Nailbiting three-way fight for the driver’s title at Supercup finale in Monza
The fight for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup title goes down to the wire between three drivers from three teams at the final round in Monza, Italy. As the championship leader, Luxembourger Dylan Pereira from the BWT Lechner Racing team is the man to beat. He heads to the last race of this year’s international one-make cup with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup holding an 18-point lead over the defending champion Larry ten Voorde. Driving for the GP Elite squad, the Dutchman is just two points ahead of Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich from Germany, who competes for SSR Huber Racing. The Supercup finale gets underway on Sunday (11 September 2022) at 11:50 am CEST.
Dylan Pereira is about 87 race kilometres away from claiming his first Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup title. The Luxembourger travels to the season finale at Monza as the leader of the championship standings. The finale on the storied racetrack runs over 15 laps at 5.793 kilometres each. A lead of 18 points means that even if Larry ten Voorde – who currently ranks second overall – wins, eighth place would be enough for him to take home the title. “I can win it all or I could lose it all – under no circumstances can I afford to retire,” calculates Pereira. The statistics are in his favour: In the past seven races, he has consistently placed fourth or better in the ca. 375 kW (515 PS) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Moreover, Pereira has climbed to the top step of the podium already three times this season.
Number games also influence the tactics of Larry ten Voorde from the Netherlands. “I won six of the last seven races I contested at Monza,” states the defending champion. The most recent was the 2021 finale. “Only victory counts for me on Sunday. There’s nothing I can do about Dylan’s performance, anyway.” A win for ten Voorde, who also claimed the 2020 Supercup title, would be his second of this year’s Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich, who is 20 points behind Pereira, takes a similar view. “A lot can happen in a race on a fast circuit like Monza. Although my chances are slim, I’ve not given up. I’m determined to secure my second win of the season,” says the 20-year-old from Germany.
Roar Lindland heads to the eighth and final race feeling more relaxed than Dylan Pereira: Driving for the Pierre Martinet by Alméras outfit, the Norwegian leads the ProAm classification with a 24-point advantage. Only if Lindland fails to reach the finish line could he be caught by Frenchman Clément Mateu from the CLRT team.
The decisions in the team and rookie categories were already made at the seventh and penultimate race last weekend. In the Dutch seaside town of Zandvoort, BWT Lechner Racing from Austria secured the team title with Denmark’s Bastian Buus taking home the rookie crown.
“I’m looking forward to the finale in Monza and I’m hoping it’ll be a gripping conclusion to the 30th Supercup season. With Dylan Pereira, Larry ten Voorde and Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich we have three drivers chasing the title. These three have delivered the most consistent performances in the past seven races. Each would be a deserving Supercup champion,” comments Oliver Schwab, Project Manager of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (Italy)
Opened in 1922, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in northern Italy is the third oldest permanent racetrack in the world. Originally, the Royal Park just outside Milan was home to a ten-kilometre-long track made up of two sections: a street circuit and an oval with banked corners. This layout resulted in very high speeds, which earned the Autodromo the name “Temple of Speed”. The circuit of today was shortened to 5.793 kilometres and is still one of the world’s fastest racetracks.
The Autodromo is regularely the venue where the highest speeds are achieved in the Supercup. In 2021, Frenchman Marvin Klein set the fastest lap with an average speed of 188.820 km/h.
TV and internet coverage of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
The final round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes off on Sunday (11 September 2022) at 11:50 pm CEST and runs over 15 laps. TV channels Eurosport and Sky Sport provide a live broadcast, with the streaming service f1tv.formula1.com also televising the race. Media and fans can also follow the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup action on the social media networks Twitter (@PorscheSupercup and @PorscheRaces), Instagram (@PorscheSupercup) and Facebook (@PorscheSupercup).
Schedule round 8, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (all times CEST)
Friday, 9 September
11:35 am – 12:20 pm: Practice
Saturday, 10 September
2:30 pm – 3.00 pm: Qualifying
Sunday, 11 September
11:50 am: Race (15 laps)
Points’ standings 2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (after 7 of 8 races)
1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 137 points
2. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 119 points
3. Laurin Heinrich (D/SSR Huber Racing), 117 points
4. Bastian Buus (DK/BWT Lechner Racing), 97 points
5. Harry King (GB/BWT Lechner Racing), 92 points
Full race results and championship standings:
https://motorsports.porsche.com/international/en/category/mobil1supercup/pmsc-2022-results
2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup calendar
22 – 24 April, Imola (Italy)
26 – 29 May, Monte Carlo (Monaco)
01 – 03 July, Silverstone (Great Britain)
08 – 10 July, Spielberg (Austria)
22 – 24 July, Le Castellet (France)
26 – 28 August, Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
02 – 04 September, Zandvoort (Netherlands)
09 – 11 September, Monza (Italy)