Unlike in 2023, the weather was at its best at the Porsche Supercup season opener. The drivers and teams were accordingly motivated to get down to business, especially Larry ten Voorde (NLD). He still had a score to settle with the Autodromo of Imola from the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany anyway. As expected, the international drivers delivered top performances on the tarmac, which in turn boosted the enthusiasm of the tens of thousands of Tifosi. This spurred on the six Italian drivers and four Italian teams in particular, with Keagan Masters (ZAF) from Ombra Racing and rookie Aldo Festante (ITA) from Dinamic Motorsport finishing in the top ten.

The practice session on Thursday evening was held in a disciplined manner and without longer excursions into the gravel. The two interruptions due to yellow flags only cost little track time, so that everyone apart from rookie Robert de Haan (NLD) went into qualifying well prepared. The youngest driver in the field at 17 years of age and newcomer to the BWT Lechner Racing team was unable to complete a single timed lap due to technical problems, but still managed to secure P3 in Friday's qualifying.

The Qualifying Session at lunchtime provided the drivers with ideal track temperatures. The improving grip in the final laps kept shuffling the grid – pure excitement! In the end, Larry ten Voorde secured pole position with a 0.138-second lead over Harry King (GBR). A total of twelve drivers qualified within just one second, with five of the rookies making it into the top ten. The stage was set for a thrilling race.

The signs of an eventful race were confirmed right from the beginning. Ten Voorde didn’t get off to the best start – he briefly had King next to him and De Haan almost in the diffusor. Before turn 2, however, the two-time Supercup champion was on the inside and the Brit had to drop back. Marvin Klein (FRA) capitalised on De Haan's attack and passed the rookie, positioning himself behind Harry King. Schumacher CLRT and BWT Lechner Racing had sorted themselves at the top. Things got tight right behind them. Too tight for Alessandro Ghiretti (FRA), local hero Simone Iaquinta (ITA) and rookie Kas Haverkort (NLD), whose three-way battle in front of Varinte Villeneuve ultimately caused two DNFs and triggered the only safety car period of the race.

Porsche Junior Ghiretti collided with Iaquinta when he got between the Italian and Haverkort. He slowly drove his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup back to the pits with a broken right front suspension. Tough: Ghiretti also had to retire in a similar accident at the 2023 Supercup finale. Back then, Iaquinta had helped him to win the Rookie Championship – today, the Italian hit the kerb after contact with Ghiretti and had to make his way back to the paddock on foot, uninjured but visibly annoyed.

Kas Haverkort stayed in the race and later even finished on the Rookie Podium. The incident was certainly a case of ‘racing with elbows’. Race situations like this were later repeated with Ariel Levi (ISR) and Alexander Tauscher. The German did not finish, nor did Mathys Jaubert (FRA), who had a breakdown at the start.

Back to the racing action: After the restart, a close fight developed at the front, with Ten Voorde staking his claim to the title for the 2024 season with a very strong performance. The Dutchman also showed that he is on top form with the fastest Supercup race lap ever set in Imola. 1:43.826 minutes was on the clock – the old record had been held by Marvin Klein. However, this did not dampen the good mood within the Schumacher CLRT team. From P1, Ten Voorde even cheered on his team-mate Klein over the pit radio to catch Harry King in P2. ‘Come on, Marvin can do this!’ was clearly audible, while the fast Frenchman kept trying to get past the Brit. The pressure prevented King from launching an attack on P1 – that's the power of teamwork.

At the finish line, Larry ten Voorde was delighted that he was able to win in Imola after all – revenge against King was successful. He not only celebrated victory in the opening race of the Porsche Supercup, but also the fastest race lap, his 10th race win in the series and the 60th victory in his 200th Porsche one-make cup race. Why do all these impressive statistics really come together in the Supercup? Because Larry is not only fast, but also has perfect timing.

The top three places were taken by established drivers, while P4 to P6 went to rookies. As a consequence, Robert de Haan and Theo Oeverhaus (DEU) from BWT Lechner Racing also took P1 and P2 on the Rookie Podium, while Kas Haverkort from UNISERVER by TEAM GP ELITE was delighted with third place. Three more rookies secured spots in the top twelve, outpacing Jaap van Lagen. The seasoned veteran from the Netherlands boasts a Supercup tenure almost as extensive as de Haan's age.

The excitement continues with Round 2 of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, set to unfold in the exceptional setting of Monaco. Notably, van Lagen (2015), Ten Voorde (2021 + 2022) and King (2023) are three active drivers who have already secured victory in this prestigious race. We will know who will make it onto the podium in 2024 after the coming weekend. Be part of us again!