At a glance
- 31 new Porsche 911 Cup on the grid alongside the FIA WEC
- International field featuring drivers from 13 nations
- Strong Talent Pool line-up: Ferreira finishes fourth
The Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland made a successful start to its first race weekend of the 2026 season on Saturday in Imola, Italy. Racing as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) support programme, the German Theo Oeverhaus (ID Racing) secured a lights-to-flag victory. The 21-year-old from Osnabrück finished ahead of fellow German Alexander Tauscher (Target) and South Africa’s Keagan Masters (Proton Competition) in second and third place. “I’m absolutely delighted with the win – it shows that all the hard work over the winter has paid off. Alexander was right behind me, so I knew I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. Fortunately, I managed that,” said a pleased Oeverhaus. He will start Sunday’s second race of the German one-make cup from pole position once again.
Spectators at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari were treated to a thrilling race. In sunny conditions and temperatures of 24 degrees Celsius, 31 new Porsche 911 Cup lined up on the grid. Oeverhaus, who had set the fastest lap in qualifying earlier in the day with his 520 hp car, made a strong start and immediately pulled clear at the front. Tauscher and Brazil’s Matheus Ferreira (Team GP Elite) slotted into second and third place. The podium positions looked settled until lap six, when Masters overtook Ferreira. The top four crossed the line in that order.
“Second place is a good start to the season. In the first half of the race, I was able to put Theo under real pressure, but later on I had to focus more on defending,” explained Tauscher. Both Ferreira and later Masters were fighting for a podium position. Italian guest driver Aldo Festante (Target) finished fifth, ahead of Porsche Junior Marcus Amand (FIN/Proton Competition). Luxembourg’s Chester Kieffer (Schumacher CLRT) took seventh place and was the fastest rookie, while the Dutch driver Dirk Schouten (Looping by CarTech) secured points in eighth.
The ProAm category saw intense battles for position. Michael Essmann (D/Team75 Bernhard) and Sören Spreng (D/GP Elite) fought fiercely and both ended up in the gravel trap in the penultimate lap. Australia’s Samer Shahin (GP Elite) capitalised on the incident to claim victory in the ProAm classification.
The most eventful race was experienced by the youngest driver in the field: Montego Maassen (D/Forch Racing by Atlas Ward). The 18-year-old from Nordenstadt finished second in the rookie classification in his debut race in the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland. After qualifying in 17th position, he climbed to 12th overall out of 31 starters.
The second of 16 races this season gets underway on Sunday at 9:50 am (CEST). Fans can watch the race live on the Carrera Cup’s Facebook and YouTube channels, as well as on the Porsche Motorsport Hub. Joyn, the streaming platform of TV partner ProSieben, will also broadcast the race live and free of charge.
Result race 1, Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland
1. Theo Oeverhaus (D/ID Racing)
2. Alexander Tauscher (D/Target)
3. Keagan Masters (ZA/Proton Competition)
4. Matheus Ferreira (BR/Team GP Elite)
5. Aldo Festante (I/Target)
6. Marcus Amand (FIN/Proton Competition)
7. Chester Kieffer (L/Schumacher CLRT)
8. Dirk Schouten (NL/Looping by CarTech)
9. Wouter Boerekamps (NL/Team GP Elite)
10. Joseph Warhurst (UK/Target)
Points standings after 1 of 16 races
Drivers’ classification
1. Theo Oeverhaus (D/ID Racing), 25 points
2. Alexander Tauscher (D/Target), 20 points
3. Keagan Masters (ZA/Proton Competition), 16 points
Rookie classification
1. Chester Kieffer (L/Schumacher CLRT), 25 points
2. Montego Maassen (D/Forch Racing by Atlas Ward), 20 points
3. Dylan Yip (HK/Team Proton), 16 points
ProAm classification
1. Samer Shahin (AUS/GP Elite), 25 points
2. „Rey King“ (UK/ID Racing), 20 points
3. Michael Essmann (D/Team75 Bernhard), 16 points
