The story sounds like a fairy tale. We are in 2017 and a young 19-year-old Turkish full of ambitions is taking part in the Junior Program of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux. Parallel to his season, he participates in a training program. Steering skills, physical preparation, relationships with engineers and technicians, communication with the press and partners … None of the aspects that make up a professional driver are forgotten! Under the watchful eye of Marc Goossens in particular, Ayhancan appears to be a hard-working student with exceptional motivation. His progress is impressive.
Thanks to his Junior Benelux 2017 title, he gets support to participate in the Porsche GT3 Challenge Benelux Cup for the 2018 season. And Ayhancan soon convinces the competition of his talent! He won the title convincingly, and in the same year also won the Porsche Carrera Cup France!
The advance of the young Turk does not stop there: winner of the first FIA GT Nations Cup at the end of 2018 and again the title in the Porsche Carrera Cup France. And since his debut in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, he shines. With a victory, the title of best rookie and the honorary status of number two, he impresses again.
Porsche Motorsport supports promising young talents since 1997 and the search for new pearls never ends. Ayhancan was invited to participate in a three-day selection on the Portimão circuit. Against eleven other candidates, the champion of the Benelux 2018 competition won the first prize: in 2020 he will become an official Porsche Junior driver! In concrete terms, this means that he will receive support worth € 225,000 to participate in the Mobil 1 Supercup Porsche in 2020, as well as advice from coach Sascha Maassen during race weekends. In addition, training for physical & mental training and media training will also be part of his program. Another step closer to his dream of becoming a professional pilot!
“It was an honor to be part of that selection,” says Ayahancan. “But when I heard that I was the new Porsche Junior driver, I admit that I was overwhelmed by emotions. This status is a dream come true. Since I was a child, I have been obsessed with winning. But winning this selection is the biggest success of my career! Thanks to Porsche for the confidence they place in me. “
As organizer of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux, we are delighted with this selection. “The Benelux competition and the Junior Program played an important role at the start of Ayhancan’s career at Porsche,” explains Olivier Aerts, the manager of the championship. “We are very happy that his talent is being rewarded and we are convinced that his progress will not stop there. Our Junior Program has been a real success since 2017 and the achievements of the young Loek Hartog in 2019 have once again proved their worth. We will soon reveal the plans for our Junior Program 2020 and the Junior Recruitment Program, which will be re-launched. In any case, it is clear that we will continue to support young talent! ”
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