“To climb to the very top of the podium after a Supercup race has been my goal over the entire year. So I’m over the moon. I had an almost perfect start and was able to gradually pull clear of my pursuers,” said Andlauer (martinet by ALMERAS). The Frenchman beat Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing) and Porsche Junior Thomas Preining (A/BWT Lechner Racing). With this, Ammermüller retains his lead in the series with 137 points. Nine points behind him sits Nick Yelloly (GB/Fach Auto Tech). Preining also has an outside chance of clinching the title. Collecting 121 points over the season, he ranks third. At the tenth round on Sunday, 20 points are up for grabs.
Ammermüller took up the race from pole position under cloudy skies and temperatures of 18 degrees Celsius. The German, however, could not defend his front spot at the start: First, Andlauer passed him on the start-finish straight with his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, then after a jump start Larry ten Voorde (Team Project 1) overtook the duo in the first corner and snatched the lead. The Dutchman led the field to the flag after 16 laps, however he received a ten-second penalty. This handed a clear win to Andlauer on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Behind the 19 year old, spectators were treated to some gripping fights for positions: Ammermüller was running second, however Preining put his teammate under increasing pressure over the course of the race. The 32-year-old seasoned specialist fended off repeated attacks from Preining and defended his second place. “It was a difficult race and my aim was to bring home as many points as possible. A collision would have been devastating for my title chances. Tomorrow I want to be crowned champion for the second time in a row,” said Ammermüller.
Michael Ammermüller, Julien Andlauer and Thomas Preining
Preining saw the flag in third place. While the Austrian was battling for second, his rivals gradually caught up. Preining drove a flawless race to secure his fifth podium finish of the season. “That was a crazy race with lots of duels. I just couldn’t find a way past Michael, so I had to settle for third place,” said 20-year-old Preining. Yelloly crossed the finish line in fourth place. The Briton put in a spirited duel against his Dutch teammate Jaap van Lagen. In the penultimate lap, Yelloly made the decisive move and overtook him. Van Lagen finished the race in fifth position.
Sixth place went to Florian Latorre (martinet by ALMERAS) making the Frenchman the best rookie on the 4.304 kilometre circuit. Ten Voorde saw the chequered flag in seventh ahead of Italy’s Mattia Drudi (Dinamic Motorsport). Victory in the ProAm classification went to Roar Lindland (N/Lechner Racing Middle East) ahead of Nicolas Misslin (F/Pierre martinet by ALMERAS) and Mark Radcliffe (GB/IDL Racing).
In the team classification, the championship title is already decided: Before the last round, BWT Lechner Racing holds an unassailable lead. The team owned by Walter Lechner earned 258 points from the first nine rounds. The title fight in the rookie classification is still open. First in the standings is Latorre with an eleven-point lead over ten Voorde. The decision in the ProAm class will also fall on Sunday: Lindland leads with seven wins and with an eight-point gap to Misslin.
Mexico City, race 9 of 10
1. Julien Andlauer (F/martinet by ALMERAS)
2. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing)
3. Thomas Preining (A/BWT Lechner Racing)
4. Nick Yelloly (GB/Fach Auto Tech)
5. Jaap van Lagen (NL/Fach Auto Tech)
6. Florian Latorre (F/martinet by ALMERAS)
7. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team Project 1)
8. Mattia Drudi (I/Dinamic Motorsport)
9. Gustav Malja (S/Team Project 1)
10. Dylan Pereira (L/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing)
Points standings after 9 of 10 races
Drivers’ classification
1. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 137 points
2. Nick Yelloly (GB/Fach Auto Tech), 128 points
3. Thomas Preining (A/BWT Lechner Racing), 121 points
#PorscheMobil1Supercup – Some impressions from race 9 of the season at @autodromohr pic.twitter.com/dhZA6I6jiM
— Porsche Motorsport (@PorscheRaces) 28. Oktober 2018
Fans in Mexico can look forward to a gripping season finale of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: Three competitors will fight for the championship title at rounds nine and ten of the international one-make cup contested from 26-28 October.
Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), Nick Yelloly (GB/Fach Auto Tech) and Porsche Junior Thomas Preining (A/BWT Lechner Racing) could all take home the crown. Forty points are up for grabs at the doubleheader in Mexico City, which runs as support to the Formula 1 race. Ammermüller (119 points) currently leads the standings five points ahead of Yelloly. Preining ranks third with 105 points. Twenty-eight drivers from 15 countries will tackle the two races on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers.
Series leader Ammermüller is the only driver with the decision firmly in his own hands. The German driver’s formula for success is relatively straightforward: if the 32-year-old crosses the finish line in front of his hottest rivals, he will be champion. The ex-Formula 1 test driver is no stranger to such situations. Ammermüller travelled to last year’s season finale as the hunted points’ leader, with second-placed Dennis Olsen hot on his heels chasing overall victory. Ammermüller, however, prevailed and took home the trophy.
So far this season, the Lechner pilot has notched up just one victory at the opening round in Barcelona. However, with five podium results under his belt, Ammermüller has finished in the top three more than any other competitor. “I managed to extend my points lead at Monza, and that gives me confidence. It’ll be a close fight, but I’m looking forward to both races,” says Ammermüller.
Second place in Monza went to Michael Ammermüller
Yelloly, however, is determined to achieve his first title in GT racing. The driver from Solihull in the UK is Ammermüller’s closest rival and has won at the legendary city circuit of Monaco and at Hockenheim. In the last two years, Yelloly has gained experience in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, where he secured the vice-championship last season. Prior to this, the 27-year-old raced single-seaters and still works as a simulator driver for the Formula 1 team Force India. “I love the pressure. But I only know the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez from the time I contested the GP2 and GP3 series,” explains Yelloly.
Porsche Junior Preining travels to Mexico with a healthy dose of self-assurance. The youngster from Linz, Austria, was recently crowned champion of the 2018 Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. And in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Preining is underlining his talent. In addition to his home race in Spielberg, he scored victory on the Hungaroring (Hungary), on the Belgium Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and on Italy’s Autodromo Nazionale Monza. “I’m in high form and my goal is very clear: to win both races – I can’t influence the rest anyway,” says Preining.
The two drivers Mattia Drudi (I/Dinamic Motorsport) and Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer (F/martinet by ALMERAS) have an outside chance of claiming the title. With 93 and 87 points respectively, the pair would have to secure top spots in both races and hope that the leading trio come home empty-handed from both rounds.
The most overtaking manoeuvres in Monza were carried out by Julien Andlauer
The titles in all other classifications will also be decided at the final race weekend in Mexico: The rookie class is led by Frenchman Florian Latorre (martinet by ALMERAS) with 71 points. Roar Lindland (Lechner Racing Middle East) ranks first in the Pro-Am class. The Norwegian has 138 points to his credit. Leading the team classification is the BWT Lechner Racing squad with 224 points. First in the Nations League is France (166 points).
Overseas races are part of Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup tradition. The first time the one-make series raced far from European soil was in 1999 at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. This tradition was upheld with championship rounds held in Indianapolis (USA), Sakhir (Bahrain), Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Austin (USA). After 2017, this is the second time in a row that the Supercup has celebrated its finale in Mexico City.
Round ten of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will also be contested in Mexico City. The race starts on Sunday at 10.15 local time. The season finale can be watched via live timing and web radio on www.racecam.de. Moreover, Eurosport broadcasts the race in more than 60 countries. Sky also televises the international one-make series live in Great Britain and Italy.
