24h Le Mans
As proven by the result at the 83rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche trusts young drivers, which for the most part the German manufacturer recruits at the beginning of their careers in order to train them. Next year, four will be supported by Porsche.
A Norwegian (Dennis Olsen), a French driver (Mathieu Jaminet), an Italian (Matteo Cairoli) and a German driver (Sven Müller): the selection for Porsche's 2016 Junior program is pretty much European. The first will receive the support to participate in the German Porsche Carrera Cup, while the other three will drive in the Porsche Supercup races that serve as curtain-raisers for the European F1 rounds.
Dennis Olsen impressed the panel by his performances at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup all while unfamiliar with how to drive a GT. The young driver who competes in the Formula Renault 2.0 will be given a 150,000 euro grant to compete in the German Carrera Cup championship.
The three others selected have experience at the wheel of a GT. Mathieu Jaminet finished second in the Carrera Cup France this year, Matteo Cairoli finished as the top rookie in the Porsche Supercup with Sven Müller. The first will advance into the superior class with a grant of 200,000 euros, while the other two will continue their momentum.
All drivers who participate in Porsche's Junior program are monitored by Sascha Maassen, former official driver with two class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the LM P1 program, it's not only a class victory that the young talents Porsche takes under its wing can hope for, but an overall win, like Earl Bamber, chosen in 2014 and winner at Le Mans in June this year...
Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
PHOTO: Matthieu Jaminet is one of the four drivers chosen for Porsche's 2016 Junior program.
