Jacks racing day - assen

Hey readers!

I’m Dréke Janssen, and I’ve decided to start a blog to give you an inside look at every race weekend. Funny enough, I came up with this idea just after Jacks Racing Day at Assen, so I’m kicking things off in reverse order. This will be my first blog, and I’ll cover the previous races in other posts, but this one will come up first. Let’s dive into Assen—what a weekend that was!

This race weekend started out a bit differently than usual. Unlike other circuits, there’s no extended practice time at Assen, just two short 40-minute practice sessions. And to add a bit more challenge, I’d never driven here before!

In the first practice, something unexpected happened. I got waved off the track with a black flag, which meant I had to cut my session short. Turns out, it was a mistake, and the race officials later apologized for it. But it still meant I had even less practice time than planned.

Next up was qualifying. Let me explain how it works in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux (PCCB), since it’s different from the Southern Europe Challenge. In the PCCB, qualifying sets the grid for both races in one session. Your best lap time determines your position for Race 1, and your second-best time sets your grid spot for Race 2.

Unfortunately, my qualifying at Assen didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. Since it was my first time on the track, I made a few errors and exceeded track limits, which wiped out some of my best times. This left me starting 21st in Race 1 and 20th in Race 2.

Race 1:
I started 21st on the grid, and while that might seem discouraging, I actually enjoy starting further back—it gives me a chance to really race my way through the field. And that’s exactly what I did! By the end of lap 1, I’d moved up to 16th place. Things were going smoothly, and halfway through the race, I reached 13th place. Unfortunately, a few mistakes during overtakes and some contact with tire stacks caused damage to the front of my car. After a Full Course Yellow (FCY), I dropped back to 15th and stayed there until the finish.

Race 2:
Starting 20th this time, I managed to jump to 15th in the first lap and kept pushing. After a few more laps, I climbed to 12th—gaining 8 positions overall. Unfortunately, I ran into more trouble with the car, which caused me to lose pace toward the end. With just 6 minutes left in the race, I had to retire. Tough luck, but that’s racing!

Despite the challenges, I feel confident that next time at Circuit TT Assen, things will go much better. Practice makes perfect, after all!

Thanks for reading, and I’ll catch you after the Red Bull Ring in Austria from the 13th to the 15th of September!

Talk to you soon,
Dréke Janssen

Special thanks to Janssen Logistics, Strebo Ittervoort and RedAnt for making it possible for me to race in the RCCB.