Porsche Cup news 2007-06-17

JOHANNNES VAN OVERBEEK LEADS PORSCHE CUP

STUTTGART -- June 17 - Johannes van Overbeek, driver for the Flying Lizard Motorsports team from the USA, is currently the most successful private Porsche race driver in 2007, heading the Porsche Cup rankings with 3,230 points. This sought-after award has been bestowed on private Porsche drivers annually since 1970 with prize-money totaling 153,000 Euro. At the end of the motorsport season, the winner receives 37,000 Euro, second place is rewarded with 23,000 Euro and third 18,000 Euro. Amongst the recipients of this esteemed award are such legendary racing figures as Bob Wollek and Jochen Mass. DTM professionals like Bernd Schneider and Klaus Ludwig have inscribed their names on the list of winners.

Competitors driving privately-run Porsche vehicles are eligible to collect points for the Porsche Cup at all races up to 11 November. Points are allocated according to a distribution key based on the race category.

Points can be earned towards the Porsche Cup in the American Le Mans Series, the Japan Le Mans Series, the FIA GT Championship, the Grand Am Road Racing Championship, the Grand Am Koni Challenge, the Super Taikyu Series in Japan, the French, Italian, Spanish and British GT Championships, the BF Goodrich Long Distance Championship, the SpeedChannel World Challenge as well as all long distance races like for instance the Le Mans 24 hour race.

Ranking second at the moment 430 points in arrears of van Overbeek is Germany's Wolf Henzler. Third position is occupied by Darren Law from America with 2,680 points. Also holding hopes for an extra Christmas package are French sportscar pilots Richard Balandras and Michel Lacourt, who successfully compete in the French GT Championship. Germany's Marc Basseng and Dirk Werner, the US pilot Butch Leitzinger, as well as Robin Liddell and Andy Wallace from Great Britain round up the top ten in the points.

The winner receives the award at the Porsche Motorsport celebration in December 2007. Wolf Henzler from Germany, who currently sits second, took home the coveted trophy in 2006. With a 2,175 point advantage he beat Johannes van Overbeek.

-credit: porsche