New-look Championship attracts new teams and brings fresh talent to the grid

Since the new-look 2015 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship was announced in October, the response from teams and drivers has been resoundingly positive.

With just four months until the flag drops at Brands Hatch for the first races on 4/5 April, Porsche Cars GB is pleased to confirm four new teams have signed-up for the season. In total, eight teams have committed to the Championship, each running multiple entries.

Heading the new signings is a team led by Iain Dockerill – Credit4Cars – which will field a multiple car line-up. Dockerill has raced in the GT Cup and British GT Championship, and the Credit4Cars team is looking forward to joining the Carrera Cup GB for 2015.

Another new entry is G-Cat Racing, which will run cars for Peter and Shamus Jennings. G-Cat has extensive track experience, most recently running with Ferrari in the GT Cup Championship plus supporting a range of historic F1 and sports racing cars around Europe.

Both operations see an entry in the Carrera Cup as a logical step in their commitment to GT racing, and have been drawn to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship by the appeal of racing the rear-engined, 460 hp ‘Type 991’ 911 GT3 Cup, and the revised calendar with the WEC race at Spa in Belgium.

Juta Racing returns to the Championship next year, and has drawn-up exciting plans for a fresh campaign with another multiple car entry. Juta Racing clinched the Pro-Am1 title in 2011, and Jonas Gelzinis finished second overall in the 2013 Carrera Cup GB. Now, younger brother Ignas steps up to the ‘Pro’ category for next season and will be a driver to watch.

Another returning team is GT Marques, which enjoyed great Carrera Cup GB success in 2013 and will be sure to be on the pace again in 2015.

In addition to the new faces, long-standing Carrera Cup GB supporters IN2 Racing has also committed to next season already. The Warwickshire-based team enjoyed a strong 2014, and is aiming to maintain this form next year, with Paul McKay and David Walley in Pro-Am2 confirmed so far. Walley is supported by Alexander Daniels and The IFA under the AD brand.

Since 2003, three teams have been the bedrock of Carrera Cup GB and Redline Racing, Team Parker Racing and Parr Motorsport are planning 2015 campaigns, all with multiple car entries. Each can be counted upon to mount a serious title bid with their traditionally strong pack of ‘Pro’ drivers.

While the final entry list will be announced in the New Year, further new drivers that can be confirmed include 2013 Renault Clio Cup Champion Josh Files, from Norwich – who will line up for Team Parker Racing in the ‘Pro’ category under the Racing for Heroes banner.

“I'm ecstatic to finally get the opportunity to race in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB,” he said. “We've been working towards it for so long now and to be able to do it for Help for Heroes under our new #racingforheroes banner really is the icing on the cake and makes it so much more worthwhile. I can't wait to get started in 2015 in what looks like a seriously competitive field.”

The high-calibre of competition and high-profile rewards offered by the Carrera Cup GB were a key attraction for Josh Webster to join the Championship in 2014, and his two-year Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship support extends into the 2015 season. As the first Scholar to win the Championship in their debut season, Webster is keen to return and stay with Porsche on his two year scholarship program.

“I want to drive in the Carrera Cup. It’s mega and the grid numbers are looking big for 2015, so the level of competition I will face defending my title will be even more intense next season. At the same time, I am also working on a future Mobil 1 Supercup campaign with Porsche, which I am determined to start with selected rounds in 2015."

The appeal to young drivers of racing in the Carrera Cup GB is plain to see. Experience in the 911 GT3 Cup offers a proven pathway to future careers in GT/sports prototype racing with factory teams. Graduates from the Carrera Cup include British Porsche Works 911 RSR driver Nick Tandy, and his Porsche factory team-mates, Marc Lieb and Romain Dumas, who triumphed in the final race of the 2014 WEC in the LMP1 919 Hybrid.

Ragnar Schulte, General Manager, Marketing, Porsche Cars GB, commented: “I am pleased to welcome the new teams and drivers to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for 2015, and also thank our continuing teams for their long-standing loyalty. Next season, a new chapter of Carrera Cup GB begins. In addition to our proud role in support of the exciting TOCA British Touring Car Championship programme, we also look forward to the season highlight of two races at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, on the same weekend our Porsche Motorsport colleagues will be participating in the World Endurance Championship around the iconic track.”

2015 Porsche Carrera Cup GB

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. 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.

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

As currently, there are three Championship categories: Pro, Pro Am1, Pro Am2 - plus a new ‘Rookie Class’. Furthermore, prize money at all race weekends has been 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