Second-Ever Porsche Carrera World Cup Set for Barcelona

Photo: Porsche

The second-ever Porsche Carrera World Cup will be staged at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in March, nearly fifteen years after the inaugural running of the event on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Announced on Thursday by the German manufacturer, the March 5-8 event will bring together teams and drivers from the nearly 40 national and regional Carrera Cups and Porsche Sports Clubs, as well as those also competing in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Only the Type-992.1 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car will be eligible, which Porsche has produced more than 1,100 examples since its debut in 2020.

Up to 100 participants are expected over the four-day event, which will feature 15 races including qualifying sessions

“The Carrera World Cup showcases the huge power and passion of the global Porsche motorsport community,” said Porsche Motorsport sales director Michael Dreiser.

“As one of the leading providers in customer racing, we want to bring this fantastic community together and celebrate it

“The 911 GT3 Cup has been among the most widely produced race cars since the early 1990s, and we want to celebrate that before the newest generation takes over.

“In Barcelona, up to 100 competitors will go head-to-head for a unique trophy that was last awarded in 2011. Back then, almost 100 Cup 911 cars competed on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. I’m now looking forward to an extraordinary Porsche festival in Barcelona.”

Porsche Motorsport is implementing a unique format for the event, inspired by sim racing competition.

The entry list will be divided into four groups of up to 30 cars each, with drivers competing in three classes.

Pro will be primarily young, up-and-coming drivers with FIA Gold or Silver ratings, while Pro-Am class is reserved for Bronze-rated drivers over 30, and the ‘Michelin Class’ is open to Bronze drivers over 45 years of age.

Each group will contest three 30-minute sprint races plus one lap including qualifying. Drivers will score points within their classes, with the top 50 percent from each group advance to one of two semi-final races. The process is then repeated, ultimately deciding the 30 drivers who will compete in the final.

The Carrera World Cup will mark the final major outing for the current-generation Cup car, which will be replaced by the new Type-992.2 Porsche 911 Cup in six Carrera Cups, as well as Supercup, beginning next year. The cars will run with ABS and traction control.

The inaugural Carrera World Cup, held in 2011 at the Nordschleife, featured 98 drivers from 25 countries, run as a single race.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John