Prototype Cup Germany features on the DTM programme for the first time this year. Valentino Catalano arrives in Lusatia hungry for victory. All three races shown live and in full in a free livestream.

This weekend (24th to 16th May), the teams and drivers in the Prototype Cup Germany meet at the Dekra Lausitzring. Reigning champion Markus Pommer (33/Untereisesheim, Gebhardt Motorsport) is out to defend his title. To help him do so, he has joined forces with Valentino Catalano (18/Westheim). However, Julien Apothéloz (23/CHE, BWT Mücke Motorsport) is another driver who should not be underestimated; he finished runner-up in the championship last season and is now looking to go one better with his 16-year-old partner Leone Cirelli (ITA). As well as the customary two races, they and all the other starters will have an extra treat in Lusatia: one of the two races cancelled due to poor weather at the season-opener at Spa-Francorchamps will be held this weekend. The only other time the Dekra Lausitzring has featured on the calendar for the German LMP3 racing series was in 2022. Back then, Mühlner Motorsport tasted success with Donar Munding / Matthias Lüthen. Fans can find out whether the team from Spa-Francorchamps enjoys similar success this year via a free livestream on the YouTube channel youtube.com/adacmotorsports; all three races will be shown live on this platform. Team principal Bernhard Mühlner has nothing but fond memories of the Dekra Lausitzring. “I always enjoy coming to this racetrack, as there are usually a lot of fans and the atmosphere is very good. In the past, we have always needed more autograph cards in Lusatia than anywhere else. I not only feel very comfortable on the track, but also in the surroundings. Plus, we have often been successful as a team at the Lausitzring.” That was the case in 2022, when the Mühlner duo of Munding / Lüthen claimed the maiden victory in the Prototype Cup Germany for Bernhard Mühlner’s team. “That was obviously a great result. However, I am not going into the coming weekend expecting a repeat of that result. We must be realistic, as the field in the 2024 Prototype Cup Germany is a strong one – in my opinion, the front-runners are even better than in many other LMP3 series. You have experienced teams like Konrad Motorsport, BWT Mücke Motorsport and Gebhardt Motorsport, to name but a few. It is always difficult to win against them. Having said that, my driver Keanu Al Azhari is definitely capable of keeping pace with the top guys. Whether or not he finishes ahead of them is not something you can plan. Whatever happens, we will do our very best.”

One of the rapid rivals of Al Azhari (16/UAE) is Catalano. He too has already established that the standard is high in the 2024 Prototype Cup Germany. “We have very strong teams and driver duos on the grid, although the approaches to assembling these pairings have been very different. Konrad Motorsport has gone for the combination of a Bronze driver and a Silver driver, with Torsten Kratz and Danny Soufi. BWT Mücke Motorsport has opted for two Silver drivers in Julien Apothéloz and Riccardo Leone Cirelli, while MRS GT-Racing has Bronze driver Antti Rammo starting by himself. They are just a few examples, the other cars also have strong line-ups. We have a mixed field of a high standard.” And the driver who receives support from ADAC Stiftung Sport is not going to hide away in that strong field. “Our goal is clear: we want to win. I believe I have a good team-mate in Markus Pommer, and I feel too good not to travel to Lusatia with big ambitions. And our team, Gebhardt Motorsport, is also capable of mixing it at the very top.”

Catalano himself has spent hours in the simulator preparing for his outing in Lower Lusatia. “I have never driven there before, and have not even been to the Lausitzring as a spectator. However, thanks to today’s simulator technology, I can prepare very well virtually for a circuit. So far, I have the feeling that I am going to like the track in reality.”

Points and victories will be up for grabs in a race for the first time this season at the Lausitzring, and there are plenty of potential contenders: as well as defending champion Pommer and last year’s runner-up Apothéloz, Danny Soufi (20/USA) has also remained true to the LMP3 series organised by the ADAC and Creventic. He lines up alongside Torsten Kratz (53/Mönchengladbach) this season. The duo of Klaus Abbelen (63/Barweiler) / Felipe Fernández Laser (35/Leipzig, both Frikadelli Racing Team) made guest appearances in previous years, and is now signed up for the full Prototype Cup Germany season. Robert Doyle (64/USA) also impressed with a guest start in 2023 and is now committed to the entire season. He partners Mexican Jaime Guzmán (34, both AF2 Motorsport) in a Ligier. Sven Barth (43/Weinheim) and Maxim Dirickx (20/BEL, both Gebhardt Motorsport) form the only pairing, for whom the Prototype Cup Germany is completely new territory.