“That was a perfect end to the season. I had a dream start and I drove an immaculate race. I’m thrilled for Dennis Olsen, he totally deserves the championship title,” said Preining (A/Konrad Motorsport). Third place at Sunday’s race went to Christian Engelhart (D/BLACK FALCON).
As the fastest in qualifying of the 25-strong field, Engelhart took up the race from pole position. Preining, however, made a catapult start from second place to sweep past the 30-year-old. Olsen started from third on the grid and also overtook Engelhart in the first lap. Over the rest of the race, Olsen kept close to Preining’s bumper. However, the 21-year-old junior racer kept his cool and, in gripping duels,
successfully held the Norwegian at bay to defend his lead spot. After 18 laps,
Preining beat Olsen to the line. Preining received the trophy for his victory from Dr.
Frank-Steffen Walliser (Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars at Porsche AG).
Olsen was happy with his second place: “It’s a fantastic result for our team. I tried
several times to get past Thomas Preining, but it simply wasn’t possible.”
Engelhart: Spirited duel with Nick Yelloly
Behind the duo from Konrad Motorsport, Engelhart crossed the finish line in third. On the 4.574-kilometre racetrack, the seasoned Porsche specialist treated fans to a spirited duel with Nick Yelloly (GB/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1). “The first lap was decisive, and unfortunately I lost two positions. Afterwards I was able to defend my third place, and the podium spot is a great end to the season,” said Engelhart. Yelloly saw the flag in fourth. Behind the 26-year-old, Zaid Ashkanani (KWT/MRS GT-Racing) earned points for fifth place, making the MRS pilot the best rookie in the field. Position six went to his teammate Christopher Zöchling from Austria. First in the amateur classification was Carlos Rivas (L/BLACK FALCON) ahead of Wolfgang Triller (D/Huber Racing by TriSpa) and Jörn Schmidt-Staade (D/Cito Pretiosa).
After 14 championship rounds, Olsen concluded the season as the champion with
273 points. Vice-champion in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland is Yelloly. The
racing driver from Solihull in Great Britain earned 237 points over the season. Third in the overall classification went to Michael Ammermüller (D/raceunion Huber
Racing) with 177 points. The best driver in the rookie classification was Larry Ten
Voorde (Team Deutsche Post by Project 1). The Dutchman won the title for series’
newcomers. Triller takes home the amateur title with 172 points.
Result race 14
1. Thomas Preining (A/Konrad Motorsport)
2. Dennis Olsen (N/Konrad Motorsport)
3. Christian Engelhart (D/BLACK FALCON)
4. Nick Yelloly (GB/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1)
5. Zaid Ashkanani (KWT/MRS GT-Racing)
6. Christopher Zöchling (A/MRS GT-Racing)
7. Michael Ammermüller (D/raceunion Huber Racing)
8. Larry Ten Voorde (NL/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1)
9. David Kolkmann (D/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1)
10. Henric Skoog (S/raceunion Huber Racing)
Points’ standings after 14 of 14 races:
Drivers’ classification
1. Dennis Olsen (N/Konrad Motorsport), 273 points
2. Nick Yelloly (GB/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), 237 points
3. Michael Ammermüller (D/raceunion Huber Racing), 177 points
Rookie classification
1. Larry Ten Voorde (NL/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), 271 points
2. Thomas Preining (A/Konrad Motorsport), 249 points
3. Henric Skoog (S/raceunion Huber Racing), 183 points
Amateur classification
1. Wolfgang Triller (D/Huber Racing by TriSpa), 172 points
2. Carlos Rivas (L/BLACK FALCON), 127 points
3. Jörn Schmidt-Staade (D/Cito Pretiosa), 115 points
Race 13
“I’m incredibly happy! Winning the title was my biggest goal. Now I’ve achieved it with my Konrad Motorsport team,” said Olsen. Victory at round 13 of the national one-make race series went to Germany’s Christian Engelhart (BLACK FALCON). His compatriot Michael Ammermüller (raceunion Huber Racing) took the flag in his 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in third.
