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PCCF | 20 911 GT3 Cup cars take on the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup France season

The curtain is about to rise on the 34th edition of the Porsche Carrera Cup France. The prestigious French one-design cup returns to the circuits this weekend in Barcelona, to fully launch its 2024 season. The round in Catalonia is the first of six on a calendar mixing French and European tracks.

The first two meetings will be run at the pace of the European Le Mans Series. Following this opening weekend, the PCCF will return to the ELMS paddock at Paul Ricard in early May. FFSA GT will also host Cup France at SRO Speed Week in Spa-Francorchamps (June 21-23), followed by Dijon (September 13-15). The championship will return to the European Endurance division for the final round at Mugello (September 27-29), followed by the finale at Portimao (October 17-19).

The weekend format remains unchanged, with two free practice sessions on Friday. On Saturday, qualifying (30 minutes) and race 1 (30 minutes) will be broadcast live on the Porsche France YouTube channel and the Porsche Carrera Cup France Facebook account, as will race 2 (30 minutes) on Sunday morning.

The drivers will still be at the wheel of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup type 992s, but with a brand new fuel. In a move to continue the CSR actions within Porsche and the Porsche Carrera Cup France, the championship has set up a partnership with ETS Racing Fuels. The supplier for the 2024 season produces a fuel containing 50% renewable compounds, already used by other Carrera Cups around the world.

Three Porsche Carrera Cup France Juniors and a champion are entered in 2024! Among the drivers supported by the German manufacturer, Alessandro Ghiretti is one to keep a close eye on. A newcomer to Schumacher CLRT, the 2023 runner-up became Junior Porsche Motorsport at the end of last year and is hoping to clinch the title this season. A former PCCF Junior, he joins 2024 winner Paul Cauhaupé (Schumacher CLRT) in his team. Supported by Porsche France, the young Toulousan is entered in the Rookie category with the ambition of winning it. His predecessor Mathys Jaubert enters his second year in the championship with a new team, Martinet by Alméras.

Two-time PCCF champion Marvin Klein (2021 and 2022) has set himself a new challenge with ABM, alongside his commitment to Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and Italy. Another two-time winner, Jérôme Boullery (Racing Technology), is aiming for another Pro-Am crown. Finally, Benjamin Paque (TFT Racing), 2023 Rookie champion, will be aiming to win the championship with his new team.

Marlon Hernandez (Martinet/Forestier Racing), Louis Rousset (Martinet/Forestier Racing), Fernando Monje (Martinet by Alméras) and Louis Perrot (CLRT Schumacher) are ready to fight for their first title.

Newcomers to Porsche, Victor Bernier (Martinet by Alméras) and Marcus Amand (Schumacher CLRT) will have a great card to play in the Rookie class, as they attempt to join the fight for the overall title.

The battle in Pro-Am and Am is likely to liven up the heart of the field right from the opening round. Categories in which some drivers are making a comeback, such as Marc Guillot, who has joined the ranks of the ABM team, as has Gilles Colombani. But there are also new drivers returning, like Jérémie Lesoudier (TFT Racing) or making their debut, like Jean-Philippe Lamic (TFT Racing), Cyril Caillo (Racing Technology) or Eric Debard and his team, Debard Automobiles by Racetivity.

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!