27 cars and a mix of experience and young talent promise an exciting season opener during FIA WEC weekend
Spa-Francorchamps, 6 May 2026. On Thursday 7 May, the fourteenth season of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux will kick off in the Belgian Ardennes, and as tradition dictates, this happens during the Belgian FIA WEC weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. While the World Endurance Championship stands for endurance racing, the two races of the fastest one-make series in the Benelux will provide tens of thousands of spectators with top-level sprint racing. No fewer than 27 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Type 992 – cars will line up on Friday at 18:00 for the first race of the season, a truly impressive grid featuring former champions of the series, big names in motorsport, plenty of young talent, and seasoned gentleman drivers. A must-see weekend at Spa-Francorchamps.
The two test days of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux already hinted at strong potential, which translates into a very promising start to the 2026 season.
Olivier Aerts – Series Manager: “That is absolutely correct! For this opening round, which is traditionally a classic within the biggest motorsport championship after F1, we count no fewer than 27 cars, nicely divided across the three traditional classes: eleven PROs, no fewer than ten Rookies, and six PRO-AM competitors. Moreover, the participants come from a wide variety of countries, as do the teams, and the Belgian fans can support two home drivers: former Spa race winner Bertrand Baguette in the colours of NGT Racing, and Arthur Peters racing for Team RaceArt, the reigning team champions. In other words, we are gearing up for a fantastic weekend showcasing the very best motorsport the Low Countries have to offer.”
Sporting regulations in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux remain unchanged, with two races of 30 minutes plus one lap, preceded by two free practice sessions of 40 minutes and a qualifying session of 35 minutes. The racing machine for this season remains the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Type 992 – Gen 1, now equipped with ABS braking for all drivers.
Titan battle at the front
The grid for the races in the beautiful Belgian Ardennes looks particularly strong, highlighted by the battle among the eleven PRO drivers, although the fastest rookies will undoubtedly not stay in the background.
Two names immediately stand out: reigning champion Jaap van Lagen (Team RaceArt) and Belgian guest driver Bertrand Baguette in the colours of NGT Racing. Baguette will be joined within the team by Swedish driver Robin Knutsson, who was also successful at Spa last year. However, attention is also required for the top three of the 2025 Rookie standings, who move up to the PRO class in order: Milan Marczak (Ajith RedAnt Racing), Frank Porté Ruiz (NGT Racing), and Mees Muller (PG Motorsport). Other challengers include Tio Ellinas and Alexander Reimann (EST1 Racing), Karol Kret (JW Race Service), Jan Seyffert, and Hjelte Höffner (MDM Motorsport).
Ten Rookies, a battle within the battle
That the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux is a key pillar within the Porsche Motorsport pyramid is beyond doubt. Many talented drivers from the Benelux series find their way into other Porsche championships or become official Porsche drivers. It is therefore no surprise that ten young talents will take the start in the Rookie class of the 2026 Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux.
Among them are Benelux representatives Arthur Peters (Team RaceArt) and Joep Breedveld in the same colours. Joep Muller competes with PG Motorsport, while Dino van der Geest races for Team GP Elite. Jesse Polderdijk (Ajith RedAnt Racing) and Thijn van Berkel (Team GP Elite) also represent the Low Countries.
In addition, Henry Wheeler appears in a Porsche from [A-workx] by KATANA Tools, Jakub Twarog with JW Race Service, Ali Aljuffali with EST1 Racing, and David Dziwok with Team GP Elite.
All these young talents are supported through the Talent Pool programme.
Racing entrepreneurs
Naturally, the PRO-AM competitors are also present in Spa. PRO-AM means doing business during the week and enjoying high-level racing in a Porsche during the weekend.
Maik Rosenberg (Team GP Elite) and Jani Käkelä (39 Racing) are already familiar with the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux, while for Alex Hardt ([A-workx] by KATANA Tools), Nick Hunter (Speedlover), Makato Haga (Team GP Elite), and Ihsan Levent Türkmen (MDM Motorsport), this weekend will mark their introduction to the series.
The two free practice sessions take place on Thursday at 10:05 and 14:45, while qualifying is scheduled for Friday at 12:05. The lights go green for the first race at 18:00 on Friday evening, with the second race set for 10:40 on Saturday.
The new Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux web portal is also online:
