2020 was the team’s first full Supercup season – and they took two titles home to De Rijp in the Netherlands. Their startling success was down to a well-coordinated team, who brought top performance to the Porsche paddock, but were also always in a good mood.
With #25 Larry ten Voorde (NLD), GP Elite host the reigning Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Champion. What’s more, #24 Max van Splunteren (NLD) won the Rookie Classification. Success breeds expectation. That’s why the team's performance will be the focus of much more attention in the 2021 season. And to make things even more exciting, the team will be competing in the Supercup, as well as four other Porsche one-make series.
Team manager Torsten van Haasteren is still a young man, but he has plenty of experience facing challenges like this. Besides the Porsche Supercup he has been involved in Porsche one-make racing for more than a decade. One of the secrets of his success lies in promoting and developing a diverse and mostly young team of talented drivers in various disciplines. Away from the checkered flag, GP Elite's know-how is also available to ordinary mortals – the racing team see themselves as a contact point for newcomers to motorsports. They’re known for it in Holland. Anyone who wants to get involved just has to commit to the goal that GP Elite has as their company key message: Drive to Perfection.
The lineup for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is dominated by Dutch talent – racing is massively popular in a country that’s better known to the rest of the world for sailing ships and bicycles. Building on this, van Haasteren is counting on continuity from his golden generation of racers, which includes the van Kuijk brothers as well as #9 Lucas Groeneveld (NDL). Youngster Morris Schuring will also make an appearance this season as a guest starter – another man with racing and Oranje in his heart.
What can we look forward to next season?
When we met at the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Season Test in Monza, we took the opportunity to talk to Robert van Teijlingen, official representative of GP Elite and Team GP Elite, about the challenges and his goals for 2021. It’s time to set the stage for Dutch power in the series!
Hello Robert.
You’re competing in five Porsche racing series this season – a new record. How does that work logistically? What are the challenges and what do you think are the benefits?
We are very grateful to be able to compete in five different Porsche one-make cups this season. When it comes to logistics it is quite a challenge, because sometimes you’ll have to be at three different events at the same time. But in the end, it is a challenge we’re really looking forward to tackling, and it is great to give all these different drivers on our team a platform to do their best. The main benefit is that our drivers know how they can develop and grow from one series to the next. You start with the Sprint Challenge then get to the Porsche Carrera Cups and one day you’ll be able to compete in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, and maybe stand on the top spot of the podium.
They say never mess with a winning formula: You’re competing with the same team as last year, so what are your expectations for 2021?
The main expectations are always going to be the same and they are always as high as possible. But the most important thing for us is not to focus so much on the result itself but on the goals we’ve set ourselves in order to get top results in the end.
But if you don’t want to become champion, you shouldn't be in the race. As soon as we put a car on the grid and as soon as our driver gets into the car, we want to finish first. That will always be our main target.
Are you under particular pressure since you’re defending the driver championship?
Of course there’s a healthy amount of pressure for us this season, but it is most important to focus on how we want to reach our goals instead of focusing too much on separate results.
Which round are you looking forward to the most? Zandvoort? How important is it to win on your home track?
We’ve put an orange army of six Dutch drivers on the grid. We are very proud to represent the Netherlands in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and we are not here to play around. Especially on our hometrack in Zandvoort, where Morris Schuring will join us as well, we’ll do our best to put the Dutch Flag on the podium. But to be honest, it will be a tough season. For some of our drivers it is their first time racing in Monaco, which is amazing, and Spa and Silverstone are always a good time as well. And in the end, it all comes down to the grand finale in Monza, where you can feel the energy of the racing history buzzing through that old track. A lot of special venues, for sure, but Zandvoort will still be our absolute highlight.
What do you think of Porsche’s plans to promote sustainability in their one-make cups?
I think it’s a great idea, because everyone who has children of their own will understand that we only have this one planet and we want to preserve as much as possible of its beauty for the coming generations. The way a lot of major companies act right now is not a guarantee for the Earth to stay the same for the next 30 years. So I’m very grateful that Porsche takes this initiative as a car manufacturer. Our team is also checking on how we can improve when it comes to sustainability. And I know that there are some big plans coming up to make the sport we love as sustainable as possible and reduce emissions in a decent way.
Robert, thank you so much for the chat.
