Here’s what else we noticed at races nine and ten of the Prototype Cup Germany at the Nürburgring.
US Racing and the Schumachers lead the way on the track and in celebration
US Racing was making its debut in the Prototype Cup Germany at the Nürburgring, and impressed with more than just its sporting performance. On Friday evening, Ralf Schumacher and Gerhard Ungar’s team hosted a paddock party with a live band, to which the entire Prototype Cup Germany and more were invited. The fact that the team, which is currently competing in the Italian Formula 4 Championship, can celebrate is something that their LMP3 rivals were forced to acknowledge after every single session out on the track: the combination of Ralf (49/Salzburg) and David Schumacher (22/Salzburg, both US Racing), or one of the two, won both free practices, both qualifying sessions, and both races. In doing so, they achieved something that no solo starter or pairing had ever achieved since the series was launched in 2022: to end every session of a race weekend in first place.
Danny Soufi wraps up the Junior title
The trophy for the best Junior is the first of the year to be presented: American Danny Soufi (21, Konrad Motorsport) secured this laurel wreath. Soufi made his Prototype Cup Germany debut at the Lausitzring in 2022, since when he has been a regular starter in the LMP3 series. Last year, the Konrad driver ended the season in 15th place in the overall standings and as the ninth-best Junior. This year, he has already wrapped up the title of top Junior with races still to come. “That is a nice success, especially as I have some strong rivals in the Junior competition. However, I still want more with my partner Torsten Kartz, and want to be champion in the Prototype Cup Germany.” They are well positioned to achieve that goal, as the duo travels to the finale at the Sachsenring as championship leaders.
Mikkel C. Johansen makes his first appearance in an LMP3
Mikkel C. Johansen (37) made his debut in the Prototype Cup Germany at the Nürburgring. The Dane was at the wheel of an AF2 Motorsport Ligier, which he shared with Jaime Guzmán (34/MEX). “AF2 Motorsport and I were in discussions about an involvement in the 2025 season. However, when Robert Doyle had to pull out due to injury, the team asked whether I would like to race here.” This provided Johansen with a great opportunity to experience the Prototype Cup Germany and the LMP3 racers at first hand. “This is my first time in an LMP3 car and my first time at the Nürburgring. There is a lot for me to learn this weekend; I am improving from lap to lap. On the whole, I am positively impressed. I really like it here.”
Rinaldi and the challenge of two different chassis
Team principal Michele Rinaldi and his crew lined up with two different chassis in the Eifel: Suellio Almeida (30/BRA) and Luca Link (20/Günzberg, both DataLab Sports with Rinaldi) drove a Duqueine D08, while Stefan Aust (52/Münster, Rinaldi Racing) was at the wheel of a Ligier JS P320. “In principal, the regulations demand that the LMP3 cars have many standard parts, such as the engine and gearbox. With that in mind, it is much easier to run two different LMP3 cars than two different GT3 racers,” said Rinaldi. However, there were still challenges. “We had to bring twice as many spare parts and there are also a wide range of differences when it comes to the set-up, as some technical solutions were implemented differently on the two chassis.”
Racing in the family: Luca Link
Luca Link contested his second race weekend in the Prototype Cup Germany at the Nürburgring. Prior to that, he had done his racing in the BMW M2 Cup and is also taking part in the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy this season. Although he only started racing at the age of 12, motorsport was actually the young driver’s genes. His grandfather is Hans-Jörg Weick, who was involved in the sport for a long time as one of the top dogs in the organisation of the early DTM. His father Frank Link once held a leading position in Christian Abt’s team. “The network of my grandpa and my dad obviously helps me. I am very grateful for that.” Out on the track, however, he must perform on his own – and the LMP3 newcomer did a good job of that in the Eifel. Together with partner Suellio Almeida, he finished ninth and seventh.
Impressive performance from Ginetta driver Sven Barth goes unrewarded
A Ginetta chassis returned to the Prototype Cup Germany grid in Zandvoort, but this design has often struggled rather against the Duqueine and Ligier. However, Sven Barth (43/Eberbach, Momo Gebhardt Motorsport) was particularly impressive on Saturday at the Nürburgring in his red and yellow Momo Ginetta. The former runner-up in the Recaro Formula 3 Cup found himself in sixth place after the opening lap, before inheriting fifth place when Danny Soufi was given a penalty. He held onto this position until the pit stop window opened and he handed the car over to his team-mate Michael Lyons (33/GBR), who ultimately had to park the five-year-old racer at the side of the track a short while later, after spinning and suffering a puncture. “Michael had a mechanic and an engineer with him, who added new impetus to our work on the Ginetta and introduced new ideas and approaches with regard to the set-up. That allowed us to noticeably improve the car. It is a real shame that Michael had the puncture, otherwise he could have finished fifth,” said Barth.
Trophy drivers shine in the Eifel
The Trophy drivers once again showed that they are by no means ready to be consigned to the scrap heap at the Nürburgring. Klaus Abbelen (63/Barweiler) was the top Trophy racer in race one, finishing fifth overall alongside Felipe Laser (36/Leipzig, both Frikadelli Racing Team). Antti Rammo (41/EST, MRS GT-Racing) won the Trophy class in race two. The Estonian narrowly missed out on second place, but did come home third to secure a spot on the podium. The Trophy competition is still wide open: with two races remaining, Rammo holds a 34-point lead over Torsten Kratz (53/Mönchengladbach, Konrad Motorsport).
