Schmickler Performance trio wins PETN Cup 3 title - lead change in Cup 2

Meuspath. The first champions in the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring have been decided. Mauro Calamia, Ivan Jacoma and Kai Riemer have clinched the Cup 3 title at the penultimate race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series. Before the finale, the trio has an unassailable lead in the drivers' standings and Schmickler Performance is also out of contention for first place in the team standings. The battle for the first crown in the Cup 2 class, meanwhile, is shaping up to be an exciting one. AVIA W&S Motorsport has taken over the lead from KKrämer Racing after race seven.

Third place in the seventh race of the season was enough for Calamia, Jacoma and Riemer to lock up the two titles early. The secret of success for Schmickler Performance powered by Ravenol (#969) was consistency. The team scored points in all races and took three victories. One of them was the important triumph at the 12h Nürburgring with double the points. "Even if we sometimes had problems or setbacks in the race: We never buried our heads in the sand, but fought to still get the best result out of it," explains champion Riemer. "Added to this is the meticulousness of team boss Markus Schmickler, who leaves nothing to chance. For him and his team, I'm particularly pleased with the title."

The race win in the Cup 3 class at race seven went to Team Sorg Rennsport (#949) with drivers Stefan Beyer and Heiko Eichenberg. At the finish, the duo had a comfortable lead of 50.830 seconds over the second-placed Smyrlis Racing trio (#952) with Christopher Rink, Philipp Stahlschmidt and Francesco Merlini after 25 laps. "I have to admit that we also benefited from the retirement of two of our rivals today," admitted Beyer. "The race was not as easy for us as it might have looked. In the end, our consistently fast lap times were decisive." Teammate Eichenberg added: "We muddled through the race a bit and didn't always know exactly where we stood due to different strategies."

Blickle and Jahn celebrate commanding victory in Cup 2

Excitement is guaranteed in the battle for the championship in the Cup 2 class of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring. With its third win of the season, Team AVIA W&S Motorsport (#120) has turned the tide and taken the lead in the team standings with one race to go. While the previously leading Porsche of KKrämer Racing (#112) retired after an accident, Daniel Blickle and David Jahn drove a commanding race and won with 2:54.154 minutes ahead of Marcel Hoppe, Nick Salewsky and Michele Di Martino of Mühlner Motorsport (#123).

Especially in the starting phase of the race, Jahn drove impressively in the field of GT3 cars. Starting from seventh row, the 31-year-old shot up to third overall in what were initially still mixed conditions. He returned from round one in fifth place. "I already know a lot of the guys I was battling with in the early laps from my races in the ADAC GT Masters. And I had a lot of fun," said Jahn. The team made the first pitstop early, in order to clear the radiator vents of falling leaves. "I was able to quickly get a buffer on our pursuers. Then when our main rivals got stranded, the pressure was a little less," said Jahn. "Still, the race wasn't easy because I hardly had a free lap due to yellow phases on track." Jahn set a strong pace and Blickle also impressed with fast times in his stint.

After seven of eight races, AVIA W&S Motorsport (#120) leads the team standings with 142 points ahead of KKrämer Racing (#112) (129.5 points). There are still 22 points to be awarded at the finale in two weeks. The same picture in the drivers' standings: Blickle is in first place ahead of KKrämer drivers Karsten Krämer and Christopher Brück.

The AM champions have also already been decided

In addition to the champions in the Cup 3 classification, the winners in the AM drivers' classifications of both classes of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring have also been decided. In Cup 2, Mustafa Mehmet Kaya from Team Black Falcon (#104) can no longer be denied the title. Together with Mike Stursberg and Hendrik von Danwitz, the 46-year-old Turk scored full points for the fifth time. "I'm very happy to have won the AM title in such a highly competitive class," says Kaya. "The switch from a GT4 car to the Cup Porsche was not easy. But I was able to improve from race to race. My thanks go to the team, who did a very good job with the car that was new to all of us, and of course to my teammates who fought alongside me."

In the AM classification of the Cup 3 class, Rüdiger Schicht, Alex Fielenbach and 'Montana' were able to clinch the championship. The trio from Team Mathol Racing (#955) excelled in the 2022 season, scoring points in every race and most recently being the strongest AM team three times in a row. The champions were able to score 150.5 points. "We didn't expect this result," 'Montana' admitted. "This is a dream result. The whole year has gone great for us. We always had a top prepared car. In addition, the Cayman is also very well suited, especially for gentleman drivers, and you can constantly learn and improve." The 60-year-old is already looking to the future: "We've already spoken to our team boss about the possibility of competing in Cup 2 next year. In any case, we want to continue racing in PETN, because the two classes are extremely well organized and offer a high degree of equal opportunities."

The season finale of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring will take place in two weeks. On November 5, the 46th NIMEX DMV 4h race, which was cancelled in April, will be made up. The race distance is four hours.