Ten seasons of Porsche cup racing in the Benelux
On May 1st, 2013, the teams of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux entered the paddock of Spa-Francorchamps. Among them Speedlover, DVB RACING and other NGT, teams that would help write the first chapter of a championship now in its tenth edition. The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux has meanwhile become the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux and the Porsche 997 MK I and II is of course no longer a question, today that is the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup. But the excitement and spectacle have remained, for both the young wolves and the passionate gentlemen drivers. The tenth season will start on May 6th, where it all began: at the Francorchamps circuit as part of the FIA WEC.
Since 2013, there has been a cup racing in the Benelux with the legendary Porsche 911. What started as the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux, became the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux in 2019. Over the first six years of its existence, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux has grown steadily. With perfectly organized competitions, which were included in prestigious meetings and with starting grids that grew, the Challenge also acquired a solid reputation internationally. “A milestone that resulted in larger starting fields was the organization of “joined events” with the Porsche Carrera Cup France in 2016 and the introduction of the new 991,” explains Rudi Penders, one of the driving forces behind the brand competition. “Through this three-year collaboration, it quickly became clear that with the same equipment, the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux could compete with the Porsche competitions in the neighboring countries.”
Those in charge of Porsche AG were impressed and decided to label the competition with the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux from 2019 onwards. Of course we will still be talking about the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux in 2022.
“It is the fruit of hard work, with a lot of strong partners, professional teams and of course also the motivated drivers”, Rudi Penders continues. “In the meantime, we are already working on the future, 2023 and beyond, because 2022 is of course the tenth season, but not the last. Indeed, over the years, the championship has gotten stronger and stronger. We aim not only at the fit and experienced drivers we find up front and fight for the win, but also at the real enthusiasts who come out in Pro/Am or Am and fight their battle there. Last but not least, there's our talent program that aims to serve as a springboard for young riders aspiring to the top. Besides the track, we have always invested in a strong VIP structure, not only for our partners, but also to create a real Porsche atmosphere.”
That Porsche atmosphere is of course very important during this anniversary season. “That's why we dive into the past and each month we look back at one particular season and one champion. We will start in 2013 with Jeffrey van Hooydonk and end this year with the champion in 2022”, continues Rudi Penders. “We tell the story of the competition itself, the champion and, of course, the evolution of the cars, from the first Porsche 997 GT3 Cup over the two generations of the Porsche 991 GT3 Cup to the current Porsche 992 GT3 Cup, both in word and in image."
The Champions:
2021 Dylan Derdaele
2020 Loek Hartog
2019 Max van Splunten
2018 Ayhancan Güven
2017 Xavier Maassen
2016 Dylan Derdaele
2015 Peter Hoevenaars
2014 Xavier Maassen
2013 Jeffrey Van Hooydonk