And the winner is ...

At the 2023 Porsche ‘Night of Motorsport’ awards, James Wallis was unveiled as the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Junior for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, taking the reins from 2022/23 Junior Adam Smalley, who also received his 2023 Carrera Cup GB winner’s trophy during the event.

Wallis follows a string of successful former Juniors including Harry King (2020/2021), Dan Harper (2018/2019) and Charlie Eastwood (2016/2017), all of whom won the Porsche Carrera Cup GB championship before going on to further success in high-profile motorsport series all around the world.

The Junior receives an unprecedented level of support and guidance designed to unlock their full potential, including an £85,000 budget contribution per season, technical support from Porsche Motorsport GB engineers, tailored media training sessions, and even a bespoke fitness programme created by the Porsche Human Performance team.

The Porsche Junior selection process began with a field of 50 hopefuls, and ended with the four leading candidates taking part in a day of intensive on- and off-track assessments at Silverstone, during which they were evaluated by a panel including members of the Porsche Motorsport GB technical team, broadcasters and psychometric experts. Smalley and 2022 Pro-Am category champion Charles Rainford were also trackside to see the contenders take to the circuit in the 911 GT3 Cup car for qualifying and race-simulation runs.

Wallis was selected for the Junior role from what was an outstanding line-up of finalists. The 18-year-old from Ledbury in Herefordshire previously demonstrated his great talent and winning mentality in the 2022 GT Cup driving a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, and in the GT3 category of the British GT during 2023.

‘Nurturing and developing promising young racing talent sits at the core of what Porsche Motorsport is all about,’ says James MacNaughton, Motorsport Manager, Porsche Cars GB. ‘This programme is one of UK motorsport’s most exciting opportunities, so it’s no surprise we are always inundated with applications from hopefuls already racing at a competitive level.

‘You only have to look to our most recent Porsche Carrera Cup GB Juniors to see that the role has become a proven route to success. I’m certain James will thrive as he represents Porsche both on and off the track over the next two years. We look forward to seeing him grow and progress.’