EST1 Racing is looking to make a big impression at the Michelin 992 Endurance Cup powered by Porsche Motorsport in only its second year of competition in Europe, confirming it will be “going for the top spot” at Spa-Francorchamps.

The Estonian outfit, which has entered one Porsche 992 GT3 Cup for the Porsche Motorsport/CREVENTIC dual-organized event on 6/7 September, competed regularly in the Baltic and Nordic regions following its foundation in 2011 before taking its first steps in Porsche Cup competition in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Finland in 2016. Having purchased two examples of Porsche’s 992-generation GT3 Cup cars, EST1 Racing set its sights on Europe’s GT Cup Open for 2023 – a year that also included the team’s debut in Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – and impressed with a top five finish in the overall teams’ standings. 

Buoyed by its previous endurance racing outings with CREVENTIC in Brno (2016), Barcelona (2017 and 2023) and Monza (2023 again), EST1 Racing takes on arguably its toughest challenge in September at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. A challenge team principal Raimo Kulli nevertheless feels EST1 is ready for. 

“Is there any other way a true racer can answer?” Kulli explains to CREVENTIC. “Of course, we will be going for the top spot [at Spa], and we’ll do whatever we can to achieve that.”

Granted, Kulli, a six-time Estonian national champion in his own right in series as disparate as stock and touring cars, Formula Scandic single seaters and the BMW Cup, appreciates the competitive mountain awaiting EST1 Racing at Spa. As well as competing at one of the most daunting racing venues on the planet – at which it raced only once before – the Estonian entry is just one of, potentially, up to 50 examples of Porsche’s strongest Cup car to-date lining up for the inaugural 992 Endurance Cup. A tall order for the still-comparatively young team…. 

“We have raced many tracks by now,” Kulli continues, “so I wouldn’t say [Spa] is any more challenging than any other track. Every circuit has its own unique features that are challenging from [different] perspectives. But the race will be challenging in terms of competition, for sure, as there could be up to 50 of the same cars racing there.

“That’s what makes this event special. It’s a single-make race featuring cars that are all the same spec and class. And Porsche has made the new [992] Cup car very easy and fast to do any kind of races, either sprint or endurance, at an affordable price. The speed difference in laptime compared to a GT3 is not massive, but [to run a GT3 Cup car] is quite a bit cheaper. That means, at Spa, everyone will be at the same speed, so the racing will be tighter that ever before. We’re looking forward to that.”

As the only team representing Estonia on the grid, one could also argue that the pressure is on for EST1 Racing to secure a strong result for the Baltic nation on motor racing’s international stage. While Kulli admits this is a consideration, a strong, potentially giant-killing result at Spa would, more importantly, affirm the team’s credibility in European competition. 

“Well, of course its nice to represent Estonia on-track, and even more so that, given that we are such a small country compared to others. But on the other hand, all we are focused on is the end result and the competition. Like any other team.”