Red Bull Ring, Austria (14 October 2025):
Four of the fastest drivers from last month’s Michelin 992 Endurance Cup powered by Porsche Motorsport had the opportunity to test a Porsche 911 GT3 R at the Red Bull Ring yesterday, Monday, 13 October, as part of an exceptional prize package provided by race organiser Creventic.

Drivers Paul Meijer, Harley Houghton, Louis Perrot and William Freire were awarded with the chance to enjoy an evaluation test at the Austrian Grand Prix venue as a result of being the competitors who achieved the best 10 average lap times during the recent 12-hour Michelin 992 Endurance Cup race.

In order to qualify for the superb prize offered by Creventic, participating drivers could not have been part of any kind of development scheme previously or a works programme from Porsche Motorsport or, indeed, any other manufacturer.

The vast majority of the grid from September’s race at Spa-Francorchamps were eligible for the prize, and it was Meijer, Houghton, Perrot and Freire who got to experience the exceptional Porsche 911 GT3 R yesterday during a GT Trackday event. The team of Porsche Track Experience and Manthey delivered a perfectly prepared car and a great atmosphere for the test day.

All four drivers impressed with their speed, application and consistency around the 10 corner, 4.3 kilometre Red Bull Ring in sunny conditions with Haughton, Meijer and Perrot all managing to post lap times in the sub 90 second bracket. 

Haughton was the fastest of the quartet by just under a tenth of a second, producing a best lap of 1m29.670 seconds, with Meijer delivering a quickest of 1m29.740 seconds and Perrot ending with a best of 1m29.920 seconds. Freire wasn’t far away either, with a fastest lap of 1m30.310 seconds. 

As well as the thrill of piloting a fully-fledged Porsche 911 GT3 R racer, the four drivers had the chance to benefit from key knowledge provided by Manthey’s professionals who were on-hand at the Spielberg venue.

The Porsche Track Experience, which visits some of Europe’s greatest motor racing venues, has been running for more than half a century and the events offer the full fleet of Porsche road and race cars, from the Porsche GT4 RS Clubsport through to the Porsche 911 RSR. The GT Trackday is also an ideal testing environment for regular motorsport teams.

Harley Haughton:
“It’s like the [Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 992] Cup car, with way more front end and a back end that stays down on the track. The car is really easy to drive, in the slow corners it’s like a Cup car, with double the grip!”

Paul Meijer:
“It was a fantastic and amazing experience to experience and test the new 2026 Porsche 911 GT3 R, a truly special machine! Thanks to the organisers Creventic for this fantastic and fun opportunity.”

Louis Perrot:
“It is real crazy, the amount of grip in the car is immense. Braking with this car is way later than the 992 Cup car, I was always braking later [in this test] than my usual braking point in the 992 Cup car.” 

William Freire:
“It’s amazing…wow! The car is so much better on grip and G-Force, super-fast on turning in."

For more regarding the Michelin 992 Endurance Cup powered by Porsche Motorsport, please visit www.992-endurance-cup.com