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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!

PCCF |

Klein takes on the myth!

After Barcelona and Magny-Cours, the drivers of the Porsche Carrera Cup France met at Le Mans to contest “THE” race of the year on the Sarthe circuit, as part of the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a not-to-be-missed event for a brand celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

Second in the provisional Porsche Carrera Cup France standings with victory in Race 1 at Magny-Cours, Dorian Boccolacci (Forestier Racing CLRT) was looking forward to racing on the legendary Le Mans circuit. After free practice to familiarize himself with the Sarthe track, Boccolacci set an exceptional time with a good strategy that enabled him to start from pole position. At 0’817, Marvin Klein (TFT Racing) was also on the front row of a starting grid comprising 63 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 992 cars.

On Saturday morning, tensions were running high as the only race on the calendar got underway. Starting from pole position, Dorian Boccolacci (Forestier Racing CLRT) maintained his advantage before being trapped in the confusion on the restart after a “Slow Zone” at the halfway point. Marvin Klein (TFT Racing) took the lead ahead of Alessandro Ghiretti (Martinet by Alméras). Everyone was looking for a way to gain a place, whether it was by taking suction or delaying braking.

At the end of an intense race, Klein pulled off a very good operation, winning this fifth race of the season for Porsche Carrera Cup France ahead of Boccolacci, who managed to get the last word on Ghiretti after an intense duel. The latter could breathe a sigh of relief after a scare in the race.

Winner of the Porsche Supercup 2022, Dylan Pereira (Mtech Competition), ranked outside the championship, couldn’t miss this exceptional race. The Luxembourger put his experience to good use and took overall victory.

Mathys Jaubert (TFT Racing), Junior Porsche Carrera Cup France 2023, had a great race, finishing fifth overall, in addition to his “Rookie” victory. Louis Rousset (CLRT) and Benjamin Paque (CLRT) completed the podium reserved for novices to the discipline.

The race was also very lively in the Pro-Am category. Ryan Ratcliffe (Team Parker Racing) was the winner of the Sarthe stopover, while Christophe Lapierre (Martinet by Alméras) won the category as part of the Porsche Carrera Cup France. Jérôme Boullery (Racing Technology) and Maxence Maurice (IMSA LS Group Performance) joined Lapierre on the Pro-Am podium. In the Am category, Jean-Philippe Gambaro (CLRT) won ahead of Julien Fébreau (Martinet by Alméras), both guest drivers, and Ludovic Loeul (Porsche Lorient Racing).

The event of the year lived up to all its promises, with a high-flying race on all levels. The drivers will now take advantage of the summer break before returning to a F1 standard from September 8 to 10, for the fourth round of the season at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

PCCF |

Boccolacci and Klein react!

After Alessandro Ghiretti’s (Martinet by Alméras) one-two finish in Barcelona, Dorian Boccolacci (Forestier Racing CLRT) and Marvin Klein (TFT Racing) shared the success at the second meeting of the season in Magny-Cours.

The reaction was expected and it was not long in coming. Deprived of victories by Alessandro Ghiretti at the opening of the debates in Catalonia, Dorian Boccolacci and Marvin Klein, the duettists of the two previous seasons, were expected to win in the Nièvre. Boccolacci was the first to take the two pole positions and converted the first one into success under a beautiful sun. He had every intention of repeating the feat on Sunday in the rain, when he was prematurely caught by his teammate Benjamin Paque (Forestier Racing CLRT), who had been a brilliant third and first Rookie on Saturday, forcing him to climb from the depths of the standings to sixth place.

Penalized for not respecting the race limits on the first day, Marvin Klein took advantage of this to win his first laurels of the year in race 2. TFT Racing’s first in the discipline too, after a great battle with Alessandro Ghiretti. Twice runner-up this weekend, the latter nevertheless made an excellent operation and scored precious points. After Benjamin Paque on Saturday, it was Mathys Jaubert (TFT Racing), the Junior Porsche Carrera Cup France 2023, who took his first podium, synonymous with victory in the Rookies category, ahead of Louis Perrot (IMSA LS Group Performance), who also climbed one place from the previous day, and Jérémy Sarhy (Racing Technology), who made a superb comeback in these precarious grip conditions from seventeenth place on the grid.

In the Pro-Am class, Marc Guillot (Herrero Racing) confirmed the performance achieved in qualifying by winning race 1 ahead of Jérôme Boullery (Racing Technology), the outgoing champion, and Maxence Maurice (IMSA LS Group Performance). On the other hand, he was more feverish under the rain on Sunday, and it was Christophe Lapierre (Martinet by Alméras), the former five-time champion in the category, who used his experience to win ahead of Frédéric Ancel (Porsche Lorient Racing) and Sébastien Dussolliet (ABM). The Am classification went first to Sébastien Poisson (ABM) and then to Ludovic Loeul (Porsche Lorient Racing). The Porsche Carrera Cup France will now take a month’s break before what promises to be the highlight of the year, the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 8-10), the centenary of the event and the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Porsche brand. Thanks to a good start to the season and with 92 points in the general classification, Alessandro Ghiretti will arrive in the Sarthe at the head of the Championship and will be more than ever the man to beat!

