Le Mans Cup: Surprising newcomers

After professional Yannick Mettler had been the fastest in his class in practice with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 from Car Barn Raceworks by SPS, the AM driver, who is rated less strong by the FIA, had to get to work in qualifying in accordance with the regulations. However, Dexter Müller, coached by the Lucerne native, did an excellent job and qualified seventh of the ten drivers for his first major car race.

Almost surreal
In the Le Mans Cup, the AM drivers also have to complete the start and the first half of the two-hour race. Despite his lack of experience, Müller handed over the car in fifth intermediate place after a flawless stint.

In the race, which was marked by several incidents, Mettler worked his way up to second place. Because a safety car phase in the middle of the race caused a lot of time to be lost, the leading Ferrari of Kessel Racing with the Italians Giacomo Piccini and Sergio Pianezzola could no longer be caught.

Yannick Mettler: "To be on the podium right away after such a short preparation time is an absolute blast! When I think about everything we've put together in the last four weeks, it seems almost surreal."

Praise for the newcomer
The man from central Switzerland was therefore correspondingly impressed by his so far quite inexperienced partner.

Yannick Mettler: "He didn't make a single mistake all weekend. With the amount of information he had to process in the last few weeks, that would only have been normal. Even under pressure, Dexter always remained confident."

Return to the Nordschleife
For Mettler himself, this was the 16th podium in a row (VLN, 24H Series, etc.). The next round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup takes place on May 11 in Monza.

Before that, Mettler returns to the Nordschleife, where he will make his debut on April 27 in a Mercedes-AMG GT4 driven by Black Falcon. Last year, the German team was his strongest opponent in the successful battle for the VLN GT4 title in a BMW M4.

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