Porsche Cup: Postponed title decisions
TRIUMPH AND DRAMA were close together at the fifth round of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Suisse at Mugello. As in the Cayman GT4 Cup, the championship decision in the premier class is postponed until the season finale in Misano. The sprint race of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge was the prey of championship leader Jean-Paul von Burg. The veteran grabbed the lead in the very first [...]
The sprint race of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge was the prey of championship leader Jean-Paul von Burg. The veteran driver caught guest driver Erich Stahler, who had started from pole position, in the very first corner and left no doubt about his top position over the 13-lap distance.
While Stahler, who is not eligible for points, set the fastest race lap and finished second, Antonio Teixeira took third place. The 18-year-old had beaten Dominik Fischli right after the start, but Fischli stayed on his tail. At the finish, the two were separated by just 0.848 seconds.
An exciting duel also raged for 5th place, which was won in the end by Andreas Corradina against Josef Stengel by 0.539 seconds. The other positions were taken by Gregor Burkard, Peter Hegglin, Leonard Rendulic and Rolf Reding as the winner of class 5d.
First win of the season for Fischli
The final Endurance race presented a completely different picture. After 31 turbulent laps and four safety car phases, Dominik Fischli was able to celebrate his first victory of the season after 76 minutes. The place of honor went to Peter Hegglin, who thus extended his third place in the standings.
Andreas Corradina caused a particular stir. After a botched qualifying session (44th), he fought his way up to third place on the podium. Behind him, Ramon Werner, Mike Knutzon and Benoit Bitschnau crossed the finish line.
Damage limitation for the table leader
The two championship leaders, on the other hand, had an afternoon to forget. Jean-Paul von Burg, who was leading the race at the start, slid into the gravel trap on the 17th lap like three other cars on an oil slick and dropped to the back of the field. Despite setting the fastest race lap, he had to settle for 14th place.
Things went even worse for Antonio Teixeira. First, the title rival was relegated to 51st place on the grid because he had repeatedly exceeded the track limits in qualifying. His brilliant race to catch up ended in retirement on the 13th lap.
The title will therefore not be decided until the last weekend of October at the season finale in Misano between Texeira and the Geneva native.
Jean-Paul von Burg: "The sprint went great for me. In the Endurance race I slid off the track as if on ice. The car remained undamaged, but it took the marshals to pull me back onto the track. I kept going after that because the points for 14th place could still be important in the title fight."
Linus Diener reaches for the first championship title
The battle for the title in the Cayman GT4 Clubsport class between championship leader Linus Diener, Laurent Misbach and Marcel Wagner entered the decisive phase at Mugello. While Wagner won the sprint race from pole position ahead of newcomer Diener, Misbach had to settle for third place after his two victories at Dijon despite setting the fastest race lap. After 13 laps, the top three were separated by just 0.825 seconds.
Linus Diener tackled the endurance race from the best starting position, whereupon Shooting Star of the Year did not let himself be deprived of victory. Now the former motorcycle rider also has the best cards for the finale on the Adriatic.
When Marcel Wagner crashed after 20 of the 31 laps, Misbach took over second place in the GT4 standings. Although he put pressure on Diener, he couldn't get past. Third place went to Matteo Arrigosi at the wheel of a previous year's model.
The most regular before the fastest
Andreas Ritzi's form curve in the Porsche Driver's Challenge again showed a steep upward trend at Mugello. With his 991/2 911 GT3 RS, he again set the most consistent times of all 26 participants. Over the ten laps, Ritzi only allowed himself a deviation of 1.43 seconds from his own average and thus repeated his victory from Dijon.
In the standings, Ritzi moved up to second place, passing Robert Schwaller (only 9th place with a 7.5-second gap). However, he was unable to threaten Massimo Salamanca's championship lead. Salamanca found his rhythm a little late in his 911 GT3 RS, but left no doubt about his title ambitions with fourth place, the best qualifying time and the second-fastest race lap.
