Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2024 – Misano (E)
The final Porsche Sports Cup Suisse race weekend in Misano presented challenging conditions. Over two training days, rainy intervals alternated with semi-dry tracks, testing the drivers to adapt to unpredictable circumstances. Despite these challenges, I consistently performed at the forefront during training and successfully addressed the tyre issues from Mugello and Portimão with an adjusted setup.
However, I experienced some misfortune when I slipped off-track into the tyre barriers at Turn 2. Fortunately, the AMAG First Rennsport team completed the necessary repairs and alignments in time for the next stint.
The qualifying session for the 2-hour night race went exceptionally well for us: together with my partner and coach, Jan-Philipp Springob, we secured pole position in our category!
- Qualifying:
My two fastest qualifying laps secured me P2 in the front row for both races, providing a solid starting position. - Sprint Race 1:
After a less-than-ideal start, I dropped to P4 but fought back to P3, losing valuable time in the process. The race ended just behind the second-place finisher, as I only got within striking distance in the final laps. This result also decided the championship. Congratulations to Tomas Guedes on the well-deserved overall victory—it was exciting right to the end! - Sprint Race 2:
The start went perfectly, allowing me to take the lead quickly. Unfortunately, in lap 4 (Turn 15), I slid off the track due to coolant on the surface, which handed the lead to my direct competitor, Tomas Guedes. Ultimately, I had to settle for P2, as I couldn’t recover the time lost from the slip.
The Endurance Race
The highlight of the weekend was the Endurance Race. After a hectic start, my partner, Jan-Philipp Springob, took the lead in our category by lap 8. Following a well-timed driver change during the first safety car phase, I exited the pit lane for my second stint in P4. From there, I fought my way up to P2.
We strategically anticipated a potential second safety car phase, which unfortunately did not occur initially. As a result, we decided to make the second mandatory pit stop, which, based on calculations, could have secured us the victory by the theoretical gap we had to our competitors.
Unfortunately, two subsequent safety car phases favoured our competitors, nullifying our strategy. We finished the race in P2—we took a gamble, but it didn’t pay off. That’s racing!
With 13 races and 12 podium finishes, I can look back on a solid performance. However, in the second half of the season, the crucial bit of luck needed to clinch the championship was missing.
A big thanks goes to AMAG First Rennsport, my coaches, and the team for their outstanding support. Without you, these achievements wouldn’t have been possible.
We can be proud of the 2024 season and look forward to the challenges ahead!
Video of the Race: Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2024
Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2024 – Mugello (E)
Just one hour north of Florence lies the beautiful Mugello racetrack. With a length of 5.245 km, 15 challenging corners, and a 1.141 km long straight, it is one of the fastest and most picturesque tracks in Italy – and no surprise, it belongs to Ferrari.
Tuscany is famous for its excellent wine, which requires plenty of sun and moisture – and that’s exactly what the weather was like during race weekend: A mix of rain and dry spells posed a real challenge, as the conditions were often hard to predict. However, this changeable weather offered a great opportunity to further develop one’s skills
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Similar to Portimão, we once again had issues with the left rear tire. After just 100 km, the tire already looked very worn out, which naturally doesn’t inspire much confidence in the driver, especially since this was already the 7th tire that ended up like this…
After two intense days of practice, race day greeted us with bright sunshine. The track wasn’t quite as fast as last year, but I still managed to secure second place in qualifying with a time of 1:54.789 – once again behind Tomas Guedes. Although I hit the targeted performance window, I couldn’t quite put together my fastest qualifying lap this time. My direct competitor, Patrick Schetty, was just 0.2 seconds behind me in qualifying, adding extra pressure.
At the start of the first race, I got off the line well, even managing to briefly get ahead of Guedes, but I was too cautious into Turn 1 and had to slot in behind him. Schetty was right on my tail, making it clear that this race would not be easy. Midway through the race, I was able to create a small buffer, allowing me to focus on moving forward. However, my GT4 became harder to handle, with frequent oversteer, and two laps before the end, disaster struck: a left rear tire failure – a déjà vu of Portimão – forced me to retire the car.
Due to the rear tire replacement, I was penalized for the second race and had to start from P6, making a potential win seem out of reach. At the start, I managed to gain two positions, partly thanks to the fairness of my competitors. In the first two laps, I fought my way up to P3, but the leaders, Guedes and Schetty, were still within sight yet too far ahead. The combination of old tires in the front, new tires in the rear, and a shock absorber swap without proper setup adjustments made the car difficult to drive, so I had to settle for P3 – at least a podium finish.
At this point, I would like to extend a big thank you to the AMAG First Racing Team as well as Jan-Philipp Springob for their efforts. We were close, but it just wasn’t meant to be this time.
Video to the event and qualifying: Mugello 2024
Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2024 – Rollercoaster Portimao (E)
The Portimão racetrack in the Algarve, Portugal, rightfully deserves the reputation of being a small Nürburgring – or better yet, a rollercoaster. With its blind corners, demanding direction changes, and challenging corner combinations, it requires precision, vehicle control, and confidence. Even the smallest mistakes can lead to significant time losses.
It was my first time on this track, so I prepared intensively with videos and simulation training. It paid off: I quickly found my rhythm, and the performance was solid right from the start. The basic setup was also solid. However, there was a constant problem with the left rear tire: over the entire weekend, five tires were destroyed. The rubber completely separated from the fabric – and to this day, there is no explanation for it.
In qualifying, however, I had to concede to Tomas Guedes. On his home track and with new tires, he was hard to beat, so I settled for P2.
