GP3 Series race winner Ralph Boschung is among the four finalists –selected from tens of candidates, after various tests organised at the Lausitzring – in the running to join the Porsche Motorsport Junior programme. The winner will be awarded with a full 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland season and privileged support from the German manufacturer.
The Swiss youngster, who recently turned 19, performed well during the physical tests before demonstrating his potential at the wheel of the 460bhp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Porsche will announce the winner in the coming weeks, once they have analysed and reviewed all the data acquired during the selection process, which also included several interviews and written tests.
Due to financial support issues, Ralph is not attending this weekend’s eighth round of the 2016 GP3 Series, held in support of the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Koiranen GP.
Boschung was forced to sit out the meeting at Spa-Francorchamps following similar problems, before proving a week later in Monza that he had lost nothing in terms of speed.
Despite not competing in Belgium, Ralph still sits in the top-10 of the Drivers’ Championship, having scored a number of points finishes during the first half of the season, including a maiden GP3 race win in Austria.
The young Swiss talent is still hoping to compete in the last round of the series, which will take place in Abu Dhabi on the same weekend as the grand finale of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship (25-27 November).
“I am delighted to be amongst the finalists competing for a place in the Porsche Junior driver programme,” declared Boschung. “It is a superb opportunity for me to continue my career in motorsport, as Porsche offers a first class professional environment.
“Obviously it is frustrating not to be able to race in GP3 this weekend, but I would like to thank profusely my main sponsor, the Valais based construction company CP3 and Patrick Polli, who allowed me to compete in six GP3 Series weekends this year. Unfortunately, additional funding did not materialised in the end.
“Whatever happens in between now and Abu Dhabi, the 2016 season will remain a success, with consistently competitive pace and of course the win in Austria. I must say a big thank you to all the members of the Koiranen GP team, from which I have learnt a lot these past few months. I will be cheering them on this weekend.”
