Robert de Haan celebrates commanding lights-to-flag victory at season opener

A late safety car phase at the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland season opener caused drama in the closing moments. After spins threw gravel onto the track, the race director had no choice but to regroup the field and slow them down behind the safety car. By the time the track was cleared and went green again, the pack of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup had just one sprint lap left.

Leader Robert de Haan was the sole driver to make it through the final kilometres of the support race to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) uncontested. Driving for the Proton Huber Competition team, the 18-year-old Dutchman started from pole position and drove a commanding lights-to-flag race. ‟I managed to pull clear a bit at the start and despite the two restarts after safety car periods, I had no problem holding on to the lead,” said the reigning Rookie Champion of the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus secured second place in the first of 16 races of the season. ‟I got off the line well and made up one position. But I couldn’t catch Robert: He simply made fewer mistakes over the race distance,” admitted the German from the Bonk Motorsport team.

The second Porsche Junior, Alessandro Ghiretti, crossed the line in third position. ‟I fluffed my start and lost three positions. I apologise to my team for that,” said the contrite Frenchman, who drives for Schumacher CLRT. He only managed to get past the formidable Senna van Soelen halfway through the race. In the final corner before the flag, Ghiretti also squeezed past Alexander Tauscher.

According to the stewards, however, his move was deemed a little too aggressive and he was subsequently handed a one-second time penalty. As a result, Tauscher in the Target team’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup was classified third in the official results, ahead of Ghiretti.

Senna van Soelen (Team75 Bernhard) crossed the finish line as the best-placed driver from the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland Talent Pool – however, he wasn’t entirely happy with sixth place behind Marvin Klein (Proton Huber Competition). ‟I really enjoyed my duel with Alessandro Ghiretti over many laps but unfortunately, I made a minor error which opened the door for him to overtake me. On the last lap, I braked too late, which also allowed Marvin to get past,” reflected the 19-year-old Dutchman.

In the rookie classification, van Soelen’s fellow countryman Sacha Noorden (Proton Huber Competition), Brazilian Matheus Ferreira (Target), and Daniel Gregor (Team75 Bernhard) from Germany shared the podium. ‟I’m really proud of my first victory among the rookies,” said a delighted Noorden after his debut in the German Carrera Cup.

One of the regulars on the top step of the ProAm podium is Michael Essmann (Team75 Bernhard). The German entrepreneur dominated the Gentleman Drivers’ category against long-time rival Ahmed Alshehab from Kuwait (a-workx by Porsche Paderborn) and German Carrera Cup newcomer Michael Schrey (Bonk Motorsport). ‟My start wasn’t ideal. Fortunately, I made up lost positions over the rest of the race. Now I’m looking forward to the second race on this cool track,” stated Essmann.

Among those presenting the trophies was Thomas Illner, Chief Operating Officer of Porsche Deutschland. ‟Huge fascination and pure excitement right up to the last metre – you couldn’t wish for a better opening race of the 36th season of our one-make cup,” said Illner, complimenting the performance of the 32 drivers.

Winner Robert de Haan also starts Sunday’s race from pole position
‟Let’s do it all again tomorrow”, says Robert de Haan, outlining his goal for the second race of the weekend. Saturday’s winner will again start from pole position on Sunday, at 9:55 am.

Fans can follow the race live on the internet, including on the Porsche Motorsport Hub and the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland channels on YouTube and Facebook.

Result race 1, Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland, Imola (ITA)
1. Robert de Haan (NLD/Proton Huber Competition), 17 laps
2. Porsche-Junior Theo Oeverhaus (DEU/Bonk Motorsport), + 1.035 seconds
3. Alexander Tauscher (DEU/Target), +2.707 seconds
4. Porsche-Junior Alessandro Ghiretti (FRA/Schumacher CLRT), + 3.688 seconds
5. Marvin Klein (FRA/Proton Huber Competition), +4.237 seconds
6. Senna van Soelen (NLD/Team75 Bernhard), +4.356 seconds

Full results and championship standings:
https://racing.porsche.com/de-DE/carrera-cup-deutschland/ergebnisse

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