This weekend, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup celebrates a milestone at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium: As support to the Belgian Grand Prix (27 to 29 August 2021), the international one-make cup founded in 1993 holds its 300th race. A 32-strong field of ca. 375 kW (510 PS) 992-generation 911 GT3 Cup cars is expected to contest round five of the 2021 season. When it premiered 28 years ago in Imola, Italy, the series 964 model 911 had an output of 202 kW (275 PS).
Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development at Dr. Ing. h.c F. Porsche AG, comments: “One-make series with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup have formed the basis of our customer sport for decades. In the current season, there are a total of 29 series on national level. Additionally, there’s the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at the pinnacle. It’s considered to be one of the toughest racing series where the driver counts above all else. There’s a good reason that the Supercup has proven itself to be an excellent training platform for the Porsche Junior Programme. Many Porsche works drivers, world endurance champions and Le Mans winners have emerged from this. With its 300th race, the Supercup cements its position as one of the longest-lasting one-make cups in the world.”
The very first race of the championship on April 25, 1993, then known as the Porsche Supercup, thrilled Formula 1 fans as part of the San Marino Grand Prix support programme. Germany’s Uwe Alzen crossed the finish line in first place at Imola. Since then, the Cup nine-eleven has made guest appearances on a total of 22 different tracks in 16 countries, covering around 1.4 million kilometres at racing pace. The record champion is Patrick Huisman, the Dutchman won the Supercup title four years in a row in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.
The Grand Prix circuit at Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most popular venues on the Supercup calendar. The different generations of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup have competed there 28 times. The racetrack, which is dubbed the “Ardennes rollercoaster” for good reason, has more than once played a special role in the 28-year history of the Supercup. In 2001, a total of 50 Cup nine-elevens competed against each other at a joint event with the Porsche Supercup and the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Back then, the Frenchman Stéphane Ortelli won ahead of Germany’s Marc Lieb, who later became a Porsche works driver and is now Team Leader Sports Communication at Porsche.
In 2015, Hollywood star Patrick Dempsey (“Grey’s Anatomy”) made a guest appearance at Spa-Francorchamps. The American was one of over 200 drivers to compete in the various VIP nine-elevens, in which celebrities from show business as well as champions from Formula 1, rallying and motorcycle racing got a taste of the Supercup action. In 2016, a young Dutchman in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup attracted attention for the first time on the tradition-steeped Belgian racetrack. Larry ten Voorde will next weekend compete as the reigning champion and current points’ leader.
“This unique combination of ambitious young drivers, experienced VIP guest drivers and enthusiastic ProAms has been one of the secrets to the Supercup’s success since 1993. We can also be proud of the fact that the best teams from the national Porsche Carrera Cups line up on the grid in the Supercup. In the current season, too, this mix ensures a high level of professionalism and exciting races, but at the same time creates an incomparably friendly atmosphere in the pits and in the paddock,” highlights Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
Source. Porsche
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