Emely De Heus makes progress at Spa, battles for rookie podium in PCC Germany

Emely de Heus made clear progress in her second Porsche Carrera Cup Germany round at Spa, battling for the rookie podium in Race 2 and showcasing determination as she continues her rookie season in one of the most competitive GT one-make series in the world.

Photo credits: Porsche Motorsport

Emely de Heus made significant progress over the second round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany season at Spa-Francorchamps, where she battled for the rookie podium in the second race of the weekend and continued to collect valuable experience at the wheel of the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup car, competing in one of the most competitive GT one-make series in the world.

De Heus made her debut in the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany at Imola, already showing signs of improvement despite results that didn’t fully reflect her performance. Racing for ID Racing, the 21-year-old Dutch driver is adapting quickly to the new challenges of GT competitions, engaging in close battles and gaining positions in Race 1. Her participation marked the first time in over a decade that a woman competed full-time in the series.

The Dutch racer transitioned to GT racing after several years in single seaters, including Spanish F4, W Series, and F1 Academy in 2023 and 2024—claiming a pole position, a race win, and multiple points finishes in her two-year stint. With F1 Academy’s two-year limit reached, she switched to sports cars, making an impressive GT4 debut at the 24 Hours of Dubai before committing to a full Carrera Cup Germany season as part of the Porsche Talent Pool—an important step in her long-term development in sports car racing.

The aim for De Heus in her rookie season will be to improve with every outing, and she is doing just that, with the round at Spa-Francorchamps marking another step forward.

In free practice, De Heus was P25 as she prepared for qualifying. She set a 2:23.928 in Q1, placing her 27th on the grid for Race 1. She found more time in Q2, where the ID Racing driver improved significantly with a 2:22.580, securing 25th on the grid for the second race.

The third race of the season—the first of the weekend—was held on a sunny afternoon at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Ardennes. A 31-car field funneled through Turn 1 cleanly, and all made it safely through Raidillon, despite some cars pushing track limits. De Heus had a good initial getaway, kept it clean, and settled into P30 after the first lap, battling with Essmann.

At the Bus Stop chicane, a large group of cars made contact and spun. De Heus smartly avoided the incident by taking the outside line and moved up into P28. With Schrey and Seyffarth stranded after the accident, the Safety Car was deployed at the end of lap 2.

Racing resumed on lap 4, with Alessandro Ghiretti, former Porsche Carrera Cup France champion, leading the field from Theo Oeverhaus and Schuring. As the race went back to green, Schuring went wide and fell down the order. De Heus was battling Spreng for P26 but couldn't quite keep him behind, and Schuring also re-passed her.

De Heus fought back and overtook Spreng again on lap 5. She was particularly quick in Sector 2 and began to close the gap to AlKhoori ahead. In clear air, she posted her best lap times, running nearly a second faster than the car in front.

Emely passed the Qatari driver on the final lap to take P27, but AlKhoori managed to retake the position later in the lap as De Heus encountered an issue in Sector 2. She took the chequered flag in P28 in the first race of the weekend.

Lining up from P24 for Race 2 on Saturday morning, De Heus was looking for redemption. She held position at the start in another hectic but overall clean opening lap. The midfield battles were intense, with four-wide action into Blanchimont that resulted in a big crash for Schouten, who went into the barriers at high speed. Fortunately, the driver uninjured. De Heus completed the first lap in P23, third among the rookies, as the Safety Car was deployed.

After the cleanup, racing resumed with 15 minutes remaining. De Heus held P23 as the race went green, successfully defending her position from Essmann, who was close behind and challenged her into Eau Rouge. At the end of lap 5, at the Bus Stop chicane, her teammate Blum spun, and De Heus gained a position to move up to P22. She continued to defend against Essmann while Gregor and Schrey were making up ground behind her.

Gregor overtook Essmann and then launched an attack on De Heus in a tight battle for the rookie podium. On lap 6, he forced his way past her at the Bus Stop chicane, sending her wide. De Heus stayed in his slipstream and attempted to respond, but Essmann capitalized on the situation and passed De Heus on the Kemmel Straight. Joseph Warhurst also looked to join the battle.

Race control instructed Gregor to give the position back to De Heus for the forceful overtake; however, by then, Gregor had already moved ahead of both AlShehab and Essmann, while De Heus was now fighting with Warhurst. The two made contact at Les Combes as Warhurst attempted an inside move over the kerb, sending De Heus wide through the runoff, though both continued.

Emely defended fiercely, leaving no space and showcasing a strong, combative drive, before Warhurst eventually took P24 a lap later. With Gregor ignoring the instruction to yield to De Heus, he received a penalty lap. Despite this, he barely fell behind AlShehab and Essmann, retaining third in the rookie class after the penalty.

De Heus then had her teammate Kiano Blum in her mirrors, who found a way past on the very final lap. Emely crossed the finish line in P26, fifth among the rookies.

While the final result didn’t fully reflect her potential yet, Emely de Heus' second round was a clear step forward from the season opener. She battled hard and cleanly in Race 2, fought for the rookie podium in an incredibly competitive grid, and will now look to continue this momentum at her home race in Zandvoort on 6–8 June.