Julien Andlauer wins and extends championship lead

Race 12

“Actually I was really fast. Unfortunately I made a mistake during the race and Michael Ammermüller caught me and was right on my bumper until the end of the race,” said Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing). His German teammate Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing) crossed the finish line in second place ahead of Dylan Pereira (L/Lechner Racing Team).

The six drivers Louis Henkefend (D/Team Allied-Racing), Berkay Besler (TR/Car Collection Motorsport), Reece Barr (IRL/Förch Racing), Gustav Malja (S/Förch Racing) sowie Leon Köhler (D/MSG/HRT Motorsport) and Nicolas Schöll (A/Team Allied-Racing) also had reason to celebrate this weekend. The six have qualified for the finale of the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland. At the Nürburgring, the drivers posted the fastest times in a simulator in the Porsche Hospitality. They will go up against six online players at the final round of the virtual championship held at the ADAC SimRacing Expo at the Nürburgring on 30 August.

On the real racetrack, 29 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup lined up on the grid on Sunday under a cloudy sky. Andlauer made a clean start off the line in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and turned his pole position into a lead. In lap two, the safety car was deployed, at the restart, however, Andlauer kept his composure and managed to pull clear of his pursuers. Over the course of the race, Ammermüller closed in on the 20-year-old. Spectators in the Eifel were treated to a gripping duel for the lead. The seasoned specialist made several attempts to squeeze past at the end of the finish straight, but Andlauer deftly fended him off and crossed the finish line after 19 laps 0.182 seconds ahead of Ammermüller. “I definitely could’ve won, but there are only very few places to overtake here. There’s no point impetuously going for a gap and risking retirement. Everything is still open in the championship,” said Ammermüller.

The third podium step was occupied by Pereira. The Luxembourger overtook Larry ten Voorde (NL/Overdrive Racing by Huber) right after the start. “My aim is to finish the championship in third and I took the next step towards this goal today. It gives me confidence that I made it into the top three for the fourth time in a row,” said Pereira. Trailing ten Voorde over the line was Henric Skoog (S/Overdrive Racing by Huber) and Jaap van Lagen (NL/Förch Racing).

Joey Mawson (AUS/CARTECH Motorsport by Nigrin) claimed position seven on the 3.629-kilometre sprint circuit of the Nürburgring, with eighth place going to Igor Walilko (PL/Overdrive Racing by Huber). Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans (NZ/Team Project 1 – JBR) started from P14 and at one point had moved up into tenth. The New Zealander finished the race on eleventh. “That was an intense race with a lot of duels. Unfortunately I made a few too many mistakes. It was my first Carrera Cup race weekend here at the Nürburgring, but I still wanted to finish further up the field,” said Evans. The top spot of the amateur class podium went to Stefan Rehkopf from Germany. In this category, the Huber driver beat Georgi Donchev (BG/Huber Racing) and Matthias Jeserich (D/CARTECH Motorsport by Nigrin).

Thanks to his two victories at the Nürburgring, Andlauer has managed to extend his lead in the championship: The Frenchman has earned 197.5 points, putting him 23.5 points ahead of his closest pursuer Ammermüller. Ten Voorde sits third with 154 points. The Porsche Carrera Cup travels with the ADAC GT Masters to the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg from 13 to 15 September to contest rounds 13 and 14. The circuit in the forested Hardtwald has already hosted the season-opening doubleheader event of the one-make cup. The winner of both races on that occasion was Larry ten Voorde.

Result race 12

1. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing)
2. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing)
3. Dylan Pereira (L/Lechner Racing Team)
4. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Overdrive Racing by Huber)
5. Henric Skoog (S/Overdrive Racing by Huber)
6. Jaap van Lagen (NL/Förch Racing)
7. Joey Mawson (AUS/CARTECH Motorsport by Nigrin)
8. Igor Walilko (PL/Overdrive Racing by Huber)
9. Gustav Malja (S/Förch Racing)
10. Toni Wolf (D/Car Collection Motorsport)

Points’ standings after 12 of 16 races

Drivers’ classification
1. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing), 197.5 points
2. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 174 points
3. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Overdrive Racing by Huber), 154 points

Race 11

At the Nürburgring, Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing) succeeded in extending his championship lead in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. On Saturday, the Porsche Junior won round eleven of the season. Dylan Pereira (L/Lechner Racing Team) claimed second place in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), Andlauer’s closest rival in the overall standings, came third. “At first it wasn’t easy to get the tyres up to the right temperature on the damp track. Everything went smoothly then until I lost my front lip when I drove over the kerb. That was a big setback. So it makes me even happier that I managed to defend myself to the finish line,” said Andlauer.

