PMSC: Champion Ammermüller wins season finale in Mexico

Race 10

“That was an incredible weekend with two pole positions, two wins and, of course, the title. I lost the start against Güven, but I was ultimately faster than him and managed to push through,” said Ammermüller (BWT Lechner Racing). Behind his 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Ayhancan Güven (TR/martinet by ALMÉRAS) and Porsche-Junior Jaxon Evans (NZ/Fach Auto Tech) crossed the finish line. Big celebrations for Roar Lindland (N/pierre martinet by ALMÉRAS) in the ProAm class: Third place in the race was enough for the Norwegian to take home the title in his class. 

After the start, Güven initially lead the field after the 21-year-old squeezed past pole-sitter Ammermüller at the first corner. However, the newly-crowned champion underlined why he is the measure of all things this year. Corner by corner, Ammermüller reeled in his opponent to finally sweep past him in the fourth lap. The 33-year-old then pulled clear of his pursuers and, after 16 laps, took the flag in first place for the fourth time this season. The new rookie champion Güven concluded his maiden season in the international one-make cup with his fifth podium result. “Michael Ammermüller was simply faster than me. Second place overall in my debut season is a super result,” said Güven.

The battle for third was fierce on the 4.304-kilometre Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. For much of the race, Mikkel Pedersen (DK/Dinamic Motorsport) looked a likely contender for the third podium spot, however the two Porsche-Juniors Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing) and Evans as well as Dylan Pereira (L/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing) were constantly on the lookout for a chance to overtake. The final scene played out in the twelfth lap. Pedersen fended off an attack from Andlauer, both vehicles touched – Evans and Pereira grabbed the opportunity to pass them both. “My start wasn’t perfect, but I managed to work my way up the field. It feels great to finish the season on the podium. It was an intensive year and I learned a lot,” said Evans. Thus, the order over the line was Evans in front of a strong Pereira, Andlauer and Pedersen. “When I tried to overtake, my car and Mikkel Pedersen’s touched unfortunately, and that was the decisive moment,” analysed Andlauer.

Seventh place went to Marius Nakken (N/Team Project 1 – Fach), with Florian Latorre (F/Fach Auto Tech) taking the flag in eighth. In the ProAm class, Philipp Sager (A/Dinamic Motorsport) came first ahead of Stephen Grove (AUS/Team Australia) and Lindland. Racing in front of home crowds, Ricardo Sanchez (MRS Cup-Racing) finished on 18th. For the MRS driver from Toluca, Mexico, this was his first race weekend in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. The Formula 2 driver, Tatiana Calderón (CO/Team Project 1 – Fach), also made her debut in the international one-make cup. At one point, however, the Formula 1 test driver had to come into the pits with her 911 GT3 Cup after a collision. She concluded the race on P24. 

In the final standings, Ammermüller ranks first with 150 points. Güven (124 points) and Porsche Junior Andlauer (118 points) round off the top three. Güven also leads the rookie classification with 124 points. With 172 points, Lindland is the champion of the ProAm class. The BWT Lechner Racing squad from Faistenau (Austria) scored 268 points over the season to score the team title.

Result

Mexico City, Race 10 of 10
1. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing)
2. Ayhancan Güven (TR/martinet by ALMÉRAS)
3. Jaxon Evans (NZ/Fach Auto Tech)
4. Dylan Pereira (L/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing)
5. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing)
6. Mikkel Pedersen (DK/Dinamic Motorsport)
7. Marius Nakken (N/Team Project 1 – Fach)
8. Florian Latorre (F/Fach Auto Tech)
9. Larry ten Voorde (NL/MRS GT-Racing)
10. Joey Mawson (AUS/Team Australia)

Points standings after 10 of 10 races
Drivers’ classification
1. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 150 points 
2. Ayhancan Güven (TR/martinet by ALMÉRAS), 124 points
3. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing), 118 points

Rookie classification
1. Ayhancan Güven (TR/martinet by ALMÉRAS), 124 points 
2. Joey Mawson (AUS/Team Australia), 63 points
3. Marius Nakken (N/Team Project 1 – Fach), 29 points

ProAm classification
1. Roar Lindland (N/pierre martinet by ALMÉRAS), 172 points
2. Philipp Sager (A/Dinamic Motorsport), 164 points
3. Stephen Grove (AUS/Team Australia), 144 points

