Jan Seyffarth’s first job as race director was in the Prototype Cup Germany. The former racing driver values good communication with teams and drivers.
In 2022, the ADAC and Dutch promoter Creventic launched a new racing series – the Prototype Cup Germany – and also turned to a fresh face in the role of race director. Jan Seyffarth, who had only acquired his race director licence the previous year, was given the opportunity to prove himself as a race director for the first time in the Prototype Cup Germany. “Firstly, I must thank the ADAC and Creventic for entrusting this role to me as a newcomer. It is definitely not commonplace to be given your own racing series just one year after receiving your licence.”
Seyffarth’s first gig came at Spa-Francorchamps at the end of April. “Everything was new to me,” he said. However, he was by no means afraid of the task. “In my opinion, it is sometimes not such a bad thing to be thrown in at the deep end. On that opening weekend, I had to handle pretty much every situation you can encounter as a race director: safety cars, red flags, delayed pit stop window, and so on. Sometimes I thought, ‘what crime have I committed to deserve that my debut should be so eventful. In the end, though, I learned a huge amount from a weekend like that.”
The approach of the former racing driver, who had amassed a wealth of experience as part of race director Sven Stoppe’s team in previous years, was clear from the start: “As race director, I am ultimately the one who makes the decisions. However, it has always been very important to me to explain to the teams and drivers why I have awarded a penalty, for example. For this reason, I have often held many talks after the race, and my explanations have been met with approval. I also find it important that a race director is someone who is always approachable for competitors. This is why I frequently drop by and see the teams in the paddock.” Seyffarth has also learned a lot through the close communication. “At the first race weekend in Spa, I was possibly a little too strict in the way I interpreted some points. Thanks to the open and honest feedback from all sides, I recognised that not everything should be interpreted so strictly, particularly given the very mixed field from professionals to gentlemen drivers. I had to strike a balance, whereby the amateurs feel comfortable, but the pros are not given too much freedom, which they would then take advantage of ruthlessly.”
So, generally speaking, how would the 36-year-old assess the first season of the Prototype Cup Germany? “On the whole, I am really happy. We had a very solid field for our first year. It was a pleasure to work with these teams and drivers. Sometimes I would have liked to see fewer niggles in the field and a little more fairness, but they are really only little things that did not usually even result in a penalty. In my opinion, the cooperation with the ADAC and Creventic was also great; both are doing their utmost to ensure that the Cup grows. Incidentally, I see great potential in the series. To me, it feels a bit like the early days of the ADAC GT Masters. Prototype racing is enjoying a boom at the moment, and an ever increasing number of young drivers are hoping that an early switch to this field might eventually lead to a works seat in one of the new LMDh cars. That is also a great opportunity for the Prototype Cup Germany.”
