• Four podiums out of four starts as Carrera Cup Benelux visits Zandvoort
• Sam Jongejan continues to impress with performances in Rookie class
• Jules Grouwels adds second season victory in Pro-Am

Maastricht, 10 June 2024 - Team RaceArt continued its return season in Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux with a fruitful weekend on home soil as Sam Jongejan and Jules Grouwels collected four podium finishes between them at Zandvoort.

The team’s two Porsche 992 GT3 Cups hit the dune circuit as part of the support package as part of the internationally renowned DTM series, which made its annual visit to the Netherlands. As a result, Jongejan and Grouwels were able to show their skills in front of packed grandstands.

The two drivers arrived at Zandvoort hoping to build on the momentum gained during the season opener at Spa-Francorchamps, where they both took a victory in each of their respective classes. They also returned to the circuit where their season preparation started, as Zandvoort hosted the official test and media days in April.

After two Free Practice sessions on Friday, Saturday kicked off with qualifying in the morning. Jongejan, piloting the bright green No. 65 machine, took tenth overall and third in class, while Grouwels secured second in class for the opening race.

The first race of the weekend, which took place that evening, started with a significant multi-car accident at the start that both RaceArt drivers managed to avoid. Grouwels in particular reacted quickly when a stalled car on the grid was hit in front of him, taking to the grass to prevent getting hit.

After a lengthy red flag, the race restarted with Jongejan in eighth overall. Although he briefly climbed to seventh in a battle with Sacha Norden, he dropped back behind his compatriot and then came under pressure from Kobe Pauwels. Although he did his best to keep the Belgian behind, he capitulated with under five minutes remaining and dropped to ninth overall. However, that still resulted in a podium finish as Jongejan took the checkered flag third in the Rookie class.

Grouwels, meanwhile, took the restart in the lead of the Pro-Am category and drove a strong, controlling race to capture his second class victory of the season aboard car No. 77.

The Carrera Cup Benelux returned to the track for the final time for Race 2 on Sunday morning, with Jongejan rolling off from fourth in class and tenth overall while Grouwels was in prime position to secure another Pro-Am podium from second on the grid. Another opening lap incident saw Robin Knutsson eliminated, which allowed Jongejan to climb to ninth. He then set his sights on Dreke Janssen, executing a superb switchback pass out of the Tarzanbocht to capture third in class. As the minutes ticked away, he repeatedly tried to do the same to Colin Jamie Bönighausen but was unsuccessful and had to settle for eighth overall and third in class.

Over in Pro-Am, Grouwels came agonisingly close to a weekend sweep when he passed Niels Troost for the class lead with 17 minutes remaining. He was seemingly on course for a third consecutive win of the season, only for Troost to recapture the lead on the final. Grouwels instead finished second in class.

Having completed one weekend in Belgium and one in the Netherlands, Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux now heads abroad for round three, which is held at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola on July 5-7.