Motorsport: Strong Swiss Fraction
The many Swiss spectators in the stands at the Hockenheimring got to see good performances from their compatriots in the two ADAC top championships on Sunday. Ronny Jost and Nikolaj Rogivue were outstanding. In a dramatic finale, nine different drivers settled the title among themselves in the top-class ADAC GT Masters for GT3 sports cars, which Connor de Philippi (USA) and [...]
In a dramatic finale, nine different drivers settled the title in the top-class ADAC GT Masters for GT3 sportscars among themselves, which was decided in favor of Connor de Philippi (USA) and Christopher Mies (D) in an Audi R8 LMS. Even before Sunday's race was interrupted due to an accident, Nikolaj Rogivue's podium finish was in the offing.
The 20-year-old from Zurich had qualified the AMG Mercedes from the Zakspeed Junior Team for 5th place on the grid and, with Nicolai Sylvest (DK) as his partner, subsequently captured third place overall behind two Porsche teams that were unbeatable on this track. At the same time, the youngest duo in the field won the Junior classification in this race. The day before, Christopher Zanella, who drives for a German Porsche team, also stood on a GT podium for the first time.
Convincing Swiss in the ADAC TCR Germany
Ronny Jost also demonstrated strong nerves and driving skills in the ADAC TCR Germany, which is contested by a front-wheel-drive touring car with two-liter turbo engines under the same regulations as the international series. For the first time, the Bern native qualified in the top 10 in the 26-car field, which, according to the regulations, earned him pole position for Sunday's race. With a great maneuver in the starting bend, Jost retained the lead with the Seat Leon entered by the Topcar family team, which he had to relinquish to two Honda drivers after a brief safety car phase.
"I knew I didn't stand a chance against the faster Honda Civic, but I wasn't going to let them take the podium away from me," said Jost afterwards, delighted with his first podium finish in third place, which he successfully defended against championship runner-up Harald Proczyk in an identical Seat Leon. Pascal Eberle, also supported by Seat Switzerland, fought his way up to tenth place in both races, while Jasmin Preisig in the Opel Astra TCR finished twelfth.
