Stuttgart. Johannes van Overbeek (USA) is the winner of the 2007 Porsche
Cup. This is the trophy Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has been
awarding each year since 1970 to the most successful driver of a private
Porsche racing car. On the occasion of the Porsche Motorsports Night in
Weissach Executive Vice-President for Development Wolfgang Dürheimer
presented the prize and Euro 37,000 prize money to van Overbeek.
As the driver, co-founder and co-owner of the Flying Lizard Motorsports
Team, Johannes van Overbeek was the runner-up in the LMGT2 class of the
American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in a Porsche GT3 RSR. Winning the races in
Lime Rock, Mid Ohio and the Ten Hours of Atlanta, 34-year-old van Overbeek
from San Francisco, together with his team-mate Porsche works driver Jörg
Bergmeister (Langenfeld, Germany), remained within striking distance of the
title all the way until the last race. Places two and three also went to
successful Porsche drivers in the ALMS: Darren Law (USA) received prize
money of Euro 23,000 and Wolf Henzler (Nürtingen, Germany), took home a
cheque for Euro 18,000.
On the occasion of the Motorsports Night Porsche also announced the
recruitment of a new driver: British professional driver Richard Westbrook
(32) will be joining the Works Team in 2008. Among other outstanding
achievements, Westbrook has proved his merits by bringing home the
Championship in the Porsche-Mobil1-Supercup in both 2006 and 2007. And
finishing as the runner-up in the Carrera Cup Germany 2007, winning the
Carrera Cup Great Britain in 2004, and coming home second in Britain in
both 2003 and 2005, this fast driver from London has already confirmed his
outstanding skill at the wheel of a Porsche 911 racing car. In the 2008
season Westbrook will be reinforcing some selected customer teams in
international Gran Turismo races.
US driver Patrick Long has been a member of the Porsche Works Team since
2004. In 2008 this fast man from California, now 26 years old, will be
sitting for the first time in the cockpit of a Porsche RS Spyder entered by
Penske Racing in all races for the American Le Mans Series. Long has
already proved his skills impressively at the wheel of a 911 GT3 RSR in
Gran Turismo events, winning the LMGT2 Driver’s Championship in the
American Le Mans Series in 2005 after clinching five races and finishing as
the runner-up a year later in 2006. In 2004 and 2007 Long won the 24 Hours
of Le Mans (France) in a GT3 RSR, and in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
(Belgium) the Porsche Works Driver now based in Las Vegas was No 2 on the
winner’ podium.
In 2007 Australian driver Ryan Briscoe showed his qualities right from the
start in his first year as a Porsche Works Driver. At the wheel of an RS
Spyder entered by Penske Racing, 26-year-old Briscoe, together with his
team-mate Sascha Maassen (Aachen, Germany), apart from other successes,
scored two overall wins in the American le Mans Series, finishing his first
year in the ALMS as the runner-up at the wheel of the fastest sports car
and prototype in the world. Since Briscoe will be taking the wheel of a
formula car for Penske Racing in 2008 in the American IndyCar Series, this
likeable professional driver from Sydney will be leaving the Works Team at
the end of the year.
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