STUTTGART, Germany — The last round of an already gripping 31st Porsche Supercup season could hardly have been more turbulent.
The fight for the overall crown and the rookie title was made in the final meters of the finale in Monza in northern Italy. A mere 0.4 seconds decided the title fight between Bastian Buus and Larry ten Voorde, with the Porsche Junior from Denmark ultimately winning.
Australia’s Harri Jones missed out on clinching the overall rookie trophy by less than 0.3 seconds with the title going to Alessandro Ghiretti from France.
“That was the toughest race of my life mentally, a real rollercoaster ride,” revealed Buus after the 14-lap thriller on the Formula 1 racetrack near Milan.
It looked simple before the start — An 11th place would be enough for him to win the title. Given his ninth spot on the grid, this sounded like a relatively easy task, however, a spin caused by a collision threw Buus to the back of the field during the second lap.
“I stalled the engine and it felt like an eternity before I could continue,” he said, describing the seconds he spent off the track. However, over the next laps, he succeeded in ploughing his way through the field.
Nevertheless, 11th place remained out of reach, due also to a three-second time penalty. “Luckily, I saw on the trackside monitors that Harry King was leading the race. That calmed me down a bit.”
All of Buus’s hopes now rested on his British teammate at BWT Lechner Racing, who had started from pole position. Hot on King’s bumper was the second title contender ten Voorde, who had promptly catapulted into the slipstream of the leader from fourth on the grid. The Dutch GP Elite driver could only have claimed the title with a win.
But King kept his cool and held on to the narrow lead to the finish line – and thanks to this result, Buus was finally crowned the new Supercup Champion, the youngest in the history of the series. “I’m lost for words, I’m simply over the moon,” beamed Buus, to the wild cheers of his entire family.
“Every time I put a little space between me and Larry, the safety car took away the advantage. But my car was fast enough today not to really give him a chance,” said King, in praise of his engineers’ work. The 26-year-old won three races over the season, more than any of his competitors. However, a run of bad luck in the other races meant he had to settle for third place in the final standings.
Ten Voorde, the Supercup champion from 2020 and 2021, demonstrated his sportsmanship despite losing the duel against King.
“I tried absolutely everything, never gave up and fought like a lion to the end. But Harry cleverly defended his lead. Congratulations to Bastian, he truly deserves the title.”
Clinching the third podium spot in Monza, local hero Simone Iaquinta treated spectators to even more nail-biting race action. “This is the perfect end to the season,” grinned the Italian, who drives for the German Huber Racing squad.
Scoring his best result of the season, he inadvertently decided the title fight in the Rookie class. Throughout the race, Iaquinta locked horns with Harri Jones (BWT Lechner Racing), with the two swapping positions several times. Third place would have been enough for Jones, the reigning champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, to take home the rookie crown.
He crossed the finish line as the best-placed Rookie but finished the race only fourth overall by a car length. Thus, the title went to Alessandro Ghiretti (Martinet by Alméras).
The Frenchman had to retire early after a collision. “As a spectator, I had to watch Simone and Harri take turns in third place – I almost went crazy. But now I’m proud of the Rookie title,” said the 21-year-old from the southern French town of Montauban. Ghiretti was also celebrated as the best in the rankings of the in-house Rookie Programme, which, in addition to race results, also assesses areas like physical fitness or the quality of each driver’s written race reports.
Ex-Formula 1 driver Timo Glock put in a strong drive at the German’s second guest outing this year in the VIP-911 of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Heading into the race from the second to last grid row, he avoided several collisions and spins from rivals around him. The fact that he was able to advance to ninth position in this tumultuous race underlines the vast experience of the 41-year-old, who now covers the Formula 1 world championship as a TV commentator.
BWT Lechner Racing once again dominated the teams’ classification, with Buus and King scoring points. Founded by the legendary Walter Lechner, the team based in Austria has now notched up its 13th team title in the Porsche Supercup.
“I’ve experienced a lot, but this finale felt like something straight out of Hollywood,” commented team principal Robert Lechner. “I’m incredibly proud of Bastian Buus, the youngest Supercup champion of all time. Harry King also had a very strong season and contributed hugely to our title with his three victories.”
Thomas Laudenbach was also delighted. The Vice President Porsche Motorsport witnessed the season finale of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at the track in Monza and presented the trophies to the race winner Harry King and Rookie winner Harri Jones.
“This super suspenseful finale and the entire 2023 season have once again underlined why the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is the pinnacle of our one-make cups,” Laudenbach said. “All three titles were only decided in the last race of the season. This is motorsport at its absolute best. That’s exactly what we want and that’s exactly what the high level of professionalism of the drivers and the teams shows.”
Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, added, “Congratulations to Porsche Junior Bastian Buus, who has now added the overall title to his list of achievements after winning the Rookie title in 2022. BWT Lechner Racing also improved their record with their 13th title in the Teams’ classification, a truly impressive performance. The Rookie title goes to France this year. Congratulations to Alessandro Ghiretti.
“I’d also like to thank all the other drivers, the teams and every one of their members for an incredibly exciting and highly professional Supercup season.”