The Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East started into its second season during the weekend of the FIA World Endurance Championship final at Bahrain International Circuit, where the three Porsche works drivers, Kévin Estre, André Lotterer, and Laurens Vanthoor, secured the drivers´ title for the Porsche Penske Motorsport Team. Porsche one-make racing has a long and successful tradition in this region: Since its very first start in 2009, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East quickly established itself as the most professional and successful series in the area. In 2019, it was renamed the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, further building on its success.

Then this proof of concept and continuous development over the years stepped up into the beginning of a new era with the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East 2023/2024, which now continues for 2024/2025. Operating from the Bahrain International Circuit, “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East," that provides benefits from an exceptional environment with state-of-the-art motorsport facilities in a great region, the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East is an ideal platform for all local and international racing drivers or professional racing teams to compete and participate in this part of the world.

Based on the highly successful Porsche formula for one-make series racing, the PCCME gives every driver an equal chance to compete, racing in identically constructed Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (type 992) cars. Three different classes, Pro, ProAM and the newly introduced Masters category (purely for amateur participants aged over 40), along with a GCC and Rookie Classification for each race, make it possible for all drivers to compete according to the current level of their racing career.

After two productive days of testing for all competitors, Janne Stiak was fastest in the first free practice. The German rookie finished the session nearly four tenths of a second ahead of his fellow countryman Colin Boenighausen, with James Wallis from Great Britain in P3. Khaled Alahmadi from Saudi Arabia in P4 overall was fastest of the Pro-AM drivers as well as in the GCC category, while Bankcy from Japan topped the new Masters class. In session two, it was Boenighausen to set the fastest time ahead of Alahmadi and Angus Whiteside, another British Pro driver, while Petr Brecka from the Czech Republic was on top of the Masters.

In qualifying, Stiak then set pole position in qualifying for race 1, just 0.047 seconds faster than Colin Boenighausen. Saud Al Saud from Saudi Arabia, with a great performance, made it to P3 overall and P1 both in the Pro-AM and GCC categories, while Petr Brecka again was fastest in the new Masters class. With the second fastest lap of each driver counting for the grid for race 2 on Saturday, it was Boenighausen on pole and Stiak beside him for this race.

Race 1 took place under the bright lights of Bahrain International Circuit on Friday night. After a close fight over the whole distance, Janne Stiak won from pole position, ahead of Boenighausen and Brit James Wallis. In the Pro-Am category, Soeren Spreng had a great start and lead the class until lap 9. But then he made a slight mistake, which Saud Al Saud used to take the lead and later the lass win, P5 overall and also first place in the GCC. Victory in the Masters Class went to Petr Brecka from the Czech Republic. Brecka during the race had to defend hard against Alexandra Vateva, who did a good race in her PCCME debut. The Bulgarian had a spin while trying to overtake, dropped quite far back, but set the fastest lap in the Pro-AM category during her way back to P11 overall.

In the second race on Saturday, pole sitter Boenighausen lost his lead to Stiak on lap 1 in Turn 4, but managed to keep very close and got it back at the end of lap 9 and then pulled away during the last two laps. James Wallis again completed the overall podium. In the Pro-Am category, Saud Al Saud from Saudi Arabia took the class win as well as first place in the GCC, while Soeren Spreng and Thomas Kiefer had to retire after a crash on lap two. Alexandra Vateva from Bulgaria in P3 became the first female driver to make it to the ProAM podium. A big surprise was her fellow countryman Mike Mim, who had started from P14, but made it to P5 overall and to a clear win in the new Masters Class.

Series Head and Promoter Robert Lechner was very happy about the debut of the start of the season:

“We had a great weekend here at BIC, as a support event of the FIA World Endurance Championship final, and were able to provide great racing and entertainment to all our fans and partners. It feels like a great achievement that we have been able to continue the great tradition of racing in this region now with the second season of the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East. We are very thankful for the great reception we always receive in this part of the world. We always feel very welcome and comfortable here.”