I always find motorsport really awesome when the drivers are on really comparable equipment and the racing cars are still related to road vehicles.
A racing series that perfectly embodies both is the Porsche Carrera Cup. The first memory I personally have of the Porsche Carrera Cup comes from 1994. It was a fresh April morning in Hockenheim. A week or two earlier I was at the DTM season opening race in Zolder. Since we only drove to Zolder early on Sunday morning, we had already missed the Carrera Cup when we arrived. Because the Carrera Cup traditionally drove as part of the DTM races and usually - I think I remember - there was one race early in the morning and one after the DTM in the late afternoon.
On this April morning in 1994, however, we were very early in Hockenheim. It was still quite fresh. And when we stomped up the stairs to the south stand, you could already hear the 6 cylinder boxers screeching. Back then they were still air-cooled 964s and I would say there was already a racing driver back then who really impressed me with my early passion for motorsport. It was a certain Uwe Alzen. I mean, he would have won the '94 Cup title too - but would have to google it first.
As we stood in the stands, dozens of Cup Porsches flew through the Hockenheim Motodrom with the sound of a wild swarm of hornets. “Welcome to Motorsport Heaven”. At that time I was still racing slalom myself - man, that was a great time.
Unfortunately, the DTM has changed a lot since then. I would have to mock myself an evil cynic if I would say: For good.
A series that still works today according to the same recipe as it did back then is the Porsche Carrera Cup. Same material. Proximity to the production vehicles. Head to head. Tough motorsport.
A few days ago the 2012 IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge started its season in the USA, on a racetrack that I unfortunately only know virtually well.
And now the reason for this excursion in Porsche Cup history:
A really great video.
I think it conveys the fascination of real motorsport. From a racing series in which it is primarily about the qualities of the drivers and not about regulatory tricks and marketing budgets.
As far as I know, the Porsche Cup will start again this year as part of the DTM - if that's not a really good reason to go to the DTM. If you don't feel like a silhouette racer, you can go home after the Porsche Cup 😉
