News

PCCF |

Mathieu Martins named 2022 Junior PCCF winner!

Press release, November 24, 2021

The 20-year-old French driver will follow in the footsteps of predecessor Alessandro Ghiretti in the prestigious Porsche Carrera Cup France Junior Program.

For seven years now, this announcement has been the long-awaited end-of-season moment for aspiring talent, two days organized by Porsche France for the Porsche Carrera Cup France Junior Program. Aiming to spotlight and support tomorrow’s drivers at the highest level, the program has certainly proven itself over the years, and 2021 winner Alessandro Ghiretti has demonstrated its merit perfectly. Fourth overall in the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup France, with no less than six podiums, Ghiretti has set the bar extremely high, but his successor Mathieu Martins is looking to take up the torch with gusto.

Martins stood out in a pre-selection of eight young talents during two vigorous days of tests (14-16 November at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet) overseen by the Porsche Carrera Cup France team and Porsche Motorsport driver Patrick Pilet. Martins was joined by Maxence Sevin, Kajus Siksnelis, Arthur Rasse, Margaux Verza, Andy Noah, Mathieu Fretin and Lilou Wadoux-Ducellier from Porsche and other constructor one-make series, F4 and karting. Martins distinguished himself through his driving skills, maturity, capacity for progress, as well as his ability to adapt and listen.

These are all qualities that the runner-up in the JS2R class of the Ligier European Series will undoubtedly need to continue to rise in the very demanding arena of the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup France. To do so, he can count on personalized support from Patrick Pilet, a grant of € 40,000 before tax, an endowment of Michelin tires and financial assistance from a partner Porsche Center. Martins should therefore feel more at ease as he makes his debut at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup type 992.

2022 Junior Porsche Carrera Cup France winner Mathieu Martins What is happening to me is unbelievable and I don’t have the words to describe how I feel. I have dreamed of joining the Porsche family since I was little, so this is a bit like an early Christmas! I would like to thank everyone on staff at Porsche who were so kind to welcome me, advise and boost me up during the two selection days. I learned a great deal, as much about driving as about the physical aspects and also relative to the media. I would like to acknowledge everyone who has been with me in this adventure over the last five years because without them none of this would be possible. I can’t wait to get back in the 911 GT3 Cup type 992 for a race, I had such a wonderful time driving it.

PCCF |

A five-star PCCF 2022 calendar!

Press release, November 16, 2021

For its upcoming 35th season, the Porsche Carrera Cup has kept the fundamental ingredient in its success, a calendar perfectly balanced between three essential French circuits and three benchmark international circuits, for an unchanged total of 12 races.

The organizers of the Porsche Carrera Cup strive each year to achieve a skillful mix of tradition and innovation, and the 2022 season will be no exception. Of the six events on the schedule, three will take place in France, at classic circuits like Magny-Cours and Paul Ricard, as well as at the lesser-known Paul Armagnac track in Nogaro.

The other three meetings in what is already looking like an excellent season will be hosted by some of the most beautiful European circuits there are, beginning with Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium where the Porsche Carrera Cup France returns with great pleasure every time. New stops are also on the menu for participants in the Cup, with the appearance of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, on the calendar. Everyone is impatient to see the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup type 992s take on the last banking-like turn in the car’s second season. The other circuit new to the PCCF that is sure to thrill fans and competitors is Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.

After the traditional pre-season testing sessions in early March at Magny-Cours, the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup France will officially get underway with the popular Easter Cups at the circuit in Nogaro, France (16.04-18.04) as part of the FFSA French Circuits Championship. Then the action will continue in the Belgian Ardennes at the famously hilly Spa-Francorchamps circuit (05.05-07.05) also set to host competitors in the FIA World Endurance Championship. What an opportunity for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup type 992 drivers to cross paths in the paddock with drivers racing Porsche 911 RSRs in GTE Pro and Am!

