– Big challenge: Timo Glock excited to ‘dance at the limit’ in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup VIP race car
– Big goal: Porsche Junior Bastian Buus determined to secure his second win of the season and extend his championship lead
– Big field: 30 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup contest round four of eight as part of the Hungarian Grand Prix support programme at the Hungaroring
A celebrity guest tackles round four of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as part of the Hungarian Grand Prix (21 to 23 July 2023): Ex-Formula 1 driver Timo Glock drives the VIP Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of the international one-make cup in Budapest. The German will go up against 29 rivals, including Porsche Junior and championship leader Bastian Buus from Denmark and multiple motorbike world champion Jorge Lorenzo from Spain. The race featuring the 375 kW (510 PS) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup runs over 16 laps on the Formula 1 circuit on the outskirts of Budapest.
It has been 19 years since Timo Glock contested a Porsche Supercup race as a guest: in 2004, he clinched seventh place at the Nürburgring. « The moment I started the engine and drove the first few metres on the track, I got that typical Porsche grin on my face again, » says the ex-Formula 1 and DTM driver after a test in the latest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Next weekend, the 41-year-old German will take the wheel of the VIP car to contest round four of the Supercup season as part of the Hungarian Grand Prix. « It’s been a long time since I drove a rear-engine race car so I had to get used to it again. Keeping up with the experienced Supercup drivers will be a dance at the limit for me. I’m really looking forward to it, » adds Glock. For this occasion, the No. 911 racer is a very special one: it is the 5,000th Cup nine-eleven built by Porsche Motorsport since 1990.
« Racing against someone like Timo gives me extra motivation, » says an excited Porsche Junior Bastian Buus as he heads to the 16-lap race at the Hungaroring. Competing for the BWT Lechner Racing team, the Dane won the Supercup race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria and now travels to Budapest as the championship leader. « I was fast during our test on Hungaroring, the track suits me. I’m determined to win, » says the 20-year-old with conviction. Seven points separate Buus from second-placed Larry ten Voorde from the Netherlands.
The two-time Supercup champion from the GP Elite squad had to walk away from the last race in Silverstone empty-handed when a collision shortly after the start threw him out of the race. « I’m looking ahead: I want to come first in Budapest. I won there in 2021 and ultimately clinched the title, » states the resolute 26-year-old Dutchman. Buus is the only driver of the top three who has not yet scored a victory this season. Moreover, in contrast to ten Voorde, Buus and his British BWT Lechner Racing teammate Harry King – who currently ranks third overall – only know the Hungaroring from test drives.
Alessandro Ghiretti’s goals are similar to Buus’s. The Frenchman from the Martinet by Alméras team beat all other newcomers for the first time at Silverstone and moved to the top of the rookie classification. « Victory, there’s no other option! » says Ghiretti confidently. In the overall standings, he ranks fifth behind his fellow countryman Dorian Boccolacci (CLRT team).
Jorge Lorenzo returns to the Supercup. Since he was busy in the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia at the wheel of the 375 kW (510 PS) Cup 911, the five-time motorbike world champion had to skip the Silverstone race. This is the 36-year-old Spaniard’s second season in the Italian one-make cup. In the Supercup, he is a newcomer driving for Huber Racing.
« We’ve now contested three races this season, and each time we’ve had a different winner – that also shows just how competitive it is at the top of the Supercup. Budapest is usually very hot, which throws physical challenges at the drivers. I’m curious to see whether we’ll hear a fourth national anthem at the Hungaroring, » declares Oliver Schwab, the project manager of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
Output of ca. 375 kW (510 PS) and fuel from renewable sources
The 2023 Supercup season marks the third year for the 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The output of the six-cylinder boxer engines with around four litres of displacement remains unchanged at 375 kW (510 PS). As was the case in the previous two seasons, the Supercup nine-elevens will be powered by Esso Renewable Racing Fuel, a bio-based, semi-synthetic fuel blend. In addition to the technically identical race cars, the control racing tyres from Michelin also ensure an equal playing field and gripping competition.
Hungaroring
The creation of the racetrack on the outskirts of Budapest is thanks to Formula 1’s endeavours to expand into Eastern Europe. The first Grand Prix behind the so-called ‘Iron Curtain’ was contested here in 1986. Today’s 4.381-kilometre circuit is nestled in a valley, with large parts of the track visible from almost all spectator seats. The Hungaroring’s twisty layout – which earned it the distinction of being ‘like Monaco, only without crash barriers’ – offers few overtaking opportunities.
The Porsche Supercup made its first guest appearance at the Hungaroring in its inaugural 1993 season. At that time, the eventual Formula 1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen won the race as a guest driver. In 2022, the calendar of the international one-make cup did not include the Hungarian Grand Prix. In 2021, victory went to Larry ten Voorde (GP Elite), who earned points towards claiming the title that year.
Standings 2023 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (after three races) : 1. Porsche Junior Bastian Buus (DK/BWT Lechner Racing), 47 points ; 2. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 40 points ; 3. Harry King (UK/BWT Lechner Racing), 32 points ; 4. Dorian Boccolacci (F/CLRT), 32 points ; 5. Alessandro Ghiretti (F/Martinet by Alméras), 30 points…
Holger Eckhardt,