News

PCCF |

New 2020 Calendar

News release , June 4th 2020

In compliance with the motorsport recovery plan presented by the FFSA, as well as governmental directives, the Porsche Carrera Cup France reveals its new calendar of five rounds (10 races), including the opening race of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (17-19 September).

With an eye on the evolution of the global health crisis, the Porsche Carrera Cup France is now able to announce a calendar focused on contributing to the economic revival needed by motorsport participants. The organisation has succeeded in designing a programme that guarantees to excite racing fans, with five rounds for a total of 10 races scheduled between mid-September and early November. The calendar promises an ideal balance between top French circuits and prestigious international destinations.

The Porsche Carrera Cup France drivers will launch the season with two races at Magny-Cours (11-13 September) as part of the FFSA French Circuits Championship. The following round, the run-up to the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans (September 17-19), is sure to be a highlight of the year as always. Then competitors will return to the FFSA French Circuits Championship at the Paul Ricard circuit (2-4 October) for three races and plenty of breathtaking confrontations!

The end of the season will see the 911 GT3 Cup cars cross the border of France, with a first stopover in Belgium at the mythical Spa-Francorchamps track (16-18 October) for two races integrated into the International GT Open. The Barcelona circuit (October 30-November 1), which should have hosted the opening round, will serve as the site of the final races of the 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup France season.

Revised Porsche Carrera Cup France 2020 Calendar
11.09 – 13.09 | GT4 Series – Magny-Cours (Races 1 & 2)
17.09 – 19.09 | 24 Hours of Le Mans – Le Mans (Race 3)
02.10 – 04.10 | GT4 Series – Paul Ricard (Races 4 & 5 & 6)
16.10 – 18.10 | International GT Open – Spa-Francorchamps (Races 7 & 8)
30.10 – 01.11 | International GT Open – Barcelona (Races 9 & 10)

e-SUPERCUP |

Monza

News release, May 18, 2020

From start to finish, the virtual 2020 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season was thrilling! By winning the last two races at the Monza circuit, Larry ten Voorde has won the championship title against his toughest opponent, Ayhancan Güven. In the Pro-Am category, Clement Mateu claimed the second step on the podium. Team GP-Elite won the Teams trophy ahead of Martinet by Alméras and BWT Lechner Racing.

PCCF |

L. Gautier takes stock

Interview, April 23, 2020

The 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup France is shaping up to be the toughest of the last few seasons. Like so many others, the PCCF is waiting for the green light to kick off. Laurie Gautier, head of the Porsche Carrera Cup France, gave this interview to “Endurance-Info.”

Will the format of the Cup races remain the same this 2020 season?

“The format of the races is unchanged this year, but the new feature will be the format of qualifying. We’re going from two 20-minute sessions to one 30-minute session. The best time will define the grid position for Race 1 and the second best time will define the starting position for Race 2.

The aim is twofold, first to improve the performance of the drivers and relieve tyre wear, second to lighten teams’ workload which can be demanding on schedules. Our rounds will therefore consist of two 40-minute free practice sessions, one 30-minute qualifying session and two 30-minute races. The exception will be for the opening race of the 24 Hours of Le Mans which will be a 45-minute race!”

Spa and Barcelona are scheduled for two days. Is track time planned for Thursday or Friday?

“For Spa, we should be able to keep the same format as planned, meaning track time on Thursday, Friday, Saturday. As for Barcelona, we are waiting on information from the organiser.”

How will the 2020 calendar be affected by other championships in relation to the pandemic?

“Given this unprecedented crisis and the multiple date changes, we are trying to maintain these dates relative to the various other championships like the WEC, ELMS, FFSA GT and DTM. In addition to the multiple changes, there is also the fact the Porsche Carrera Cup France cannot clash with the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup because several teams are doing both. As a result, we are waiting for the F1 calendar, particularly the European Grand Prix, to finalise our calendar. Our objective is to maintain a qualitative season for our customers. We are aware that we will have to adapt the championship to ensure their financial security and in consideration of 2021.“

Will the new Cup car still arrive in 2021?

“Porsche Motorsport engineers are working on the 992 GT3 Cup car and Porsche Motorsport will announce its calendar in the coming months.”

France is fortunate to have several French drivers serving as official Porsche drivers. The Cup France is a real talent-spotter. Why do you think that is?

“For the past few years, the Porsche Carrera Cup France has been at a very high level, one of the highest levels of Porsche Carrera Cup in general, for both young professionals and gentlemen drivers. One of the strong points of the championship is the calendar. We have the opportunity to race at the top F1-type European circuits. This is a considerable advantage for our young drivers and a pleasure for our gentlemen. We have some truly beautiful circuits in France, certainly, but we also must listen to our customers. This is why we are committed to a balanced calendar between France and Europe.

This leads to the second strong point, as I said earlier, we are not in conflict with the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup because the objective is to allow young talents to take part in the Supercup and to reach the highest levels of the Porsche industry concerning one-make series. Mathieu Jaminet, Julien Andlauer and Ayhancan Güven have all followed the same itinerary.

In other words, a first year of apprenticeship in Cup France, a second year with the double program to compete against the strongest competition, but with the advantage of knowing the PMSC circuits.

That’s without counting on talent scouts, we are lucky to have Patrick Pilet with us. He plays an essential role in discovering talented individuals for the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme. He accompanies and coaches all the young pros throughout the season. And team managers closely follow the young drivers from their beginnings to recognise their potential, help them evolve in the Carrera Cup and hopefully move on to the rank of official driver.“

e-SUPERCUP |

Silverstone

News release, April 20, 2020

The second virtual round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup was marked by spectacular duels between Ayhancan Güven and Larry ten Voorde!

Starting from pole position, Güven won the first 25-minute race at Silverstone. In the Pro-Am category, Clément Mateu finished second. In Race 2, while in the lead, Güven was forced to overtake a stalled opponent in the final lap. This gave ten Voorde a golden opportunity to seize first position and win the second race of the round. Marvin Klein finished third in the Rookie category. Also noteworthy, official driver and godfather of the PCCF Patrick Pilet finished 13th in Race 1 and 10th in Race 2 for his first stint in e-racing. Güven and ten Voorde share the top spot in the overall standings with 90 points each.

Rendez-vous on 25 April 2020 at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit for the third virtual round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

PCCF |

Le Mans postponed

News release, March, 19, 2020

Due to the global health crisis, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest has decided to delay the 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans from June to 19-20 September. The race prior to the main event is the third round of the 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup France. The PCCF team is actively working on a new calendar and will keep you informed. Take care of yourself and your loved ones.