Team classification
1. BWT Lechner Racing, 268 points 
2. Martinet by ALMÉRAS, 195 points
3. Fach Auto Tech, 170 points

Race 9

The battle for the championship title of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is over. At round nine in Mexico City, Michael Ammermüller scored a lights-to-flag victory. With this result, the German holds an unassailable lead in the series with a 22-point advantage. “This is my third title in a row and that makes me incredibly proud. The fight for the championship was wide open over the entire season, so I didn’t expect to become champion before the end of the season. My start today wasn’t great but I know the circuit well and I managed to pressure Ayhancan Güven into making a mistake,” said Ammermüller (BWT Lechner Racing). Second place on Saturday went to Ayhancan Güven (TR/martinet by ALMÉRAS) followed across the line by Tio Ellinas (CY/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing). The champions for the two other classifications have also been decided: Thanks to his second place, Güven is the new rookie champion. The BWT Lechner Racing squad takes home the team title. 

The race in the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez quickly turned into a thriller packed with spectacular overtaking manoeuvres. In the sprint to the first corner after the start, Güven got past Ammermüller in his 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, however the Lechner driver promptly snatched back the lead in the first lap. Ammermüller deftly defended himself and managed to pull clear of the field. After 16 laps, the seasoned specialist crossed the finish line first, 4.9 seconds ahead of Güven – and thus netted his third victory of the season. Güven’s podium result was his fourth this year. “The rookie title means a great deal to me because in the past it’s only been won by really successful drivers. I’m happy with my race. This is my first time in Mexico and Michael Ammermüller had a wealth of experience to call on,” declared the young Turkish racing driver. 

Third place went to Ellinas. The Cypriot managed to fend off Larry ten Voorde (NL/MRS GT-Racing) and Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing). “This is a great result for me. I stayed really focussed and was rewarded with a podium spot,” said Ellinas. Fans in the Formula 1 grandstands witnessed a fierce duel for fourth place between the two youngsters ten Voorde and Andlauer. In the 14th lap, Andlauer finally managed to make the decisive move to overtake the Dutchman. “What a crazy race. I didn’t get a clean start, but I gradually worked my way up the order. I think I could have done better than fourth place,” said Andlauer.

Jaap van Lagen (NL/martinet by ALMÉRAS) took the flag in sixth place. The 42-year-old was followed over the line by the two rookies Marius Nakken (N/Team Project 1 – Fach) and Joey Mawson (AUS/Team Australia). Porsche-Junior Jaxon Evans (Fach Auto Tech) finished on 14th. At one point the New Zealander was running in eighth place only to have a drive-through penalty relegate him down the field. “My start was good, but I veered slightly off the track and touched another car. Unfortunately the penalty cost me a better result. I take up Sunday’s race from sixth and I’d like to conclude the season with the best possible result,” stated Evans.

Philipp Sager (Dinamic Motorsport) was delighted with his win in the ProAm classification, with the Austrian beating Stephen Grove (AUS/Team Australia) and Roar Lindland (N/pierre martinet by ALMÉRAS). After the penultimate race, Lindland leads his class with 156 points. Ricardo Sanchez (MRS Cup-Racing) contested a home race this weekend. This marks the first time the driver from Toluca, Mexico, competes in the international one-make cup series, which he concluded in 15th place. Tatiana Calderón (CO/Team Project 1 – Fach) also makes her Supercup debut in Mexico City. The race for the Formula 2 pilot and F1 test driver for Alfa Romeo came to an early end with a collision. 

Mexico City also hosts round ten of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. The race gets underway at 10.15am local time. Eurosport televises the event live in over 60 countries. Sky covers the season final in Great Britain and Italy, with Sport 1 broadcasting the international one-make cup in Germany. Fans can also watch the last race live via the official Formula 1 streaming service (F1 TV).

