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.