News

PCCF |

2021 Calendar

News release, November 09, 2020

An exceptional mix of remarkable French circuits and prestigious international destinations, the Porsche Carrera Cup France 2021 calendar features 12 races from the beginning of May to the end of October.

The year 2021 marks a new era in the Porsche Carrera Cup France, with the arrival of the new generation of Cup car: the 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992). To highlight the iconic Porsche competition car, this season promises to be one of the most exciting within one-make series. The calendar is designed to avoid date conflicts with the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, allowing drivers and teams loyal to the marque to compete on different terrains. After the traditional official pre-season test session, to be held this year at the Magny-Cours circuit (07.04-08.04), six rounds of two races each will follow, two in France – notably on a track used by F1 in recent years – and four at some of the most stunning European circuits.

The season will open early May at Magny-Cours (07.05 – 09.05) for the French FFSA Circuits Championship before heading to the legendary Paul Ricard circuit (14.05 – 16.05) for the Open GT. As in 2020, competitors will then head to Spa-Francorchamps (18.06 – 20.06) once again for the Open GT, a round that is always popular thanks to the history of the circuit and its extremely challenging hilly profile.

The Monza round (09.07 – 11.07), in tandem with the ELMS, is eagerly awaited since the “temple of speed” is widely considered the stuff of dreams for entire generations of drivers. The end of the season will finally see the Porsche Carrera Cup France make a stopover in Spain and then in Portugal, for two events integrated into the GT World Challenge Europe and ELMS, respectively. As Barcelona (08.10 – 10.10) now figures among the top circuits in one-make formulas dear to Porsche France, Portimão (22.10 – 24.10) makes its first appearance on the calendar and already promises an outstanding final race thanks to its numerous blind corners. With such a tempting programme, we look forward to new edge-of-your-seat action in the Porsche Carrera Cup France this season!

Porsche Carrera Cup France | 2021 Calendar
07.04 – 08.04 | Official Tests – Magny-Cours
07.05 – 09.05 | Magny-Cours (Races 1 & 2) – FFSA GT4
14.05 – 16.05 | Paul Ricard (Races 3 & 4) – Open GT
18.06 – 20.06 | Spa-Francorchamps (Races 5 & 6) – Open GT
09.07 – 11.07 | Monza (Races 7 & 8) – ELMS
08.10 – 10.10 | Barcelona (Races 9 & 10) – GT World Challenge Europe
22.10 – 24.10 | Portimão (Races 11 & 12) – ELMS

PCCF |

2021 Junior Programme

News release, November 02, 2020

Eighteen-year-old French hopeful Alessandro Ghiretti succeeds Victor Weyrich in the Porsche Carrera Cup France Junior Programme after the latest stunning edition.

Victor Weyrich’s successor is now known. After solidifying his standing this season by winning the Rookie title of the Porsche Carrera Cup France, with sixth place overall in Barcelona as best result, the 2020 Junior Porsche Carrera Cup France is preparing to hand the crown to Alessandro Ghiretti. Weyrich’s success confirms the positive impact of the Porsche Carrera Cup France Junior Programme and there is no doubt that 2021 winner Giretti will follow in his footsteps and those of Jules Gounon, Florian Latorre, Hugo Chevalier and Adam Eteki.

Giretti distinguished himself during the pre-selection process among eight young talents, selected on the basis of their applications for two days of intensive tests at the Paul Ricard circuit in early November. The programme included driving the 911 GT3 Cup car, attending sporting events and participating in one-on-one interviews, all under the guidance of the Porsche Carrera Cup France team as well as Porsche Motorsport driver Patrick Pilet.

Ranging from 15 to 20 years of age and coming from diverse racing backgrounds including karting, F4 and GT4, the PCCF Junior Programme line-up of Hugo Conde, Lluc Ibanez, Mathys Jaubert, Romain Leroux, Paul-Adrien Pallot, Milan Petelet, Arthur Mathieu and Alessandro Ghiretti was a stellar one yet again.

Eighteen-year-old Ghiretti originally from Montauban, France stood out within this particularly strong group thanks to his maturity and ability to adapt. He has successfully climbed the ladder from karting to LMP3 and F4. Now he can set his sights on proving his ambition in the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup France at the wheel of the new 911 GT3 Cup car. Ghiretti’s Junior Programme win has earned him a €40,000 cash prize (excluding VAT), a set of Michelin tyres and financial support from a Porsche Centre partner.

