• Team RaceArt races at Red Bull Ring for the first time since May 2023
• Persistent heavy rainfall leads to delays and stoppages
• Sam Jongejan and Jules Grouwels capture a podium each in difficult conditions

Maastricht, 16 september 2024 - Team RaceArt braved tough and challenging weather conditions upon its return to the Red Bull Ring to take a pair of podium finishes in Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux.

The Red Bull Ring, located near the town of Spielberg in Austria’s Styrian mountain region, is best known as the host for Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix but has been a popular destination for a variety of international championships since it was reopened under current ownership in 2011. To that end, Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux travelled to Austria for its second and final weekend abroad of the season to run on the support package for the International GT Open.

When RaceArt last visited the Red Bull Ring in May 2023 as part of the Ferrari Challenge, it faced wet weather conditions. Fast forward 16 months and it was more of the same, with wet conditions being a near-constant factor throughout the weekend. It was against this backdrop of rain that drivers Sam Jongejan and Jules Grouwels would look to further narrow down the points deficit in their respective championship battles in this critical phase of the season.

The visit to Styria held particular significance for Jongejan specifically, as it was at this circuit last year where he had his breakout performance in Porsche single-make racing. In just his second-ever start at the wheel of a Porsche 992 GT3 Cup, the youngster wowed onlookers by scoring a podium in wet conditions.

Jongejan and Grouwels both got off to a good start during the pair of Free Practice sessions on Friday, with Jongejan in particular then also putting in a good showing in qualifying with second place in the Rookie class for Race 1 and pole position for Race 2. Grouwels, meanwhile, secured fourth on the grid for both races.

Race 1 got underway on Saturday afternoon, with limited visibility due to the rain and spray only making things more challenging for the drivers. Under these conditions, Jongejan fought his way up to fifth overall and ran second in the Rookie class when the safety car came out after two drivers aquaplaned off the track at Turn 2. With conditions only worsening, the safety car was subsequently upgraded to a red flag, after which the contest was not restarted. As a result, Jongejan scored second place in the Rookie class and fifth overall while Grouwels was classified third in the Pro-Am ranks. Only half points were awarded for this race.

The weather once again had an impact on the second race on Sunday, which was delayed by nearly 45 minutes as a result of rain. Once it got underway, Jongejan rolled off from pole in the Rookie class and soon found himself in the overall top five when Kalle Rovanpera spun at Turn 6 on the first lap. Then, after a hard-fought lap battle, he fought his way past Niels Langeveld to gain fourth. He then came under pressure from his Rookie title rival Kobe Pauwels as well as Saturday winner Dreke Janssen. In a three-way fight for the class lead, Jongejan did all he could to keep both behind with displays of clever defensive racecraft. Unfortunately, he then locked up at Turn 4 and ran through the gravel with nine minutes to go, dropping him down the order. A gamble to switch to slicks on a drying track failed to deliver and he came home in seventh in class. Grouwels, meanwhile, did well to capture a eighth Pro-Am podium of the season by finishing second in class.

Jongejan and Grouwels both remain in contention for their respective class titles heading into the final round at CIrcuit Zolder, where 51 points will be up for grabs. Jongejan now sits 27,5 points behind in the Rookie class, while Grouwels’ gap to the Pro-Am lead is 12,5 points. The Carrera Cup Benelux season concludes on October 11-13.

Driver comments:

Sam Jongejan

“A weekend with a lot of potential, but few results to show for it. The test day and free practice sessions on a wet track were promising. In qualifying it was suddenly dry, but considering the new conditions we did well. The first race was a matter of survival with hardly any visibility, but ended with a positive result for our championship. The second race took place on a drying track but unfortunately the tire pressures were too high at the start. What followed was a difficult race with an unfortunate mistake. That hurt us in the battle for the championship in the Rookie class, but I learned a lot and am already fired up for Zolder.”

Jules Grouwels

“After promising free practice sessions we unfortunately did not achieve the optimal result in the races. It will be a tense weekend in Zolder, where we will fight for the Pro-Am championship.”