Porsche Carrera Cup, Benelux and Deutschland, Spa Francorchamps, April 2023

Close action in Friday afternoon's Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland race. Lucas Ertl and Sebastien Freymuth take Radillion side by side.

There were a couple of excellent races for each of the two Porsche Carrera Cup championships, both Benelux and Deutschland, acting as support events for the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps at the end of April 2023.    I don't normally appreciate one make series but at Spa these races proved the exception.

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland

This was the first round of the 2023 championship.

The first lap of Friday's race and Harry King has the lead that he would keep to take victory.  He has moved up to the German series this year after winning the Benelux series in 2022.  At only 22 years old he should be one to watch in the future.

 

Dutch driver Larry ten Voorde who has twice won the German championship (2020 and 2021).  Very much a favourite for title victory again this year.  However, at Spa he didn't take a win but as usual was close to the front in both races.

Georgi Donchev won the ProAm category in both races at Spa.

Battle for the lead between Harry King and Larry ten Voorde,

Australian driver Harri Jones was the best of the rookies in Friday's race.

The leaders early in Saturday's race.   Loek Hartog leads and he went on to take victory.

Loek Hartog (left) shows how happy he is on the victory podium whilst Larry ten Voorde gets soaked with Cjampagne.

The ProAm podium for Saturday's race with Georgi Donchev the winning driver.

Serious young rookies on Saturday's podium as the national anthem plays.  Theo Overhaus won this category on Saturday.  Harri Jones is to his left.

Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux

This was the first two round of the 2023 season for this series based in Belgium and the Netherlands which runs Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 992 cars.

First Lap into La Source on Saturday for the one of the biggest fields seen in this series.

As they finish the first lap, the leaders get through the last corner OK but the fifth placed guy gets it all wrong.

Two cars in the mess at the last corner.

Close racing at the front as they exit Blanchimont.  Friday's winner, Belgian Glenn Van Parijs starts to move up the field.

Still close as they comer up to the chicane.

The winner of Saturday's race, young Dutchman Robert de Haan. 

A few pictures from Friday.

Cars exiting La Source.

British ProAm driver Aaron Mason.  He was the leading ProAm driver in Saturday's race.

Luo Vanderfeesten

No.36 Ralph Poppelaars was the leading Am driver at Spa.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web à condition de créditer le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com, et de fournir un lien vers cette page.

Typical Spa weather.

Zandvoort Passraces 2017 - Supercar Challenge powered by Hancook

The Benelux Supercars at Zandvoort for the Passraces on Saturday.

Highlight of the Zandvoort Passraces this year was the Supercar Challenge powered by Hancook.   A big and varied field of 37 cars took part, all of which can be seen below in the order they were classified in the Saturday one hour race.  The series is open to GT cars, Touring Cars and Light weight cars based on road cars operating in four classes - GT, Supersport 1, Supersport 2 and Sport. Which classes cars are entered into depends mainly on its power to weight ratio. In each race there has to be a mandatory pit stop and cars are further equalised during the season by having the faster cars held longer during these pit stops.  The championship takes part mainly in Netherlands and Belgium but does visit England, Germany and Austria.  Well worth visiting a round.

1st No.123 van der Aa-van Soelen BMW M4 Silhouette GT 1st 

The winning BMW in the Saturday Supercar Challenge race.

2nd No.111 Sluys-Schouten BMW M4 Silhouette GT 2nd

The second placed BMW makes a pass at Hugenholtzbocht.

3rd No.107 Roger Grouwels Porsche 991 Cup GT 3rd

The third placed Porsche 991 leads another Porsche towards the Audi S.

4th No.127 Cor Euser Marcos Mantis GT 4th

Long time Marcos driver Cor Euser came fourth with his Mantis.

5th No.104 Marcel van Berlo Porsche 991 GT 3 Cup GT 5th

The fifth placed Porsche.

6th No.108 Bob Herber BMW F80 M3 GT 6th

BMW 108 leads BMW 245 in the Audi S curve.

7th No.210 Kosta Kanaroglou Ginetta G50 SS1 1st

The class winning Ginetta.

8th No.245 van den Berg-van den Berg BMW SS1 2nd

The van der Berg BMW early in the race at Hugenholtzbocht.

