Al Azhari also wins the Junior competition. Second place for Klaus Abbelen/Felipe Fernández Laser in a Ligier. Danny Soufi/Torsten Kratz finish third and extend their lead in the championship.
Sunday’s Prototype Cup Germany race at Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands provided excitement right down to the final minute of the race, and ultimately yielded a first-time winner. Keanu Al Azhari (16/UAE, Mühlner Motorsport), at the wheel of a Duqueine D08, won his first race in the series, which is organised by the ADAC and Creventic. Second place, after a thrilling finish, went to Felipe Fernández Laser (35/Leipzig) and his team-mate Klaus Abbelen (63/Barweiler, both Frikadelli Racing Team) in a Ligier JS P320. Danny Soufi (20/USA) and Torsten Kratz (53/Mönchengladbach, both Konrad Motorsport) completed the podium in another Ligier and travel to the next race weekend, at the Hockenheimring in mid-August, as championship leaders. “We have often performed really well this year, but now we have finally got the win,” said a jubilant Al Azhari on the podium.
The Mühlner Motorsport youngster started the race from pole position and immediately pulled clear of the rest of the field. By the time he came in for the mandatory pit stop, Al Azhari had already opened a lead of more than 12 seconds over fellow Duqueine racer Markus Pommer (33/Untereisesheim, Gebhardt Motorsport) in second place. Klaus Abbelen ended the first part of the race in ninth place, while Torsten Kratz handed over to Danny Soufi in fifth.
Al Azhari continued to put his foot down in the second half of the race and extended his lead to over 32 seconds. However, with 12 minutes of the race remaining, the Safety Car was sent onto the track, as the Duqueine of Tomas Granzella (20/URY, Racing Experience) needed recovering after spinning into a gravel bed. That saw Al Azhari’s lead wiped out in an instant. However, even when the racing resumed about five minutes from the end of the race, the youngster followed on where he had left off and ultimately took the chequered flag with a lead of nine seconds, which also earned him victory in the Junior competition.
With the field packed close together after the Safety Car phase, it all kicked off behind Al Azhari. Felipe Fernández Laser, in particular, really put pedal to the metal, climbing from seventh to second place in the final few minutes. That was enough to earn his team-mate Klaus Abbelen victory in the Trophy competition. Danny Soufi also made up a number of positions in the closing stages. He and his team-mate Torsten Kratz ended the race in third place.
It was initially the Duqueine of Julien Apothéloz (23/CHE) and Riccardo Leone Cirelli (16/ITA, both BWT Mücke Motorsport) that crossed the finish line in second place. However, the car was handed a five-second penalty, as Apothéloz had breached track limits and thus gained an advantage in the hectic conclusion to the race. The big loser in the closing laps was the Duqueine of Markus Pommer and ADAC Stiftung Sport driver Valentino Catalano (18/Westheim), who were running second in the first part of the race. They ultimately had to settle for fifth place, ahead of yesterday’s winner Antti Rammo (41/EST, MRS GT-Racing) in a Ligier. Seventh place went to the Ginetta G61-LT-P3 of Sven Barth (43/Eberbach) and Michael Herich (47/Brühl, both Momo Gebhardt Racing). Rounding out the top eight were Jacob Erlbacher (23/Böblingen) and Maxim Dirckx (20/BEL, both Gebhardt Motorsport) in a further Duqueine.
Keanu Al Azhari – Winner for Mühlner Motorsport “It is such a nice first place. I have finally been able to give something back to the team. The car was perfect again, and the pace was super. I really enjoyed driving here in Zandvoort. I had a big lead before the Safety Car, but was able to pull clear again afterwards. I am obviously very happy. Hopefully we can keep this up.”
Felipe Fernández Laser – Second place for Frikadelli Racing Team “We are very pleased with the podium. We struggled a bit at first this weekend, but have improved continuously. It is ten years since I last raced in Zandvoort – and about 20 years for Klaus. As such, it was not easy for us. The final few minutes of the race were obviously a lot of fun. It was a bit wild, but I believe it was all fair and okay. It is also great to see Klaus get the win in the Trophy competition.”
Danny Soufi – Third place for Konrad Motorsport “Third place was the best-case scenario today, as the car was not easy to drive. That meant we had a difficult race. The closing stages were really crazy and enjoyable. I would like to thank the team for the great race weekend.”
Torsten Kratz – Third place for Konrad Motorsport “The podium actually came as something of a surprise for us. I had some issues with the rear axle, which meant I could not really match the speed of the leaders. Danny fared a bit better with an empty tank. On the whole, we benefitted from the Safety Car. We are obviously pleased to be leading the championship. However, there is no room for error in the Prototype Cup Germany, so we must continue to work hard and focus.”
