BWT Mücke Motorsport is one of the teams that entered a car in the Prototype Cup Germany for the first time this year. Team principal Peter Mücke is not only happy with the results of his two drivers Nico Göhler (20/Grasleben) and Gustavo Kiryla (29/BRA), but also sees great potential in the LMP3 series in the future. To this end, he is looking to field not one but two cars in 2024.

For many years and decades, BWT Mücke Motorsport was known as a team that primarily supported young drivers. They spent a long time in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and its predecessors, as well as ADAC Formula 4, Formula BMW and the series that preceded it. Top talents like Sebastian Vettel, Sergio Perez, Lando Norris and Pascal Wehrlein learned their trade with the Berlin-based team, before progressing to Formula 1 and making their mark in the pinnacle of motorsport.

76-year-old Peter Mücke is still just as passionate about working with young drivers. “Nico Göhler drove for us in Formula 4; at 19 years of age, the start of the year was the right time for him to switch to LMP racing. It is obviously nice that he made his LMP debut with us.” Gustavo Kiryla, nine years Göhler’s senior, is another who could hardly have described himself as an LMP3 expert before the start of the season. “Whilst he had driven prototypes in his native Brazil, and won the title in the Império Endurance Brasil series, the standard was far lower than in the Prototype Cup Germany. Furthermore, he was not familiar with any of the racetracks in Europe and has usually only been able to learn the circuits in the free practice sessions on Fridays.”

With these two drivers at the wheel of the pink Duqueine D08, it was clear to Mücke that he would not immediately be challenging for the title against some significantly more experienced duos. “But that’s okay, as we take a different approach. We are primarily looking to help talented youngsters in the right direction. I am really happy with the performances of Nico and Gustavo. They have finished runners-up twice, in Zandvoort and at the Norisring. They are really good results in this field. The fact that they make the odd mistake here or there is perfectly normal in any racing driver’s development. Despite that, there has never been a negative atmosphere in our team. Instead, everyone is positive and really motivated to do their best at all times. This good atmosphere is very important for us to achieve our goals.”

However, the results are not the only thing making Mücke and his whole team happy. The same can be said of LMP3 racing as a whole. “When the Duqueine arrived at our workshop for the first time, the eyes of all the team members lit up – no matter whether driver, mechanic or engineer. Many of them used to work for us in the Formula department, so they were kind of returning to their roots. The LMP cars are great fun. In my opinion, they are very similar to the former Formula 3 racers. They are simply proper race cars.” Mücke continues: “They are not only very interesting from a technical viewpoint, but also financially, as the budget for a season is feasible for many, by motorsport standards. And the guys and girls get an excellent training platform, which currently offers them really good prospects. The manufacturer boom in the LMDh class will create a number of new positions as works drivers, for which they are now able to learn the key basics in LMP3 and put themselves in a great position in the battle for the much sought-after works seats. I can reveal one thing for my team: we would like to run two LMP3 cars in next season’s Prototype Cup Germany, and are working on that at the moment.”