Maiden Supercup win for Florian Latorre at Silverstone

“I feel simply fantastic after my first Supercup victory. Michael Ammermüller was waiting for me to make a mistake but I didn’t let that intimidate me,” said the Frenchman. Germany’s Michael Ammermüller (BWT Lechner Racing) ultimately brought his 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup over the finish line in second place, with third place going to Mattia Drudi (Dinamic Motorsport) from Italy.

While 21-year-old Latorre from Bordeaux made a clean start and pulled clear of the field, behind him several drivers were shuffling for positions: Starting from the third grid spot, Drudi immediately put Ammermüller under pressure. In lap four, the Italian overtook the seasoned Porsche specialist who had started from P2. Three laps later, however, Ammermüller made a countermove to snatch back second place. When the safety car was deployed in lap nine, the field bunched up again. After the restart, Latorre and Ammermüller treated F1 fans on the packed grandstands to a gripping battle for the lead, with the Almeras driver fending off all attacks from the points’ leader. “At the end I was really fast and I would have liked to overtake Florian Latorre. But the risk was too high, so I’m satisfied with second place,” said Ammermüller.

#PorscheMobil1Supercup – Checkered flag @SilverstoneUK: @FlorianLATORRE wins race 4 of the international one-make cup pic.twitter.com/JjAxcwgXEi

— Porsche Motorsport (@PorscheRaces) 8. Juli 2018

In a temperature of 25-degree Celsius and sunshine, Drudi was flagged off in third place just 0.7 seconds behind the German. For the 19-year-old race driver from Misano Adriatico in the Province of Rimini, this was his first podium result so far this season. “I got away well at the start, but Michael Ammermüller got faster over the course of the race and I had to let him pass,” said Drudi. Fourth place was claimed by Larry ten Voorde (Team Project 1) from the Netherlands. The best British driver of the day was Nick Yelloly (Fach Auto Tech) in fifth. Zaid Ashkanani (KWT/MRS GT-Racing) occupied sixth place ahead of the guest driver Dino Zamparelli (GB/BWT Lechner Racing).

Thomas Preining made up two positions

The Porsche Junior Thomas Preining (BWT Lechner Racing) managed to make up two positions in the race, with the Austrian progressing from tenth on the grid to cross the finish line on the 5.891-kilometre circuit in eighth. “It was a difficult race for me in the hotly contested mid-field. I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks and get caught up in a crash, so my result is okay,” said 19-year-old Preining. The best driver in the ProAm class was Roar Lindland (N/Lechner Racing Middle East), who turned 41 on Sunday.

Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer (martinet by ALMERAS) will travel home empty-handed after the Frenchman had to call it quits after nine laps. At the time of his retirement the defending champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup France had been running in sixth place. “It was an intense race with lots of fights for positions. I was going strong after the start but unfortunately I had to return to the pits after a collision,” said Andlauer.

Britain’s Chris Harris also took up the challenge of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at Silverstone. As a VIP driver, the popular YouTuber took the wheel of the Porsche AG vehicle sporting the legendary starting number 911. The presenter of the British motoring magazine Top Gear had qualified the vehicle on P27 and concluded the race in 26th place. “I managed to make up a couple of positions after the start, but a spin threw me back. The race was huge fun and at least I didn’t come last – that was my goal,” said Harris after his debut in the international one-make cup.

A total of 33 drivers took up the race at Silverstone in front of packed Formula One grandstands. For eight drivers this was a home race: Josh Webster (Stowmarket), Nick Yelloly (Solihull), Tom Sharp (Surrey), Mark Radcliffe (Rufford), VIP driver Chris Harris (Bristol) as well as guest drivers from the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Lewis Plato (Billericay), Tom Wrigley (Owestry) and Dino Zamparelli (Bristol). In addition, the IDL Racing squad from Surrey/England contests the complete Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season.

Ammermüller retains his lead in the championship

After the race on the Silverstone Circuit, Ammermüller retains his lead in the championship with 65 points for the Lechner driver. Yelloly ranks second nine points behind the German. Pereira is third with 46 points.

Round five of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is contested as support to the Formula One race at Hockenheim from 20 to 22 July. This race celebrates the return of the series to Germany after a year’s break. Since the 1993 debut season, the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup has raced on the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg track a total of 20 times.

