- Larry ten Voorde unable to take advantage of pole position, finishes second
- Porsche-Junior Bastian Buus takes the flag in third place
- Huub van Eijndhoven wins the rookie classification with seventh place overall
Maiden victory for Harry King: The British racer from the BWT Lechner Racing team has won the opening round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Monte-Carlo – his first-ever victory in the international one-make cup with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Second place went to the Dutchman Larry ten Voorde from the GP Elite squad. Porsche-Junior Bastian Buus also climbed the podium – King’s Danish teammate secured third.
The decisive move happened right after the lights went off: Larry ten Voorde’s start was not ideal and he lost the sprint to the first corner against Harry King. The UK driver then defended his lead at the wheel of his 375 kW (510 PS) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by the BWT Lechner Racing team.
“My car ran perfectly,” reported King, who also celebrated his first victory in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland four weeks ago. “I could have driven a little faster but I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks – in Monaco, you always have to expect a safety car, which wipes out any advantage.”
King was proven right with this prediction. A few minor incidents occurred during the opening laps. However, they did not affect the running of the race. Jorge Lorenzo was one of the victims, with the five-time motorcycle world champion from Spain failing to reach the flag. On lap twelve of 17, a 911 stranded in a barrier caused a safety car phase. Since clearing the track could not be done immediately, the race ended behind the safety car.
As a result, Larry ten Voorde could no longer attack Harry King. “I botched my start, which was my mistake,” admitted the two-time Supercup champion. “I’m sorry for the team. At first, I managed to keep Harry under pressure but I didn’t really get a chance to overtake.” Porsche-Junior Bastian Buus was not entirely happy with his race either. “I was expecting a bit more,” said the 19-year-old Dane. “Still, I achieved a podium finish and that’s the most important thing in terms of the season ahead.”
Fourth and fifth place went to Dutchman Loek Hartog (Team GP Elite) and Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci (CLRT) respectively. Huub van Eijndhoven, who also drives for GP Elite, secured victory in the rookie classification. The Dutchman finished seventh overall ahead of two other Supercup newcomers, Italian Giorgio Amati (Dinamic Motorsport) and Australian Harri Jones (BWT Lechner Racing).
“The first race of the season in Monaco threw big challenges at the drivers and teams. However, they all mastered them exceptionally and treated fans along the racetrack to some great motor racing. It’s a pity that the race ended behind the safety car, but we could still see that the level of competition is very high this year,” commented Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.
The next destination for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is Spielberg in Austria’s Styria region. Run as part of the Austrian Grand Prix support programme, the hunt for the championship leader Harry King begins.