PCCF |

Ghiretti claims his first wins!

The stopwatch has delivered its first verdict in the Porsche Carrera Cup France. One of the lessons learned in Barcelona is that Alessandro Ghiretti (Martinet by Alméras) will have to be counted on for the title. Third last year, behind the duettists Marvin Klein and Dorian Boccolacci, who have since moved on to TFT Racing and Forestier Racing CLRT respectively, he inherited the role of leader this season in his team and it is clear that he took on his new responsibilities perfectly in Catalonia. He scored his first two wins, after holding off former teammate Dorian Boccolacci with authority. On Saturday, Ghiretti was joined on the podium by Boccolacci and the young Belgian rookie Benjamin Paque (Forestier Racing CLRT), winner of the 2022 Porsche Sprint Challenge, while Mathys Jaubert (TFT Racing), Junior Porsche Carrera Cup France 2023, and Louis Perrot (IMSA LS Group Performance) made a convincing start to the campaign by finishing in the top five.

The scenario was almost identical on Sunday, but Boccolacci let second place slip away after an unsuccessful attempt to overtake, to the benefit of Benjamin Paque, who confirmed the extent of his potential. However, Boccolacci benefited from the five-second penalty (for not respecting the track limits) inflicted on Marvin Klein, the two-time defending champion, who returned to the front after an aborted first race (due to a flat tire), to keep third place.

In Pro-Am, the Canadian Bashar Mardini (Tsunami RT) took the laurels of the category, but Jérôme Boullery (Racing Technology), the outgoing champion, confirmed that he was a candidate for his own succession by winning on Sunday in front of the surprising Marc Guillot (Herrero Racing). In the Am, Sébastien Poisson (ABM) let the success slip on the first day to the benefit of the newcomer Gilles Colombani (Team Clairet Sport), but made up for it by winning the second race. In other words, this first confrontation augurs a new season particularly disputed at all levels, with the emergence of new talents, who will want to confirm from the next meeting of Magny-Cours (May 5-7), where two new races are scheduled.

PCCF |

Nearly 30 entries and Le Mans as the highlight!

With a five-star calendar featuring one race at the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans and a popular format combining sportsmanship and enjoyment, the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup France once again promises to be a true success. On March 30th, twenty-seven Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 992s will be gathering in Magny-Cours for the traditional preseason tests.

This increasingly attractive programme relies on three main ingredients: the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 992 – a car that is unrivalled in terms of driving experience – prestigious circuits that allow the drivers to enjoy its full potential, and a rigorous yet friendly environment. The Porsche Carrera Cup France has always managed to renew itself while remaining true to its founding principles. This year, eleven Pro cars (including four rookies), eight Pro-Am cars, and eight Am cars will be hitting the tracks, with no less than five different nationalities represented.

As for the teams, some of them will be new to the championship (Team Clairet Sport, F4 Events Motorsport, Herrero Racing), while others will be returning to it (Porsche Lorient, Speed Lover, Tsunami RT). Enough to shake up the series’ regulars (Martinet by Alméras, Racing Technology, ABM, CLRT, IMSA LS Group Performance, TFT Racing).

During the off-season, a game of musical chairs somehow reshuffled the cards. Two-time defending champion Marvin Klein will try to notch up a third win, but will be racing for TFT Racing this season. His toughest rival in the last two seasons Dorian Boccolacci has joined Team CLRT. 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup France Junior Alessandro Ghiretti (Martinet by Alméras) is the only driver within last season’s top three to remain with the same team. He will try to shake up the current hierarchy. So will Louis Perrot, who will now drive for Imsa LS Group Performance, while Victor Blugeon has sticked with the Savoie-based team ABM. 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup France Junior Mathys Jaubert will get the opportunity to learn alongside Marvin Klein at TFT Racing.

In the Pro-Am class, it will not be an easy task for Jérôme Boullery (Racing Technology) to defend his title given his competitors: Maxence Maurice (Imsa LS Group Performance), Christophe Lapierre (Martinet by Alméras), and 2022 Am class champion Sébastien Dussolliet (ABM). The Am category promises to be very competitive too. Sébastien Poisson (ABM) will want to build on last year’s promising results, racing against a crowd of newcomers as well as against Christian Jaquillard (Racing Technology) who will be returning to the competition.

With six events and eleven races, this 2023 season promises to be once again particularly exciting and competitive. The track will deliver a first verdict for the official season-opener held in Barcelona as part of the ELMS (April 21st-23rd). The teams will then head to Magny-Cours for another two races (May 5th-7th), before the season’s highlight as part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 8th-10th). This also coincides with Porsche’s return to the main endurance class as well as with the brand’s 75th anniversary. Having partnered with Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia, Porsche France will offer its drivers one of the finest playing fields in the world, with no less than 71 flat-six engines roaring through La Sarthe during this legendary race. After the summer break, the second half of the season will be just as exciting, including one event at the Red Bull Ring in Austria (September 8th-10th), another one at Monza – Italian temple of speed – (September 22nd-24th), and the two traditional finale races at the Paul Ricard circuit (October 6th-8th), for what promises to be a thrilling finish.