The Frenchman turned the fastest lap during qualifying on the racetrack in Northampshire in a time of 2:03.636 minutes. Lining up next to Latorre’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on the first grid row is Michael Ammermüller (BWT Lechner Racing) from Germany. The third quickest qualifying time was set by Dylan Pereira (Momo Megatron Lechner Racing) from Luxembourg. “The last minutes were really gripping, so that makes me all the more pleased with my first ever pole position in the Supercup. I’m feeling good and of course I’d like to win tomorrow,” said Latorre (martinet by ALMERAS).

The race driver from Bordeaux set the second fastest time during free practice, and upped his game in qualifying to turn the fastest lap. Under clear blue skies and with a balmy temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, Ammermüller posted the first top time of the day after five minutes on the Silverstone Circuit. When the drivers returned to the track on fresh tyres after 22 minutes, the qualifying session was red-flagged. By the time the track went green again, the drivers had only five minutes left to attempt a fast lap. With two minutes left on the clock, Latorre topped the time sheets. Behind the 21-year-old, Ammermüller posted the second fastest time in 2:03.687 minutes. “I was significantly faster on my second set of tyres. Had the red flag not come out, maybe I would’ve had a chance to take pole position,” said Ammermüller.

With a time of 2:03.793 minutes on the 5.891 kilometre racetrack, Pereira planted his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on the third grid spot. The 21-year-old also set his fastest time two minutes before the end of the session. “At the beginning my car had a bit of oversteer, but I got to grips with it in my second stint. I have a good feeling for the race on Sunday,” said Pereira. Grid position four is occupied by Mattia Drudi (Dinamic Motorsport) from Italy with guest driver Tom Wrigley (GB/JTR) taking up the race from fifth on the grid. This makes the 25-year-old the best of the British drivers on his home track at Silverstone.

Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer (martinet by ALMERAS) tackles round four of the international one-make cup from the third grid row. The 19-year-old Frenchman turned his fastest time on the Silverstone Circuit in 2:03.913 minutes, putting Andlauer on position sixth. “Of course I’d rather have started from further up the grid, but the times are all incredibly close. I think I can improve my position in Sunday’s race,” said the talented youngster from Lyon. Britain’s Nick Yelloly (Fach Auto Tech) crossed the finish line after his fastest qualifying lap in 2:03.974 minutes. This puts the 27-year-old from Solihull on P7. Position eight on the grid is occupied by Zaid Ashkanani (MRS GT-Racing) from Kuwait ahead of Larry ten Voorde (Team Project 1) from the Netherlands.

Porsche Junior Thomas Preining (BWT Lechner Racing) rounds off the top ten starters for Sunday’s race. The driver from Linz in Austria turned his fastest lap in the last minute of the qualifying. “The session went rather badly for me. At the beginning I didn’t get my tyres up to the optimal temperature. We’ll analyse the data so that I can progress up the ranks tomorrow,” said 19-year-old Preining.

This weekend, the cult Youtuber Chris Harris celebrates his debut in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. The presenter of the British TV motoring magazine Top Gear pilots the VIP vehicle run by Porsche AG at Silverstone. The TV star from Bristol takes up the international one-make cup from P27. “That was a great experience. I’m 2.4 seconds off pole position and I’m happy with that. The team gave me incredible support and that helped my confidence in the vehicle. In the race I’d like to improve by at least one position,” said Harris.

Taking up the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup challenge alongside Harris in the VIP car are seven other British drivers: Tom Sharp (Surrey) and Mark Radcliffe (Rufford) compete for the Surrey-based IDL Racing squad, with Josh Webster (Stowmarket), Nick Yelloly (Solihull) as well as three guest drivers from the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain, Lewis Plato (Billericay), Tom Wrigley (Owestry) and Dino Zamparelli (Bristol). A total of 33 drivers will line up on the grid on Sunday.

Round four of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup gets underway on Sunday on the Silverstone Circuit at 11.25 hrs local time. As a service to fans, the race can be watched via live timing and web radio on www.racecam.de. Eurosport broadcasts the race in more than 60 countries. Moreover, the TV channel Sky airs the international one-make cup series in both the UK and Italy.