• Three podium places in Zandvoort gives John de Wilde the title
• Lucas van Eijndhoven and Niels Troost end the season on a positive note
• Great end to the season for Benjamin Paque
After Zolder, Zandvoort and Spa-Francorchamps, the Porsche Sprint Trophy Benelux headed for the Netherlands and Circuit Zandvoort for the fourth and final meeting of the 2021 season. Also for this final round there were three races on the program, with two sprints and a long race.
At the wheel of his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Team GP Elite, Niels Troost managed to conquer both pole positions, each time ahead of Lucas van Eijndhoven (JW Raceservice). The first time the difference was only 58 thousandths of a second, but a few minutes later Troost set an even better lap, increasing the difference with van Eijndhoven in the second qualifying to 999 thousandths of a second.
On Sunday, the first race was eventful… even before the start was given! While warming up the tires, Niels Troost lost it, which caused him to hit the wall. Retirement was immediate for Troost. But that was not the last incident. At the start Wim Meulders (Speedlover) shot away a little too fast and hit Lucas van Eijndhoven. While the Belgian had to deal with a Drive Through penalty, the young Dutchman put in an impressive catch-up race to snatch first place two laps from the end from John de Wilde (Speedlover, and the leader of the championship). Taking advantage of the bad luck of some other drivers and after clocking convincing laps at the wheel of his Speedlover Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, Benjamin Paque came in third overall.
For the second race Niels Troost was determined to take revenge, but he could not prevent Lucas van Eijndhoven from taking a better start. A bit too good in fact, because the race management gave the driver of JW Raceservice a five-second penalty. And although van Eijndhoven crossed the finish line first, it was Niels Troost who was allowed to stand on the highest podium step. By finishing third, John de Wilde again scored important points, enough to be sure of the title. Behind him, Benjamin Paque took the fight for fourth place against Rik Renmans, who shares his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup #3 with Wim Meulders.
In the Long Race, Lucas van Eijndhoven immediately took the lead and dominated the entire race. In the end he won with 11 seconds ahead of Niels Troost. John de Wilde also finished third in the Long Race, a confirmation of his strong performance and regularity that earned him the title in the Porsche Sprint Trophy Benelux 2021. In twelve races he managed to win four and was on the podium eleven times!
Lucas van Eijndhoven also showed himself very quickly this year, as witnessed by his five victories, and ends the season as vice champion, ahead of Wim Meulders, Niels Troost and Gilles Smits, who unfortunately had to cancel the final.
In the GT4 Division, Benjamin Paque is the undisputed champion. Although he lacked some competition in the closing stages of the season, the young ex-karter from Liège made a remarkable debut in the large family of Porsche championships in the Porsche Sprint Trophy Benelux. We hope to see him back at the wheel of a racing Porsche soon. And why not immediately in 2022?
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