EEMNES (5 September 2024) – This Saturday, 7 September, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian Ardennes will serve as the venue for the inaugural Michelin 992 Endurance Cup powered by Porsche Motorsport. This involves a 12-hour race exclusively for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of the current 992 generation. Participants include Tom Coronel, Paul Meijer and Jan Jaap van Roon, who will be sharing driving duties in the Porsche with starting number 8, together with German Benjamin Leuchter. The latter also operates the Max Kruse Racing team together with the former German national football team player Max Kruse and takes care of the preparation and the running of the car.
 

 
The 12-hour race for Porsches is an initiative of the Creventic organisation from Gennep in The Netherlands, also known for other events including the Dubai 24 Hours. “When I heard about the plan to organise a race only with Porsches, and then also on the circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, one of the most beautiful tracks in the world, I immediately knew: we have to be there,” Tom Coronel says. “Spa is one of those circuits you already drive to with a smile on your face. There are two corners where I hold my breath every lap: Eau Rouge, and Pouhon, the double left-hander. Besides, it’s a kind of a cup race, all the cars are identical, so the drivers have to make the difference.”
 

 
His teammates Paul Meijer and Jan Jaap van Roon, with whom Coronel also takes part in the endurance races at the Nürburgring, were also enthusiastic about the plan. “I am very much looking forward to it, I think it will really be a mega cool race, 12 hours of high-level cup racing at Spa-Francorchamps, that is a blast of course,” Paul Meijer says. “I’m very happy that I get to get back in with Tom and JJ.” Besides endurance racing, Meijer is also competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux this season, in which he has already won races and is in full contention for the title. “So I have already driven the Porsche quite a bit,” he laughs.
Talking about the strategy, Meijer says: “We’re going to do everything we can in qualifying to be in a good position and then try pull a gap in the first few hours of the race and make sure we’re on the right side. Stay on the lead lap and then we might just be able to go home with a trophy in our class.” Jan Jaap van Roon is slightly more cautious: “There are a lot of really good teams out there on the grid, so if I have to give a prediction, I’d say somewhere in the midfield.”
 

 
Van Roon has never raced at Francorchamps before, but already knows the track: ‘I have tested there, I really like the track, but I couldn’t really name a particular track section that stands out for me. Everyone always talks about Eau Rouge, but I don’t find it that special at all, maybe because I also race on the Nordschleife. In any case, I’m also really looking forward to it, we’re going to make it a great weekend!’
Benjamin Leuchter, who is involved as a driver and runs the car with his team, is also looking forward to the race: “It will be the first time for me to race together with Tom, JJ and Paul. It will be a tough weekend for me though, because I’m also driving our team’s other Porsche together with Marcel and Dominik Fugel and Nico Otto, but of course driving two cars is also very cool!”
 

 
For the 12-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps, several modifications have been made on the Porsche, as Leuchter explains: “We have a different chassis, the chassis geometry has been modified. There is also a different fuel tank system, the pitstops and driver change are on time, so they are so-called ‘performance pitstops’, which means you don’t have a minimum pit stop time like on the Nordschleife, for example. We have prepared well as a team over the past two months, we have good people for strategy and technology, we had a productive test day, so I am confident that with a bit of luck we can be in contention for the positions at the front of the field!”
 
“Racing at Spa-Francorchamps is also always a bit of a home round,” Tom Coronel says. “In addition, there will be a lot of guests from our sponsors. Eurol is present with a large group of visitors who come to cheer us on. We are really looking forward to a cool weekend!” Activities start on Friday with test sessions and free practice, followed by qualifying and final practice in the dark in the evening. On Saturday, the cars will line up on the grid from 9am, with the race starting at 9.45am and finishing at 9.45pm. The race can be followed via a livestream on YouTube, available at https://www.youtube.com/@992EnduranceCup.
 
Those wishing to come and cheer on Tom Coronel and his teammates on site are of course welcome at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, where a ‘Cars & Coffee’ event is also held on Saturday, with several hundred Porsche cars expected. There will also be numerous vendors of Porsche-related products and services. Tickets including grandstand, starting grid and paddock access can be purchased via this link: https://shop.paylogic.com/49d8bae2f4a24d1a986097f6aae5d95a/