Accelerating hard into the new season

Porsche GB 2018/2019 Junior Dan Harper made history by becoming the youngest ever winner of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB. The Ulsterman, who only celebrated his 19th birthday in December, secured the title in September with a round to spare.

Harper follows in the footsteps of Charlie Eastwood and Josh Webster, who also both won the title while benefiting from the Porsche Carrera Cup GB scholarship scheme. Harper raced for JTR, which secured the Team prize, while Karl Leonard won the Pro-Am category and Justin Sherwood took the Am title, with Tom Roche triumphing in the Rookie section.

New blood

Now it is the turn of new Porsche Carrera Cup GB Junior Harry King to set his sights on the title. The 18-year-old from Maidenhead, who won the Ginetta GT4 Supercup championship, triumphed against intense competition from three other talented finalists, Luke Browning, Louis Foster and Lorcan Hanafin.

‘Competition was very close this year, and came down to the smallest of margins’

The four drivers faced a gruelling, multi-faceted assessment day both on and off the track at Silverstone, where not just their driving, but also their physical fitness, ability to deal with the media, mental approach and much more was put to the test.

James MacNaughton, Motorsport Manager, Porsche Cars GB said: ‘The competition was very close this year – Harry, Lorcan, Louis and Luke are all established talents with successful careers. It meant that the decision was an incredibly tough one, and came down to the smallest of margins.’

By becoming the Porsche Junior for the next two years, King will enjoy entry in the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid. He will also benefit from one of the largest prizes in UK motorsport, including an £85,000 Carrera Cup GB budget contribution per season.

The next stage

Ben McLoughlin secured the 2019 Porsche Classic Restoracing Championship. The series, which sees 14 mechanically identical ‘Type 986’ Boxster S cars race in a range of iconic Porsche racing liveries, has proven tremendously popular since it began in 2018. Now, Porsche Club Motorsport, in collaboration with Porsche Classic, takes the championship to the next stage.

For 2020, the series becomes the Porsche Classic Boxster Cup, and is open to all racers with a National B licence, offering drivers a broader opportunity to move into the world of Porsche Motorsport.

Sprint to the front

Porsche Motorsport GB also adds another step within the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid in the form of the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB. The series, which will offer a potential gateway to the Porsche Carrera Cup, will see mechanically identical Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport race cars compete in 12 races with rounds supporting British GT and TOCA series. By fitting an optional ‘MR’ pack, competitors will also be able to enter the new Porsche race car in international GT4 racing.