Porsche Junior Preining wins on the Monza high-speed circuit

Second place went to the current championship leader Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), with third place occupied by Mattia Drudi (I/Dinamic Motorsport). “My start was perfect. I managed to stay next to Ammermüller and took a bit of a risk with the late braking. At times our fight became heated, which makes me all the more pleased about my win,” said Preining (A/BWT Lechner Racing). Thus, the suspense remains high heading to the season finale in Mexico, where a doubleheader will be contested with a total tally of 40 points up for grabs. There, Ammermüller (119 points), Nick Yelloly (Fach Auto Tech, 114 points) and Preining (105 points) could be crowned champion.

In front of Formula 1 grandstands packed with Tifosi, Preining made the decisive overtaking move right at the start. From second position, he had the inside line in the sprint to the first corner against pole-sitter Ammermüller. However, when the lights went out, the 20-year-old immediately ducked to the outside line and surprised even his team colleague. Preining pulled ahead in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to take the lead, and Ammermüller stuck close to his bumper. In the sixth and seventh lap, the German driver launched an attack on Preining at the end of the start-finish straight. The Austrian, however, managed to successfully fend off both advances to maintain his top spot. In the final laps, Preining put some space between himself and his pursuer and took the flag after 14 laps as the winner. Ammermüller trailed him over the line 1.7 seconds later. “It’s special to start from pole position at Monza. You take up the race from the outside line and have to immediately cover the inside line. Later I managed to defend myself from Drudi and that cost me time. With an eye on the championship, second place is good, but I could have won today,” said Ammermüller.

Drudi was delights with third place at his home race. Starting from the third grid spot, the Italian at times put Ammermüller under intense pressure. In the end, Drudi managed to bring home his fourth podium result of the season. “To race in front of Italian fans is a fantastic feeling. After I caught Ammermüller I made a minor error unfortunately. Ultimately I didn’t want to jeopardise my third place through to a risky manoeuvre,” said the 20-year-old. Yelloly was able to make up one position and crossed the finish line fourth ahead of Dylan Pereira (Momo Megatron Lechner Racing). The Luxembourger achieved a top speed of 270 kilometres per hour on the high-speed circuit – the fastest of all 30 drivers.

Sixth place on the storied 5.794-kilometre racetrack not far from Milan went to Jaap van Lagen (NL/Fach Auto Tech). In Monza’s Royal Park, Florian Latorre (F/martinet by ALMERAS) achieved seventh place as the best rookie. The most overtaking manoeuvres were carried out by his compatriot Julien Andlauer (martinet by ALMERAS): The Porsche Junior started from position 30 and concluded the race in eighth place. “I knew it would be a marathon for me, so it was important to handle the tyres carefully. I think I got the most out of my starting position,” said the 19-year-old Andlauer. Roar Lindland (Lechner Racing Middle East) was thrilled with his victory in the ProAm category. For the Norwegian, this marks his sixth win in this class.

Three drivers from the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup raced in front of home crowds this weekend: Aside from Drudi from Misano Adriatico, Alberto Cerqui from Preseglie and Gianmarco Quaresmini (Castegnato) also drove vehicles fielded by Dinamic Motorsport. Cerqui scored ninth place, with Quaresmini claiming position 13. The Dinamic Motorsport squad has its headquarters in the northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia.

At his home race, Drudi will tackle the race on Sunday from third on the grid. The 20-year-old set his fastest lap time in 1:49.752 minutes. “Recently I’ve performed better in the race than in qualifying. That makes me optimistic. To win at Monza would be a dream come true,” stated Drudi. Occupying the fourth grid spot on the 5.793-kilometre racetrack is Zaid Ashkanani (MRS GT-Racing) from Kuwait. Nick Yelloly (GB/Fach Auto Tech) starts from position five ahead of Florian Latorre (F/martinet by ALMERAS). Heading into the race on the high-speed circuit in Monza’s Royal Park from seventh on the grid is Dutchman Larry ten Voorde (Team Project 1), with the eighth grid spot taken by Jaap van Lagen (NL/Fach Auto Tech). The fastest in the ProAm category was Roar Lindland (Lechner Racing Middle East) from Norway.

Three drivers contest their home race in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup this weekend. The Italians Drudi (Misano Adriatico), Gianmarco Quaresmini (Castegnato) and Alberto Cerqui (Preseglie) all drive for the Dinamic Motorsport squad. The team is based in the city of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy.

#PorscheMobil1Supercup – Pole position for Michael Ammermüller! The German turned the fastest lap in 1:49.55 minutes at @Autodromo_Monza pic.twitter.com/Nwza68d119

— Porsche Motorsport (@PorscheRaces) 1. September 2018