Porsche Endurance Challenge Brasil

A dream that began to come true on April 16th of 2005, with 12 cars at the first start of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge at Interlagos. ago A championship inspired by foreign countries, but with a purely Brazilian philosophy: all participating cars are under the care of a single team, guaranteeing equal preparation and competitive races.

All 12 cars already had drivers, but there were still more interested in competing for the championship. In the second race of the year, there were already 15 on the grid. Initially, the calendar only included races in São Paulo. But the opportunity to hold a race in Curitiba was seized and the drivers enjoyed racing on other circuits. That same year, the category would also hold the preliminary race for the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix in October. In less than a year, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge already had enough reputation to be part of important international events.

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge has doubled in size in just over a year: in July 2006, at the fifth round of the season, the category had 24 Porsche 911 GT3 Cups. In 2007, the category included two new circuits: the season opener in Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro, and Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul.

In 2008, the fourth year of competition, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge underwent its first technological evolution with the arrival of the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of the “997” generation, with a 3.6-liter 420 hp engine (30 more than the “996” Cup used in the first three years), sequential gearbox and brakes without ABS.

But the 996s wouldn't be away from the track for long: they returned in 2009, with the creation of the Light category. That same year, the opening race of the season was held in Curitiba as a preliminary to the Brazilian leg of the WTCC - the international touring car championship run by the FIA (International Automobile Federation). This experience would also be repeated the following year.

The internationalization of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge began in 2010 with a race at the Buenos Aires racetrack in Argentina. It was such a successful experience that it prompted the search for new venues: Portugal (Estoril in 2011-2012 and Algarve in 2012-2013) and Spain (Barcelona, 2013). The 2011 season also marked the second technological evolution: the Cup category started using the “997” with a 450 hp engine and the Light category adopted cars with a 420 hp engine.

In 2012, there was even greater growth. With almost 50 cars, the first two stages of the season were held in Portugal, at the historic Estoril circuit and the state-of-the-art Algarve. In addition to the preliminary Formula 1 races, the category was also invited to take part in the first race in Brazil of the WEC, the FIA's world endurance championship. Over time, this recognition turned into confidence in the work of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.

The 2013 season has arrived quickly, and with it the official recognition of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge as an international category by the FIA. The first category of Brazilian origin to receive this seal from the world's top motorsport body. In the same season, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge was also the first category to race at the recently opened Velo Città Autodrome, which received FIA approval to host international competitions.

In 2014, the season opener once again took place at the Portuguese circuit of Estoril, marking the debut of the new “991” with a 460 hp engine in Cup, while Challenge inherited the “997” with 450 hp. That same year, the category completed its third participation as a preliminary in the FIA WEC, as well as its tenth consecutive participation as a preliminary in the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix, with American Patrick Dempsey as the guest driver. During the season, the category also welcomed F1 world champions Nelson Piquet and Emerson Fittipaldi for practice sessions.

The 2015 season has begun and, with it, the celebrations for the tenth anniversary of the Porsche GT3 Cup in Brazil. A history of excellence on and off the track.