We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Senna van Soelen, an up-and-coming talent in the racing world, currently competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup. Hailing from the Netherlands, Senna's passion for motorsport has driven him from karting at a young age to racing in one of the most prestigious competitions in the industry. With his car proudly sponsored by Peli Products, Senna shared insights into his racing journey, the challenges of the Porsche Carrera Cup, and his aspirations for the future.
Who is Senna van Soelen? Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Senna van Soelen, and I live in the Netherlands in a small village named Oostvoorne. We can say that my life is pretty much "shaped" around my interest in motorsports. From a very young age (6 years old), I started my racing career in karting. After some solid years of training, I took the step to the real motorsport world. First, I joined the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup, in which I came third in the competition in my very first year.
The year after, I immediately stepped up to the BMW M2 Cup, which is a quite famous series within the sport. This year, in 2024, I can see that I made my dream come true by starting to race in the Porsche Carrera Cup (German competition) under the banner of an Italian team. My ultimate goal is to become a factory driver for Porsche Motorsport.
What is the Porsche Carrera Cup? How does it work?
The Porsche Carrera Cup is a very popular and well-regarded series within the racing industry. All participants race in exactly the same Porsche 911 with 6 cylinders and 510HP. For the competition, we race at 8 different circuits in various countries, with a total of 16 races. On Fridays, we start with free practice, followed by a qualifying session and one race on Saturday, and another race on Sunday. I would say we have a lot of work to do!
This step was very important for me to take in order to reach my final goal and dream of becoming a factory driver for Porsche Motorsport. Since this is an international competition, it is frequently attended by the most important scouts in the racing industry. In other words, this is one of the best competitions to showcase your abilities.
How many races have you participated in within this race series? Have you participated in any other racing competitions?
We started participating in a sort of "pre" competition this year internationally (2024). We did two weekend races at the Imola circuit and a race in Oschersleben. I needed some time to get used to the new car, but in the end, all races went very well and I learned a lot!
The official competition has also started in the meantime (Carrera Cup Germany), and we have already had two racing weekends this year. Again, both weekends went above expectations with a P2/P3 and P4 overall. Let’s say that we are moving in the right direction.
I would imagine quite a bit of practice goes into racing at this level. How often and what types of practice do you do? What does a day in the life of a Porsche Carrera Cup race driver look like?
Indeed, next to racing, you need to keep your body in optimal condition. This means I go to the gym three times a week and watch my food intake closely. Additionally, it is very important to train on the simulator every single day as well. This is quite time-consuming, as I practice on the simulator for 2-4 hours a day.
Not to forget, I have to take care of my studies as well, of course! I am studying a business/sport-oriented degree at the Johan Cruyff College in Roosendaal. This college allows me to combine my top sport career with my studies, which is, of course, very helpful in fulfilling all my goals.
Are you a fan of any other professional racing competitions? Who is your favourite driver, if any?
It should not be a surprise that my favourite racing driver of all time is Ayrton Senna. We can say that he is my biggest role model in this sport. Not only because of the name, [Laughs ]but especially because of his driving style at the time.
Do you have any ambitions to become a professional racing driver in other competitions, such as Formula One?
As I said, my ultimate goal is to become a factory driver for Porsche Motorsport. However, not specifically in Formula 1, since I prefer a closed car for racing instead of an open Formula 1 car. In short, my main focus is really on the Porsche racing sector.
Do you use Peli Products such as our cases or lights in your work as a driver? If so, what do you appreciate most about Peli’s products?
For every race weekend, we need to carry a lot of valuable equipment within our team. For example, tools, cameras, and helmets. All these items are stored in Peli Cases within our team. They are safely secured in the team truck during all events and allow us to transport everything safely throughout the racing year.
Besides, we have a professional Marketing/Social Media team travelling with us during the races. Obviously, they carry a lot of material such as (video) cameras and drones as well. It will not be a surprise that all these items are packed very securely in Peli Cases as well!
You can learn more about the Porsche Carrera Cup here and you can follow Senna's exploits here.
Brian
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