Season starts in Spa-Francorchamps, new contract with the ADAC GT Masters
The Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland has announced its calendar for the upcoming season and will kick off the 2021 motor racing year in spectacular style: The opening round will be contested as part of the six-hour race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) on the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. In addition, the national one-make cup has extended its contract with the ADAC GT Masters for another two years. As such, the Carrera Cup – contested exclusively with Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars – will compete at six of the GT3 series’ racing weekends next season. One round at the DTM event on the storied circuit in Monza (Italy) rounds off the calendar. Moreover, 2021 marks the fourth year in a row for the racing series’ successful youth development concept: the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Talent Pool.
“Since 2018, most of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland races have been run as part of the ADAC GT Masters. We’re pleased to continue this successful collaboration in 2021. The GT3 series represents high-level motor racing and the organiser has proven to be a reliable partner – even under the current challenging conditions,” says Alexander Pollich, CEO of Porsche Deutschland GmbH. The 32nd season of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland kicks off in Spa-Francorchamps as part of the FIA WEC event. The last time the one-make cup raced on the “Ardennes rollercoaster” was in 2002 on the occasion of the Porsche Anniversary Cup with the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. With the DTM event on the high-speed circuit in Monza as well as the two races as part of the ADAC GT Masters in Spielberg (Austria) and Zandvoort (Netherlands), three venues outside Germany supplement the new calendar. After undergoing extensive modernisation measures, the Formula 1 racetrack close to the Dutch North Sea coast will again host the Carrera Cup. As part of the ADAC GT Masters, races will also be contested at the Nürburgring and the Sachsenring, with the season wrapping up at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg.
In the 2021 season, the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland once again focuses on providing extensive support to talented youngsters and thus positions itself as a training platform for ambitious racing drivers on the road to professional motorsport. “Our goal is to offer talented drivers in the Carrera Cup the best possible support. The Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Talent Pool includes extensive assistance with everything a young driver needs in their training. We’re convinced that we’ll be able to further strengthen our youth development programme in conjunction with the ADAC GT Masters in the future,” says Bastian Schramm, Director Marketing Porsche Deutschland GmbH.
The Carrera Cup Talent Pool programme began in 2018 and includes fitness tests as well as mental and media coaching. Moreover, the young drivers are coached by the seasoned Porsche professional Wolf Henzler, who will on hand at the racetracks to share insider tips. As the best driver from the support programme, Leon Köhler (Germany/T3/HRT Motorsport) concluded the 2020 season in third overall. The 21-year-old was followed by three other talent pool drivers in the final points table: his teammate Laurin Heinrich (Germany), Julian Hanses (Germany/Förch Racing) and Diego Bertonelli (Italy/Fach Auto Tech).
2021 Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland racing calendar
29.04-01.05.2021, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (FIA WEC), races 1+2
14.05-16.05.2021, Oschersleben (ADAC GT Masters), races 3+4
11.06-13.06.2021, Red Bull Ring (ADAC GT Masters), races 5+6
06.08-08.08.2021, Nürburgring (ADAC GT Masters), races 9+10
20.08-22.08.2021, Circuit Zandvoort (ADAC GT Masters), races 11+12
01.10-03.10.2021, Sachsenring (ADAC GT Masters), races 13+14
15.10-17.10.2021, Hockenheim (ADAC GT Masters), races 15+16
tba, Autodromo Nazionale Monza (DTM), races 7+8