Porsche Supercup revs into second half of the season with a French debut

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Preview, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 5, Formula 1 race in Le Castellet (France)

• On Sunday (24 July 2022), Porsche’s international one-make cup contests the fifth of eight races at Le Castellet in southern France.
• Circuit Paul Ricard features on the calendar for the first time in the Porsche Supercup’s 30-year history.
• 32 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup tackle the challenges of the 5.842-kilometre racetrack just before the Formula 1 French Grand Prix.
• Only two points separate overall leader Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing) and Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich (D/SSR Huber Racing).

Since its 1993 debut, the #porschesupercup has raced on 23 circuits in 18 countries. Another racetrack will be added to that tally this coming weekend: For the first time, the international one-make cup with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup will be contested at the Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France, close to Le Castellet. Race five of the season gets underway on Sunday (24 July 2022) at 11:45 am CEST, right before the Formula 1 French Grand Prix.Stuttgart. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup heads into the second half of the season this coming weekend at Le Castellet. Only 18 points separate championship leader Dylan Pereira (Luxembourg) from his BWT Lechner #racing teammate Harry King (England) in fourth place. Between the two lie Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich (Germany) from the SSR Huber #racing squad and defending champion Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands). The Team GP Elite driver lost the overall lead after the Red Bull Ring race, where he was thrown out of contention by another competitor.

“The best drivers in the overall standings are all competing at the top of their game. I think the bid for the Supercup title will be more gripping in the second half of the season than it’s been for a very long time,” says Oliver Schwab, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Project Manager. “The race in Le Castellet comes at the perfect time. None of the four top drivers has raced there before, so the playing field will be level for this quartet.”

In the first half of the season, Pereira won two races, with one victory each for ten Voorde and Heinrich. These three only know the Circuit Paul Ricard from a cockpit perspective from private test outings with their teams. Several French Supercup drivers, however, can call on previous #racing experience on the 5.842-kilometre circuit. Marvin Klein from the CLRT squad and Martinet by Alméras driver Dorian Boccolacci, who currently ranks sixth overall, have raced before at Le Castellet with the ca. 375 kW (515 PS) 911 GT3 Cup as part of the Porsche Carrera Cup France.

“We’ll see during the 45-minute free practice if they can use their home advantage,” states championship leader Dylan Pereira. “The Circuit Paul Ricard has a couple of tricky combinations where you have to brake really late into the corners – the best places to overtake.”

Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich is hoping for another positive race outcome similar to Silverstone, where he celebrated his first win this season. “The situation for me is similar: I’ve never raced at Le Castellet before, perhaps I can repeat my result from England.”

Four guest drivers will join the 28 regular Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup drivers in Le Castellet: Australians Aaron Love and Stephen Grove will compete for the French Martinet by Alméras squad, with Ariel Levi representing Huber #racing. Levi is the first Israeli driver to contest the Supercup and competes for the second time this season.

Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet (France)
Opened in 1970, the racetrack is named after its first owner, the liqueur magnate Paul Ricard. The track’s special characteristics included the 1.6-kilometre-long Mistral straight and safety measures such as the introduction of curbs, which were innovative features at that time. Between 1971 and 1990, Le Castellet hosted the French Grand Prix several times.

After the sale of the track to a company owned by the former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and its redesign in line with the plans of the German architecture Hermann Tilke, the racetrack again set new safety benchmarks. The track offers several layouts up to 6.105 kilometres in length. In 2018, the Formula 1 French Grand Prix returned to what is now officially called the “Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track”. Many teams use this racetrack for endurance tests in preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup races for the first time on the 5.842-kilometre Grand Prix circuit.

TV and internet coverage of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
Round five of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes off on Sunday (24 July 2022) at 11:45 pm CEST and runs over 13 laps. The TV channel Eurosport2 and the streaming service f1tv.formula1.com provide a live broadcast. Media and fans can also follow the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup action on Twitter (@PorscheSupercup and @PorscheRaces), Instagram (@PorscheSupercup) and Facebook (@PorscheSupercup).

Full race results and championship standings:
https://motorsports.porsche.com/germany/de/category/mobil1supercup/pmsc-2022-results
 
Schedule round 5, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (all times CEST)
Friday, 22 July
3:30 – 4:15 pm: Practice
Saturday, 23 July
11:10 – 11:40 am: Qualifying
Sunday, 24 July
11:45 am: Race (13 laps)

Points’ standings 2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (after 4 of 8 races)
1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 78 points
2. Laurin Heinrich (D/SSR Huber Racing), 76 points
3. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 65 points
4. Harry King (UK/BWT Lechner Racing), 60 points
5. Bastian Buus (DK/BWT Lechner Racing), 48 points

2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup calendar (subject to change)
22 – 24 April, Imola (Italy)
26 – 29 May, Monte Carlo (Monaco)
01 – 03 July, Silverstone (Great Britain)
08 – 10 July, Spielberg (Austria)
22 – 24 July, Le Castellet (France)
26 – 28 August, Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
02 – 04 September, Zandvoort (Netherlands)
09 – 11 September, Monza (Italy)