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PCCF | Safe bets and comebacks, a diverse and exciting calendar

As we reflect on 2023, the focus is already on 2024. With four European destinations and two events in France, the Porsche Carrera Cup France calendar mirrors the championship: thrilling and spectacular. From Barcelona to Portimao, through Paul Ricard or Spa-Francorchamps, the drivers will have exciting playgrounds to compete on.

To endure over time, one must evolve while retaining certain landmarks. The 34th season of the Porsche Carrera Cup France will begin, as always, with official tests. On March 12, participants will not gather at Magny-Cours (Nièvre) but on the Paul Ricard circuit (Var). At Le Castellet, drivers will hit the track to prepare for the opening round.

For the second year in a row, the season will kick off in Catalonia (April 12-14). The Barcelona circuit, the stage for two splendid races filled with battles in all categories, has secured a prominent place in the calendar.

The PCCF will return to the European Endurance Championship paddock a few weeks later at Paul Ricard (May 3-5). In 2024, Le Castellet will not host the finale but the second round of the season.

The third meeting will take place at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) during the SRO Speed Week from June 21 to 23. On the Ardennes rollercoaster, drivers will face a true challenge. Over more than seven kilometers, high speeds and legendary turns will unfold: La Source, Eau Rouge, Le Raidillon, Les Combes, Blanchimont – each with its own story, making this place a mythical location in motorsports. At the end of the last race in Belgium, the first part of the 2024 campaign will be concluded, and the summer break will give way to the Porsche Supercup.

From September 13 to 15, the PCCF will return at Dijon (Bourgogne). The French championships will be celebrated with the FFSA GT4 France. Absent since 2018, the Dijon-Prenois circuit makes a comeback to the calendar.

The end of the season will follow the rhythm of the ELMS. A decade after its last visit, the Cup France goes to Mugello (September 27-29). Since 2013, the French division had not visited the Tuscan track.

Portimao (Portugal) will be the final date on the 2024 program. The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve had already hosted the PCCF finale in 2021. That year, several titles were decided in the last race, some even at a photo finish. With the championship always fiercely contested, it’s a safe bet that the 34th season of the Porsche Carrera Cup France will deliver its verdict at the end of this ultimate meeting on the Portuguese track.

PCCF | Paul Cauhaupé, Junior Porsche Carrera Cup France 2024!

The Junior Porsche Carrera Cup France 2024 is named Paul Cauhaupé. The Toulouse native succeeds Mathys Jaubert (TFT Racing) in the selection honors. At 18, he is about to embark on a new chapter in his career. While Alessandro Ghiretti defended the championship’s colors at the Porsche Junior Shoot-out, the Porsche Carrera Cup France was looking for its new representative.

As is the case every year, the Paul Ricard circuit was the stage for the selection. On November 13 and 14, eight pilots, chosen based on their records, competed to become Mathys Jaubert’s successor. The Junior PCCF 2023 ended his rookie season with honors. Indeed, the TFT Racing pilot secured two podiums overall and finished the rookie championship in second place.

This year, the candidates came from very different backgrounds: Paul Cauhaupé (GT4 European Series), Noé Da Cunha (Caterham Roadsport), Mathieu De Barbuat (LMP3), Marco Gerarduzzi (Porsche Sprint Challenge), Hugo Giraud (Karting), Tim Merieux (Alpine Elf Europa Cup), Mickaël Mota (Ligier JS Cup France), and Owen Tangavelou (FRECA).

For two days, the contenders went through various tests, including sports events, media training, but above all, driving. Behind the wheel of the Porsche 991 GT3 Cup Type 992, the pilots enjoyed multiple sessions on the northern part of the Castellet track. At the end of all these evaluations, Paul Cauhaupé caught the attention of the program’s management. Defeated last year, the 18-year-old now sees the doors of the PCCF open to him.

After a brief stint in karting, the Toulouse native entered motorsport by attending courses at a driving school in an F4, then joining the Mitjet International championship for two meetings. At only 16, Paul entered the Alpine ELF Europa Cup in 2022. In his first full season, he won three times and finished on the podium in the overall standings.

Promoted to the GT4 European Series last year, he is now preparing to discover the Porsche Carrera Cup France. His Junior status offers him personalized support with Porsche driver Patrick Pilet, a €40,000 pre-tax scholarship, a supply of Michelin tires, and the assistance of a partner Porsche Center. All that’s left for him is to hit the track!

