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
Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2024 – Free Practise in Le Castellet
An improved air intake allows for maximum power at 8,300 revolutions per minute, a significant jump of 800 revolutions higher than before. With a maximum engine speed of 9,000 and a maximum torque of 465 Nm (previously 425 Nm), the car offers an impressively wide rev range. Additionally, the vehicle benefits from an optimised dual-clutch gearbox, now using seven gears instead of six for shorter ratios.
The driving dynamics of the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport are noticeably improved through extensive chassis modifications. Completely renewed damper technology significantly enhances control over the vehicle. The modifications include, among other things, two-way shock absorbers and adjustable anti-roll bars at the front and back. I felt that the vehicle is finer to drive: in certain situations with unevenness and crests, the new GT4 is more forgiving, but when accelerating out, one must be a bit gentler with the right foot.
Another highlight is the increased use of sustainable natural fibre composite materials (NFC). You could probably even smoke the installed herbs 😊. This innovative approach, which was already popular with the predecessor model, has now been expanded and includes not only doors and rear wings but also the front hood, fenders, and other aerodynamic components.
That we were able to drive the cars at all is thanks to the tireless efforts of AMAG First Motorsport, as it was anything but certain that the vehicles could be delivered on time and be ready for use.
But enough writing: take a seat in the cockpit and enjoy a lap of Le Castellet with me! https://youtu.be/50a6Y5a4K0g. Connoisseurs might notice one or two blunders, but the times were quite respectable for the first two days of training.
I am immensely pleased to be able to share this season with you as well and thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for motorsport. And: I have now updated my website at https://rstebler.ch/racing-sponsoring/ and would of course be delighted to continue to count on your support.
Driver Webpage of the AMAG First Racing Team: Remo Stebler (porsche.com)
Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2023 – Misano (E)
Misano – the last race of the season on the adriatic coast, the home track of Valentino Rossi, who is one of the most successful riders in the history of the motorcycle world championship with nine world championship titles. That said, Misano was built as a Moto GP circuit and is correspondingly demanding.
The last race of the season in Misano is always something special. On the one hand, it’s the 2-hour endurance night race, and on the other, it’s the last opportunity of the season to mobilize all your reserves for the final sprint. I could no longer have much influence on the championship, and it was clear that I would have to accept P4, as I had lost too many points in the first half of the season. Nevertheless, it might still be enough for another top position.
On the first day of practice, we still had trouble finding the right balance for the car, so I lacked the necessary confidence. However, the setup changes had positive effects, so that by the end of the second day of practice, I was pretty happy with the setup, my laptimes and my performance.
We won the endurance qualifying, which I contested with my instructor Yannick Mettler. My own time would have been P3 at that point, but Yannick went one better and took P1.
In sprint qualifying the following day, my time of 1:41:934 was pretty fast, but unfortunately also a bit unlucky because I ran into a car in the last three corners and lost valuable time, so I finished qualifying in P3. That’s racing..
Nevertheless, the starting position for the first sprint race was promising. But as so often this season, my start could have been better. The tire pressure and temperature were not in the ideal window, and I also braked a bit deep into the first corner and had to let vehicles pass as a result. After exciting fights in the first race, I finished the first race in P5 and had to admit defeat.
I got away better in the second sprint race and was able to make up places in the first two laps and finish the race in P3. I caught up with the front runners, but I would have had to risk too much to make up a place. I was happy with a podium finish in P3.
The endurance race was very exciting. Unfortunately, Yannick drove the start and was spun by a GT3 in T2 after the first 16 laps. Luckily, it was only a bit of bodywork damage and a 10s loss – it could have meant DNF in the worst case. We also had to contend with the track limits and received two warnings. From the 3rd warning onwards, there is a 5s penalty for each infringement.
Nevertheless, after an hour, Yannick fought back to the front and handed over the car in P1. Unfortunately, I was released from the pits 5s too early due to a problem with the onboard time measurement and a misunderstanding, so we got a penalty of 15s – ouch. Fortunately, I wasn’t informed about this and just drove my race. I could hold P1, but my lead was less than 15 due to the penalty! Shortly before the end, I had to come into the pits for the second pit stop, and for strategic reasons, we made another driver change, as Yannick is simply faster than a Pro driver. Our opponents knew this too, of course, and sent the Pro driver to the front again in the last stint. Yannick conjured up one qualifying lap after another in the final laps, putting pressure on our opponents, who also violated track limits again, so they also had 15s penalties. So, victory in the last race of the season and the second victory in a row in the 2h Endurance in the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2023.
Endurance is, even more than the sprint races, a team effort. A victory is only possible if the entire team, including the driver, performs consistently well. Many thanks at this point to my instructor Yannick Mettler and the AMAG First Rennsport team, which won the 2023 championship in the team classification.
Congratulations to my teammate Patrick Schetty, who deserved to win the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2023.
Race Video: PSCS Misano 2023
Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2023 – Mugello (E)
Mugello – At the end of September 2023, the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse was a guest at Mugello, one of Europe’s most beautiful race tracks. In contrast to last year, at least on race day, we had perfect conditions. In free practice, we had to deal with changeable conditions, and even in dry conditions, the grip was not optimal on the first practice day. Unfortunately, we also struggled with setup and aggressive oversteer and had to test and implement setup changes accordingly. Fortunately, the setup changes worked, and the car was optimally set up for Qualifying and the race.
