First win for Gebhardt Motorsport in the Prototype Cup Germany. Best Trophy driver Torsten Kratz in second place with Danny Soufi. Riccardo Leone Cirelli claims a podium finish on debut with team partner Julien Apothéloz.
Markus Pommer (33/Untereisesheim) and Valentino Catalano (18/Westheim, both Gebhardt Motorsport) emerged victorious from the first race of the season in the Prototype Cup Germany; they were followed in second and third positions by Torsten Kratz (53/Mönchengladbach) / Danny Soufi (20/USA, both Konrad Motorsport) and Riccardo Leone Cirelli (16/ITA) / Julien Apothéloz (23/CHE, both BWT Mücke Motorsport). Pommer took the lead from the start at the Dekra Lausitzring and was able to gradually extend his advantage. In the second half of the race, his team-mate Catalano managed that lead to the finish and also completed the race as the best Junior driver. Gebhardt Motorsport has been racing in the Prototype Cup Germany since its inauguration and this is the team’s first triumph in the LMP3 series organised by the ADAC and Creventic. “I made a good start, the car was good and I was able to pull away from the field,” was how Pommer described his stint, which was followed by Catalano’s. “The car was not perfect for me, there was a lot of oversteer. However, Markus handed over a big lead to me and I managed that to the finish. I didn’t want to take any risks, as we wanted that win and we are now really happy,” summarized Catalano.
The race began with a brave start from Antti Rammo (41/EST, MRS GT-Racing), who moved up from fifth on the grid to second place. He had to hand this back to Kratz just a short time later, but was able to defend third position until the driver changeover. He could not afford to make any mistakes, as Cirelli and Keanu Al Azhari (16/UAE, Mühlner Motorsport) were lurking right behind him. At the front, Pommer extended his lead with every passing lap and Kratz, who finished as the best Trophy driver, was able to pull away from the trio in third to fifth positions.
However, Rammo and his MRS GT-Racing team did make an error during the mandatory pit stop, when a driver changeover is also possible: he turned into the pits a few seconds too late, resulting in a stop-and-hold penalty. The 41-year-old had to remain stationary for 16 seconds before returning to the fray. Competing on his own like Rammo, Al Azhari also endured some problems during the pit stop. He was also penalised after his Duqueine needed a push. The Mühlner driver crossed the finishing line in fourth place, while Rammo finished the race in fifth. This meant that there was no danger of Apothéloz losing third place after he took over the Mücke Duqueine from Cirelli and completed the pit stop without any issues.
During the second half of the race, Soufi moved closer and closer to the Catalano, as the leader struggled with oversteer in his car. The American was not able to put the Gebhardt driver in any jeopardy. The final sequence at the chequered flag was Pommer / Catalano ahead of Kratz / Soufi and Cirelli / Apothéloz. Behind Al Azhari and Rammo, the duo Klaus Abbelen (63/Barweiler) / Felipe Laser (34/Leipzig, both Frikadelli Racing Team) crossed the line in sixth place, with Sven Barth (43/Eberbach) and Maxim Dirickx (20/BEL, both Gebhardt Motorsport) in seventh.
Torsten Kratz (second place): “I was a bit more cautious at the start, as it was pretty tight in turn one. Antti Rammo produced a brave manoeuvre to push in front of me, but I knew that I had to overtake him quickly. I did manage to do that. Then I concentrated on my race, but I could not keep up with the pace of Markus Pommer out in front.”
Danny Soufi (second place): “I gave it everything on each lap and applied as much pressure as I could. I wanted to get as close to Valentino Catalano as possible. Overall, that was a good race from Torsten and me, but it was a tough one. The team did a good job as well.”
Riccardo Leone Cirelli (third place): “That was not an easy start, as I had to hit the brakes to prevent a collision. As you can hardly overtake at this circuit, I was unable to pass Antti Rammo during my stint. But we used the pit stops to move up to third place.”
Julien Apothéloz (third place): “The balance of the car wasn’t really good at the start of my stint, but that did improve. I got into a better rhythm as well towards the end. It was a relatively lonely race for me, but I am happy with the podium finish. I am also happy for my team-mate Riccardo, who was able to round off his first LMP3 race with a podium.”
