Max Kruse Racing, the eponymous team of Olympic footballer Max Kruse, has confirmed an entry for the inaugural Michelin 992 Endurance Cup powered by Porsche Motorsport, and is confident it will be among the event’s frontrunners in September.
Founded by Kruse and World Touring Car Cup race winner Benjamin Leuchter in 2018, Max Kruse Racing enters only its second full season of competition as a Porsche customer in 2024. Even so, team manager Timo Schupp believes that the Max Kruse Racing 992-generation GT3 Cup car could seal a strong result at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on 6/7 September, given the Porsche’s performance in both the Nürburgring Endurance Series (formerly the VLN) and the Porsche Endurance Trophy last year.
“Our expectations are quite high as we finished our first season with the Porsche in one of the most competitive Endurance Championships (PETN) as a runner-up,” Schupp explains to CREVENTIC. “For us, it’s very nice to know that we are able to fight for victory right from the very beginning. If you are dedicated to your work, and put effort and passion into it, the wins will start to come your way.”
Additionally, team manager Schupp, a multi-time Nürburgring 24 Hours class winner in his own right, believes Max Kruse Racing’s experience in TCR will prove similarly invaluable in the Ardennes. In its first year of operation in 2018, the Reinbek-based outfit competed in ADAC TCR Germany – a series in which 2017 Nürburgring 24 Hours / 2018 24H DUBAI class winner Leuchter also raced in 2016 – before the team added endurance racing at the Nürburgring to its portfolio in 2019. The Max Kruze Racing TCR fleet continued to do so until 2022.
“Having previously raced in TCR under very competitive terms, we’ve taken that knowledge and those working methods, and approached the new [Porsche] in the same manner,” Schupp continues. “It’s this attention to detail that produced podium finishes at every race, including three victories in six-hour and 12-hour races.”
