●        Team RaceArt takes two victories at sunny Zandvoort

●        Jaap van Lagen wins overall after valiant engine swap effort by team

●        Joep Breedveld takes maiden Rookie win in impressive showing

Maastricht, 26 May 2026 – Team RaceArt returned to the top step of the podium during round two of Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux at Zandvoort. Jaap van Lagen and Joep Breedveld claimed an overall and Rookie win, respectively as each driver launched their title bid in the respective championships

Following on from an encouraging season opener at Spa-Francorchamps, the highly competitive single-make championship traveled northwest to the renowned seaside circuit located just outside Amsterdam. Last year, Team RaceArt enjoyed a number of significant milestones in Zandvoort, including capturing championships in both the overall and Pro-Am standings during the season finale.

This time, drivers Jaap van Lagen, Joep Breedveld and Arthur Peters competed as part of the support bill for the prestigious DTM series. The format was the same as usual: two Free Practice sessions on Friday, qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday and Race 2 on Sunday.

Qualifying on Saturday morning immediately proved why RaceArt should still be considered one of the benchmark teams in Carrera Cup Benelux as defending overall champion Van Lagen charged to overall pole positions for both races. In the process, he recorded a new track record for the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup with a time of 1:35.6.

 Breedveld, in only his second qualifying appearance in the championship, also completed a clean sweep of pole positions in the Rookie category. Peters lined up fourth for both races.

In front of packed grandstands and under the beaming sun, Race 1 got underway on Saturday afternoon with Van Lagen leading the pack from pole position. The veteran Porsche racer initially dominated the race, until he encountered an issue with the throttle system that cost him the lead with 16 minutes to go. He held on to second position, where he would finish. 

In the Rookie class, Breedveld valiantly fought to defend his Rookie lead, but came up just short for a maiden victory after losing first place in the closing minutes. He finished second in class, continuing his podium streak after he crossed the line in a similar place during the opening round at Spa. Peters finished the race in fourth.

The following day, Van Lagen and Breedveld both again started from pole and remained faultless this time. Van Lagen, who had his engine replaced by the team as a precautionary measure after the Race 1 issue, remained faultless to claim his first overall victory of the season. Breedveld did the same in the Rookie category, boosting his championship bid with his first win in the series. Similarly to Saturday, Peters finished fourth.

As a result of his first win of the season and second place in Race 1, Van Lagen leapt to the top of the overall championship standings with a ten-point lead heading into the next round. After two rounds, Breedveld and Peters sit second and fourth, respectively, in the Rookie standings. Team RaceArt is second in the teams’ standings.

With round two completed, Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux will go on a hiatus of just over a month. The championship returns to action at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola on July 3-5. As part of one of two international fixtures, the series will compete on the support bill for the European Le Mans Series, as was the case in 2024.

Reacties rijders:

Jaap van Lagen: “This was a near-perfect weekend. One of the best weekends I’ve ever had. I’ve had one better weekend in the past, but this was very close. Unfortunately, due to an electronic problem with my throttle, I wasn’t able to win both races, but it was a really strong weekend. I took pole position twice, led Race 1 and dropped back to second place because of the issue. Fortunately, I reset the car during the race, which cost me a place but allowed me to finish the race. So I still picked up good points and limited the damage. Started Race 2 from pole position, set the fastest lap and won. The championship lead is back in our hands. The team changed the engine for Race 2, so they worked incredibly hard and did a fantastic job. I had a superb car all weekend. So very positive, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the season unfolds.”

Joep Breedveld: This was an incredibly positive weekend, just like at Spa. We’re on an upward trajectory again. I’ve learnt a lot and gained a lot of new experience. I can really already tell the difference – it’s like night and day compared to Spa. The pace was particularly good. The free practice sessions went well and qualifying was brilliant, with a sixth-fastest time overall. I’ve noticed in the races, now that we’re fighting much closer to the front, that the racing is even more intense. I’m learning a lot from it. In the end, I finished eighth overall in both races and I was absolutely delighted with that. Qualifying was definitely the highlight of the weekend. The teamwork was brilliant once again. Also with Jaap – my congratulations to him too for his fantastic performance. I really can’t wait now for the next round at Imola to continue this upward trend and get another step closer to the top there.