that the decision was an incredibly tough one, and came down to the smallest of margins. Each of the finalists would be a very welcome addition to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB grid with a strong chance of success. I hope we see them there in the near future.
“The Porsche GB Junior programme is a proven pathway to international motor racing success, and we have confidence from what we’ve seen that Harry will excel as he looks to replicate the achievements of our previous winners. We are excited about assisting Harry in developing and finessing his skills as a world-class racing driver over the course of his two years with us.”
Traditionally, the first appearance of the new Porsche GB Junior is at Autosport International in January.
Source. Porsche
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