LMP3 series gets underway at Spa-Francorchamps. Last year’s runner-up Danny Soufi is out to win the title this season. Belgian Maxim Dirickx is looking forward to his home event.
The fourth season of the Prototype Cup Germany kicks off this weekend (18th to 20th April) at Spa-Francorchamps. The hunt is on for the successor to Markus Pommer and Valentino Catalano, who won the title in last year’s Prototype Cup Germany at the wheel of a Duqueine run by Gebhardt Motorsport. The ADAC Motorsport YouTube channel will again provide a free livestream this year. Both qualifying sessions and the two races will be broadcast live from the iconic circuit in the Belgian Ardennes.
The pairings of Mikkel C. Johansen (37/DEN) and Oscar Tunjo (29/COL), and Alexzander Kristiansson (25/SWE) and Michael Herich (47/Brühl) will fly the flag for the Sinsheim-based Gebhardt team at the season-opener, and will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Pommer and Catalano. Johansen made his debut in the German LMP3 series at the Nürburgring in 2024, while Tunjo has already tasted victory in the Prototype Cup Germany. Herich has also made a number of appearances in the Prototype Cup Germany. Of the Gebhardt quartet, only Kristiansson is new to the series. They will all face stiff opposition from the likes of American Danny Soufi (21, Konrad Motorsport), who comes into the new season on the back of finishing runner-up and winning the Junior competition last year and now has his sights set firmly on another title challenge, and Keanu Al-Azhari (17/UAE, Mühlner Motorsport), who enjoyed a strong rookie season in 2024. As well as Soufi, Al-Azhari and the two Gebhardt pairings, BWT Mücke Motorsport also lines up with two race cars. Italian Riccardo Leone Cirelli (17) enters his second year with the Berlin-based outfit and has a new team-mate in Mattias Bjerre Jakobsen (18). The Dane is making his debut in the Prototype Cup Germany, as are the two drivers sharing the second Duqueine run by BWT Mücke Motorsport: Mattis Pluschkell (20/Elmenhorst) and Maksymilian Angelard (17/POL). Peter and Stefan Mücke’s team has opted entirely for talented youngsters, all of whom will also be battling for the title of top junior. Kristiansson and Maxim Dirickx (20/BEL, Aust Motorsport) will also have their sights set on the Junor trophy.
The season-opener at Spa-Francorchamps is a home event for Dirickx. “I really like Spa-Francorchamps, but have maybe done five laps there in an LMP3 car. However, I have done a lot of laps of this circuit in other cars. The key is to have confidence in your car and yourself, as there are some high-speed sections.” Dirickx has switched team and is now part of the set-up at Aust Motorsport, who return to the Prototype Cup Germany after a year away. “I am now driving a Ligier, which has more direct steering than last year’s Duqueine and his thus a bit more aggressive to drive.” His is also back in a car with Sven Barth (44/Eberbach), with whom he started the 2024 season. “I was delighted to team up with Sven again. Our driving styles are similar, we are open and honest in the way we work together, and we also get on very well.” The young Belgian, who is still supported by three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner, has clear goals for the start of the season. “It is my home race, so I want to make it onto the top step of the podium. I believe that is possible.”
The track at Spa-Francorchamps is making its third appearance on the Prototype Cup Germany calendar. In the inaugural season in 2022, Marvin Dienst and Berkay Besler bagged a brace of victories that laid the foundation for their eventual title win. When the series travels to Belgium for the third time, Thomas Ambiel (45/Eppingen, Rinaldi Racing) will also be involved. He was actively involved in motor racing as a young man and, after a lengthy break, is now making his comeback at the wheel of a Duqueine for the Rinaldi Racing team. Ambiel is also eligible for the Trophy competition for competitors with little motorsport experience, in which he will be up against Herich.
Broadcast times for the 2025 Prototype Cup Germany at Spa-Francorchamps
Friday, 18th April 2025 16:45 - Qualifying 1 live youtube.com/adacmotorsports
Saturday, 19th April 2025 09:00 - Qualifying 2 live youtube.com/adacmotorsports 10:35 - Race 1 live youtube.com/adacmotorsports
Sunday, 20th April 2025 09:15 - Race 2 live youtube.com/adacmotorsports