Result

Mexico City, Race 9 of 10
1. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing)
2. Ayhancan Güven (TR/martinet by ALMÉRAS)
3. Tio Ellinas (CY/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing)
4. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing)
5. Larry ten Voorde (NL/MRS GT-Racing)
6. Jaap van Lagen (NL/martinet by ALMÉRAS)
7. Marius Nakken (N/Team Project 1 – Fach)
8. Joey Mawson (AUS/Team Australia)
9. Gianmarco Quaresmini (I/Dinamic Motorsport)
10. Kantadhee Kusiri (T/Fach Auto Tech)

Points standings after 9 of 10 races
Drivers’ classification
1. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 130 points 
2. Larry ten Voorde (NL/MRS GT-Racing), 108 points
3. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing), 106 points

Preview

Tension runs high in the lead-up to the final two races of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season in Mexico City. At rounds nine and ten of the international one-make cup series, Michael Ammermüller, Larry ten Voorde, Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer and Ayhancan Güven are all aspirants for the title. Michael Ammermüller, Larry ten Voorde, Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer and Ayhancan Güven – these four will fight for a total of 40 points at the double-header event run as support to the Formula One this coming weekend (25-27 October). With 110 points to his credit, Ammermüller travels to the season finale as the leader. Ten Voorde ranks second with 96 points, with Andlauer four points behind in third place. Güven (88 points) currently ranks fourth.

Thanks to his 14-point advantage, Michael Ammermüller is the only contender for the title to hold the decision in his own hands. The Lechner driver has claimed two wins so far this season on the street circuit of Monaco and at the Hungaroring in Hungary. All in all, Ammermüller has climbed the podium five times – no other driver has finished in the top three more often than him. “The fight will stay open until the very end. I was recently crowned runner-up of the German Carrera Cup, but I really want to defend my Supercup title,” says Ammermüller.

The 33-year-old German has clinched the championship in Mexico for the past two years. Previously in the international one-make cup, only Patrick Huisman and the reigning DTM champion René Rast have taken home three titles in a row. In fact, Huisman from the Netherlands won the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup four consecutive times from 1996 to 2000.

The challengers: ten Voorde and Andlauer

Like Ammermüller, ten Voorde has celebrated on the podium with champagne five times this season. The Dutchman travels to the capital of Mexico feeling confident. At the previous race in Italy’s Monza, the 22-year-old notched up his first win of the season. “Before the season got underway I didn’t think I’d have a hope of winning the title at the finale. I’ve enjoyed a really consistent year. My worst result was fourth place. In view of this, I’m really looking forward to tackling the last two races,” summarises ten Voorde.

Porsche Junior Andlauer could possibly pocket his second championship title this season. At the end of September, the French youngster became champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Andlauer is also performing well in the international Supercup, with the 20-year-old winning the races at Barcelona (Spain) and at Austria’s Red Bull Ring. “Last year in Mexico I won both races and I really like the circuit. Unfortunately my retirement at Monza cost me the championship lead. That’s annoying, but I’ll do my best to earn as many points as possible,” states Andlauer.

Güven: "I have nothing to lose."

Güven tackles the race on the Mexican Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the first time. The young race driver from Turkey, who came to the Supercup as the champion of the French Carrera Cup and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux, has turned heads from day one in his debut Supercup season. After achieving two podium finishes, Güven finally scored his maiden victory at Silverstone, Great Britain. In Mexico City, the 21-year-old not only fights for the title in the overall standings, but is also on track to win the rookie class. Güven says about his debut in Central America: “I’m super excited about my first two races in Mexico. I have nothing to lose and I want to conclude the season with a good result.”

Florian Latorre (Fach Auto Tech, 76 points) has a purely theoretical chance to clinch the title. For this, the Frenchman would have to achieve a top result from both races and, moreover, hope that the leading quartet make mistakes.

The decisions in all other classifications will also go down-to-the-wire at the finale: The rookie class is led by Güven with 88 points. First in the ProAm category is Roar Lindland (N/pierre martinet by ALMÉRAS), who has won all races in this class and earned himself 140 points. With 202 points, the BWT Lechner Racing squad leads the team classification.

The race

After 2017 and 2018, Mexico City hosts the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup for the third time. The highlight of the 4.304-kilometre circuit is the corner combination through the Foro Sol basebal stadium. Overseas races have been a regular fixture on the international one-make cup calendar since 1999. The first overseas round was held in Melbourne as part of the Australian Grand Prix followed by races in Indianapolis (USA), Sakhir (Bahrain), Abu Dhabi (VAE) and Austin (USA).