The Prototype Cup Germany kicked off the race weekend at the Dekra Lausitzring with a one-hour free practice. Even early in the session, Valentino Catalano (18/Westheim) made it clear that he and team-mate Markus Pommer (33/Untereisesheim, both Gebhardt Motorsport) were the men to beat for anyone looking to clock the fastest lap time. He soon took his place at the top of the timings sheet, and that top spot remained firmly in the hands of the Gebhardt duo when Pommer replaced him at the wheel of their Duqueine.
Julien Apothéloz (23/CHE, BWT Mücke Motorsport) did manage to close the gap to the leaders in the second half of the free practice, but this only spurred Pommer on to improve his lap time. However, Apothéloz was not to be deterred and also upped his game. In the end, Catalano and Pommer finished the session 0.354 seconds faster than Apothéloz and his team-mate Riccardo Leone Cirelli (16/ITA, BWT Mücke Motorsport). “Free practice went well and the car was perfect. We had a good qualifying simulation and, on the whole, were consistently quick. Everything went to plan, actually. We just need to continue this way in the qualifying sessions,” said Pommer, summing up FP1.
Despite missing out on the top spot, Apothéloz was far from disappointed. “We had a lot of track time during yesterday’s test, and tried a few things out today too. I am optimistic about the two qualifying session on today’s programme. With three races, it is going to be an intense weekend – which I think is great. After all, we are all here to go racing.”
Third place in the free practice, which took place in sunny conditions, went to Felipe Laser (34/Leipzig) / Klaus Abbelen (63/Barweiler, both Frikadelli Racing Team), ahead of Torsten Kratz (53/Mönchengladbach) / Danny Soufi (20/USA, both Konrad Motorsport). Sven Barth (43/Eberbach) and Maxime Dirickx (20/BEL, both Gebhardt Motorsport) completed the top five. “This track is not easy, but I am happy with my progress. I hope to continue to improve in the following sessions, and to close in on the front-runners,” said the young Belgian, who has made the big step up from karting to the Prototype Cup Germany.
