Sam Jongejan (Team RaceArt) and Kobe Pauwels (D’Ieteren Luxury Performance) are the top rookies of the weekend.
Jani Käkelä (39 Racing) claims both wins in PRO-AM.
Imola, July 7, 2024. The magnificent Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari was the venue for the third meeting of the Porsche Carrera Cup 2024, marking the end of the first half of the season. The wins in Imola were taken by the experienced Dutch driver Paul Meijer, who sees his career in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux as taking a new start. On Sunday, it was none other than the two-time world rally champion Kalle Rovenperä who secured his first victory in circuit racing. After this highly competitive weekend, featuring spectacular motorsport, Paul Meijer will defend his lead in the fastest one-make cup of the Benelux on August 4 and 5 at the Assen circuit. Kalle Rovenperä needs no introduction. At just 23, the young Finn is already a two-time world rally champion, has won an international drifting competition, and now adds a circuit race victory to his accomplishments. On Saturday morning, he drove the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Type 992 – in the RedAnt Racing and Red Bull colors to both pole positions, before securing his first 'circuit' win of his career on Sunday. "I am extremely happy, especially for the people in my entourage and the team," beamed the young Finn on the podium in Imola. "My two pole positions were a milestone, but on Saturday, I struggled a bit too much with the car to secure the win. It became my first podium, after which we worked hard to improve and fine-tune the car, and on Sunday, it finally paid off, though it was certainly not easy. There was the five-second penalty (for a false start), and I had to drive as if it were qualifying laps until the end. The victory is here, and I am truly ecstatic!" But it wasn't just Rovenperä leaving Italy with a good feeling. Paul Meijer won on Saturday, finished second on Sunday, and with a bonus of twelve and thirteen points respectively over Dirk Schouten (Q1 Trackracing) and Benjamin Paque (D’Ieteren Luxury Performance), he is the new championship leader. Meijer, who made a name for himself as a young driver in single-seaters, is undoubtedly one of the title contenders in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux this season. Meijer won on Saturday ahead of Rovenperä and Robin Knutson (NGT Racing), with Benjamin Paque finishing fourth and the rookie winner Sam Jongejan in fifth. Jongejan triumphed with Kobe Pauwels and Alexander Reimann (EST1 Racing) close behind. Top-Level Sport Fans were treated to spectacular racing both on Saturday and Sunday, with overtaking maneuvers and intense competition on the warm asphalt, and only minimal race interruptions. Rovenperä won the second race of the weekend, followed by Paul Meijer and Benjamin Paque, with Knutsson and Dirk Schouten, who had a more challenging weekend, completing the top five. Pauwels and Jongejan swapped places on the Rookie podium, with Dréke Janssen (RedAnt Racing) making his first podium appearance, finishing third among the young contenders. Pauwels leads the Rookie championship ahead of Sam Jongejan. In PRO-AM, Jani Käkelä took both wins, with Maik Rosenberg (Team GP Elite) and Jules Grouwels (Team RaceArt) finishing second and third on Saturday, while Rosenberg and Ziad Geris (PG Motorsport) took silver and bronze on Sunday. Käkelä leads the points standings halfway through the season. In the team standings, D’Ieteren Luxury Performance leads after Imola by just one point over Q1 Trackracing. “What a fantastic weekend on a sportive level,” exclaimed Series Manager Olivier Aerts. “We experienced everything this weekend and return home with a positive feeling and lots of energy to make the second half of the season, starting in Assen on August 3 and 4, even better!”
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