Dark clouds loomed over the dune-lined circuit on the North Sea, forcing the 30 starters to make a last-minute tyre decision. Although the track remained damp in places, all drivers ultimately opted for slicks for their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.
‟The racing line was dry so I had no other choice,” explained Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti, who had secured pole position for Schumacher CLRT. However, starting from the left-hand side of the grid proved disadvantageous, as the asphalt was still slightly wet. Janne Stiak, who had qualified second, lined up alongside Ghiretti on the drier right side.
Racing for the Italian Target team, the 18-year-old Germany grabbed his chance. With better traction, he swept past Ghiretti into the lead at Turn 1 and never looked back. Even as intermittent showers returned, Stiak remained calm and safely brought home his first win of the season. ‟As the leader, I had to be the first to discover how much grip there was in each braking zone. That was a bit tricky at times,” he admitted. This victory marked Stiak’s second win in the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland.
Behind him, the changing track conditions set the stage for a series of dramatic battles and bold overtaking moves. Championship leader Robert de Haan treated spectators to the highlight of the race. After a fluffed qualifying session left him with P9, the Dutchman catapulted up the order and was running in sixth place by the end of lap one. Eleven laps later, he had only Stiak in front of him. ‟I love these tricky weather conditions – great fun,” said the tall 18-year-old Proton Huber Competition driver.
Ariel Levi, who had maintained second for much of the race, couldn’t hold off de Haan’s charge. ‟I tried to defend myself against Robert, but he just kept pushing and got through,” said the Israeli driver from Team GP Elite, who still collected his second third-place trophy of the season.
Dutchman Flynt Schuring, part of the Talent Pool, overtook his Schumacher CLRT teammate Ghiretti at the start and briefly held second, but dropped to fourth midway through the race. Ghiretti fended off pressure from Kas Haverkort (GP Elite) to retain fifth place. Haverkort eventually settled for sixth.
Sacha Norden climbed to the top of the Rookie podium for the fourth time in five races. ‟I lost count of how many battles I was in,” said the Carrera Cup newbie and Robert de Haan’s teammate at Proton Huber Competition. ‟I quickly moved up to lead the rookies and then backed off a bit when I encountered guys in other categories.”
Ahmad Alshehab kept his cool to clinch the ProAm category. ‟The conditions were really tough, but I kept it clean,” reflected the Kuwaiti driver, who races for [a-workx] by Porsche Paderborn. The result puts him in the lead of the ProAm standings.
Thomas Illner, Chief Operating Officer of Porsche Deutschland, presented the trophies. ‟An incredibly thrilling race in front of a phenomenal backdrop, especially for our many Dutch drivers,” he said. ‟The close duels that define the Carrera Cup were made even more exciting by the unpredictable weather. We’re looking forward to Sunday’s race and the rest of the season.”
Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti again starts from pole on Sunday
Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti once again set the pace in qualifying, securing pole position for the sixth race of the season. Lining up next to him on the front row is points leader Robert de Haan. Race two of the weekend begins at 11:35 am. Fans can follow the weekend’s second race live on the internet, including on the Porsche Motorsport Hub and the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland channels on YouTube and Facebook Facebook.
Result race 5, Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland, Zandvoort (NLD)
1. Janne Stiak (DEU/Target), 16 laps
2. Robert de Haan (NLD/Proton Huber Competition), +0.501 seconds
3. Ariel Levi (ISR/Team GP Elite), +3.822 seconds
4. Flynt Schuring (NLD/Schumacher CLRT), +4.704 seconds
5. Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti (FRA/Schumacher CLRT), +5.830 seconds
6. Kas Haverkort (NLD/Team GP Elite), +6.538 seconds
Standings Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland (after 5 of 16 races)
1. Robert de Haan (NLD/Proton Huber Competition), 95 points
2. Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti (FRA/Schumacher CLRT), 80 points
3. Flynt Schuring (NLD/Schumacher CLRT), 64 points
Full results and championship standings on the Porsche Motorsport Hub.
