Christian Engelhart (MRS GT-Racing) has clinched his first win of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland season on the Red Bull Ring. On Saturday, the German beat the Italian Porsche Junior Matteo Cairoli (Ebimotors) and Jeffrey Schmidt (Team Lechner Huber Racing) from Switzerland to the flag. At the wheel of his 460 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the seasoned Porsche specialist Engelhart kept his cool in a turbulent race packed with overtaking manoeuvres and gripping duels and was rewarded with 20 points for his victory: “I got away well at the start. At one point in the last third of the race I really had to fight but then I managed to pull clear of the field. I’m thrilled about bringing home a good result for the team and the fact that I’ve taken over the championship lead,” said Engelhart.
Porsche Junior Sven Müller (D/Konrad Motorsport) took up the race from pole position and got the jump off the line. But in the very first lap the safety car was deployed after a collision amongst the backmarkers. After the restart Müller managed to defend his lead position until the race organisers handed him a drive-through penalty for an incorrect starting position infringement, which relegated him from the lead to the back of the field. “I was told that I was almost a metre off the mark at the start. This is, of course, extremely aggravating because it is my fault and it cost me the victory. Still, I turned the fastest race lap and I was still able to yield seven points at the flag,” said Müller.
Engelhart benefited from Müller’s misfortune and promptly inherited position one on the 4.326-kilometre circuit in the seventh lap. For a brief time he came under fire from Cairoli, however Engelhart managed to defend his position. Cairoli, who contests the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup this season run as support to Formula One, was a guest starter at the Carrera Cup race in Spielberg, Austria. This year, the 19-year-old competes in numerous Porsche one-make cups throughout Europe. “Even though it wasn’t good enough for first place, it’s always good to finish on the podium. Unfortunately my start was terrible and I dumped the clutch too early. But on Sunday I start from pole and I’d like to win the race,” declared the runner-up. Schmidt battled his way from ninth on the grid to finish on third after 14 laps.
Porsche Junior Dennis Olsen (N/Team Lechner Huber Racing) scored fourth. “I wasn’t at all happy with my start. I even lost a position. Around the midway point in the race I was trailing Foster and Rettenbacher and the two locked horns. I was wondering how it would end up. It didn’t turn out well and the two collided. Suddenly I’d gained two positions,” said Olsen. Fifth place went to David Kolkmann (D/Rookie Team Deutsche Post by Project 1).
After five of 16 championship rounds, Engelhart leads with 83 points ahead of Müller with 81 points. Olsen ranks third with 72 points, making him the best rookie of the series. Leading the B-classification is Wolfgang Triller (D/Team Huber Lechner Racing) with 100 points.
A special guest at the racetrack this weekend is the YouTube celebrity from Munich Sophia Thiel, who has fans in the fitness scene on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. She will also be there when race six of championship gets underway on Sunday at 9.25 hrs.
Result race 5: 1. Christian Engelhart (D/MRS GT-Racing) 2. Matteo Cairoli (I/Ebimotors) 3. Jeffrey Schmidt (CH/Team Lechner Huber Racing) 4. Dennis Olsen (N/Team Lechner Huber Racing) 5. David Kolkmann (D/Rookie Team Deutsche Post by Project 1) 6. Nicholas Yelloly (GB/Rookie Team Deutsche Post by Project 1) 7. Marek Böckmann (D/KÜS Team75 Bernhard) 8. Ryan Cullen (GB/Konrad Motorsport) 9. Nick Foster (AUS/KÜS Team75 Bernhard) 10. Wolfgang Triller (D/Team Huber Lechner Racing) 11. Sven Müller (D/Konrad Motorsport) 12. Wolf Nathan (NL/Team Huber Lechner Racing) 13. Luca Rettenbacher (A/Konrad Motorsport) Not classified: Ricardo Flores Ramirez (PE/MRS GT-Racing) Philipp Sager (A/Team Huber Lechner Racing) Points’ standings after 5 of 16 races: Driver classification 1. Christian Engelhart (D/MRS GT-Racing), 83 points 2. Sven Müller (D/Konrad Motorsport), 81 points 3. Dennis Olsen (NOR/Team Lechner Huber Racing), 72 points Rookie classification 1. Dennis Olsen (NOR/Team Lechner Huber Racing), 72 points 2. Luca Rettenbacher (A/Konrad Motorsport), 52 points 3. David Kolkmann (D/Rookie Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), 50 points Amateur classification 1. Wolfgang Triller (D/Team Huber Lechner Racing), 100 points 2. Wolf Nathan (NL/Team Huber Lechner Racing), 52 points 3. Ricardo Flores Ramirez (PE/MRS GT-Racing), 52 points Team classification 1. Team Lechner Huber Racing, 139 points 2. Konrad Motorsport, 132 points 3. MRS GT-Racing, 100 points
Press release Porsche
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