- Robert de Haan (Richardson Racing) and Glenn van Parijs (AUGUST by NGT) decide between themselves who will be the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux champion
- AUGUST by NGT and Richardson Racing are also each other's opponents in the battle for the team title
Zonhoven, September 21, 2023. The 2023 motorsport season is in the final stretch. The final victories are distributed, the titles will be awarded and as such, also in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux. Naturally, a lot of attention will be paid to the fight between Robert de Haan and Glenn van Parijs, but that will not be the only intense fight in beautiful Styria. The battle for the teams championship will turn out to be a tough duel between AUGUST by NGT and Richardson Racing, while there will still be a lot of fighting for the podium places in the various classes. And of course, both races at the Red Bull Ring are the last chance for a victory or a nice place of honor this season. In any case, just after five on Sunday, September 24, the curtain falls on a very animated and beautiful season of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux 2023.
“It has indeed been a great season so far,” says Series Manager Olivier Aerts. “After ten races we count no fewer than five different winners, with four victories for the championship leader, Robert de Haan, two for Glenn van Parijs and Larry ten Voorde (JW Raceservice), and one victory each for Ariel Levi ( Huber Racing) and Bertrand Baguette (AUGUST by NGT). After those ten races we are heading for a great final between Robert and Glenn. As our philosophy would have it, the final will be contested on a razor's edge, with fair play of course being the order of the day. But I am also looking forward to the final battle among the teams, and of course also to the battle for places of honor in the different classes.”
In the points standings, Robert de Haan and Glenn from Paris are separated by 43 points, so the Dutchman goes into this round as the favorite, but in sports the prizes are awarded at the finish. In that general classification, no fewer than four drivers also have a claim to the bronze medal: Flynt Schuring (Huber Racing), Dirk Schouten (Q1 Trackracing), Ariel Levi and Sam Dejonghe (RedAnt Racing). They will also fight until the finish to reach the final podium. It will certainly be just as exciting in the battle for second place among the rookies, between Flynt Schuring and Dirk Schouten, Schouten who achieved his first podium place in the Porsche Carrera Cup at Circuit Zolder. Robert de Haan is one point shy of the rookie title. And last but not least there is team battle between AUGUST by NGT, Richardson Racing and Huber Racing.
Norden in PRO-AM, Chassang in AM
In the meantime, we know since the races at Circuit Zolder that Sacha Norden (Team GP Elite) can call himself champion in PRO-AM, while Aaron Mason (Revs Motorsport) is on his way to second place, although he still has to watch out for both Baporo Motorsport drivers, Joan Vinyes and Jaime Font, who both also have a chance at silver.
In AM we unfortunately miss Ralph Poppelaars (Hans Weijs Motorsport) in Austria, which means that Cedric Chassang (Team GP Elite) can call himself the best 'AM' of 2023, ahead of Ralph Poppelaars and Luc Vanderfeesten (RedAnt Racing).
In Austria we again see a very nice starting field, with the usual suspects, but also some guests who have come to taste the Porsche Carrera Cup for the last race of the season.
Target Competition brings two new faces to the PRO class, with Zakhar and Artem Slutskii, real twins, while Sam Jongejan also makes his debut in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux 'Pro'. He does it with JW Raceservice. The American Pete Aranson does it for Speedlover in 'AM', just like Sem Geerts, but he defends the colors of Hans Weijs Motorsport.
So we'll meet next weekend, with a 30-minute race and one lap on Saturday and Sunday, starting twice at 4:40 PM. Both races can of course be followed live via the YouTube channel, the website and the Facebook page of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux.
