Maiden win for Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti, title for Larry ten Voorde
Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti celebrated his maiden victory in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at the season finale. The 22-year-old Frenchman relegated his Schumacher CLRT teammate Larry ten Voorde to second place on the Formula 1 circuit in Monza. This position was enough for the Dutchman to clinch the title in the international one-make cup with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for the third time after 2020 and 2021. Overall victory in the Rookie classification went to Dutchman Robert de Haan from the BWT Lechner Racing team. Schumacher CLRT claimed early team champion honours already prior to the eighth race of the season.
A preliminary decision was made in the first few metres of the season finale, when pole-sitter Robert de Haan was unable to defend his position. Championship leader Larry ten Voorde and Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti overtook him immediately after the start. Ghiretti then squeezed past his seasoned teammate on the sixth lap and defended the lead until the chequered flag. “Alessandro was clearly faster than me, he didn’t make a single mistake today,” praised ten Voorde, who ultimately crossed the finish line in second place. “When I tried to overtake him, Larry didn’t really defend. The rest of the race was almost easy for me,” said Ghiretti, who was unfazed by the two restarts following safety car periods.
Third place went to Harry King. Had it been his second win of the season, the Briton could have theoretically taken the title from Larry ten Voorde. “I had already lost this race in qualifying,” admitted King, who had only started from the fifth position. The BWT Lechner Racing team driver accepted the runner-up honours with mixed feelings “Finishing second overall in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and standing on the podium in the final is obviously a great success. But my goal for the season was to win the title,” summarised King.
The title fight in the Rookie classification was decided at the very last minute. The situation was tense already before the race: Championship leader Kas Haverkort, who races for Uniserver by Team GP Elite, had to start from the back of the grid after a problem in qualifying. His compatriot and hottest rival Robert de Haan, on the other hand, started from pole position on the opposite end of the grid. While de Haan soon dropped back to seventh place, Haverkort managed to battle his way up the field with inspired overtaking manoeuvres. With the last lap beginning, the title decision was within reach for both drivers. However, just a few hundred metres before the finish, the 20-year-old became entangled in a collision – finally thwarting his title hopes.
With that, a less-than-ideal weekend ended well for Robert de Haan. “That was perhaps one of my worst Supercup races so far: I started from pole position and only finished seventh,” admitted the 18-year-old. “Of course, I’m proud of the Rookie title. I’ve also learnt a lot, which will hopefully help me in the next Supercup season.” The Rookie podium was rounded out by Italian Francesco Braschi (Dinamic Motorsport) in second place and German Lirim Zendeli (Ombra) in third.
The title in the team classification of the 2024 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup went to Schumacher CLRT. The French outfit competed with champion Larry ten Voorde, Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti and Marvin Klein. The Frenchman also secured a win this season.
“The finale of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup was an impressive experience – and not just because the race was a nail-biter right up until the last lap. It’s fantastic to see talented youngsters so strongly represented in our international one-make cup and competing for victories. The topic of sustainability also falls within my area of responsibility on the Board of Management. That’s why I’m particularly pleased that this aspect of motorsport is now receiving so much attention. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is a trendsetter in this respect with the use of predominantly fully synthetic eFuels. Congratulations to Larry ten Voorde on his third Supercup title as well as to Rookie champion Robert de Haan and to Schumacher CLRT for their overall victory in the team classification,” commented Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, Production and Logistics. He presented the trophies together with Michael Dreiser, Director of Sales Porsche Motorsport, and Cesar Norton, President and CEO HIF Global.
The champion Larry ten Voorde
“I had to work harder for my third title than for the previous two,” said Larry ten Voorde after the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup finale in Monza. He had switched to the Schumacher CLRT team led by French racing driver Côme Ledogar at the start of the season. “Together, we’ve improved from race to race. Handing the guys the title makes me incredibly proud,” summarised ten Voorde.
The 27-year-old Dutchman is the most successful European in the history of all Porsche one-make cups. In addition to three titles (2020, 2021 and 2024) and 14 race wins in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, he has also won the Carrera Cup Deutschland three times, as well as the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia in 2023. Ten Voorde is currently on course for another title in both these series.
He would have never even dreamed of such accolades ten years ago. Back then, his career seemed to have hit a wall: Despite great success in karting, he lacked the financial means to take the next step in his racing career. True to his mantra, ‘never give up’, he kept his head above water by working as an instructor for driver trainings while he studied sports and business communication. After a two-year hiatus, he made his comeback to the racetrack. And what a comeback it was: His overall victory in the 2016 Porsche Sports Cup Deutschland was followed a year later by the Rookie title in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. After his debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Larry ten Voorde won both the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and the Carrera Cup Deutschland in 2020. He defended both titles the following year and became champion in Germany for the third time in the 2023 season.
Result Round 8 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Monza (I)
1. Porsche-Junior Alessandro Ghiretti (F/Schumacher CLRT), 14 laps
2. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Schumacher CLRT), +0.555 seconds
3. Harry King (UK/BWT Lechner Racing), +1.095 seconds
4. Keagan Masters (ZA/Ombra), +1.742 seconds
5. Huub van Eijndhoven (NL/Uniserver by Team GP Elite), +1.373 seconds*
6. Marvin Klein (F/Schumacher CLRT), +2.041 seconds
(*Stewards’ decision: drop of one position in relation to race result)
Final standings Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (after 8 races)
1. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Schumacher CLRT), 168 points
2. Harry King (UK/BWT Lechner Racing), 145 points
3. Marvin Klein (F/Schumacher CLRT), 121 points
Full results and championship standings on the Porsche Motorsport Hub:
https://motorsports.porsche.com/international/en/category/mobil1supercup/