In temperatures of 16 degrees Celsius and a light drizzle, the 20-year-old came under constant pressure from his pursuers over the whole race distance. Taking off into the race from pole position, Andlauer maintained his lead spot, however a safety car phase kept the 30-strong field bunched up. After the restart, Andlauer again defended his lead, with Ammermüller making repeated attempts to overtake him. After another safety car phase in lap nine, a three-way battle for victory began between Andlauer, Ammermüller and Pereira. While Ammermüller waited patiently for the right moment, Pereira made his move in lap 14 and pulled passed the seasoned specialist. However, the Luxembourger did not succeed in overtaking the leader, and Andlauer crossed the finish line 0.358 seconds ahead to claim his third win of the season. This is Pereira’s third podium result in a row. “Of course it’s a little disappointing not to win. Still, for me, it’s a great result for the championship,” said Pereira.

Ammermüller crossed the finish line in third place, but was not pleased after the race: “I was faster than Julien Andlauer, but I came under increasing pressure from Dylan Pereira and I had to fight to defend myself. In view of the overall classification, it would have been too risky so I let him pass. When I attempted to counterattack shortly afterwards, he blocked me and our vehicles touched.” Toni Wolf (D/Car Collection Motorsport) scored his best result of the season so far in the Eifel, finishing fourth behind Jaap van Lagen (NL/Förch Racing). Positions six to eight went to Joey Mawson (AUS/CARTECH Motorsport by Nigrin), David Kolkmann (D/Black Falcon) and Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (F/Lechner Racing Team).

Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans (Team Project 1 – JBR) started from twelfth on the grid on the 3.629-kilometre storied circuit and managed to gain one position during the race. “From start to finish there were really intense fights for positions in the midfield. The duels were great fun, but of course the result is not as good as I’d hoped,” said the New Zealander. In the amateur class, Stefan Rehkopf (D/Huber Racing) took first place. Thanks to his fifth victory so far this season, the German driver now leads his class. In the championship, Andlauer ranks first after eleven races with 172.5 points. His teammate Ammermüller sits second with 154 points, with third place occupied by Larry ten Voorde (NL/Overdrive Racing by Huber) with 141 points.

Result race 11

1. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing)
2. Dylan Pereira (L/Lechner Racing Team)
3. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing)
4. Toni Wolf (D/Car Collection Motorsport)
5. Jaap van Lagen (NL/Förch Racing)
6. Joey Mawson (AUS/CARTECH Motorsport by Nigrin)
7. David Kolkmann (D/Black Falcon)
8. Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (F/Lechner Racing Team)
9. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Overdrive Racing by Huber)
10. Henric Skoog (S/Overdrive Racing by Huber)

Points’ standings after 11 of 16 races

Drivers’ classification
1. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing), 172.5 points
2. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 154 points
3. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Overdrive Racing by Huber), 141 points

Info

In addition to the doubleheader event at the Nürburgring, the second qualifying phase was held for the finale of the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland. On the simulator in the Porsche Hospitality, drivers from the national one-make cup series fought for top times in a virtual cockpit of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. At the previous weekend in Zandvoort, Louis Henkefend (D/Team Allied-Racing) was the fastest. At the final round of the virtual championship held at the ADAC SimRacing Expo at the Nürburgring on 30 August, the six fastest drivers will go up against six online players.

Round twelve of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland is also run as support to the ADAC GT Masters in Nürburgring. The race takes off on Sunday at 11.40am local time and can be watched via live stream on www.porsche.de/carreracup.