Sebastian von Gartzen (30/Butzbach, Konrad Motorsport) is one of the drivers already in his second year in the Prototype Cup Germany. Together with team-mate Maximilian Hackländer (33/Rüthen), luck has not been on his side of late. However, von Gartzen is hoping for a good result at the season finale at the Nürburgring in mid-October. As well as pursuing a motorsport career, he is also self-employed and runs two bodywork and paint shops with his father Jürgen von Gartzen.

Last year, Sebastian von Gartzen started alongside Gary Hauser (31/LUX, Racing Experience) for the Racing Experience team, before switching to Konrad Motorsport during the winter break. That meant a change of chassis from the Duqueine D08 to the Ginetta G61-LT-P3. “The Ginetta is more prone to defects than the Duqueine. At the season-opener in Hockenheim, the team’s two cars suffered damage to the drive shaft on three occasions in total. If it wasn’t already clear that the Ginetta is simply not as robust, then it was after that. The drive shaft broke again shortly before the finish in Assen, when I was running third. That was extremely frustrating, as we were within touching distance of our first podium.” Although Konrad is yet to claim a podium result in the Prototype Cup Germany in 2023, the atmosphere in the team is very good. “That is also very important to me, as I want to have fun at a race weekend. The cooperation with my team-mate Maxi, with whom I share the car, and the whole team is really very good. We never give up, even after setbacks. We will do our best again at the finale at the Nürburgring, and hope to end the season with a good result.”

Von Gartzen, whose father Jürgen was also a racing driver and twice took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is not a professional driver. “Together with my father, I have two bodywork and paint shops. I already manage one of them, and I will take over more and more of my dad’s work in the near future, as he would like to take a little step back now that he is 65.” How does he organise his motorsport career alongside his job? “It is quite a feat sometimes, as I am very busy with my work. I usually go to the gym before I start work in the morning. When possible, I also do some exercise, go jogging or play tennis in the evening.” He would like to do more testing in the race car, but there is not much scope for that financially. “For that reason, I use the simulator. However, I have noticed that I should not spend too much time in the simulator, as you can get used to things that make you faster in the simulator, but do not work in reality. I also prepare for a race by watching onboard videos.”

Once von Gartzen is at the racetrack, he tries to keep a clear head and not think about his job. “I take motorsport too seriously for that, as I want to achieve something here. However, I also know that I should appreciate having the opportunity to drive an LMP3 car, as it is great fun in these great cars. When I was a teenager racing in Formula Renault, I was so determined that I could not really enjoy it. Only a few years later did I actually realise how great that time was. That is not the case nowadays: even if the results are not what I would like, I still really enjoy driving an LMP3 car.”