Ghiretti’s rivals did not stand a chance against the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of the French team Schumacher CLRT, even at the restart following a safety car phase. Second place on the Formula 1 circuit at Spa-Francorchamps went to Theo Oeverhaus. Three GP Elite drivers followed the German Porsche Junior from the Bonk Motorsport squad across the line, with Israel’s Ariel Levi clinching third ahead of his Dutch teammates Huub van Eijndhoven and Kas Haverkort.
“I succeeded in defending my lead at the start and quickly got into my stride. This allowed me to focus on preserving my tyres. My mechanics put a perfect 911 on the track for me today,” said Ghiretti, complimenting his team. Indeed, the Schumacher CLRT team’s racing cars were already in blistering form during qualifying. Ghiretti’s Dutch teammate Flynt Schuring also started from front row but lost significant ground after becoming entangled in a collision caused by another competitor.
“I got off to a great start and overtook Flynt Schuring on the first lap, but I had no chance to catch Alessandro,” admitted Theo Oeverhaus. Instead, he had to fend off Ariel Levi for second place over the entire 13-lap race. “I think Ariel would have been faster on a clear track. We need to take a close look at the data now so I can achieve more in the second race of the weekend on Saturday.”
Tackling the race from fifth place, Airel Levi seemed delighted with third place. “I certainly benefited from the drivers in front losing positions in duels early in the race. But I’m also very proud of third place behind the two Porsche Juniors,” commented Ariel Levi.
Sacha Norden (Proton Huber Competition) trailed Huub van Eijndhoven and Kas Haverkort over the finish line. The apologetic Dutchman said to his fellow countryman: “I’m truly sorry that I nudged Flynt Schuring into a spin when the race went green after the safety car period.” Consequently, the stewards handed Norden a 10-second penalty. As a result, victory in the Rookie classification went to Laptime-Performance driver Dirk Schouten of the Netherlands. Behind Norden, Englishman Joseph Warhurst (Proton Huber Competition) finished third in the Carrera Cup Rookie classification.
Victory in the ProAm category went to Ahmad Alshehab from Kuwait. “It feels great to stand at the top of the podium for the first time this season. We’re working hard to make sure it’s not the last time,” stated the driver from Team [a-workx] by Porsche Paderborn. Joining Alshehab on the ProAm podium were Germans Michael Essmann (Team75 Bernhard) and Kai Pfister (Proton Huber Competition).
However, it was series leader Robert de Haan who treated spectators to the greatest show. Driving for Proton Huber Competition, the Dutch driver failed to post a fast qualifying lap and had to start the race from the back row of the grid. With huge determination and inspired overtaking moves, he initially made up a stunning 23 positions in the race. He ultimately was qualified ninth due to a time penalty. “At least I retained the championship lead,” said the breathless 18-year-old.
Flynt Schuring starts Saturday’s race from pole position
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will again line up on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps grid tomorrow at 9:20 am. The two Schumacher CLRT drivers have once again locked out the front grid. This time, however, positions have switched with Talent Pool driver Flynt Schuring on pole position and Porsche Junior driver Alessandro Ghiretti starting from second.
Fans can follow the weekend’s second race live on the internet, including on the Porsche Motorsport Hub and the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland channels on YouTube and Facebook Facebook.
Result race 3, Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland, Spa-Francorchamps (BEL)
1. Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti (FRA/Schumacher CLRT), 13 laps
2. Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus (DEU/Bonk Motorsport), +6.768 seconds
3. Ariel Levi (ISR/Team GP Elite), +7.518 seconds
4. Huub van Eijndhoven (NLD/Team GP Elite), +8.429 seconds
5. Kas Haverkort (NLD/Team GP Elite), +9.740 seconds
6. Mikel Azcona (ESP/Hadeca Racing), +12.971 seconds
Full results and championship standings:
https://racing.porsche.com/de-DE/carrera-cup-deutschland/ergebnisse
