Racing drivers Pascal Wehrlein (Formula E), Laurens Vanthoor (WEC/IMSA), Julien Andlauer (WEC/ELMS) and Matt Campbell (WEC/IMSA) all stopped off in the Porsche Arena for sports detour on Tuesday. Quick reactions and speed were the order of the day in the Driving Challenge which normally gives the women’s tennis players lots of fun, but it was now the turn of the racing drivers to post fast times. The course in the Porsche Arena’s car park had to be negotiated with a 911 Carrera 2 Cabriolet from 1992 and the latest 911 Turbo Cabriolet, as well as with a remote controlled Taycan model car and a Bobby Car. The racing drivers were accompanied by Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E, and Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh.
How professionals from other sports work
“That was a lot of fun,” said Laurens Vanthoor who recorded the fastest time. The Belgian has this year has already won the opening race in the World Endurance Championship in Qatar and shortly afterwards the legendary Mount Panorama 12-hour race in Bathurst, Australia in a Porsche. As a kid, he often watched tennis and admired his compatriots Justine Henin und Kim Clijsters who both won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on two occasions. During the detour to the Porsche Arena, he above all wanted to see how professionals from other sports work and how they prepare. He found everything he saw “totally interesting”.
Julien Andlauer started driving karts at an early age and has also tried his hand at other sports like football and tennis. “I lacked the talent to be a footballer but I played tennis for a few years until all my spare time was spent at the race track,” said the Frenchman, a class winner at the world famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018. In the meantime, he plays sporadically with friends and watches Grand Slams on television, especially Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Pascal Wehrlein, who, after wins in Mexico City and Misano, currently leads the Formula E World Championship, does not have quite so much experience with tennis saying, “I once watched Roger Federer playing a long time ago in Basle, but that was it.”
After the Driving Challenge, the delegation from Weissach were given a behind-the-scenes tour around the long-standing Stuttgart tournament. After Emma Raducanu’s practice session, they spent some time chatting to the Porsche Brand Ambassador. During a pit stop in the VIP Lounge, they were able to convince themselves of the quality of Porsche Gastronomie. Afterwards they watched the Centre Court match involving Tatjana Maria against Elise Mertens from a courtside box. For Julien Andlauer, it was his first ever live professional match. “It was a great experience,” he said with a big smile on his face. “The atmosphere in the arena was amazing.”
