Michael Ammermüller (Walter Lechner Racing Team) from Bavaria in Germany celebrated his fifth win of the season in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland on Sunday. Facing difficult weather conditions on the Lausitzring, he relegated Clemens Schmid (A/Lechner Racing Academy ME) and Philipp Eng (A/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1) to positions two and three. After 14 of 18 races, Ammermüller now ranks first in the series with 164 points ahead of Christian Engelhart (D/Konrad Motorsport) with 152 points and Eng with 148. “Two race wins on one weekend is of course perfect. The conditions with the track dry, damp and wet were really tough so I’m pleased to now top the leaderboard,” concluded the 28-year-old race professional.
Before Sunday’s race took off it appeared as if the rain-soaked 3.478 kilometre circuit would slowly dry up. Based on this, all 35 pilots opted to fit their 460 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with dry tyres. At the start, several drivers struggled with the damp track surface, including Schmid who had taken up the race from pole position. The Austrian immediately lost his lead position to Ammermüller. Eng also started from a wet grid spot and fell back from second to sixth. Ammermüller and Schmid spearheaded the rest of the field and built up a comfortable lead. In lap 15, Robert Renauer (D/Team GT3 Kasko) slid from the track with his vehicle and had to be pulled out of the gravel. During this time the safety car was deployed. Up until that point, Eng had moved back up into position three and, with the safety car out, the gap between the leaders and the rest of the field now disappeared. Just after the restart it began to rain heavily and the race was red-flagged.
Crossing the finish line behind Ammermüller, Schmid and Eng was Austrian Norbert Siedler (ZaWotec Racing) on fourth, followed by Nicki Thiim (DK/QPOD Walter Lechner Racing) and Pieter Schothorst (NL/Attempto Racing by Häring). Cup newcomer Lukas Schreier (D/ZaWotec Racing) scored his best result of the season with seventh. “In preparation for the race I analysed the data very closely to see where I might improve. That really helped. In the race I had a great duel against Nicki Thiim and I’m really happy with my result.”
Porsche junior Connor de Phillippi (USA/Förch Racing by Lukas Motorsport) finished on tenth: “The conditions during the race were difficult and I’m happy that I could make up three positions.” Porsche junior Sven Müller (D/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1) took home an early title from the weekend as the champion of the rookie classification. The 22 year old from the Rhine region holds 134 points ahead of Schreier (32 points). “In Sunday’s race I started from the wet side. I fought my way up the field, lost places and finally took the flag in twelfth. I’m sitting fourth in the championship at the moment and it’s all pretty close. I’m curious to see how things pan out over the remaining four races,” said Müller.
Porsche junior Alex Riberas (E/Attempto Racing by Häring) charged from 16th on the grid to thirteenth at the flag. “Unfortunately I started from an extremely wet spot on the grid and lost three positions right at the start. Then I got stuck in a group and really had to fight to extract myself. I finally got away shortly before the safety car came out and drove faster times than the front runners.” A collision prevented Porsche junior Klaus Bachler (A/Team 75 Bernhard) from finishing his race: “Well that was a rather frugal weekend without points. Now I have to look ahead. I’m still feeling optimistic about the next race.”
There is no time for the drivers contesting the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland to sit back and relax. In just one week the next race weekend is on the calendar with the double-header on the Sachsenring near the German city of Chemnitz. The series is contested as support to the ADAC GT Masters from 19 to 21 September and returns after twelve years to the roller coaster track in Saxony. 2002 was the last time the Porsche Carrera Cup was contested here on the heritage 3.645 kilometre circuit.
Result race 14
1. Michael Ammermüller (D/Walter Lechner Racing Team)
2. Clemens Schmid (A/Lechner Racing Academy ME)
3. Philipp Eng (A/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1)
4. Norbert Siedler (A/ZaWotec Racing)
5. Nicki Thiim (DK/QPOD Walter Lechner Racing)
6. Pieter Schothorst (NL/Attempto Racing by Häring)
7. Lukas Schreier (D/ZaWotec Racing)
8. Robert Lukas (PL/ Förch Racing by Lukas Motorsport)
Points standings after 14 of 18 races
Driver classification
1. Michael Ammermüller (D/Walter Lechner Racing Team), 164 points
2. Christian Engelhart (D/Konrad Motorsport), 152 points
3. Philipp Eng (A/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), 148 points
4. Sven Müller (D/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), 134 points
5. Christopher Zöchling (A/Konrad Motorsport), 129.5 points
*All results and classifications are preliminary
Amateur classification
1. Rolf Ineichen (CH/Konrad Motorsport), 224 points
2. Wolf Nathan (NL/Land-Motorsport), 194 points
2. Ralf Bohn (D/Team GT3 Kasko), 189 points
Rookie classification
1. Sven Müller (D/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), 134 points
2. Lukas Schreier (D/ZaWotec Racing), 32 points
3. Mike Halder (D/SMS Seyffarth-Motorsport), 16 points
Team classification
1. Walter Lechner Racing Team, 283 points
2. Team Deutsche Post by Project 1, 282 points
3. Konrad Motorsport, 281.5 points
