The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Top teenage talent Johnathan Hoggard hs signed up with reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champions Team StarChase – who compete in the toughest one-make championship in Asia.
The 19-year-old Weston Hills racer has established himself as one of the brightest young talents in the British single-seaters paddocks over the last two years, making his mark in the ultra-competitive British Formula 3.
Indeed, 2019 was a year to remember for Hoggard with seven wins and second place overall in the British F3 standings as a rookie and victory in the coveted Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.
Prior to his F3 campaign, Hoggard spent a season-and-a-half in the British Formula 4 series, winning a total of eight races and finishing third in the 2018 standings.
Having helped propel the career of its former drivers like Alexandre Imperatori, Nico Menzel or Philip Hamprecht into the international spotlight, Team StarChase has earned a reputation for identifying and nurturing young talent to its full potential.
Hoggard will now make the transition to GT racing for the first time in the Carrera Cup Asia and he has already started getting to grips with the BASF-owned Glasurit Automotive Refinish orange liveried No 99 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991 II) during some productive winter test days at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
The South Holland speedster is under no illusions as he enters a hugely competitive championship, but he relies on the team’s experience in the series and Absolute Racing technical service support.
Team StarChase is the most successful team in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia history, winning the Drivers’ titles on five occasions, recording over 40 race victories and 80 podium finishes in the championship to date.
Hoggard said: “I’m looking forward to the championship and working with Team StarChase.
“I am a newcomer and first I have a lot to learn, so that is where the focus is. I am getting used to the Porsche and adjusting myself to the climate in Asia.
“It is just awesome to have this opportunity and I want to repay the confidence that the team has placed in me.”
The 18th Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season gets underway in support of the first Vietnam F1 Grand Prix in Hanoi in April.
The following 14-race championship visits Thailand, Malaysia, and supports the Singapore F1 Grand Prix in September, before coming full circle to end the season in Shanghai, this time in support of the Shanghai 888 event.
Hoggard bagged two podiums on his debut in the car at the inaugural Porsche Sprint Challenge Asia at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, claiming two poles and two seconds.
