A group of 12 talented young racing drivers have undergone the rigorous selection process to determine who will be named as Porsche Junior 2026.
The four-day selection process began at the Porsche Esports Performance Centre (PEPC) in Cologne, before drivers headed to the Circuito Estoril in Portugal.
Porsche will announce the winner on November 29 at the Night of Champions. They will receive comprehensive support that could pave the way to a professional career.
"With the Junior Programme, Porsche has been promoting rising racing talents on their way to becoming professionals since 1997," explains Jasmin Steidle-Faas, Porsche Junior Programme Organisation.
"In 2026, our junior driver will once again compete in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, the spearhead of our 35 one-make cup series worldwide. At the same time, he will receive individual support tailored to his needs.
“Together, we want to discover and exploit his potential for improvement – at the end of the day, the Porsche junior should be able to make the best possible use of his talent.”
The 12 drivers were nominated from across the many Porsche One-Make Series by either regional Carrera Cup championships or as wildcards.
Many of these one-make cups have established successful junior programmes themselves in recent years, and these form the basis on which Porsche's junior development programme is built.
The shootout event began at the state-of-the-art PEPC, the headquarters of the Porsche Coanda Esports Racing factory team.
First, the drivers underwent medical checks, which assessed their physical fitness, reaction speed and ability to concentrate.
Through comprehensive interviews, some of which took place in front of a TV camera, the judges also gained an impression of the participants' basic character traits.
Extensive sim racing sessions rounded off the day: Preparation in the simulator has long been a mandatory task for professional racing drivers.
From Cologne, the group headed to Portugal for on-track testing.
Over two days on the 4.182-kilometre circuit in Estoril, the candidates completed 750 laps.
Despite sometimes very changeable weather conditions, the young drivers, aged between 18 and 23, did not make any significant mistakes in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.
Their programme simulated the schedule of a Carrera Cup weekend with practice sessions, a qualifying and a race distance. All participants took to the circuit with identical equipment and under largely similar conditions.
"For us, the focus was on ensuring the greatest possible equality of opportunity: it's not the external conditions that should make the difference, but the candidates themselves," emphasises Sascha Maassen.
The former Porsche factory driver is a member of the selection jury and acts as a coach to the Porsche Junior during race weekends.
"We take this responsibility very seriously and, for example, compensate for weight advantages and disadvantages as far as possible. Fast lap times and the most error-free performance possible with the 911 GT3 Cup on the track naturally play an important role.
“But for us, it's also important how the participants work with the engineers, what feedback they give on the vehicle, how capable they are of learning and how much they can motivate a team.”
In the coming days, a panel of experts from Porsche Motorsport will decide who will be named Porsche Junior 2026, following in the footsteps of notable names including Timo Bernhard, Marc Lieb and Patrick Long.
The new Junior will receive financial support for participating in the eight races of next year's Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
They will also compete in one of the twelve Carrera Cups organised by the One-Make Series Organisations around the world, from Asia and Australia to Brazil and North America.
Even more important than the financial contribution is the comprehensive training and further education that the selected candidate receives at Porsche Motorsport.
It covers all relevant aspects of a professional career: from technical understanding to working efficiently with race engineers, mental training and media seminars to PR appointments and marketing activities.
For more information about the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme, visit the series page
The Porsche Junior candidates at a glance
Marcus Amand (Finland, 19 years old) – PCC France Matheus de Barros Comparatto (Brazil, 18 years old) – PCC Brazil Paul Cauhaupé (France, 20 years old) – wild card (PCC France) Bayley Hall (Australia, 22 years old) – PCC Australia Sam Jongejan (Netherlands, 20 years old) – PCC Benelux William Martin (Great Britain, 22 years old) – PCC Great Britain Flynt Schuring (Netherlands, 19 years old) – PSCC Germany William Siverholm (Sweden, 20 years old) – PCC Scandinavia Janne Stiak (Germany, 18 years old) – PCC Middle East Alexander Tauscher (Germany, 23 years old) – PCC Italia Enzo Trulli (Italy, 20 years old) – PCC Asia Zachary Vanier (Canada, 23 years old) – PCC North America
PCC = Porsche Carrera Cup