Paul Cauhaupé, Junior Porsche Carrera Cup France 2024: “I am very proud to have been selected and happy that this year is the right one, as I had already participated last year. It’s the result of hard work. I prepared much more than in 2022. I am honored to join the Porsche family because it is my favorite brand. My childhood dream was to represent this manufacturer. I will give my best in this new adventure in the Porsche Carrera Cup France.”

PCCF |

Dorian Boccolacci crowned!

Under a bright sun, the 911 GT3 Cup type 992 field put on another high-flying show for the season finale and crowned Dorian Boccolacci for the first time.

Dorian Boccolacci’s (Forestier Racing CLRT) perfect weekend at Monza a fortnight ago had set the tone for his current form, and this final meeting at the Circuit Paul Ricard confirmed it: at the end of the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup France season, the man from Cannes was the strongest on the track, and his two pole positions, each time transformed into success on the fearsome Var track, earned him his first title in the discipline. A distinction he has been chasing for three seasons. A well-deserved triumph, with a total of five wins out of a possible eleven. Marvin Klein (TFT Racing) had a particularly difficult time of it, and his fifth-place finish in Race 1 took away his last hopes, so much so that Alessandro Ghiretti (Martinet by Alméras), Boccolacci’s runner-up on Saturday, was the only one left to challenge him for the title on Sunday. But contact at the first corner with Benjamin Paque (Forestier Racing CLRT) forced him to make a mad dash from the last positions, ending up in eighth place.

Second at the chequered flag in the final race of the year, Benjamin Paque was later penalized for his mistake, but this didn’t stop the eighteen-year-old Belgian, who had finished a fine third on the first day, from taking the Rookie title by a whisker ahead of Mathys Jaubert (TFT Racing). Junior Porsche Carrera Cup France, meanwhile, had gone from strength to strength, to the point of concluding his campaign with a fine absolute second place in the Var! And while Sébastien Poisson’s (ABM) stranglehold on the Am category was such that he was declared champion as early as race 1, the Pro-Am title was decided right down to the final meters of the season’s racing: neck-and-neck in Le Castellet, outgoing champion Jérôme Boullery (Racing Technology) and challenger Marc Guillot (Herrero Racing) continued their tussle on the famous Mistral and Signes bends. Guillot was the first to win, but was demoted to third in class for a false start, just ahead of Boullery, who was also penalized for failing to respect the track limits, so the suspense was palpable at the start of Race 2. But Jérôme Boullery was not to be shaken, using all his experience to pocket another victory, synonymous with a second consecutive Pro-Am title for the Racing Technology driver. It was a fitting conclusion to another Porsche Carrera Cup France season rich in spectacle, emotion and superb on-track confrontations.

PCCF |

Boccolacci on target at Monza!

Following Marvin Klein’s (TFT Racing) one-two finish at the Red Bull Ring, the reaction of title rivals Alessandro Ghiretti (Martinet by Alméras) and Dorian Boccolacci (Forestier Racing CLRT) was eagerly awaited. The Monza track, known as the temple of speed and the scene of the penultimate meeting of the season, provided the ideal setting. Boccolacci made his intentions clear in qualifying, taking the weekend’s two pole positions, before confirming his current excellent form with victory in the inaugural wet race.

Dorian even continued his recital on Sunday, this time under sunny skies, by winning race 2, after having seen his lead reduced by the intervention of the safety car. Combined with his two fastest laps of the race, he achieved a full house from an accounting point of view, and came within just two points of the provisional leader, Alessandro Ghiretti. Alessandro Ghiretti was once again a model of consistency, with another two second places, giving him hope of winning the Porsche Carrera Cup 2023. While this is still mathematically possible, it may be more difficult for Marvin Klein, who had a lacklustre weekend, with fourth and fifth places to his credit, and who saw his deficit widen somewhat.

Indeed, it was young Belgian Benjamin Paque (Forestier Racing CLRT) who completed the podium on the first day, winning the Rookies’ race at the same time, where he also took command of the championship. This was despite the fact that at the end of the second race, he lost the Rookie victory to Mathys Jaubert (TFT Racing). Jaubert had also had his share of bad luck in Race 1 with a wheel nut problem. On Sunday, it was Louis Perrot’s (Imsa LS Group Performance) turn to take third place overall, his second consecutive podium after the Red Bull Ring, a sign of his growing power.

