At the first 12-hour race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series, PROsport Racing showed a strong team performance.
For the first time, a 12-hour race was held in the Nürburgring Endurance Series. The race was divided into two blocks of six hours each, which were held on Saturday and Sunday. Especially on Saturday the weather with partly heavy rain offered an additional challenge for the pilots. PROsport Racing from Wiesemscheid started with a total of four cars. In addition to a Porsche Cayman from the V5 class, Christoph Esser’s team fielded an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and two Aston Martin Vantage GT4.
Maxime Dumarey, Jean Glorieux and Christoph Breuer took turns at the wheel of the GT3 Vantage. After twelve hours of racing, the trio finished the race in second position in the SP9 ProAm class. Thus, PROsport Racing clinched a podium result with the GT3 car on the Nordschleife for the first time since the start of the program. “We are pleased with the result of the GT3 car,” explained team boss Esser. “Since the start of the season, we have been able to improve our performance, which shows that we are on the right track. In addition, I have to say that the Vantage GT3 is a very reliable car, we had no problems in the complete race.”
In the SP10 class for GT4 cars, PROsport Racing had to make a driver change at short notice. Besides the French Célia Martin, the two Belgians Nico Verdonck and Guillaume Dumarey started the race. After a tough fight in the top 3 over the complete race distance, the car with the starting number #175 drove to the second position in the class. “I would especially like to commend Celia for her strong performance on Saturday. Although it was her first race in the Aston Martin, she did a perfect job in the difficult weather conditions! Her two teammates also put in a strong performance,” Esser emphasized.
The second Vantage GT4 of Guido Dumarey, Alexander Walker and Yevgen Sokolovskiy finished the race in sixth place in the SP10 class after several collisions and impacts. Christoph Esser: “The car was battered from all sides after the twelve hours. We also had to repair the car overnight and therefore got a penalty time. But our gentlemen are satisfied: they had fun and were able to drive a good speed when they could.”
The Porsche Cayman “permit driving school car” also reached the checkered flag after twelve hours. Hugo Sasse, Alexander Hommerson and Ivan Peklin had to chase a large deficit early in the race, as the brake line on the Cayman burst on the starting lap, forcing the team to make a lengthy repair. Ultimately, the goal was for the three youngsters to gain race experience on the Nordschleife, which was achieved. “We have to look at what led to the brake line bursting. That must not happen and we have to prevent that in the future. After the repair, the drivers were able to gain important kilometers on the Nordschleife, which was important for them,” Esser said of the Cayman drivers’ race.
In conclusion, PROsport Racing draws a positive conclusion to the 12-hour race, which was held for the first time. “It’s important that the Nürburgring Endurance Series is trying new ways to strengthen the appeal of the series,” explains Esser. “The new format was perfect for our drivers because it gives them a lot of driving time in one event and also allows them to experience the flair of the Nordschleife in light darkness. Only the restart procedure on Sunday needs to be worked on in my opinion, there were still some weaknesses here. But in the end, the positive impressions outweigh the negative!”
The Nürburgring Endurance Series continues on October 8 with the 54th ZEWOTHERM ADAC Barbarossapreis.
