At Zandvoort on the Dutch North Sea coast, Philipp Eng (Team Deutsche Post by Project 1) secured race eight of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Finishing in second behind the 25-year-old Austrian was Michael Ammermüller (D/The Heart of Racing by Lechner), with Alex Riberas (E/The Heart of Racing by Lechner) taking the flag in third. “This is my third victory so far this season. Things are going really well for me at the moment. However, the Zandvoort circuit is a special challenge for all drivers. Sand from the nearby dunes is blown onto the track and that makes driving riskier. And you shouldn’t underestimate the strength of the wind,” declared Eng, whose victory has given him a 37-point advantage at the head of the championship.
At the wheel of his 460 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Eng got a catapult start off the line from pole position and managed to immediately pull clear of the field. Ammermüller, Riberas and Porsche Junior Connor de Phillippi (USA/Land-Motorsport) slotted in behind him. Running in fifth, Christian Engelhart (D/TECE MRS-Racing) at first was unable to match the pace of the frontrunners, with vehicles congesting behind him. After missing the braking point in lap four, Daniel Cammish (GB/Konrad Motorsport) ended up in the gravel, which resulted in the deployment of the safety car. The front pack closed up and when the field turned green again after two laps, Eng again broke away from his pursuers. By the time he reached the flag after 14 laps, he had built a gap of 2.7 seconds.
“Eng was simply unbeatable in this race. I couldn’t do more than second today,” concluded Ammermüller. “It’s always great to stand on the podium. Michael Ammermüller and I yielded a good harvest today for our Lechner team. Unfortunately overtaking is really difficult here at Zandvoort because the track is very narrow,” said Riberas. This is something that American de Phillippi experienced, as well. After finishing fourth on the 4.307-kilometre circuit he stated: “I managed to convert my fourth grid spot into fourth at the flag, but it’s always tough to narrowly miss out on a podium result. Zandvoort is probably the most American track on the calendar. The speed is high and the cars get pretty close to the barriers. I’m looking forward to the race on Sunday.”
Engelhart netted fifth place, with sixth going to Porsche Junior Sven Müller (D/Lechner Racing Middle East). “Unfortunately I botched my start and lost one position. Christian Engelhart and I were locked in a great and absolutely clean fight, but I just couldn’t find a way around him,” said Müller. The 19-year-old Porsche Junior Matteo Cairoli (I/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1) pocketed seventh position. “It wasn’t too bad. I fought my way through and made it safely through the melee,” said Cairoli, who contests his first season in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Robert Renauer (D/Herberth Motorsport) ended his race on eighth place.
In the drivers’ standings of the Porsche one-make cup series campaigning the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, which is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car, Eng has extended his lead over his pursuers. He now holds the overall lead with 134 points over Engelhart (97 points) and Jeffrey Schmidt (CH/Lechner Racing Middle East, 95 points). Riberas ranks fourth with 94 points ahead of Ammermüller (93 points).
Race nine of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland takes off on Sunday at 8.50 hrs on the Circuit Park Zandvoort. Race 8 result: 1. Philipp Eng (A/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1) 2. Michael Ammermüller (D/The Heart of Racing by Lechner) 3. Alex Riberas (E/The Heart of Racing by Lechner) 4. Connor de Phillippi (USA/Land-Motorsport) 5. Christian Engelhart (D/TECE MRS-Racing) 6. Sven Müller (D/Lechner Racing Middle East) 7. Matteo Cairoli (I/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1) 8. Robert Renauer (D/Herberth Motorsport) 9. Christopher Zöchling (A/Konrad Motorsport) 10. Sean Johnston (USA/Market Leader Team by Project 1) Points’ standings after 8 of 17 races: Drivers’ classification 1. Philipp Eng (A/Team Deutsche Post by Project 1), 134 points 2. Christian Engelhart (D/TECE MRS-Racing), 97 points 3. Jeffrey Schmidt (CH/Lechner Racing Middle East), 95 points 4. Alex Riberas (E/The Heart of Racing by Lechner), 94 points 5. Michael Ammermüller (D/The Heart of Racing by Lechner), 93 points Rookie classification 1. Richard Charles Goddard (AUS/TECE MRS-Racing), 10 points 2. Pepe Massot (E/KÜS Team 75 Bernhard), 7 points 3. Alexander Toril (E/Market Leader Team by Project 1), 5 points Amateur classification 1. Rolf Ineichen (CH/Konrad Motorsport), 140 points 2. Wolf Nathan (NL/Land-Motorsport), 138 points 3. Ralf Bohn (D/Herberth Motorsport), 104 point Team classification 1. The Heart of Racing by Lechner, 187 points 2. Team Deutsche Post by Project 1, 185 points 3. Lechner Racing Middle East, 171 points Porsche press release]]>
