ADAC GT Masters Lausitzring Preview MRS starts with a new driver

At this weekend the MRS team cannot complain about lack of work. Beside the Porsche Carrera Cup at Zandvoort in the Netherlands, the team from Lonsee will participate at the twelfth and thirteenth run of the ADAC GT Masters at the Eurospeedway Lausitzring. Furthermore there will be a driver change in the MRS McLaren MP4-12C. MRS new member Fredy Barth (Switzerland), who recently was driving on a SEAT in the FIA Touring car world championship, will share the work behind the steering wheel with Christian Ott. Philipp Eng, who was brilliant at the Red Bull Ring with the first McLaren pole position, will now only focus on the Porsche Carrera Cup. In sunny weather with possible light showers the races on Saturday and on Sunday will offer much fun for the spectators. The German TV channel Kabel1 will broadcast both races on Saturday and Sunday LIVE from 12:15 to 13:45. You can follow everything from the free practices to the races on the official homepage of the ADAC GT Masters. After the race weekend the German channel Sport1 will show the highlights of the ADAC GT Masters weekend at the Lausitzring on Saturday, the first of September, from 2 pm to 3 pm. Your MRS Team   Partners

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Zandvoort Coming by three in the dunes

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland Zandvoort MRS GT Racing Coming by three in the dunes

At the weekend the twelfth and thirteenth run of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland take place in Zandvoort. This time at the circuit in the dunes three drivers will start for the MRS team. Next to the MRS youngster Philipp Eng and the leader of the B championship ‘Bill Barazetti’ the Porsche Sports Cup driver Anton Wossos will make a guest start in the Carrera Cup. The varying weather conditions and the challenging track will again provide suspense and entertainment. The race on Saturday and on Sunday will be broadcasted LIVE via live stream on the Porsche Homepage. You can follow the free practice, the qualifying and the race live on racecam.de via web radio and live timing. After the race weekend the German channel N24 will send the Porsche Carrera Cup magazine on Monday, 27th of August, at 6:30 pm. Your MRS Team   Partners

Top names and stars of the future at Lausitzring for ADAC Masters Weekend

            Top names and stars of the future
at Lausitzring for ADAC Masters Weekend

• Third-to-last ADAC Masters Weekend of the season at the EuroSpeedway
• Decisive phase commences for ADAC GT Masters and its five partner series: Formel ADAC, ATS Formel-3-Cup, ADAC PROCAR, MINI TROPHY and HAIGO ADAC Historic Cup
• Slalom karting in paddock for juniors of ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.
• Live coverage of ADAC Masters Weekend at Lausitzring on TV channels kabel eins and Sport1 as well as live streaming via the web

 ADAC GT Masters

• Exciting four-way battle at top of table
• Local favourite Jan Seyffarth partners ex-Formula 1 driver Karl Wendlinger in a Mercedes-Benz Gullwing
• Races to be shown live on kabel eins - Saturday and Sunday commencing at 12.15pm

Final sprint in Super Sports Car League: The title is to be decided over the three last weekends of the season, all within the short space of five weeks. This frenetic period starts with the third-to-last ADAC Masters Weekend at the Lausitzring. Only eleven points separate the top four supercars in the standings, and they are all different makes: Corvette, BMW ALPINA, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. In a well-matched field, the leading bunch can also count on some tough competition from the best of the rest. For example, former F1 championship runner-up Heinz-Harald Frentzen and team-mate Andreas Wirth are aiming for their first ADAC GT Masters podium. Looking to reward their home fans are Michael and Tobias Schulze from Tagewerben in a Nissan GT-R and Jan Seyffarth from Querfurt. This will be the first time that Seyffarth shares the cockpit of his Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 with ex-Formula 1 and DTM driver Karl Wendlinger.


Formel ADAC

• Gustav Malja leapfrogs Marvin Kirchhöfer to establish two-point lead
• Live streaming via www.adac.de/motorsport

Ahead of the third-to-last race weekend of 2012, the situation at the top of the Formel ADAC standings is getting tighter. In the previous race at the Red Bull Ring, Swedish driver Gustav Malja took over the leadership in the championship for the first time in 2012. The Neuhauser Racing driver is, however, just two points ahead of his main title rival Marvin Kirchhöfer from Leipzig. The competition in this series is intense, with eight different drivers having taken the winner's trophy in the 15 races so far contested. At the Lausitzring, two local favourites will be particularly keen to impress: Florian Herzog (Dresden) and Hendrik Grapp (Berlin) are looking forward to the three home races for their Berlin-based Mücke Motorsport team.


ATS Formel-3-Cup

• Eriksson, Sato and Auer go head to head for championship title
• Live TV coverage on Sport1 and online at www.formel3.de

The ATS Formel-3-Cup season enters the home straight at the Lausitzring. With just three racing weekends to go, Swede Jimmy Eriksson is still holding onto his lead ahead of Japanese Lotus team-mate Kimiya Sato. Their nearest challenger is Austrian Lucas Auer, who remains just 21 points behind Sato after his first ever Formula 3 victory in the previous outing at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. The nephew of ten-time F1 Grand Prix winner Gerhard Berger could, therefore, be in with a chance of finishing as Championship runner-up in his first ever Formula 3 season. Just behind Auer in the rookie class is Australian Mitchell Gilbert.


ADAC PROCAR

• Local talent Michael Meyer to race as guest contestant in Division 1
• Exciting battle expected for championship title in Division 2

The ADAC PROCAR series also enters a decisive stage at the Lausitzring. In Division 1, Jens Weimann is leading the table on 37 points overall, after posting five double victories. However, he has some new competition at the Lausitzring - not one but two guest contestants in the shape of Swiss challenger Markus Huggler and local hero Michael Meyer in a matte black BMW 320 siE90. In Division 2, championship leader Guido Thierfelder will once again have to defend his title against his closest rivals Nils Mierschke and Ralf Glatzel. Stiff competition is also expected from young Belorussian driver Yury Krauchuk and from ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Lennart Marioneck.


MINI TROPHY

• MINI John Cooper Works Challenge to reach top speed
• Live streaming over the internet at www.mini-trophy.de

The MINI TROPHY has a new leader for the ninth and tenth races of the season at the Lausitzring. Jürgen Schmarl took the overall lead during his home race at the Red Bull Ring, but the Top Five are separated by less than 50 points altogether. The MINI John Cooper Works Challenge will be won this weekend by the driver who clocks the highest speed. The prize will be the unlimited use of the road-legal version of the racing car until the next ADAC Masters Weekend at the Nürburgring. Cora Schumacher, wife of Mercedes-Benz DTM driver Ralf Schumacher, is also set to be on the starting grid. In the last two races at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, she finished eleventh and eighth respectively.


HAIGO ADAC Historic Cup

• Special event for classic single-seaters and touring cars
• Nostalgic racing at the Lausitzring

The HAIGO ADAC Historic Cup makes only its second appearance in the context of the 2012 ADAC Masters Weekend since the season opener at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. Drivers will be racing in single-seaters and touring cars from the Cold War era, with models from the former Soviet Bloc and other Eastern European countries lining up on the grid. Ahead of the Lausitzring weekend, the champions elect in both classes, Sebastian Dross (touring cars) and Nils-Holger Wilms (formula cars), each have a lead of five points over their closest rivals.


Slalom karting in the paddock

Great things are also expected from the promising young drivers of the ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V. at the Lausitzring over the ADAC Masters Weekend. After last year's slalom karting success, the motor racing stars of tomorrow will once again be competing on a track inside the paddock. The ADAC has a long tradition of training future open-wheel racing drivers, having provided a springboard for such big names as Formula 1 drivers Sebastian Vettel, Nico Hülkenberg, Timo Glock and Nico Rosberg, as well as for DTM stars Martin Tomczyk and Ralf Schumacher whose successful careers also began in one of the various ADAC formula racing series for young drivers.

2012 ADAC GT Masters season approaching climax			Fans at the autograph signing session			Gustav Malja currently ahead in Formel ADAC standings			ADAC Masters Weekend comes to the Lausitzring

ADAC Masters Weekend on TV
Saturday, 25/08/12, 12:15pm	kabel eins - ADAC GT Masters live
Saturday, 25/08/12, 11:15am	SPORT1 - ATS Formula 3 Cup live
Sunday, 26/08/12, 12:15pm	kabel eins - ADAC GT Masters live
Monday, 27/08/12, 01:50am	kabel eins - ADAC Masters Weekend Magazin
Wednesday, 29/08/12, 01:15am	kabel eins - ADAC Masters Weekend Magazin (repeat)
Saturday, 01/09/12, 02:00pm	SPORT1 - ADAC Masters Magazin - Highlights

Former F1 driver Karl Wendlinger to compete in ADAC GT Masters

            Former F1 driver Karl Wendlinger
to compete in ADAC GT Masters

• Guest drive in Seyffarth Motorsport Mercedes-Benz at Lausitzring
• Jan Seyffarth to be partnered by Wendlinger in home race
• Wendlinger up against ex-Formula 1 team-mate Frentzen

Seyffarth Motorsport have signed up a celebrity driver for their home race in the shape of former F1 driver Karl Wendlinger. The 43-year-old from Austria makes his ADAC GT Masters debut at the Lausitzring in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG on the weekend of 24th - 26th August. After a career in Formula 1 that spanned 41 Grand Prix races, he now shares the cockpit of a Mercedes Gullwing with Jan Seyffarth (26, Querfurt). Team boss Rüdiger Seyffarth is delighted with his high-profile recruit: "I am very proud to announce Karl Wendlinger as our second driver for the race weekend at the Lausitzring. Karl is a GT racing specialist, and together with Jan Seyffarth, we have a strong twosome. With this driver pairing, we aim to demonstrate the full potential of our team."

Wendlinger can look back on a long and successful career. After his time in Formula 1, the Tyrolean enjoyed great success in GT racing, winning not only the FIA GT title but also recording victories and class wins in the major endurance races at Le Mans (France), Daytona and Sebring (both USA). Since early 2012, Wendlinger has been working for Mercedes AMG as a brand ambassador. He has therefore come full circle, because in 1990 and 1991, he was a member of the same legendary Mercedes Junior Team competing in the World Sports Car Championship that also included Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Wendlinger now has the prospect of competing against former team-mate Frentzen at the Lausitzring. In the 1994 and 1995 seasons, both of them lined up for Peter Sauber's Formula 1 team. The Super Sports Cars League event at the Lausitzring now pits Wendlinger in a Mercedes-Benz against Frentzen in a Corvette.

Wendlinger is looking forward to his debut in the ADAC GT Masters: "First of all, let me say how pleased I am to be racing again. This will be my first outing in the ADAC GT Masters. I have been following developments in the series, of course. The organisers do a fantastic job and the championship has come along really well. The starting field is strong in terms of quality and quantity, and the arrangements are very professional. No wonder that this series is so popular with the fans. I'm optimistic about the race at the Lausitzring because I'm convinced that I have excellent partners in Jan Seyffarth and Seyffarth Motorsport."

Jan Seyffarth hopes that having such a strong team-mate on board for his home race could turn the tide on a season in which bad luck has frustrated his quest for points: "I am personally fairly satisfied with the way things have gone so far in the ADAC GT Masters, but the overall performance leaves a lot to be desired. We have been in promising positions but then had a stroke of bad luck or just fallen behind. In terms of lap times, we have consistently been one of the best SLS AMGs, but in terms of race results and for the reasons mentioned, we have nothing to show for it."

Seyffarth is intimately familiar with the Lausitzring and its peculiarities, knowledge that he intends to capitalise on at the weekend with his new team-mate. "In addition to high-speed corners where good aerodynamics are called for, there are also some slow corners where the need is more for mechanical grip. So in setting up the car, you have to go for the best possible compromise. The track surface is very smooth, which doesn't make the setup process any easier." Contestants in the ADAC GT Masters are confronted with a further challenge by the special characteristics of the track where it exits and re enters the oval. "It's the infield section inside the actual speedway that makes the Lausitzring so exceptional - you leave the natural oval configuration to negotiate the infield and then return to it. In both transitions, there are some bumps that you have to watch out for and which make for a very special driving experience. You also have to monitor the track conditions closely, because there is this strange phenomenon whereby the lap times get slower within the space of an hour, but no one knows why. In other words, the track can change extremely fast."

Jan Seyffarth welcomes new co-driver			Seyffarth Mercedes enters home race with two strong drivers			Seyffarth aiming to please home fans with good result			Wendlinger up against former team-mate Frentzen

ADAC GT Masters on TV: All 16 races of the ADAC GT Masters are broadcast live at 12.15pm on Saturdays and Sundays in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on free-to-air TV channel kabel eins. Sports channel SPORT1 will feature highlights of the ADAC GT Masters from the Red Bull Ring in the ADAC Masters Weekend Magazine on 1st September at 2pm. In addition, live timing from all practice sessions and races to supplement live TV broadcasts can be found at www.adac-gt-masters.de.

ADAC GT Masters website press section: ADAC GT Masters Web site: access to Press Area via 'Press' in the top menu bar at www.adac.de/motorsport.

Further information available at www.adac.de/motorsport and www.adac-gt-masters.de  

FIA WEC drivers prepare for Round 4 of the World Endurance Championship at Silverstone with a visit to the EDF Energy London Eye

FIA WEC drivers prepare for Round 4 of the World Endurance Championship at Silverstone with a visit to the EDF Energy London Eye

As part of the build-up to this weekend’s fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) at Silverstone (24 – 26 August), nine drivers, accompanied by three of the series’ highly-distinctive racing cars – including two Le Mans Prototypes – headed for one of the Capital’s most iconic landmarks, the London Eye, to mark the UK debut of the championship.

The official photocall saw the current championship points leader Allan McNish (Audi Sport Team Joest), father and son duo Martin Brundle and Alex Brundle (Greaves Motorsport), Anthony Davidson (Toyota Racing) and Karun Chandhok (JRM) of F1 fame, Darren Turner (Aston Martin Racing) and the all-British Strakka Racing team line-up of Nick Leventis, Danny Watts and Jonny Kane, gathered at the instantly recognisable attraction.

The drivers and cars attracted plenty of attention as London’s tourists were treated to a taste of FIA WEC. In addition to the drivers, two stunning Le Mans Prototype cars – the WEC Honda HPD ARX 03a (Strakka Racing) and Nissan Zytek Z11SN (Greaves Motorsport) – and the production-based, yet highly modified, Aston Martin Vantage V8 (Aston Martin Racing) were all lined up on the London Eye gangway.

While experiencing an unmatched bird’s-eye view of London’s world-famous skyline and a clear view of the Olympic Park from the 360-degree panoramic glass capsules of the London Eye, the drivers shared their thoughts ahead of the upcoming race.

Allan McNish: “It’s always exciting to be back racing in the UK and at Silverstone, especially this year with us leading the WEC right now. We’re aiming to build on that this weekend, but the competition is going to be tight – not just internally within Audi, but also with Toyota. I’m sure after Le Mans they’ll be buoyant and keen to have a good race.

“Silverstone offers everything as a circuit; from the slower, more technical in-field sections where you have to be quite delicate with the car, to the fast straights and big corners like Copse, through Becketts and the new Abbey curve - it’s a fast, hard circuit that requires a lot of commitment from both the driver and the car. It’s also a wide circuit, so there are plenty of overtaking opportunities. It can accommodate endurance racing extremely well and we should have a great race this weekend.”

Martin Brundle: “I’m really looking forward to this weekend. The last time I raced sports cars at Silverstone was 21 years ago, but it was a good race, so hopefully we can repeat that. I’ve been around the new circuit, but I’ve never raced on it, so that will be another new for me. I really enjoyed racing with my son, Alex, at Le Mans, so to get a chance to race with him again at Silverstone is fantastic.

“I think the race itself is going to be tough. Physically, I think it’s going to be more challenging for me than Le Mans. While I did eight and a half hours at Le Mans, they’ve got some long straights there; Silverstone has got some massively fast corners, which will be more of a challenge for me, but I’m in pretty good nick, so I’m looking forward to it. With 16 cars I think the LMP2 Class will be the most competitive, and it will be really hard to get on the podium, but that’s what we’ll be aiming for.”

Alex Brundle: “I’m really looking forward to racing on home soil this weekend. We look a strong prospect and it’ll be great to be in the car with my old man again; it’s always an enjoyable experience and we make a great team. Anyone who’s involved in British motor sport feels something special when they drive through the gates at Silverstone. It is the home of British motor racing and somewhere I feel very much at home. I love the circuit; Copse, Maggots and Becketts are some of the best corners in the word. Hopefully we can finish on the podium and give the home fans something to cheer about.”

Darren Turner: “Silverstone is very much my home circuit, as I only live 10 minutes down the road. We’ve had a fairly long break since Le Mans, so I think all of the drivers are itching to get back in the cars now and get racing. I really enjoy the new circuit layout; Bridge corner’s gone, which was one of the highlights, but there are plenty of new corners that are equally as good. There are some great combinations of corners and it’s pretty wide, so there should be plenty of opportunities to overtake and pass. The new Wing complex also looks fantastic; it’s just an amazing international circuit to race at. I can’t wait.”

Danny Watts: “I’m very excited about our home race. I worked at Silverstone as an instructor and at the karting track for a number of years, so it’s a circuit that’s close to my heart. More importantly it’s the mid-point of the championship, so it’s a good opportunity to score a few points on a circuit we know well. The circuit lends itself to the LMP1 category that we’re competing in, with a real mix of fast straights and corners, to slower, more technical sections, so set-up and balance of the cars will be important. It should be a great weekend.”

Karun Chandhok: “Until the WEC goes to India I suppose this is my home race; I’m looking forward to it. Silverstone’s a great circuit; I’ve raced there in several categories over the years, worked there and only live five miles away, so it’s always a pleasure to race there. Silverstone is all about high speed and these cars produce a lot of down force, so it’s quite enjoyable to drive on the quicker circuits. We need to be realistic about our chances, as we have done all year, but we’ll go to Silverstone and give it our best.”

Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott, Gold medalists for Team GB in Canoe Slalom C2, will be waving the green flag for the start of the race at Silverstone. The flag will be waved at 11:56, at the start of the formation lap.

Jeff Carter/Media Delegate.

Porsche Carrera Cup Germany Nürburgring Red-hot battle at Nürburgring

Not only the high temperatures but also the race calendar of the MRS team from Lonsee is hot. One week ago at the ADAC GT Masters on the Red Bull Ring, last weekend already again at the Porsche Carrera Cup at the Nürburgring on the same platform as the DTM. Philipp Eng, pole setter on the MRS McLaren in Spielberg last week and his teammate ‘Bill Barazetti’, leader of the Porsche Carrera Cup B championship, were both present. Also the presented race action at the Nürburgring should be hot. The qualifying on Saturday went below the expectations of both MRS drivers. Both did not align their fastest sector times and therefore did not reach the perfect lap, which is necessary to be at the top. Philipp Eng reached after all P9 for the race on Saturday and a tenth starting position for the race on Sunday. ‘Bill Barazetti’ had to be satisfied with the ninth starting grid row for both races. The start of the race on Saturday went very well for both MRS drivers. Philipp Eng could work himself forward to the sixth position after a short time, but was busy to keep his opponents behind him. Unnecessarily Philipp was the victim of a false estimation of his colleague Bachler, who was very optimistic guessing the space to overtake. With this adventurous overtaking Bachler hit Eng’s car whereupon both spun. Thus Philipp fell behind on the ninth position and in the very last turn Eng had been involved in another collision and passed the finish line on P10. “The third consecutive race weekend I have been cleared of the track and this time lying on P6. That is really frustrating”, said a very angry Philipp Eng after the race. ‘Bill Barazetti’ had similar bad luck. Lying on P3 in the B championship he was hit very hard by another car, indeed he could drive on, but missed a place on the podium. “I had a very good start and could overtake some opponents. I drove on a very good third position and then through an imprudent overtaking attempt of another driver I spun. Although I missed the podium I won very important points for the championship.” Also the race on Sunday began promisingly for both MRS drivers. After a very good start Philipp Eng could again work himself on the sixth position, but thereby he lost his front splitter, which has led to heavy under steering. From then on Philipp was under pressure and busy to defend his position. Near the end of the race Philipp was pushed on the grass by an opponent, but rescued himself out of this critical situation with a skillful offroad interlude. This scene was not only rewarded with a spontaneous applause of the spectators, but also with an excellent fifth position. For ‘Bill Barazetti’ the race was quite to his taste. After a good start he worked himself forward to the second position in the B championship and ended up even on tenth. “First thank you to the boys who had a night shift, but it really paid off. The car was very good and I had a good race pace. I could win important points and extend the leadership in the championship. I am very happy.” Karsten Molitor: „That was for sure a hot weekend where we saw races full of action. After the race on Saturday when Philipp became a victim of an overestimated opponent, we changed our strategy for Sunday. Full attack was the motto that paid off. Hard but fair Philipp arranged his opponents, it is a pity that because of the missing front flap the car was not quite so good. The offroad interlude was very spectacular; respect concerning Philipp’s control of the car, this scene had a high entertainment value. Of course we are happy for ‘Bill’ who still leads the championship and a top 10 position puts the cherry on the cake.” The German TV channel Sport1 shows the Carrera Cup Highlights on Saturday, 25th of August, from 4.00 to 4.30 pm. Already this weekend the MRS team will travel on the one hand to the Dutch dune track in Zandvoort for the next race of the Porsche Carrera Cup and on the other hand the McLaren MP4 will start at the ADAC GT Masters weekend at the Lausitzring. Your MRS Team   Partners

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, race 11 on the Nürburgring Second win of the season for Nicki Thiim

Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, race 11 on the Nürburgring

Second win of the season for Nicki Thiim

Stuttgart. Nicki Thiim is the winner of Sunday’s race on the Nürburgring. Driving for Hermes Attempto Racing, the Dane walked away with a lights-to-flag victory from pole position and climbed to the top of the podium for the second time after the Lausitzring. Clinching second place after putting in a strong drive, Sean Edwards (Great Britain, Team Deutsche Post by tolimit) stays in the race for the coveted title in Germany’s fastest one-make race series. The secret star however is René Rast. Thanks to his third place, the points’ leader (Team Deutsche Post by tolimit) heads into the final spurt of the season with a comfortable 15-point advantage over his teammate Edwards.

After several chaotic races, everything finally ran smoothly for Nicki Thiim. The son of former DTM champion Kurt Thiim was regarded as one of the title favourites at the start of the season, but apart from victory on his favourite circuit in the Lausitz, the spirited young Dane has been knocked back with bad luck and breakdowns. After claiming second from yesterday’s race, the 23-year-old followed up with a clear win that pushes him one place up the points’ table – but fifth overall with six races left on the calendar is not exactly what Thiim had hoped for.

For quite some time, it seemed Jaap van Lagen (FE Racing by Land-Motorsport) might bring home a safe second. Taking up the sprint from the second grid spot, the Dutchman got away well at the start and held off attacks from the oncoming René Rast – until a puncture threw him out of contention. In this way the points’ leader and four time winner this season at first inherited second place. But in the final phase Rast’s teammate of all people managed to ruffle the normally cool Rast’s feathers. Sean Edwards, fourth in Saturday’s race, had started only from seventh. After a collision with Jaap van Lagen in the last corner of yesterday’s race, the stewards of the meeting relegated him five positions down the field – which again put the British pilot behind his German rival on the grid. But today Edwards did everything just right. With clever and fair overtaking manoeuvres, he conquered one position after the other to ultimately put Rast under pressure – and in the last race lap clinched a well-earned second place.

Nicolas Armindo, who secured fourth at just his second Carrera Cup outing this year, also had to give in to the charging Edwards. The Carrera Cup champion of 2010 celebrated his good placing and valuable points for his championship winning team Attempto Racing. Behind the Frenchman, Philipp Eng saw the flag in fifth after an extraordinarily strong race. The Austrian driving for MRS GT-Racing fought valiantly against the pack behind him and put on a head-turning show: A shunt sent him into the greens where he continued at high speed and after 200 metres slotted right back in front his pursuers on the track. After finishing in eighth on Saturday, Philipp Frommenwiler was thrilled with today’s sixth place. The Swiss driver for Attempto Racing has established himself securely in the top ten group in his second Carrera Cup year.

A sensational race for Klaus Bachler: Seventh place does not adequately reflect the Austrian’s performance. For the Porsche Junior competing for the Team Deutsche Post by tolimit squad, the situation at first looked bad: After the formation lap, Bachler headed back into the pits instead of lining up on the eighth grid spot. A pebble had become lodged between his brake calliper and rim. After the team had fixed the problem the 21-year-old took up the chase and ploughed through to rank seventh. After achieving fifth yesterday, the second Porsche Junior experienced a bad day today. Taking up the sprint from sixth, Michael Christensen made a clean start, only to lose two positions in the second lap. Driving for Konrad Motorsport, the Dane finally got caught up in a fighting pack that had become stuck behind Philipp Eng. Christensen saw the flag in eighth, but was only classified for 16th: He was handed a 30 second penalty because the race directors were of the opinion that he was responsible for Eng going off the track.

Eighth then went to seasoned campaigner Norbert Siedler (Austria, Konrad Motorsport), who lost a front splitter early on in the race and therefore had to battle with a handicap. For the two who crossed the finish line behind him however, Sunday’s race was an absolute highlight of their Carrera Cup outings: Contesting the amateur class, Christina Nielsen (Denmark, Farnbacher ESET Racing) and Bill Barazetti (Germany, MRS GT-Racing) celebrated their best results by far in their maiden season with the 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

This evening at 22.15 hrs, TV station Sport1 broadcasts Sunday’s race in full length. Tomorrow, 20 August, news station N24 televises the 30-minute “Porsche Carrera Cup Magazin” at 18.30 hours. And on Sport1, Carrera Cup highlights will be aired on Saturday, 25 August, from 16.00 to 16.30 hours.

Nicki Thiim (winner): “What an amazing weekend, absolutely perfect for me and the team. Already in free practice we had the speed and just kept improving our position. My engineer and I did a good job. My 911 handled beautifully. Now I’m finally there where I’ve always wanted to be. I hope it continues like this.”

Sean Edwards (second): “I found the penalty of being relegated back five grid places somewhat excessive. But I had a perfect car today with a new set of tyres and I was able to finish in second after starting from seventh. All the fights were completely fair and clean, including the one at the end with René. We still have six races to go, so anything is still possible in my bid for the title.”

René Rast (third): “I’m very pleased with this result, after all I’m still points’ leader with a 15 point advantage. That was my aim. Mid-race, Jaap held me up a little and that gave Sean the chance to catch up. I flat-spotted twice and that slowed me down a bit. And I also didn’t want to go too hard up against Sean as my teammate so he got past me.”

Klaus Bachler (Porsche-Junior, seventh): “That was a great race. I noticed during the formation lap that something was wrong and I thought that was the end of my race. But after the stone was removed I went back out and had great fun pushing through the field. So in this respect seventh place is simply fantastic.”

Michael Christensen (Porsche-Junior, 16th): “As far as my result is concerned that was the worst race of the season. I got stuck behind Philipp Eng. I pushed really hard but he defended his position with everything he had. I feel it wasn’t completely fair but I guess that’s part of motorsport. I actually had the speed but the race just didn’t quite go as I wanted.”

Timo Bernhard (Porsche works driver, Junior Coach): “The boys did a great job this weekend. Yesterday Michael drove a great race, today it was Klaus. He got caught up in a couple of situations yesterday from which he learned. And today that happened to Michael. The two are learning at a steep rate and they take on advice very well. I very much enjoyed my temporary job as junior coach.”

Result Race 11
1. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, 35:33.967 minutes
2. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 2.722 seconds
3. René Rast (D), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 3.268
4. Nicolas Armindo (F), Attempto Racing, + 10.077
5. Philipp Eng (A), MRS GT-Racing, + 39.323
6. Philipp Frommenwiler (CH), Attempto Racing, + 40.240
7. Klaus Bachler (A), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 40.340
8. Norbert Siedler (A), Konrad Motorsport, + 50.321
9. Christina Nielsen (DK), Farnbacher ESET Racing, + 56.838
10. Bill Barazetti (D), MRS GT-Racing, + 58.900

Result Amateurs
1. Christina Nielsen (DK), Farnbacher ESET Racing, 36:30.805 minutes
2. Bill Barazetti (D), MRS GT-Racing, + 2.062 seconds
3. Wolf Nathan (NL), FE Racing by Land-Motorsport, + 4.948

Points’ standings after 11 of 17 races
Driver classification
1. René Rast (D), 172 points
2. Sean Edwards (GB), 157
3. Norbert Siedler (A), 125
4. Kévin Estre (F), 124
5. Nicki Thiim (DK), 119

Amateur classification
1. Bill Barazetti (D), 178 points
2. Wolf Nathan (NL), 166
3. Harrie Kolen (NL), 151
4. Christina Nielsen (DK), 126

Team classification
1. Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, 333 points
2. Hermes Attempto Racing, 246
3. Konrad Motorsport, 223

Preview to races 12 and 13 in Zandvoort

At the North Sea coast this coming weekend (24 to 26 August) the Dutch drivers make up the largest number on the grid aside from the German pilots. Six drivers look forward to tackling their home race in Zandvoort: the four regular Carrera Cup pilots Jaap van Lagen, Harrie Kolen, Wolf Nathan and Houvert Vos as well as guest drivers Jeroen Mul and Jeroen Bleekemolen.

With races 12 and 13, the Carrera Cup Deutschland turns on to the finish straight for the showdown in Hockenheim. After race eleven on the Nürburgring, René Rast travels to the 4.307 kilometre former Grand Prix circuit still holding the points’ lead. But with 15 points in arrears, Sean Edwards still has the chance to clinch the title after securing vice championship honours last season. After the foreign round in the Netherlands the only events left on the calendar are in Oschersleben (14 to 16 September) and the finale in Hockenheim (19 to 21 October).