Nine makes, 60 cars on the grid, these are the facts of the third edition of the Blancpain Endurances Series. The 2013 edition promises to be a brilliant one. The winning team of the German round last year on the legendary Nürburgring, Belgian ProSpeed Competition, are once more determined to play up front. At the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3-R #75 entered in the Pro-Cup we find the German Marc Hennerici teamed up with Limburg based Xavier Maassen and Maxime Soulet. The team’s second car, the Porsche 911 GT3-R with start number #48, is in the hands of an American trio: Charles Putman (Wyoming), Charles Espenlaub (Florida) and Joe Foster (California). This car is entered in the Pro/Am Cup. The first meeting takes place on 13th and 14th April at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza (Italy).
ProSpeed Competition’s first season in the Blancpain Endurance Series was rewarding. Victory in the German race and a bronze medal in the final count of the Pro-Cup were the results and the objective in 2013 is to perform even. In order to achieve this the team is calling on the services of the Spec.2013 Porsche 911 GT3-R. Striking additional new elements: Pirelli for all competitors, the arrival of a young Belgian in the Pro-Cup and a second team 100% Made in USA.
Rudi Penders (Team Principal) : “The philosophy of holding a competition on the most prestigious circuits of Europe, fully won Charles Putman, Charles Espenlaub and Joe Forster over to compete in the Blancpain Endurance Series. The three drivers have known each other for a long time, and had competed in GrandAm. Joe has been active in motorsport for more than 25 years, amongst others with Charles Espenlaub as from 2009 in the RX-8 of Dempsey Racing. Charles Putman joined them, whilst he also still remains as an instructor in the Miller Motorsport High Performance Driving School. Entering a car in the Pro-Cup and the Pro/Am Cup is a conscious choice of ProSpeed Competition, a strategy that the team has always retained. We are now doing it again with clear-cut objectives.”
Luc Goris (Technical Director) : “On the technical front the challenge in 2013 appeals to me. All teams will have new rubber, and in the Porsche family we can count on a fair number of evolutions that Porsche Motorsport has brought about. Performance, strategy, tyre wear … perfect challenges, but I just hope that the weather will be better than in 2012!”
Marc Hennerici (D – Driver – Porsche 911 GT3-R #75 – Pro-Cup) : “Cohesion is a trump element in motorsport. This we have with Xavier [Maassen] and Maxime [Soulet] and we will be going all out for a place up front in the competition. This 2013 edition will be even harder than last year, however our victory at the Nürburgring proved the strength and the cohesion between us all.”
Source : ProSpeed Competition