Keanu Al Azhari wins the final race of the 2024 Prototype Cup Germany. Third place is enough for Markus Pommer and Valentino Catalano to clinch the title. Antti Rammo is this season’s top Trophy driver.
The finale of the 2024 Prototype Cup Germany was a four-way battle for the title, with championship leaders Markus Pommer (33/Untereisesheim) and Valentino Catalano (21/Westheim, both Gebhardt Motorsport), and their closest rivals Danny Soufi (21/USA) and Torsten Kratz (53/Mönchengladbach, both Konrad Motorsport), best placed coming into the final race. Pommer and Catalano were third across the finish line, while the Konrad duo saw the chequered flag in sixth place after a tough race. That made Pommer and Catalano the new champions in the Prototype Cup Germany. “After missing out in 2023, although we were really fast at times, I am all the happier today,” said a beaming Catalano, who is supported by the ADAC Stiftung Sport foundation. His team-mate actually managed to successfully defend the title he won in 2023. “We were really unlucky at times this season, but never gave up. I am very proud to have defended my title, as I have shown that I can be champion with a different team and a different team-mate to last year.”
At the head of the field, it soon became clear how the race was going to develop: Keanu Al Azhari (16/UAE, Mühlner Motorsport) took the lead in his Duqueine at the start and immediately pulled away from the chasing pack. He still led after the obligatory pit stop; by the time he took the chequered flag, he held a lead of almost 55 seconds over runners-up Julien Apothéloz (23/CHE) and Riccardo Leone Cirelli (16/ITA, both BWT Mücke Motorsport), also at the wheel of a Duqueine. “I am very happy. It was important to start from first place. After that, I was able to pull clear and show how fast I am and how good the Mühlner Motorsport car is. I would like to return next year and challenge for the title.”
Catalano and Felipe Laser (36/Leipzig, Frikadelli Racing Team) slotted in behind Al Azhari at the start. After ten laps, Laser overtook Catalano. The order remained unchanged until the pit stop window opened. Once all the stops had been completed, Mücke man Apothéloz was the new third-placed driver, while Pommer had dropped back to fourth in his Duqueine. With Ligier driver Klaus Abbelen (63/Barweiler, Frikadelli Racing Team) unable to hang onto second place, both Apothéloz and Pommer climbed one position to take their place on the podium at the end of the race.
The afternoon unfolded in a far less positive way for Torsten Kratz (53/Mönchengladbach) and Danny Soufi (21/USA, Konrad Motorsport). A drive-through penalty for leaving the pit lane 0.1 seconds before the minimum stationary time saw the Konrad duo drop well down the field in their Ligier, as their title ambitions gradually slipped away. Their hopes were rekindled briefly when an overheating gearbox forced Pommer to put in a far slower lap. However, he then got back to producing faster lap times and there appeared no danger of him rolling to a stop with a damaged gearbox. Kratz and Soufi had to settle for sixth place behind Sven Barth (43/Eberbach) and Michael Lyons (33/GBR, both Momo Gebhardt Racing), as well as Abbelen and Laser. Barth and Lyons repeated their fourth place from yesterday, equalling the best result of the year for a Ginetta chassis. It was a race day of mixed feelings for Antti Rammo (41/EST, MRS GT-Racing). The Estonian retired early from the race after a spin, but he still clinched the title of top Trophy driver. Coming into the finale, the Ligier driver could only theoretically have been caught anyway. The laurel reef for the top team went to Gebhardt Motorsport.
Julien Apothéloz (runner-up): “I think that was a good end to the season. We made it onto the podium twice here at the Sachsenring, which is something we can be happy with. The race was not easy, as the car was very unstable, particularly on the rear axle. With that in mind, I did not take too many risks, as I wanted to bring the podium home.” Riccardo Leone Cirelli (runner-up): “Firstly, congratulations to Markus and Valentino on winning the title. They have had a flawless season. However, I am also very satisfied with my first season in LMP3 racing. We won two races, which is more than I expected. And we were third in the final table, just behind Danny Soufi and Torsten Kratz. I find the car excellent too, and very easy to learn. Furthermore, I would obviously like to say a big thank you to Julien and the whole Mücke team, who have made my first season in LMP3 easy.” Valentino Catalano (third): “It was important to hold onto second place at the start – which was not so easy, because that side of the track is simply the worse side. When I knew that the Konrad duo was well behind us, I no longer took any risks and handed the car over to Markus in third place.” Markus Pommer (third): “Erly in my stint, I was told that Konrad had received a drive-through, which made the title race situation a bit more relaxed. I was soon able to catch Julien, but my gearbox temperature then rose to 119 degrees Celsius. I discussed it with my engineer over the radio and we decided not to take any risks. As such, I allowed myself to drop back, which was a weird feeling. However, it possibly saved us from suffering gearbox damage, and that was obviously worth it.”