The PCCF will then return to France for two FFSA French Circuits Championship races at Magny-Cours (13.05-15.05), third stop on the calendar, before once again heading abroad. The following month, competitors will hit the track at Zandvoort (17.06-19.06), and after a summer break, Valencia (16.09-18.09), both in the GT World Challenge where the spotlight will also be on 911 GT3R. For the first time since 2019, the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet (14.10-16.10) will serve as the scene in mid-October of a thrilling finale while a certain autumnal mildness is still present in the region. There is no doubt, the stage has been set for yet another outstanding season in 2022!

PCCF |

Marvin Klein takes the title in thrilling climax!

Press release, October 25, 2021

Marvin Klein (CLRT) won the thirty-first edition of the Porsche Carrera Cup France, pipping Dorian Boccolacci (Martinet by Alméras) to the title in the final race of the year. Many questions remained unanswered as the competitors arrived in Portimao (Portugal) for the final meeting of the season. Not least who was going to succeed Jaxon Evans, the overall champion in 2020, with just five points between the leader Dorian Boccolacci (Martinet by Alméras) and Marvin Klein (CLRT) at the top of the standings? The tension ramped up a notch after the opening race of the weekend, which was won by Marvin Klein, ahead of his team-mate Florian Latorre (CLRT) and Dorian Boccolacci. For the first time this year, Klein moved top of the overall standings, just three points clear of Boccolacci, ahead of the final race of the season on Sunday.

The next day, Florian Latorre started once again on pole, whilst Klein and Boccolacci lined up in second and third positions on the grid. Once the race got underway, the title fight reached its climax: the two rivals clashed on the second corner, ending the races of both drivers at that point. Despite retiring at this early stage, Klein therefore won the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup at just 22 years old in his third season in the category, whilst Boccolacci had to settle for the Rookies’ title. Meanwhile, Florian Latorre went on to claim his first race win in 2021, finishing ahead of Alessandro Ghiretti (Martinet by Alméras), the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup France Junior, who has enjoyed a very successful debut season this year, and Cooper Murray (Pierre Martinet by Alméras), a 20 year-old Australian competing here to fine-tune his racing skills in preparation for the forthcoming Porsche Junior International Shootout. There was also a very close finish in the last race of the Pro-Am class, as Nicolas Misslin (BWT Lechner Racing) pipped Jérôme Boullery (YDEO by Racing Technology) at the wire to claim his fourth consecutive title in the category. Last but not least, Sébastien Dussolliet (ABM) proved his stunning debut in Monza was no fluke, winning both races this weekend on his second appearance only in the Am class. However, Maxence Maurice (IMSA Performance) finished third and second in the two races to secure a well-deserved title in the category.

PCCF |

A climactic upcoming finale at Portimão!

Press release, October 19, 2021

The Portimão round, which will serve as the finale of the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup France season this weekend, promises endless excitement thanks in part to a battle at the top between Dorian Boccolacci (Martinet by Alméras) and Marvin Klein (CLRT).

The final race of the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup France will be held at the circuit in Portugal where the elevated turns are said to feel like a roller coaster. This last confrontation of the season will serve up a whirlwind of emotions for the 24 competing drivers, with plenty of triumphant joy and crushing disappointment as the gaps are quite close in the various classes.

The fight for overall victory in the Cup is no exception. Dorian Boccolacci (Martinet by Alméras) and Marvin Klein (CLRT) are neck and neck, with five wins each and only a five-point advantage for Boccolacci after Klein’s outstanding performance at the recent race in Barcelona. Since their respective teammates Alessandro Ghiretti (Martinet by Alméras) and Florian Latorre (CLRT) could still mathematically snatch the titles, they may pull off an upset in their own teams. Other competitors looking to disrupt the Boccolacci–Klein duel are Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (BWT Lechner Racing), Evan Spenle (MRT by CLRT), Gianmarco Quaresmini (Ombra Racing) and Ugo Gazil (Pierre Martinet by Alméras).

