More than 100 drivers, 30 cars, and 20 teams are set to contest the inaugural Michelin 992 Endurance Cup powered by Porsche Motorsport this Saturday at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium – a line-up that includes a host of North American-based stars.
The 12-hour race will be contested by teams running the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992), which is used in Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge competition across the globe, including the Porsche Carrera Cup North America and Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama.
The star-studded international entry list will feature a dozen racers who are regular competitors in North American competition, including the championship leaders in both Carrera Cup (Loek Hartog) and Sprint Challenge (Jared Thomas).
Four racers from the JDX Racing stable, including two members of the Mobil 1 Porsche Female Driver Development Program, are amongst the line-up for Spa.
Sprint Challenge racer Therese Lahlouh will be joined by her Porsche Endurance Challenge coach and co-driver Nik Romano, while Carrera Cup stars Alex Sedgwick and Madeline Stewart complete the line-up.
“In addition to my Sprint challenge program, I was keen to try a couple of European races, and when they announced the 992-only race at Spa, that fulfilled a dream for me,” said Lahlouh, who teamed with Romano to finish second in the Road America round of the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America.
“I’d love to do the Spa 24 one day, but this event is an excellent opportunity to race in Europe without the complications of mixed-class racing. I’m obviously very familiar with the 992, so that takes out another variable, and we have a bit of an all-star JDX squad competing together.
“Nik has been the only coach I’ve ever had, and we’ve been co-driving together in the Endurance Challenge; I’ve been helping Madeline this year, and I know she is excited to get some more seat time, and Alex is the only one of of us who has raced at Spa before so he has some experience we can lean on.
“We’re also bringing over our engineer and car chief from JDX, so it will be a great opportunity to go racing together.”
New Zealander Stewart heads to Spa for her first-ever opportunity race in Europe after an impressive performance in her most recent round at Road America in Carrera Cup, where she scored a career-best seventh place in race one and just missed out on a top ten in race two.
“This is a fantastic opportunity, and I can’t thank Therese enough for making it happen,” Stewart said.
Racing at Spa in a 12-hour event with a Porsche 992 Cup car is truly the best of both worlds—I get to compete on one of the most iconic tracks in the world while gaining valuable experience in endurance racing with a car I’m already familiar with.
“My goal is to learn and absorb as much as possible, using this experience as a stepping stone in my career.”
British racer Sedgwick became the 14th different winner in Porsche Carrera Cup North America at Watkins Glen in June but now gets to return to Spa in a car that is significantly faster than what he drove here last time.
“I’m super excited for Spa. It’s a very cool opportunity that Therese has put together for us to go and race in Europe,” Sedgwick said.
“It will be my first race in Europe since 2022. My Spa experience was actually aboard a Citroen C1 back in 2018 in a club-level 24-hour race. Track experience is obviously a big help, but it will be a little different in a Cup car.
“I’m looking forward to helping everyone get up to speed, and I think we should have a pretty strong lineup across the board. Hopefully, We’ll come away with a good result and see everyone gaining important endurance experience.”
Other Carrera Cup race winners competing at Spa include 2022 series champion, Canadian Parker Thompson and the other first-time race winner from Watkins Glen this year, New Zealander, Ryan Yardley.
Porsche Endurance Challenge North America Road America round winner Charlie Hayes and current points leader will be joined by regular teammate Reinhold Krahn. Former Carrera Cup racer Thomas Merrill will also be part of their line-up.
Thompson and Thomas will drive with Sprint Challenge racer Anthony McIntosh who is also cross-entered in a second Muehlner Motorsport entry with Yardley.
Saturday’s race will kick off at 9:45 am local time, racing into the night and finishing 12 hours later at 9:45 pm. You can follow the North American-based stars in action live on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@992EnduranceCup
Entry list: https://992-endurance-cup.com/pdf/entrylist/michelin-992-endurance-cup-2024
Schedule: https://992-endurance-cup.com/pdf/time-schedule/michelin-992-endurance-cup-2024
