Markus Pommer (32/Untereisesheim, Gebhardt Motorsport), who together with Gary Hauser (31/LUX, Racing Experience) is the reigning champion in the Prototype Cup Germany, has wasted little time in setting course for the coming season: he will contest the 2024 Prototype Cup Germany at the wheel of a Duqueine for Gebhardt Motorsport. His team-mate is Valentino Catalano (18/Westheim).
Markus Pommer had not been devoting a huge amount of his energy to planning for next season; instead, he was casually sounding out possibilities and actually looking towards the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and LMP2 class. Then, by sheer coincidence, he came into contact with Gebhardt Motorsport. “We chatted, immediately got on very well, and signed the contract a few days later,” says the German. “It went faster than I expected. Perhaps my Prototype Cup Germany title helped a little in that regard… It definitely feels good to know, at such an early point in the winter, what you are going to be doing next season, with which team you will be racing, and with whom you will share the car.”
From Pommer’s perspective, three factors were particularly important in his decision to join Gebhardt Motorsport. “The team is only 20 kilometres from where I live, which is very practical. Plus, it was important to me to have a strong team-mate again – and Valentino is definitely just that. And Gebhardt is a racing team with a big tradition, with a successful company and strong partners behind it. I am now hoping to develop together with Gebhardt Motorsport, and possibly to take the next step together.” He has also been impressed by the performance of his new team. “When they ran a Duqueine for the first time in Assen, they were immediately much nearer the front than with the Ginetta. And we still have a lot of time at tests to get to know the car better and make it even faster. I also find the fact that it is a brand-new car – as was also the case this year at Racing Experience, by the way – to be a big positive.“
Does he not feel it is a risk to return to the series and defend his title as reigning champion? “No, absolutely not. I believe that other steps would have been an even bigger risk. I know what I have in the Prototype Cup Germany. I believe that the series will continue to grow and it will certainly not do me any harm to establish myself in a German series. I see it as a good opportunity for my career – particularly as, unlike last winter, I am now very familiar with the Prototype Cup Germany and the Duqueine, and know what to expect.”
In Valentino Catalano, he has a team-mate for the coming year who is particularly fast over the one-lap format. He won four of his six qualifying sessions in 2023 – more than any other driver in the field. “Valentino is damned quick and does not make any mistakes. That was also very important for me this year, when I drove with Gary. If you want to finish out in front in the Prototype Cup Germany, you cannot afford really not to leave any race empty-handed. That worked superbly with Gary in 2023, and I am sure that it will also work just as well with Valentino in 2024.”
He looks back fondly upon his time with Luxembourg-based team Racing Experience. “Every single team member was excellent and the season was really enjoyable. Racing Experience is a family team, to which everybody is fully committed. However, we achieved our shared goal of winning the Prototype Cup Germany, and I am now taking on a new challenge with Gebhardt Motorsport. Despite this, I obviously wish Racing Experience and Gary all the best and am already looking forward to battling it out with them on the track.”