High-Level battles at the season opener of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe 2025

• Ariel Levi and Flynt Schuring triumph in the first races of 2025 in the Sport Division

• Evgenii Leonov and Philippe Wils secure inaugural wins in the Club Division

Portimão, January 20, 2025 – The countdown for the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe 2025 ended this weekend as drivers and teams gathered in the stunning Algarve region of Portugal. At the Portimão Circuit, the third edition of this winter Porsche competition kicked off in style. Defending champion Ariel Levi (Team GP Elite) leaves Portimão as the Sport Division leader after a victory and a second-place finish, while Philippe Wils (Proton Huber Competition) takes the top spot in the Club Division standings with a second-place finish and a win. In every sense, the season opener delivered thrilling action.

Morning Qualifying Session

The first battles against the clock began on Sunday morning under the Algarve sun. In the Club Division, Evgenii Leonov set the fastest lap in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Type 992 – for Volcano Motorsport, while Caspar Hogeboom (Team GP Elite) topped the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport category.

In the Sport Division, Chester Kieffer (Schumacher CLRT) immediately showcased his talent by taking pole position and earning the title of fastest rookie. Henri Tuomaala (Koiranen) set the quickest lap in the Pro-Am class.

The Battle of the Titans

The quality of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe 2025 grid was undeniable. The first Sport Division race was a nail-biter, with Ariel Levi narrowly claiming victory by just 23 hundredths of a second over Sacha Norden (Proton Huber Competition). Flynt Schuring (Schumacher CLRT) secured third place, less than half a second behind Levi.

Pole-sitter Chester Kieffer finished a strong fourth, while Sid Smith (Team Parker Racing) rounded out the top five. The remaining top ten resembled a Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux roster, featuring Dréke Janssen (Team GP Elite), Domas Raudonis (Team GP Elite), Dirk Schouten (Laptime-Performance), Nick Ho (PG Motorsport), and Joshua Stanton (Proton Huber Competition).

Kieffer dominated the rookie standings, followed by Hjelte Hoffner (MDM Motorsport) and Matheus Ferreira (Target Competition). In Pro-Am, Henri Tuomaala took the top spot, joined by Anthony Imperato (Ombra Racing) and Ziad Geris (PG Motorsport) on the podium.

The second Sport Division race crowned Flynt Schuring as the winner, with Levi finishing second and Dirk Schouten third. Rodrigo Almeida (Fach Auto Tech) claimed fourth, while Chester Kieffer once again emerged as the fastest rookie. Hjelte Hoffner finished second among rookies, with Mees Muller (PG Motorsport) in third.

Henri Tuomaala continued his winning streak in Pro-Am, followed by Anthony Imperato and Ziad Geris. Levi now leads the overall standings, with Schuring and Kieffer trailing.

Leonov and Wils Share the Honours

The Club Division races were equally spectacular. Pole-sitter Evgenii Leonov clinched victory in the first race, ahead of Philippe Wils and Javier Ripoll Jr (EST1 Racing). Tobias Vazquez (Krämer Racing) finished fourth, followed by Reinhold Krahn (Laptime-Performance) in fifth.

In the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport category, Patrick Cunha (Veloso Motorsport) secured victory, with David Von Rosen (Team Neuhofer Rennsport) in second.

The second race of the day, a challenging wet race, saw Philippe Wils dominate, keeping Angelo Fontana and Javier Ripoll Jr (both EST1 Racing) behind him. Tobias Vazquez repeated his fourth-place finish, while Race 1 winner Leonov placed fifth. In the GT4 category, David Von Rosen claimed victory, with Caspar Hogeboom finishing second. Philippe Wils now leads the Club Division standings.

The next round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe 2025 will take place on February 7-8 in Estoril, Portugal.