News

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!

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.