We are on the eve of the tenth edition of what is now known as the fastest brand cup in the Benelux or, the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux. On 3 May 2013, Jochen Habets won the very first race of the first season on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit and this weekend the battle for the first victory of the tenth season promises to be a titanic battle, of course on the same circuit in the Belgian Ardennes. The battle is one between the fixed values, including of course the two-time champions Dylan Derdaele and Xavier Maassen, many young talents and some very well-known newcomers.

On May 3, 2013, the starting signal was given for one of the most beautiful motorsport adventures of the past decade. The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux, which has since evolved into one of the Porsche Carrera Cup competitions in the world, has provided a lot of spectacle and high-quality motorsport in recent seasons. On May 6, at 4.25 pm, the light will turn green for the tenth season.

Who will be flagged as the winner on Friday at a little before five o'clock, that's coffee grounds. It is almost certain that the winner will come from the 'Pro' category, although a surprise is never excluded, especially because the weather gods will probably also play their role of significance. In that category we find no fewer than ten participants, with fixed values, young violence and fast newcomers. Credit where credit is due, so we start with the gentlemen who have been racing in the various models of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for quite some time.

Ten candidates for the title

Xavier Maassen (#TeamPGZ by RedAnt Racing) and Dylan Derdaele (Belgium Racing) have each already won two titles and neither of them says no to a third title, they also made that clear in their preview of the season. Other well-known names are Ghislain Cordeel (Team GP Elite) and Sebastian Freymuth (PG Motorsport), as they already took the podium in 2021. Glenn van Parijs (NGT Racing) became vice champion behind Dylan Derdaele in 2021.

Two very well-known names are crossing swords with these established names this season. First up is Maxime Soulet, who will be driving a car from August Racing, a team from French-speaking Belgium making its debut in the competition. We can also expect fireworks from Sam Dejonghe (#TeamPGZ by RedAnt Racing). Last but not least, there are three very young guys who want to leave their mark on this season. Lucas van Eijndhoven (JW Raceservice) is the brother of last year's number three, Huub van Eijndhoven and Rik Koen (PG Motorsport) came straight from F4. And what about the 21-year-old Briton Harry King, the champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain in 2020 and the number three of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in 2021. He does it with Parker Revs Motorsport and was also last season winner of both races at the Red Bull Ring.

As for the young drivers, the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux also sticks to the Talent Pool, in close collaboration with Dirk Werner, a former GT driver with an enormous track record.

A world champion on two wheels

Quality can also be found in the Pro-Am category, with the outgoing champion in the AM category, Jan Lauryssen (Q1 Trackracing), taking on a real Porsche veteran, Koen Wauters (Belgium Racing) and the former cycling world champion, Tom Boonen (#TeamPGZ by RedAnt Racing). Another newcomer is Didier Glorieux (Speedlover), who will certainly want to stand his ground.

And what about the Am category? No fewer than eight drivers will show that gentlemen drivers are real racers, eight drivers of four different nationalities, which further emphasizes the international appearance of the competition. From the Belgian side there are Philippe Wils (Speedlover), Wim Meulders (Speedlover), Stijn Lowette (NGT Racing/ Guest), Luc Vanderfeesten (#TeamPGZ by RedAnt Racing) and Sven van Laere (JW Raceservice). They face opposition from a Dutchman, a Frenchman and a Spaniard, in the person of Jeroen Kreeft (Parker Revs Motorsport), Sebastien Lajoux (DUWO) and Joan Vinyes, who races in the colors of Baporo Motorsport, also a newcomer to the Cup.

“The 2022 edition is the tenth in history and promises to be very strong,” said Olivier Aerts, Series Manager of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux. “In addition, we have once again put together a strong calendar, with the FIA WEC at Spa-Francorchamps, the ADAC GT at Circuit Zandvoort, strong national meetings in Zolder and Assen, and finally the European Le Mans Series at Barcelona and the DTM final in Hockenheim.”

The tenth edition of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux starts this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Spa-Francorchamps