Patrick Pilet, official Porsche Motorsport driver
“Alessandro is very young, but he already shows a wonderful level of maturity! He continued to improve throughout the day and astonished us in particular by his capacity to adapt. He is sharp and shows great motivation, as well as a certain fighting spirit, and these are essential values to perform in Porsche Carrera Cup France.”

Alessandro Ghiretti, Junior Porsche Carrera Cup France 2021
“I just found out that I was selected, and it is all a bit crazy! I would like to sincerely thank the whole team because I learned a lot in two days of training with the mechanics and our coach Patrick Pilet. The atmosphere was really pleasant and focused. I was given excellent advice for on and off the track. I am extremely happy about this outcome and am now looking forward to getting on with next season. At my humble level, I am very honoured to represent the Porsche marque in 2021.”

PCCF |

Barcelona

News release, November 02, 2020

For its rookie championship season, Austrian team BWT Lechner Racing achieved an impressive level of success, including an overall win for Jaxon Evans, a Pro-Am win for Nicolas Misslin and the team title. This unpredictable final round in Barcelona also saw Victor Weyrich (Pierre Martinet by Alméras) score the Rookie trophy and François Lansard (CLRT) triumph in Am.

Trailing the provisional leader by 18 points at the finish in Barcelona, Jaxon Evans (BWT Lechner Racing) took the start in the race as the fifth of five contenders for victory. Florian Latorre (CLRT) and Ayhancan Güven (Martinet by Alméras) nabbed the first and second spots on the grid in qualifying, further impeding the New Zealander’s chances. Evans’ poor start in the opening race meant he dropped from third to eighth position in the space of one lap. It was then that the Junior Porsche driver launched into a frenzied comeback! Meanwhile, Marvin Klein (Martinet by Alméras) was forced to retire and Latorre incurred a drive-through penalty for cutting the first corner, putting victory well within Evans’ reach. He overtook Güven just 14 minutes from the checkered flag, earning his first win of the season. In the end, Latorre finished 11th and Güven fell to 19th place after a tyre puncture. Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (BWT Lechner Racing) claimed the second step on the podium ahead of Victor Blugeon (Pierre Martinet by Alméras) achieving his best result of the season. Nicolas Misslin (BWT Lechner Racing), Victor Weyrich (Pierre Martinet by Alméras) and François Lansard (CLRT) won their respective categories: Pro-Am, Rookie and Am.

The 10th and final race of the season on Sunday’s programme promised to be a nail-biter and did not disappoint. Florian Latorre was pushed back three spots on the grid for having slowed excessively in Race 1, and also fell victim to a crash at the first corner, losing all possibility of winning. Unfortunately, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer and Christophe Lapierre (Sébastien Loeb Racing) met the same fate, with the latter losing his chance at the Pro-Am title for good. The 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup France would therefore be decided between Jaxon Evans and Ayhancan Güven. At the finish, 24-year-old Evans won the French Cup, his second after winning the Australian version in 2018. The podium of this last race was rounded out by Marvin Klein ahead of Adam Eteki (CLRT) and Hugo Chevalier (CLRT) earning his second consecutive top 5 finish. Victor Weyrich and Nicolas Misslin confirmed their respective titles in Rookie and Pro-Am with confidence, the latter snatching his third category win in three years with as many teams. The top step on the Am podium was claimed by Emil Caumes (CLRT), but his teammate François Lansard took the championship crown. Once again, this extremely competitive final round and the entire season solidified an undeniably high caliber of competition in the Porsche Carrera Cup France.

PCCF |

Spa-Francorchamps

News release, October 19, 2020

Like last year, the drivers of Team Martinet by Alméras dominated in the Belgian Ardennes at the penultimate round of the 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup France.

With its quick and hilly profile, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit requires true finesse, proven yet again in the fourth round of the 2020 PCCF season. Last year’s winners, Martinet by Alméras teammates Marvin Klein and Ayhancan Güven, have triumphed a second time in a row.

Klein took the pole in Race 1. After the safety car was deployed following an error at the top of the Raidillon by Rookie category leader Evan Spenle (Sebastien Loeb Racing), Klein took the opportunity to overtake at the restart. He held the top spot through the checkered flag for his first win of the season. Güven missed a braking maneuver and returned to the track dangerously, resulting in a five-second penalty and losing him a podium finish. The podium was rounded out by Florian Latorre (CLRT) and Jaxon Evans (BWT Lechner Racing), after the French driver managed to overtake his New Zealander rival.