The Pro-Am class remains just as undecided after Jérôme Boullery (YDEO by Racing Technology) watched defending three-time champion Nicolas Misslin (BWT Lechner Racing) begin to slip the championship from him for the first time this season at the penultimate round in Barcelona. Now only six points separate the two drivers. Despite Boullery’s five wins since the beginning of the year, he earned zero points at Monza and Catalonia, and Misslin has shown greater consistency. Meanwhile, Christophe Lapierre is still seeking his first victory representing Pierre Martinet by Alméras, unlike Raymond Narac (IMSA Performance) who has already claimed the top step on the podium twice this season.

The Am class is more clearly dominated by Maxence Maurice (IMSA Performance) even though his lack of success at the Barcelona round, where Tugdual Rabreau (CLRT) secured a one-two, has narrowed his advantage. Not to be ruled out are Franck Leherpeur (CLRT), Benoît Frétin (YDEO Compétition) and Sébastien Dussolliet (ABM) who at Monza was the first to end Maurice’s impressive six-race winning streak.

The Portimão qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday 23 October (13:15-13:45) followed by the first race that evening (18:20-18:50) and the second on Sunday 24 October (11:45-12:15). All track action will be live streamed on the official Porsche Carrera Cup France Facebook page./p>

PCCF |

Time to head back to the track!

Press release, October 5, 2021

Following on the summer break, the drivers and their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992) are on their way to Barcelona for a new important meeting as part of the GT World Challenge Europe. Only four races to go in the Porsche Carrera Cup France season, yet fans are left in complete suspense with Dorian Boccolacci (Martinet by Alméras), current leader in the standings, and his closest rival Marvin Klein (CLRT).

At this upcoming round in Catalonia, the drivers will have to quickly get back into the swing of things with their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992). Indeed, competition is so tough in the Porsche Carrera Cup France that they will not have much time to find their feet and get into the right pace after this several weeks’ break. All the more since some of the drivers made the most of this pause and sharpened their skills in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. No doubt that they must have all been thinking about how best to optimise the countless little details that can make a huge difference.

Rookie Dorian Boccolacci (Martinet by Alméras) has made a great start in the competition, having already clinched no less than five wins this season. Yet the reinvigorated Marvin Klein (CLRT) has caught up with him, thanks to three consecutive wins between Spa-Francorchamps and Monza. The battle shall therefore resume at this penultimate meeting of the season! Yet several outsiders among the fifteen pro drivers are also determined to clinch their first success of the year, including Florian Latorre (CLRT), who has maintained consistency throughout so far, but also 2021 Junior Porsche Carrera Cup France Alessandro Ghiretti (Martinet by Alméras), who has been a surprise contender in this competition, and Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (BWT Lechner Racing).

The second part of the season promises to be just as exciting in the Pro-Am category. Jérome Boullery (YDEO by Racing Technology) has made an outstanding start, with four wins already. Yet three-time winner and defending champion Nicolas Misslin (BWT Lechner Racing) managed to close the gap with him during the last meeting in Monza. Other drivers will surely interfere in this duel, including Christophe Lapierre (Pierre Martinet by Alméras) and Raymond Narac (Imsa Performance), not forgetting and Philipp Sager (Dinamic Motorsport), who will also take to the track next week-end.

In the Am category, Maxence Maurice (Imsa Performance) has clearly established himself as the leader, having won seven of eight races so far. He will certainly be keen to continue to build on this impressive series of success in Montmelo. However, Sébastien Dussolliet’s success (ABM) in Monza must have inspired Tugdual Rabreau (CLRT), Franck Leherpeur (CLRT), Benoit Fretin (YDEO Compétition), Cédric Mezard (Martinet by Alméras) and Sébastien Poisson, who will take over Dussolliet behind the wheel of ABM’s second Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992).

To make sure that you do not miss out on the show, which promises to once again be an amazing event, log on to the Porsche Carrera Cup France official Facebook page on Saturday, October 9th to follow the qualifying session between 12:25 and 12:55pm. The first race will then follow at the end of the day (6:10-6:40pm), while the second race will take place on Sunday, October 10th from 10:30 to 11:00am.