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Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup - Hockenheim 2018

Race report

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup - Hockenheim 2018
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Round 5, Formula 1 race at Hockenheim/Germany, Race report
Nick Yelloly scores second win of the season at the Hockenheimring

Nick Yelloly (Fach Auto Tech) scored a commanding lights-to-flag victory at round five of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup on the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg. This triumph marks the Englishman’s second win of the season. “I got away well at the start and that laid the foundation for my win. To drive unchallenged at the front of the field might look easy, but you have to be totally concentrated over the entire distance. And I succeeded in that,” said Yelloly. At the wheel of his 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Mattia Drudi (Dinamic Motorsport) from Italy took the flag in second place, with Michael Ammermüller (BWT Lechner Racing) from Germany crossing the finish line in third.

Under cloudy skies and in 24-degree Celsius temperatures, Yelloly pulled clear of the field immediately after the start. After 14 laps, the driver from Sollihull in the UK swept over the finish line in first, 3.6-seconds ahead of Drudi. Behind Yelloly, gripping battles for positions developed on the storied German racetrack. Taking up the race from the third grid spot, Drudi immediately put Mikkel Pedersen (MRS GT-Racing) in front of him under pressure. In lap three, the 20-year-old overtook the Dane, which the Italian from Misano Adriatico defended until the flag. “In the final laps my tyres deteriorated more and more, so I didn’t want to take too much of a risk. This is my second podium finish after Silverstone and that’s of course fantastic,” said Drudi.

Behind Drudi, Ammermüller, as the current leader of the championship, headed into the race from fifth on the grid to ultimately bring home third place. In the seventh lap, the 32-year-old managed to overtake Pedersen then Porsche Junior Thomas Preining (A/BWT Lechner Racing). “That was a suspenseful race with tight gaps between the cars. I took a bit of a risk with the overtaking move and I was rewarded for it,” said Ammermüller. His teammate Preining saw the flag in fourth place. Over several laps, the 20-year-old treated fans in the packed Formula One grandstands to a gripping duel with Pedersen. In lap twelve, Preining squeezed past the 21-year-old in the first corner. “I was fast today and I waited for Mikkel Pedersen to make a mistake. My patience paid off and I’m thrilled to have earned 14 points towards the championship,” stated Preining. Dylan Pereira (L/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing) finished behind the Porsche Junior in fifth place, with Pedersen on sixth.

Starting from eighth on the grid, Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer (martinet by ALMERAS) from France managed to gain one position and was flagged off as seventh. “There were a lot of fierce duels and perhaps I could have risked a little more for a better result, but I didn’t want to risk crashing and end up empty-handed,” declared Andlauer. Jaap van Lagen (Fach Auto Tech) from the Netherlands achieved eighth place on the 4.574-kilometre racetrack. The top spot in the ProAm category was occupied by the Norwegian Roar Lindland (Lechner Racing Middle East).

After five races, Ammermüller heads into the second half of the season leading the championship. The Lechner driver ranks first in the standings after one victory with 81 points ahead of Yelloly in second. With two victories, the 27-year-old driver from Great Britain has earned 76 points. Pereira sits third place in the drivers’ classification with 58 points.

For round six, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup travels to Budapest from 27 to 29 July. The Hungaroring has hosted the international one-make cup series every year since its inaugural 1993 season.

Result
Hockenheim, race 5 of 10
1. Nick Yelloly (GB/Fach Auto Tech)
2. Mattia Drudi (I/Dinamic Motorsport)
3. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing)
4. Thomas Preining (A/BWT Lechner Racing)
5. Dylan Pereira (L/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing)
6. Mikkel Pedersen (DK/MRS GT-Racing)
7. Julien Andlauer (F/martinet by ALMERAS)
8. Jaap van Lagen (NL/Fach Auto Tech)
9. Zaid Ashkanani (KWT/MRS GT-Racing)
10. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team Project 1)

Points standings after 5 of 10 races:
Driver classification
1. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 81 points
2. Nick Yelloly (GB/Fach Auto Tech), 76 points
3. Dylan Pereira (L/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing), 58 points