In Race 1 in Pro-Am, Nicolas Misslin (BWT Lechner Racing), despite proving fastest in qualifying, failed to hold off a determined Sylvain Noël (Racing Technology), and Christophe Lapierre (Sébastien Loeb Racing), third in the class, limited the damage to his championship ranking alone. The Am category was won by Emil Caumes (CLRT) closely followed by Maxence Maurice (IMSA Performance) and François Lansard (CLRT), the latter having at one time pointed in the lead, but ended in third place after incurring a five-second penalty.

Race 2 culminated in a second win at Spa this year for Ayhancan Güven after his victory in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Florian Latorre took the second spot in the wake of yet another duel with Jaxon Evans. Having started in fourth position on the grid, Race 1 winner Marvin Klein lost three places during the start, forcing him to execute several overtakings during the race. In the last laps, he faced off against Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (BWT Lechner Racing) and finished in fourth place ahead of Adam Eteki (CLRT) and Evan Spenle, rectifying his mistake of the day before by securing his first win of the season in the Rookie category.

The suspense in Race 2 Pro-Am was breathtaking thanks to a new three-way battle between Christophe Lapierre, Nicolas Misslin and Sylvain Noël. Eventually, the first two incurred a five-second penalty each for failure to respect track limits, giving Noël his second win of the weekend. In the Am category, pole-sitter François Lansard once again claimed the top step on the podium, for his fourth victory of the season, ahead of Steve Brooks (CLRT). Maxence Maurice, initially third at the finish line, was downgraded due to technical non-compliance.

PCCF |

Paul Ricard

News release, October 05, 2020

Held at the circuit in Le Castellet, within the framework of the French Championship of Circuits, this third round included three extremely animated races and crowned as many winners. Now that the mid-season milestone has passed, the fight for the title is in full swing…

A weekend of domination could have allowed one of the favorites of the Porsche Carrera Cup France to take the lead in the title race. With three races on the programme at Paul Ricard, the third was very important for the attribution of considerable points. However, the circuit lived up to its reputation, giving rise to some superb passe d’armes, and consecrating three different winners, including two new ones. If Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (BWT Lechner Racing) had taken the lead in the provisional overall classification, he would have been only one point behind Ayhancan Güven (Martinet by Alméras), the two-time defending champion, whereas the top five are still within fourteen points, with four races to go. The rest of the season promises to be thrilling!

Adam Eteki (CLRT) won Race 1 of the weekend, earning his first victory in the Porsche Carrera Cup France. The 2019 Junior PCCF had already confirmed he was capable of impressive showings thanks to the 24 Hours of Le Mans pre-race. Qualified in third position on the starting grid, Eteki executed a stunning start to the benefit of teammate and pole-sitter Florian Latorre (CLRT), dispensing of Marvin Klein (Martinet by Alméras) in the second lap. The 18-year-old went on to claim the top step on the podium ahead of Klein and Jaxon Evans (BWT Lechner Racing), with Ayhancan Güven and Florian Latorre completing the top 5. After damaging his car, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer failed to climb higher than sixth place. In Pro-Am, Christophe Lapierre (Sébastien Loeb Racing) and Nicolas Misslin (BWT Lechner Racing) faced off once again in the final seconds, and François Lansard (CLRT) translated pole position to a win in the Am category.

After a perfect start in Race 1, Florian Latorre transformed his fifth pole position of the season into an overall win in Race 2, giving the young team CLRT its second triumph of the weekend. New Zealander Jaxon Evans at the wheel of the 911 GT3 Cup was no match for Latorre. Meanwhile, the battle also raged between Ayhancan Güven, Marvin Klein, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer and Adam Eteki for second place. Penalized by one second after the finish for having taken advantage in the chicane, Güven ceded the last step on the podium to Klein and fourth place to Simmenauer. Victor Weyrich (Pierre Martinet by Alméras) scored a decisive win in the Rookie category despite strong opposition by newcomer Ugo Gazil (Pierre Martinet by Alméras). Nicolas Misslin’s impressive speed rewarded him with a first victory in Pro-Am, and François Lansard, in top form this weekend, triumphed in Am.

Race 3 saw Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer’s first win in the Porsche Carrera Cup France despite numerous podium finishes. Having started from pole position thanks to his best lap in Race 2, the 19-year-old French driver’s performance proved he is a contender for the championship title. Ayhancan Güven held second place for some time, but eventually succumbed to pressure from Florian Latorre. In the end, however, Jaxon Evans gave his team, a newcomer in this year’s Porsche Carrera Cup France, a stunning double victory along with the second Pro-Am win for BWT Lechner Racing teammate Nicolas Misslin. Emil Caumes (CLRT) managed to terminate the series of three consecutive wins for François Lansard in the Am category.

The 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup France will now head to Belgium for two races at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit on 16-18 October.