The winter break is over: The Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland now heads to Imola, Italy, to contest the first two races of the new season.
The one-make cup with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup will commence on the Formula 1 circuit in Emilia-Romagna as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship support program.
Three-time Carrera Cup title winner Larry ten Voorde travels to Imola as the defending champion.
The 27-year-old Dutchman has switched teams and now competes for the German squad Proton Huber Competition. Appropriately, his 375 kW (510 PS) strong Porsche 911 GT3 Cup will don the starting No. 1. Ten Voorde won the last Carrera Cup Deutschland race in Imola two years ago and is once again amongst the favorites this weekend.
Watch the races LIVE on SPEED SPORT 1.
In addition to Ten Voorde, Briton Harry King (Allied-Racing), Frenchman Marvin Klein (Target Competition) and ten Voorde’s compatriot Huub van Eijndhoven (Team GP Elite) are among the experienced drivers in the 26-strong field.
Theo Oeverhaus (Bonk Motorsport) from Germany starts the season as the reigning rookie champion and overall winner of the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East. Sören Spreng (GP Elite) from Germany is determined to defend his ProAm title. The youngest in the field is Austrian Kiano Blum. The ID Racing driver starts his first Carrera Cup season as a 16-year-old.
Among the victory-driven and podium-hungry rookies are Dutchman Robert de Haan (Team75 Bernhard) — 2023 champion in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux — and Gian Luca Tüccaroglu from Germany.
He advances as champion of the 2022 Porsche Sports Cup Deutschland to the Carrera Cup and drives for Team HP Racing [a-workx]. Like Theo Oeverhaus, both are members of the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland Talent Pool, in which Porsche Deutschland provides exclusive support for eight young drivers.
“It’s finally time to get things underway again. I’m looking forward to an action-packed season and I’m particularly excited to see how the rookies fare against the veterans. I also expect a lot from the drivers in the Talent Pool, which shows a very strong entry with champions from other one-make cups,” said Hurui Issak, Project Manager Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland.