Leonard Weiss has known his way around motorsport for a long time. As a child, he used to accompany his father Georg to his races. Although he enjoyed the sport, it took a long time for him to be truly bitten by the motor racing bug. “As a child and a youngster, I never felt the urge to get involved in karting or Formula racing. I did a bit of Motocross as a hobby. Back then, I simply felt more of an association with bikes than cars,” says the 23-year-old. Then came a turning point: “When I got my driving licence and was able to drive myself, I developed a real passion for cars.”

Weiss started his career in 2018 on the Nordschleife, driving GT4 and GT3 race cars on the demanding track in the Eifel region. However, he soon started to toy with the idea of giving LMP3 a go. “Prototype racing is becoming increasingly popular. LMP3 is attractively priced, and the circuits and race formats are good. Plus, I wanted to learn something new.” In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic meant Weiss was restricted to just two days of testing with the new car. He then lined up in his first full season in 2021. “I started in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. My team-mate back then was Torsten Kratz.” How did he cope with the switch to LMP3? “To be honest, it took me a while to understand the LMP3 car. Even now, I still have a lot to learn. I am lacking the experience with Formula race cars, which would definitely help when it comes to LMP3 cars.”

As well as registering for the Michelin Le Mans Cup again this season, he has also raced in the Asian Le Mans Series and starts in the Prototype Cup Germany. The opening weekend of this new series in Spa-Francorchamps was a demanding one for Weiss. “As well as the Prototype Cup Germany, I also took part in the 12-hour race. However, the tiring programme was worth it in the end, as we finished in the top three in both parts of the 12-hour race and I twice made it onto the podium with Torsten in the Prototype Cup. On the whole, I managed to adapt pretty well from LMP3 to GT3, although the Duqueine D08 and the Ferrari 488 GT3 are very different cars. The brakes, in particular, and the cornering speeds differ greatly.”

In the Prototype Cup Germany, he sees one of the strengths of the Wochenspiegel Team Monschau as the fact that both he and his partner Kratz are of a similarly high standard. “In the end it is a team sport, in which the whole team plays a role, not just the drivers. I am very happy with Torsten as my partner; we complement each other, get on well outside the car, and have a lot of fun.” Fun was the main goal when Weiss started out in motorsport. He has now added some new goals: “I want to finally win my first race and finish towards the top of a championship. I also have my sights set on the 24-hour classics in Le Mans and Spa. However, my original goal – to have fun both on and off the track – remains very important to me.”