In the Pro-Am class, Marc Guillot (Herrero Racing) once again proved his worth with a win and a second-place finish, but Jérôme Boullery (Racing Technology), who won the class in the final race of the weekend, is sure to call on all his experience to try and hold on to his lead as the two men are neck and neck. In Am, Sébastien Poisson has been the man in form since the start of the season, and has continued his winning streak with a third and fourth consecutive victory, putting him in a favourable position ahead of the final of the Porsche Carrera Cup France 2023. As has become customary in recent years, the final will take place on the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet from October 6 to 8, and promises to be a high-flying spectacle at every level!

PCCF |

Marvin Klein shines in Austria!

After a unique meeting in the magnificent setting of the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans last June, the Porsche Carrera Cup France drivers headed for the Red Bull Ring in Austria this weekend for the fourth stage of the season. A first on this circuit for the PCCF! Winner of the weekend’s two races, Marvin Klein (TFT Racing) got off to a perfect start.

Appreciated for its gradient and fast sections, the Red Bull Ring is an ideal track for exploiting all the qualities of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 992. Competitors were soon to discover this in free practice, where everyone tried to fine-tune their set-up for qualifying. Forestier Racing CLRT dominated the session, with Dorian Boccolacci ahead of Benjamin Paque. But both were downgraded for technical non-conformity, so Marvin Klein (TFT Racing) and Louis Perrot (IMSA LS Group Performance) inherited the front row of the grid for both races.

Reactive at the start of the first heat, Marvin Klein positioned himself ideally at the entrance to the first bend to counter Louis Perrot’s ambitions. Unburdened by his rival’s pressure, Klein made the most of the track to claim his third win of the season. Dorian Boccolacci had already made a spectacular comeback last July in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, held on the same circuit. On Saturday, he started from twenty-fifth position and showed all his determination and sense of attack to finish Race 1 in second place – a fine birthday present for his 25th birthday!

Alessandro Ghiretti (Martinet by Alméras), who had arrived in Austria as provisional championship leader, joined Klein and Boccolacci on the podium. “A lonely Jérémy Sarhy (Racing Technology) took fourth place under the chequered flag, ahead of Benjamin Paque, who also made a fine comeback to win the Rookie category. In the Pro-Am class, Jérôme Boullery (Racing Technology) lived up to his status as title-holder, winning ahead of Marc Guillot (Herrero Racing) and Sébastien Dussolliet (ABM). Sébastien Poisson (ABM) confirmed his good qualifying session with a third AM win of the season, ahead of team-mate Karim Ajlani and Ludovic Loeul (Porsche Lorient Racing).

On Sunday, Marvin Klein took advantage of his pole position, as he had done the day before, to get off to the best start and dominate the race from start to finish, regularly distancing his pursuers. Alessandro Ghiretti, who had an incisive start at lights-out, dislodged Louis Perrot from second place, before putting the pressure on Klein. Second at the chequered flag, the Martinet by Alméras driver nonetheless scored important points in the fight for the title, which once again promises to be particularly tight at the end of the season. Louis Perrot, the former Simracer driver, was able to savour the joy of a first podium finish in Porsche Carrera Cup France, thanks to a fine display of speed throughout the weekend.

Determined to make the same comeback as in the inaugural race, Dorian Boccolacci made another series of overtakes to cross the finish line in fourth place. And it was Jérémy Sarhy who completed the Top 5. Seventh behind guest driver Artem Slutskii (Target Compétition), Benjamin Paque once again won the Rookie classification.

Marc Guillot, winner of the Pro-Am class, took back a few points from Jérôme Boullery, while Christophe Lapierre (Martinet by Alméras) returned to the podium after finishing sixth the previous day. Sébastien Poisson finally made an impact in the Am with another victory ahead of Karim Ajlani, who came close to a correctional penalty with an on-track collision. Ludovic Loeul proved his consistency with another third place in class.

The first appearance of the Porsche Carrera Cup France on the Red Bull Ring in Austria lived up to all its promises, with some particularly hotly contested races. Drivers and teams now have a few days in which to analyze the return to action, before heading to Monza (Italy), the famous temple of speed, from September 22 to 24, for the penultimate stretch of this exciting season!