The exceptional situation that the world has gone through in recent months has necessarily put motorsport in the background. But the time for recovery is approaching! For the promoters of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux and the Porsche Sprint Challenge Benelux, this period was used to conduct an intense reflection.
“You have to get positive from each complicated situation,” said Olivier Aerts, the Series Manager of the two championships. “When redesigning the new calendars for the 2020 season, we wanted to be pragmatic and offer our Teams and our pilots maximum running time while limiting costs. Therefore, we decided to organize our championship around 5 meetings, on five different circuits. But, at the same time, we’re offering them no less than 14 races and more track time than ever before! By doing more with less, we believe we have met the expectations of our participants. ”
Concretely, the competitors of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux and the Porsche Sprint Challenge Benelux will share the track. “We did not envision it this way when we launched the Sprint Challenge last winter, but circumstances led us to this reunification to form a beautiful group of around thirty Porsches,” continues Olivier Aerts. “This will allow the teams to gain economies of scale and we will be able to offer more taxi time to everyone. With the exception of Spa-Francorchamps, three races will be on the program for each meeting. 55-minute mini-endurance, with a mandatory pit stop, and two 30-minute sprints. At the end of each race, there will of course be separate rankings and podiums, but also specific communication for each championship. ”
The innovation for the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux will therefore come from the 55-minute races, which will constitute a new challenge for drivers accustomed to shorter efforts. In the categories, there will now be a distinction between Pro, Pro-Am and Am. For the rest, the ingredients that made the Benelux Cup a success will obviously always be on the menu.
For the participants of the first Porsche Sprint Challenge Benelux, everything will be new. This championship, which aims to be an access platform to Porsche competitions, is above all intended for amateur or beginner drivers, who can ride alone or share their car with a teammate.
Two Divisions are offered. On the one hand, there is the Cup Division, for the Porsche 911 GT3 Cups built since 1999 (with the 996 and 997 in Class 3, the 991 of the first generation in Class 2 and the 991 Gen II in Class 1 ). On the other hand, the Clubsport Division will allow drivers to shine at the wheel of the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (whether in GT4 or Trophy version) in the Class 4 or models of the previous generation, the Type 981, in Class 5.
After an official Test Day in Zolder on July 9, all these little people will find themselves in five tests with, in order, Zolder (August 21-22), the Nürburgring in the prestigious setting of DTM (September 11-13) , Zandvoort with the equally prestigious GT World Challenge (September 25-27), Spa-Francorchamps (October 10-11) and a grand final in Assen from October 30 to November 1.
“It will inevitably be an exceptional season – in the first sense of the term – for our entity Porsche Motorsport Benelux”, confirms Olivier Aerts. “But it’s clear that the menu on offer is enticing and not lacking in appeal. The Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux will continue to be the pinnacle of single-brand competitions in our countries and the competitors of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Benelux will have a first season with a few prestigious meetings. And since there will be more cars on the track, it should be more fun and more rewarding for everyone. See you in Zolder at the end of August so that this 2020 season can finally begin! ”
Calendar 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux and Porsche Sprint Challenge Benelux
July 9: Official Test Day – Zolder
August 21-22: Zolder Fun Festival (3 races) September 11-13: DTM Nürburgring (3 races) September 25-27: GT World Challenge Zandvoort (3 races) October 10-11: Hat Trick Spa-Francorchamps (2 races) October 30-November 1: Final Races Assen (3 races)
