- Red Ant Racing's 992 GT3 Cup and Speedlover's Porsche Cayman GT4 win in GT-GTA and GTB respectively
- Young drivers excel at the wheel of the various Porsche in the 24 hours of Zolder
The 43rd edition of the 24 Hours of Zolder was launched on Saturday at 4 pm. No fewer than eight Porsche, four 991 GT3 Cup, two 992 GT3 Cup and two Cayman GT4 from four different teams took the start of this particularly tough endurance race. After eighteen victories in the past, there was no nineteenth overall victory, but a full podium in the GT class and a double in the GTB category. In addition, all Porsches that appeared at the start made it to the finish line, with a special role for the young drivers.
It was a hard race, the 43rd edition of the 24 Hours of Zolder, at a very high pace. For example, the best-placed Porsche, also the winner in the GT class, completed 29 laps more compared to the best Porsche in 2019, in the last edition of the competition and eight laps more than the overall winner of 2018, when also a Porsche. In both cases, the Red Ant Porsche would have won overall. The finding also applies to the fastest Cayman in the result, the winner of the GTB class who completed thirteen laps more than the fastest Cayman in 2019.
This year's winner in GT and GTA was the Red Ant Racing Porsche 992 GT3 Cup of Bert, Ayrton and Yannick Redant, perfectly supported by the current number three from the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux, Glenn van Parijs. They won the Porsche 991 GT3 Cup of Belgium Racing, with the foursome Heyer-Derdaele-Goossens-Saelens and the ProSport Porsche 991 GT3 Cup of Verdonck-Hensen-Gillion-Balcaen. The fourth, fifth and seventh places also went to Porsche 991 GT3 Cup, with which all six Porsche 911s reached the finish. In the GTB class, the double went to Porsche with Speedlover's Porsche Cayman (Paque-Paque-Godefroid) ahead of an identical Red Ant Racing car with Wils-Vandekerckhove-De Breucker-De Breucker. All together, eight Porsches took the start and eight Porsches, all in the top 20, crossed the finish line. This edition of the Zolder 24 Hours was therefore also proof of the reliability of the racing products of the German car manufacturer Porsche.
Bert Redant (Team owner and driver Red Ant Porsche): “We are very happy with the result, especially since it was the first entry of the new Porsche 992 GT3 Cup in this competition. We've had just one problem on both 992, with a wheel nut, but the drivetrain and all other vital components did their job perfectly. With this victory, we also immediately ensure the first victory in a 24-hour race of the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup, which has now proven its ability in the sprint competitions and endurance.”
Also striking in the result is the clear presence of young, talented drivers in the various teams. In the winning car we find, of course, the brothers Ayrton and Yannick Redant, alongside Glenn van Parijs, but also in both Cayman there were very young drivers, including 16-year-old Benjamin Paque in Speedlover's winning Porsche Cayman and also the just 18-year-old Kobe De Breucker in Red Ant Racing's Porsche Cayman.
The coming weeks will once again be busy for the various Porsche teams, with the final of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux 2021 in Hockenheim next weekend and the last race of the Porsche Endurance Trophy at Circuit Zolder a week later.