This marked the first win of the season for the Dutchman. “I had a sensational start and that was the key to success. After the start, the race turned pretty tough and my rivals kept me under constant pressure. I was really happy to see the chequered flag,” said van Lagen. Third place went to the current leader in the championship Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing) in his 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
For the first time in its 29-year history, the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland was contested as support to the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix. The classic car festival is one of the world’s most popular events for historic vehicles and attracts a large number of motor racing fans to the Eifel. In 20 degrees Celsius and sunshine, Preining took up the race from pole position. Starting from the second grid spot, Van Lagen took the inside lane in the first corner and, thanks to a catapult start, swept past Preining. Ammermüller on the third grid spot completed the leading pack, with these three delivering a gripping fight over 16 laps to the flag. In lap eleven Ammermüller managed to get past his teammate, but a counterattack saw Preining retake P2 in the penultimate lap. Preining then set his sights on the leading van Lagen, however the seasoned Porsche specialist managed to successfully fend off all attacks to the finish. “I got away well at the start, but Jaap van Lagen was even faster. I tried everything to overtake him. Jaap showed his experience and resisted my attacks with a tough but fair fight,” said Preining.
Thomas Preining, Jaap von Lagen, Michael Ammermüller, l-r
Ammermüller took the flag 0.6 seconds shy of Preining. So far this season the driver from Rotthalmünster in Germany has clinched podium results at six of seven races. “There was a lot of paint-swapping between the vehicles today and that was pretty risky. It was a difficult race, but ultimately I have to live with third place,” said Ammermüller. Fourth place on the storied circuit in the Eifel went to Larry ten Voorde (Team Deutsche Post by Project 1) from the Netherlands ahead of Igor Walilko (Raceunion), with the Polish driver concluding the race as the best rookie.
Sixth place was occupied by Toni Wolf (Car Collection Motorsport). Taking up the race from P15, the 19-year-old German launched an impressive charge through the field to achieve his best result of the season so far. His compatriot Richard Wagner from the Raceunion squad secured seventh place, with Jacob Eidson (USA/Team Project 1) claiming eighth on the 4.638-kilometre racetrack. Germany’s Stefan Rehkopf (Cito Pretiosa) scored first in the amateur class, relegating his compatriot and teammate Jörn Schmidt-Staade to second place. Third in the class went to Carlos Rivas (Black Falcon Team TMD Friction) from Luxembourg.
Magnus Walker waved chequered flag
The Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland enjoyed a visit from Magnus Walker. The avid Porsche enthusiast joined Volker Strycek, the host and AvD sports president, on the podium to present the trophies. Walker also waved the chequered flag at the Nürburgring.
After seven races, Ammermüller is the “half-time champion” of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. The 32-year-old leads the overall classification with two wins and 139 points. Preining sits second just five points in arrears. Third in the championship is occupied by ten Voorde. The 21-year-old has earned 93 points so far. The rookie class is led by Dylan Pereira (L/Lechner Racing) with 109 points. Schmidt-Staade ranks first in the amateur class with 156 points.
1. Jaap van Lagen (NL/Förch Racing)
2. Thomas Preining (A/BWT Lechner Racing)
3. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing)
4. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1)
5. Igor Walilko (PL/Raceunion)
6. Toni Wolf (D/Car Collection Motorsport)
7. Richard Wagner (D/Raceunion)
8. Jacob Eidson (USA/Team Project 1)
9. Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (F/Lechner Racing)
10. Tim Zimmermann (D/Black Falcon Team TMD Friction)
Driver classification
1. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 139 points
2. Thomas Preining (A/BWT Lechner Racing), 134 points
3. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), 93 points
Round eight of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland will also run as support to the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix. Preining heads into the race from pole position. The race starts on the Nürburgring at midday local time.