The two qualifying sessions for the Endurance and Sprint races were very successful, and I achieved a P2 and P1 in my class in the short tire peak window, which was a very promising starting position for the race.
Starting the sprint race from the first row of the grid was optimal, but unfortunately, I could not convert my good performance from the Qualifying into a victory. In T1 my approach was too hesitant, so four cars passed me straight away, which was annoying. Reaching p3 after a catch-up race was the maximum at that moment.
In the Endurance race, the start was a lot better, but in the opposite starting row, two cars were missing, so I had a disadvantage at the start that the other side easily gained places. So I arrived in T1 again on P5 instead of P2, and lost places. I made up three positions within three laps and led the race from lap 12 on. Unfortunately, I had bad luck in the second safety car phase, so my opponents, particularly the Pro on P2 could catch up, and I had to give up the lead three laps before the end. Although I had the better pace for large parts of the race, I could not stop the pro driver Leclerc behind me of course. So I am more than happy with P2. Since the winner didn’t get any points as a gold (pro) driver, I was credited with the maximum points, like a victory, for the championship.
Mugello, once again a great experience and a good race result. Special thanks to my race team AMAG First Rennsport, and my coach in Mugello, Alex Fontana, who prepared and coached me optimally for this race.
Press Release: Porsche Switzerland
Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2023 – Monza (E)
Monza – Temple of Speed, as the circuit is called, is the fastest race track on the calendar for the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse. For me, this meant an unknown race track, a new team, a new car, and, therefore, all sorts of new things to learn. 
On the first day, I struggled with the setup, for example, keeping the tire pressure in an optimal window or finding the right balance between top speed on the straights and downforce in the braking areas and corners. It took us a moment to find the optimal setup for me. The practice sessions were successful, and we were always within the top 5.
In qualifying, we delivered the results from the training successfully. P3 for me in the Sprint Quali, P1 for Yannick Mettler, my instructor and the Endurance, Teammate in the Endurance Quali.
In the Sprint race, I lost a place at the start due to some caution, but this was not tragic. Unfortunately, I misjudged my speed in the braking zone to turn 1 in lap two and had an accident, so I could not finish the race and remained without points – DNF.
As a result, I had to start from last place in the second sprint race and therefore had to fight my way through the field. I didn’t get near the top 3 because the overtaking maneuvers cost me time lap after lap. Nevertheless, I finished the race in P4, which was definitely a success.
The Endurance race was a full success for Yannick and me. Through a clever pit-stop strategy on the one hand, a good starting position, and a top performance, especially from Yannick, we celebrated the season’s first victory— an overwhelming feeling, especially under these circumstances.
At this point, a big thank you to AMAG First Rennsport, who was able to get the car ready again in the shortest possible time, and of course, to Yannick Mettler, who not only prepared me successfully and accompanied me through the race, but also played a major role in our success in Endurance.
Race Report: Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2023 – Monza
Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2023 – Imola (E)
Imola – after a year’s interruption, we are guests again at this beautiful racetrack. Due to the heavy rainfall four weeks ago, the Formula 1 race could not take place here, but for us, everything was ready again – Ready to Race.
The first two days of practice went according to our plan and preparation with no big surprises. I improved quite a bit from the first to the last practice session, so I felt good about the race. Imola suits me very well, as it is technically quite demanding and therefore suits me. 
The Endurance Quali was promising. I finished P3 in my class and had a good starting position for the Endurance race. The qualifying for the sprint race didn’t go as well as I would have liked. On the one hand On the one hand, I was lucky to have a free lap in the peak window; on the other hand, I had to abort another promising lap and could only set a reasonable time in lap 10. P4 in class, but nothing was lost yet.
Unfortunately, it went south from then on. We tried to start the engine before the race, but nothing worked. The fuel pump failed to work, but the reason must be clarified. We tried various things until we found out that the fuel pump relay was not working. Due to all the manual work and diagnoses under time pressure, it was suddenly unclear how much petrol we had filled up. So we filled up the tank. So I started a sprint race over 14 laps, with 100 liters of petrol! So I was about 60kg heavier than everyone else and had more fuel in the tank at the end than the others at the start! On top of that, we were a few seconds late, and the pit lane had closed before I could get out. So I started last out of the pitlane. And if that wasn’t enough, the pit lane was opened too late at the start of the race. So I chased the field 20 seconds later with new brake pads, cold tires, and a full fuel tank. Ultimately, I finished the race in P7 in my class, which is a good result under the circumstances.
I started the endurance race full of hope and confidence. I was overcautious at the start but within striking distance of my competitors. But somehow, I didn’t quite get up to speed; I also lost some speed, and at some point, I noticed that my car tended to oversteer massively. As it was boiling, the tire temperatures, and tire pressures were high in the afternoon, I looked for the fault in myself even when I had a complete stall – until I could no longer shift into 3rd and 5th gear. Unfortunately, I had to finish the race with gearbox damage – DNF.
Unfortunately, with the damage at the Redbull Ring, the tire problems in Le Castellet, and this race weekend, a possible victory or podium finish in the overall PSCS standings is out of the question. So the task now is to learn and enjoy as much as possible, which is also positive.
Unfortunately, at least for now, this was the last race in the Porsche Basel Racing Team, which I greatly regret. I want to take this opportunity to thank the guys from the Racing Team for their tireless efforts – it was great fun with you, and I learned a lot from you! Keep it flat-out, my friends.