In sunny weather and with an outside temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, Engelhart took off from the first grid spot. The 30-year-old, however, was not able to defend his pole position. In the sprint to the first corner, the Black Falcon pilot was overtaken by Olsen, who had started from second on the grid. Engelhart stuck close to Olsen’s bumper and the two delivered a spirited duel for the lead spot. In the sixth lap, Engelhart used the 21-year-old’s slipstream to squeeze past. For the rest of the race, the seasoned Porsche specialist gave Olsen no chance to overtake him and crossed the finish line after 14 laps as the winner. “Unfortunately my start wasn’t so great, but to retake the lead was great fun. After that I made sure I didn’t make any more mistakes and brought home a well-deserved victory,” said Engelhart.
Exciting battle for the third podium spot
The battle for the third podium spot was just as exciting. Starting from third on the grid, Ammermüller initially duelled with Christopher Zöchling (MRS GT-Racing) from Austria. However, the German managed to pull clear of the MRS pilot over the course of the race to celebrate his sixth podium result. “I couldn’t do better than position three. After the start I managed to catch up to Christian Engelhart, but I couldn’t maintain his pace,” said Ammermüller. Zöchling secured fourth place ahead of Zaid Ashkanani (MRS GT-Racing). The driver from Kuwait was classified as the best rookie. Position six went to Henric Skoog (raceunion Huber Racing) from Sweden. Wolfgang Triller (D/Huber Racing by TriSpa) claimed the best result in the amateur classification ahead of Carlos Rivas (L/BLACK FALCON) and Jörn Schmidt-Staade (D/Cito Pretiosa).
For Larry Ten Voorde (Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), a shunt with another vehicle in the first lap put him out of contention. Despite this, the Dutchman had good reason to celebrate: The 21-year-old picked up an early title in the rookie classification. “That’s totally cool. I’m over the moon. My first year in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland was exciting and I’m proud to have gained so much trust from my team,” said Ten Voorde.
Olsen holds the lead in the overall standings
Thomas Preining (A/Konrad Motorsport) experienced bad luck in the race. In the first corner, the Porsche Junior was nudged into a spin by Nick Yelloly (GB/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), who received a drive-through penalty for the contact and thus lost his only chance of winning the title. Although Preining was relegated back down the field, the 19-year-old fought back and, after a series of overtaking manoeuvres, took the flag in eleventh place. “It’s always tight in the first corner and something like this can happen. I was able to make up some positions, and that makes me feel positive for Sunday’s race,” said Preining.
With one race left on the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland calendar, Olsen holds an unassailable lead over Yelloly in the overall standings with six victories and 253 points. The 26-year-old from Great Britain has 224 points to his credit. Ammermüller ranks third with 167 points. In the team classification, the best squad is Team Deutsche Post by Project 1 with 380 points.
Result race 13
1. Christian Engelhart (D/BLACK FALCON)
2. Dennis Olsen (N/Konrad Motorsport)
3. Michael Ammermüller (D/raceunion Huber Racing)
4. Christopher Zöchling (A/MRS GT-Racing)
5. Zaid Ashkanani (KWT/MRS GT-Racing)
6. Henric Skoog (S/raceunion Huber Racing)
7. David Kolkmann (D/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1)
8. Gabriele Piana (I/RN Vision Team BLACK FALCON)
9. Toni Wolf (D/Huber Racing by TriSpa)
10. Ryan Cullen (GB/raceunion Huber Racing)
Points’ standings after 13 of 14 races:
Drivers’ classification
1. Dennis Olsen (N/Konrad Motorsport), 253 points
2. Nick Yelloly (GB/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), 224 points
3. Michael Ammermüller (D/raceunion Huber Racing), 167 points
Rookie classification
1. Larry Ten Voorde (NL/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), 251 points
2. Thomas Preining (A/Konrad Motorsport), 224 points
3. Henric Skoog (S/raceunion Huber Racing), 167 points
Amateur classification
1. Wolfgang Triller (D/Huber Racing by TriSpa), 160 points
2. Carlos Rivas (L/BLACK FALCON), 112 points
3. Jörn Schmidt-Staade (D/Cito Pretiosa), 106 points
Team classification
1. Team Deutsche Post by Project 1, 380 points
2. Konrad Motorsport, 353 points
3. raceunion Huber Racing, 256 points