9th No.259 van de Maat-Schreurs BMW E46 GTR SS1 3rd

The No.259 BMW E46 leading a group through the Audi S.

10th No.169 Bosman-Verkuijl Porsche 991 Cup GT 7th

This Porsche 991 finished in the top ten.

11th No.203 Speelman-Kroes Seat Sport Leon Cup Racer SS1 4th

The top SEAT finished in eleventh position overall.

12th No.244 Olivier Naaktgeboren BMW E46 3.2 SS1 5th

This BMW finished fifth in class.

13th No.222 van Loon-van Loon BMW E46 M3 SS1 6th

The Van Loon BMW in the Audi S.

14th No.208 Ted van Vliet BMW E92 V8 SS1 7th

In fourteenth place overall was Ted van Vliet's BMW.

15th No.201 de Borst-de Kleijn Seat Sport Leon Cup Racer SS1 8th

The No.201SEAT attempts an overtake on the keerb at Hugenholtzbocht.

16th No.110 Jan Marc Schulz Porsche 997 GT3 GT 8th

This Porsche finished 8th in the GT class.

17th No.212 Pierre-Etienne Bordet Porsche Cayman GT 4 CS SS1 9th

Pierre Etienne Bordet finished seventeenth in this Porsche.

18th No.262 Roelant de Waard Lotus Exige V6 SS1 10th

The sole Lotus finished tenth in class. 

19th No.170 Moritz-Moritz Marcos Mantis GT 9th

9th in class for this lovely Marcos Mantis.

20th No.402 Voet-van den Broeck Peugeot RCZ Cup S 1st

The class winning Peugeot entering Gerlachbocht.

21st No.420 Melvin de Groot Renault Clio IV S 2nd

This Renault Clio finished second in its class.

22nd No.109 Dirk Schulz Porsche 997 GT3 GT 10th

The Dirk Schulz Porsche finished tenth in the GT class.

23rd No.416 van der Voort-van der Sloot Alfa Romeo 147 S 3rd

Te sole Alfa Romeo finished 3rd in class. 

24th No.403 Rob Nieman Renault Clio RS 2 .0 16V S 4th

Fourth in class was this Renault.

25th No.113 Edward Grouwels Porsche 991 Cup GT 11th

The 25th placed Porsche

26th No.414 Kool-de Gier Peugeot RCZ S 5th

The fifth in class Peugeot RCZ.

27th No.211 Jimmy Adriaenssens Seat Leon SuperCopa SS1 11th

A SEAT Leon SuperCopa.

28th No.423 Jos Veldboer Renault Clio RS 2 .0 16V S 6th

The No.423 Renault Clio holds off a Marcos into the Audi S.

29th No.401 Bart Drost Renault Clio RS 2 .0 16V S 7th

This Renault fiinished seventh in class.

30th No.202 Houweling-Monster Seat Sport Leon Cup Racer SS1 12th

The No.202 Seat Sport Leon early in the race at Hugenholtzbocht. 

31st No.413 Troeijen-Lemmers Ford Focus S 8th

The Ford Focus at Tarzan.

32nd No.204 van den Munckhof-Zumbrink BMW Z4 Coupe GTR SS1 13th

Beautiful BMW Z4 Coupé

33rd No.121 Daan Meijer BMW M4 Silhouette GT 12th

BMW M4

34th No.224 Taylor-Albert BMW E90 SS1 14th

An accident near the end meant that the British BMW didn't finish but was classified.

DNC No.405 Wisselink-Tappel BMW Zilhouette 2.0 S DNC

The No.405 BMW waiting for the start.

DNC No.217 Huisman-van de Grift Seat Sport Leon Cup Racer SS1 DNC

This SEAT was not classified as a finisher.

DNC 246 Ruud Olij BMW E92 M3 SS1 DNC

The Ruud Olij BMW leading a tight group early in the race at Huenholtzbocht. 

Podiums for some of the top finishers in each class:

For action from the STWC during the Zandvoort Passraces click here.

For action from the Dutch Trucks during the Zandvoort Passraces, click here.

For action from the ADPCR Porsches during the Zandvoort Passraces, click here.

For action from the DTM race at Zandvoort in 2016 click here.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page