Maya Weug returns to Belcar Endurance Series podium with runner-up finish in Assen

Maya Weug continued her rookie campaign in GT racing by securing a second consecutive podium finish in the Belcar Endurance Championship, helping ART Racing claim second place overall at Assen after a race-long battle at the front of the field.

Photo credits: Maya Weug

Maya Weug continued her impressive rookie campaign in GT racing by securing a second consecutive podium finish in the Belcar Endurance Championship, helping ART Racing claim second place overall at Assen after a race-long battle at the front of the field.

In only her second weekend behind the wheel of a Porsche 992 GT3 Cup car, the F1 Academy vice-champion completed another competitive stint, contributing to a runner-up finish alongside teammates Christoff Corten and Sam Jongejan despite a drive-through penalty that ultimately denied the team a shot at the overall victory.

Weug arrived at the second round of the Belcar Endurance Championship carrying momentum from a highly promising GT racing debut at Zolder: the Dutch driver, who graduated to GT after finishing runner-up in the 2025 F1 Academy standings, immediately made an impact in endurance racing by securing a podium finish on her first start in the category.

From the very start of the weekend at Assen, ART Racing established itself as one of the teams to beat: the squad topped the practice sessions, immediately demonstrating the pace required to challenge for the overall victory.

Qualifying duties were entrusted to Jongejan, who placed the #2 Porsche on the front row. His lap of 1:41.609 secured second place on the grid for the second round of the championship.

Photo credits: Maya Weug

Christoff Corten took the start aboard the #2 Porsche and wasted no time to move at the front of the field. By the end of the opening lap, Corten had moved into the race lead ahead of Dylan Derdaele and Alex De Schepper. He immediately set the pace at the front, recording the early fastest laps of the race as he attempted to break away.

Derdaele, however, was able to closely match Corten's pace and remained right behind; the leading duo gradually opened a three-second advantage over the #98 Porsche of Michael Cool, who soon responded by setting the fastest lap and beginning to close the gap once again.

Corten nevertheless continued to defend strongly under increasing pressure from Derdaele. The ART Racing driver held the lead until lap 7, when Derdaele finally found a way through, relegating Corten to second place while Cool also continued to close in on the leading pair.

Settling into a rhythm in the low 1:42s, Corten maintained a consistent pace and gradually consolidated second position. A Full Course Yellow was deployed on lap 14, briefly neutralizing the race before green-flag running resumed one lap later.

By this stage, Olivier Bertels had moved into third position, but Corten had already established an advantage of nearly 10 seconds over his closest pursuer. The gap continued to grow as the stint progressed, reaching almost twenty seconds by lap 30, while race leader Derdaele maintained a steady 17-second advantage at the front.

After one hour of racing, the #2 ART Racing Porsche made its first scheduled pit stop from second position. Maya Weug climbed aboard the car for the middle stint and rejoined the race in sixth overall, being one of the first frontrunners to complete its stop.

As the remaining competitors began making their first stops, Weug quickly settled into an impressive rhythm and began closing down both Van Pelt and Kai Rillaerts. She completed a decisive pass on Rillaerts on lap 39 to move into third place. Running consistently in the 1:43s, Weug kept advancing through the field while also having to defend from Rillaerts, who attempted to fight back.

Both drivers were significantly quicker than Alex De Schepper ahead, who still needed to complete his pit stop. A Full Course Yellow was called on lap 41, coinciding with race leader Derdaele entering the pits. Racing resumed shortly afterward.

Following the completion of the first pit cycle, Weug had climbed back into second place and immediately began pulling away from Rillaerts. However, Nicolas Saelens had taken over the lead after the pit stop and now held a solid advantage over the rest of the field.

Unfortunately, Weug's race then suffered a setback when the #2 Porsche was handed a drive-through penalty for a pit stop infringement. After serving the penalty, Maya dropped behind the #98 Porsche driven by Colin Coox.

The Dutch driver however kept her cool and resumed lapping consistently in the 1:42s - her pace was significantly stronger than Coox's, and she steadily erased the deficit. By lap 60, Weug had almost completely closed the gap, at times lapping nearly two seconds per lap faster than her rival.

Her persistence paid off on lap 62 when the #98 Porsche made its stop, allowing Weug to reclaim second position. Now back in the runner-up spot, Weug continued to log remarkably consistent lap times, comfortably holding second place behind Saelens.

On lap 65, she completed her stint by bringing the Porsche into the pits from second position for the team's final stop. It had been another highly impressive drive from the Dutch racer, who had recovered strongly from the penalty and ran comfortably among the frontrunners despite competing in only her second race weekend in the Porsche 992 Cup car.

Sam Jongejan took over for the final stint and rejoined in fourth position, with ART Racing being the first of the leading contenders to complete its scheduled stops. He immediately launched an extraordinary charge: soon after exiting the pits, Jongejan set a new fastest lap of the race with a 1:40.152 before following it with another purple sector-filled lap. His pace was unmatched as he rapidly closed on Rillaerts.

The pressure increased, and Jongejan completed the pass for third place on lap 73. Continuing to lap consistently in the 1:40s, he was often over three seconds per lap faster than both Saelens and De Cock, who were running approximately nine seconds ahead on the road.

By lap 76, Jongejan had also overtaken De Cock to move into second place. With 41 minutes remaining, he was lapping around three seconds faster than leader Saelens, who still had to pit.

Saelens made his final stop with 27 minutes remaining, handing the car back to Dylan Derdaele.

Following the final pit sequence, Jongejan found himself 42 seconds behind the race leader.

A late Full Course Yellow slowed down the team's charge, and when racing resumed the gap remained stable at around forty seconds. Jongejan continued to produce strong lap times to the finish, but the positions were effectively settled.

After another competitive performance from all three drivers, Sam Jongejan crossed the finish line in second place, securing a second consecutive podium finish for the #2 ART Racing Porsche and continuing Maya Weug's highly competitive start to her GT racing career.

Photo credits: Maya Weug

Despite missing out on victory, the Assen weekend further showcased the speed and progress shown by Weug during her transition from single-seaters to endurance competitions.

"Had another great weekend in GT, my second overall, standing the second time together with the team on the podium", Weug reflected on the weekend, encouraged by the team's performance.

"I am getting more comfortable in the car and with P1 in all the practice sessions we for sure had the pace to win today. Unfortunately a drive through penalty made us finish in P2 after a strong comeback by the team", she continued.

The Belcar Endurance Championship now heads to its next round at Spa-Francorchamps on 3-4 July, held during the Fun Cup 25 Hours weekend, where Weug and ART Racing will once again aim to convert their speed into victory.