2021 was going to be an important year where the mindset changed, and Thierry knew it was a year where they had to shine and show people around him that it was more than a hobby and that this was worth it. The decision was made, and Thierry was going to compete in the Carrera Cup Benelux, which is a one-make series which would be competing with the brand-new 992 Cup car. The arrival of the new car made this a very competitive championship.

 

In order to prepare for the season, Jos Verstappen and Thierry had planned many test days together, and they would practice the race craft, as this was one of Thierry’s main weaknesses. The season started on a low as the first few rounds didn’t come with any good results and several DNFs. This was good for Thierry as these were his first experiences with proper racing, and this for sure boosted his learning curve. Throughout the season, Thierry started picking up his first podiums, one win and two pole positions. However, there were still too many mistakes made. Track time and mostly race time was essential for Thierry; this is why Jos and Raymond decided that it would be good for Thierry to compete in endurance racing, this is when Thierry did the 12h of Hockenheim, 24h of Barcelona and at the end of the season, he competed in the 24h of Dubai which is seen as a very competitive 24h race with over 80 cars in competition. During this race, Thierry managed to put it on pole position, and the team was leading until there was some damage to the car. Thierry ended the race in P2, which was still a great team effort. These endurance races helped Thierry to keep developing his race skills and gain as much experience as possible. With the same spirit, Thierry entered the Sprint Challenge Middle East, which is a Porsche racing series which continues during the European winter months. The Middle Eastern climate and competition allowed Thierry to keep developing his skills and stay in the rhythm for the 2022 season. In this championship, Thierry managed to achieve several podiums and many great battles with drivers from all over the world. However, during the 2021 season, Thierry, Jos and Raymond started to doubt whether the Porsche career route was the most suitable for Thierry. During the season, Thierry struggled to adapt to the Cup car's unique braking system. When this was taken out of the equation, Thierry seemed much more confident and was able to focus fully on battling. This is when discussions started to take place to make a switch to a GT3 car. The first tests were held in Dubai just after the 24h of Dubai. Thierry immediately showed great pace with the Audi GT3. Nonetheless, they decided to stay committed to the Middle East Championship, where Thierry continued to improve his race craft which would be essential for 2022…