The first race was uneventful. Guedes pulled away early, and I couldn’t keep up with his pace on this demanding track. However, the second race was much more exciting. Jens Richter put me under a lot of pressure. After a good start, I positioned myself behind Guedes again, but was chased by Richter for 11 laps and defended my second place fiercely over this distance.
In lap 11, things got interesting: Guedes was struggling with a gearbox failure and had to retire his car, handing me the lead. With a lot of confidence, I continued my race in P1, but shortly after, I made a mistake: in the hairpin of T5, I most likely shifted incorrectly, which Richter immediately took advantage of. He won the race, while the victory slipped just out of my hands, and I finished in P2 again. A shame – it was so close this time!
I would like to sincerely thank Yannick Mettler for his support as my coach and the AMAG First Racing Team!
Video to the event and qualifying: Portimao 2024
Porsche Sports Cup Suisse – Exciting Races in Imola
The 3rd race weekend in the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse turned out to be a complete success, despite some challenges at the beginning. After a long journey from Scotland and only three hours of sleep, the first free practice day was a real test. However, by the second day of practice, the team managed to find the optimal setup for the car.
The qualifying on Sunday morning took place under rainy conditions. I had an exciting duel with my rival Tomas Guedes and missed the pole position by only 0.17 seconds.
In the first sprint race, which took place in heavy rain, I had a rather poor start as I was in the wrong gear during the rolling start and fell back from P2 to P3. An intense battle with Walker for second place followed. Eventually, I fought my way back to second place, but despite having the fastest race laps, it wasn’t enough to catch Tomas Guedes at the front. I finished the race in second place.
The second race took place on a mostly dry track. The start went much better this time, but Tomas showed a flawless performance and outstanding performance, so I again finished in second place.
A big thank you to the AMAG First Racing Team and my coach Jan-Philippe Springob, who provided excellent support this weekend as well.
With six races driven and six podium finishes so far, the championship chance remains intact. At the end of August, we head to Portimão, Portugal.
Official Press Release Porsche : Porsche Newsroom Imola 2024
Video: Onboard Imola 2024
Porsche Sports Cup Suisse – Paul Ricard (E)
Things went very well for us at the second race weekend of the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse (PSCS 2024) at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. During the practice sessions, we found an optimal setup that provided a suitable balance for both new tyres for qualifying and tyres at the end of the race distance in the second race, significantly improving or even eliminating our previous issues with understeer at the end of the race.
In qualifying, I exceeded my personal goal of under 2:10.000 several times. However, it was not enough to earn P1, and I had to settle for P2 for both the first and second races. Nevertheless, I was satisfied; Thomas Guedes was better.
I had a good start in both races, but lost some ground in turns T2 and T3. Although I could keep up with Tomas in both races and set faster lap times, including the fastest lap in the second race, it was unfortunately not enough for the win in the end. In the decisive moments, I made small mistakes that ultimately prevented a successful attack on Tomas. Fortunately, I could keep my teammates Patrick Schetty and Andreas Heiniger at a distance in P3.
The two races were very tough but fair in the duel with Tomas. When you can applaud each other after crossing the finish line for a great race and the exciting duels are more important than the final result, that is pure motorsport and a very rewarding experience. Therefore, I am very satisfied with the result and still see my chances in the overall standings as very good.
A big thank you goes to the AMAG First Rennsport team, my car chief Stefan Mueller, and my coach Alex Fontana. The entire team plays a big part in such success.
Links:
Porsche Sports Cup Suisse – Red Bull Ring – Double Podium
The Porsche Sports Cup Suisse kicked off this year, just like in previous years, at the legendary Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Despite cold but dry conditions, we had thrilling races. Nevertheless, I have a rather ambivalent relationship with the Red Bull Ring: on the one hand, the track is beautifully located, and the infrastructure is absolutely top-notch and modern; on the other hand, the track remains a challenge for me and is not necessarily among my favourites. But to get ahead of myself: this year, things were a bit different!
After our test days in Le Castellet on the Paul Ricard circuit, we were optimistic that our setup was already well-tuned to me and the new GT4 RS. The only challenge was the understeer, especially with tire degradation over race distance. However, after some adjustments at the end of the first day, we got it under control. At 1:33:709, I finished qualifying in P1 and was even 0.3 seconds under my personal goal. Initially, I had trouble finding the right rhythm at the beginning of the qualifying and missed the optimal tyre peak. Nevertheless, I was very satisfied with the result, especially since I could hold Tomas Guedes to P2 by 0.13s.
In the first of the two races, starting from the inside, I was a bit cautious and lost the lead in T1, regained it in T3, but lost it again in T4. Tomas Guedes, a Portuguese GT4 driver who is also a top contender in the Italian GT4 Championship, made no mistakes, so we maintained the gap in the race. At the end of the first race, I came in second ahead of my former teammate Philip Hagnauer from Porsche BSL Racing. What a race!
The new format of the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse is based on the two best qualifying lap times, which is why I started from P3 in the second race. My second start was good but not perfect. In the fifth lap, however, I was able to take the lead and celebrate my first victory of the season 2024 in front of Patrick Schetty and Ekatarina Lüscher.
Such success is only possible through the smooth collaboration of all involved. From the team that prepares the vehicle and optimizes the setup during the race weekend to the fair competitors who keep the competition exciting, the equipment that must last until the checkered flag, to the external influences like weather, track conditions, and even race control – and, of course, a bit of luck. This weekend, everything was just right and came together, and I am very grateful to the AMAG First Rennsport team and my driver coach, Moritz Kranz, for their excellent support. Of course, there will be other races where not everything goes as smoothly this season. But for this year’s championship, I was able to lay the first important foundation. We keep on pushing!
Video to the race:
PSCS 2024 – Red Bull Ring
