Season includes two races in support of World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Spa
The 2015 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship calendar has been confirmed, and a definite season highlight is a visit to the world-renowned Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Belgian Ardennes region for a prestigious two-race event in support of the World Endurance Championship (WEC).
The Porsche Team will be racing for the second year in the top LMP1 category in the WEC and Le Mans with the 919 Hybrid, and the Spa support race for Carrera Cup GB underlines the close ties between the domestic Championship and the international Porsche Motorsport programme.
The Carrera Cup GB Championship will be contested over 16 races and eight weekends, and continues to support the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at seven circuits.
Each of the two Spa races will count as full Carrera Cup GB Championship rounds. One race will be 45-minutes’ duration, giving drivers extensive exposure to the challenging 4.3 mile circuit.
2015 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship
Rounds 1 + 2: 4/5 April - Brands Hatch (Indy), KentRounds 3 + 4: 1/2 May – Spa, Belgium (FIA WEC support race)Rounds 5 + 6: 6/7 June – Oulton Park, CheshireRounds 7 + 8: 27/28 June – Croft, North YorkshireRounds 9 + 10: 8/9 August – Snetterton, NorfolkRounds 11 + 12: 22/23 August – Knockhill, ScotlandRounds 13 + 14: 26/27 September – Silverstone (National), NorthamptonshireRounds 15 + 16: 10/11 October – Brands Hatch (GP), Kent
In addition, Carrera Cup GB drivers also qualify for a guest package giving entry to a ‘European Carrera Cup’ support race prior to the Spa 24 Hours GT race on 25 July, at extra cost. As in previous years, competitors are eligible to participate in the prestigious Porsche Mobil1 Supercup support race at the Silverstone British Grand Prix (again at extra cost).
Confirmation of the calendar follows the announcement of a series of wide-ranging enhancements to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for the 2015 season. As currently, there will be three (factory-supported) categories: Pro, Pro Am1, Pro Am2 - plus a new ‘Rookie Class’. Furthermore, prize money at all race weekends will be doubled as part of a harmonization with other Carrera Cups worldwide, culminating in a generous end-of-season rewards package.
New End-of-Season Prizes
New Rookie Class, aimed at drivers aged 17-24 with the goal to find new talent for Porsche Motorsport - overall winner: £50,000, 2nd place £20,000, 3rd place £10,000
Pro overall winner: £15,000 plus fully-expensed drive in Porsche Supercup supported by Porsche Motorsport engineers
ProAm1 overall winner: £7,000 plus loan of Porsche 911 for a year and opportunity to spend 0.5 days at the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone with a Porsche Works driver – emphasising the key role of Carrera Cup within Porsche Motorsport
ProAm2 overall winner: £5,000 plus either loan of a Porsche 911 for a year or ‘money can’t buy’ opportunity to participate in a one day ‘Masterclass’ with a Porsche LMP1 driver at Silverstone
In addition:
all drivers invited to attend the Porsche Human Performance Centre at Silverstone for a two hour personal session, as part of their sign-on package
– Team Cayenne: for the duration of the season, main teams who run more than two race cars will receive the loan of a Cayenne with Carrera Cup Championship livery
– Carrera Cup Hospitality at each circuit with ample opportunity to host guests and sponsors
– Early registration reward offering between two and three free sets of Michelin slick tyres as incentive to join Porsche Carrera Cup GB promptly
– New tyre regulations and new testing schedule: free pre-season testing, four days maximum in the season
Porsche Carrera Cup GB overview
The Carrera Cup, the fastest and most successful single marque GT racing Championship in the UK, is contested by identical examples of the latest ‘Type 991’ 911 GT3 Cup, each powered by a charismatic, rear-mounted 460 hp flat-six engine. The racing edition of the iconic 911 coupe has thrilled spectators around the UK in support of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) since 2003.
Over the past decade, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB has become an established stepping stone for drivers looking to forge a career in GT sports car and endurance racing. The Championship is fully integrated into the international Porsche Motorsport programme, and factory backing – not least in terms of parts and technical support –provides unrivalled opportunities for development. Consequently, victory in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB is highly prized and preserving this reputation for driver development lies at the heart of the programme of upgrades for 2015.
Core to the appeal of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB to sponsors is that it lies within the proven TOCA package as a support race to the BTCC, and the action is transmitted live on ITV4. Over the course of the season, these broadcasts reach an annual audience in excess of 20m viewers on Sunday afternoons.
Over 30,000 enthusiastic spectators attend the majority of races, and total crowds of approximately 370,000 over the duration of the season visit the circuits in England and Scotland to enjoy the high octane atmosphere. Away from the circuits, news and action from the race weekends is shared via the porsche.co.uk/trackside website and Twitter feed.
Further details regarding entry to the 2015 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship are available from darioush.gheissari@porsche.co.uk, and the new season will be introduced formally at the Autosport International Show at the Birmingham NEC on 9 January 2015.
