Prototype Cup Germany ready for the season-opener at Spa-Francorchamps

• Opening race of the 2024 season at the iconic circuit in the Belgian Ardennes
• International field littered with established racing teams
• Both races streamed live and in full

Munich. The stage is set for season three of the Prototype Cup Germany. The racing series organised by the ADAC and Creventic will contest the opening round of the 2024 season this weekend (19th to 21st April). The venue is the world-famous circuit at Spa-Francorchamps/Belgium, which is located just a few kilometres from the German border. As usual, the field in the Prototype Cup Germany is full of top-class teams and drivers. The focus is also on the topic of sustainability. For the second year in a row, the LMP3 prototypes will run on a fuel developed exclusively for ADAC racing series, which is made of 50 percent renewable components and thus makes a valuable contribution to the reduction of CO2. Both Prototype Cup Germany races will be streamed live and free of charge on the ADAC Motorsport channel youtube.com/adacmotorsports.

Markus Pommer (33/Untereisesheim) travels to the Ardennes as the defending champion. The former ADAC GT Masters driver switched teams during the winter and now lines up for the established Gebhardt Motorsport team from Sinsheim. Pommer shares a Duqueine D08 with ADAC Stiftung Sport driver Valentino Catalano (18/Westheim). “To start the season at a circuit like Spa-Francorchamps is obviously great. Spa is a lot of fun, particularly in a prototype with plenty of aerodynamics. There are fast combinations of corners and a few blind sections, like the legendary Eau Rouge,” says Pommer, looking forward to the season-opener. “We definitely want to challenge for victories at the weekend. This main goal for this season is obviously to defend the title. I have got on superbly from the word go with my new team-mate Valentino Catalano. We have a similar way of working.”

One of Pommer’s biggest rivals looks set to be Julien Apothéloz (23). The Swiss finished runner-up in last year’s Prototype Cup Germany and is looking to go one better in 2024. Apothéloz also starts for a new team and will now drive alongside Italian Riccardo Leone Cirelli at BWT Mücke Motorsport. “I am massively looking forward to the new season, as there are some really fantastic racetracks on the calendar. For a racing driver, driving an LMP3 car at Spa-Francorchamps or later on at the Sachsenring, for example, is just awesome. I am familiar with Spa from GT3 racing, when I twice took part in the 24h race there,” says a beaming Apothéloz. “We want to be in contention for the podium and race wins from the word go at the weekend. With BWT Mücke Motorsport I have a very professional environment. The team is well-renowned internationally. We tested together and got to know each other better in Portugal in February. Bring on the season!”

Gebhardt Motorsport fields a second Duqueine in 2024. Sharing the driving duties in this car are Sven Barth (43/Weinheim) and Belgian Maxim Dirckx. Both are making their debut in the Prototype Cup Germany. Barth is best known from the ADAC GT Masters, in which he won one race and the title in the Trophy competition in 2019. Last year’s championship-winning team, Racing Experience, will also run a Duqueine. Their car will be driven by Wolfgang Payr (60/AUT) and Sebastian von Gartzen (31/Butzbach), who both raced in the Prototype Cup Germany in 2023. BHK Motorsport from Italy also line up with a Duqueine, with Francesco Dracone at the wheel. Meanwhile, Spa-Francorchamps is a home outing for Mühlner Motorsport, for whom Keanu Al Azhari from the United Arab Emirates will drive a Duqueine.

The field also features four Ligier JS P320. Danny Soufi (20/USA) and Torsten Kratz (53/Mönchengladbach) are at the wheel for Konrad Motorsport, another well-known and established team. Robert Doyle (64/USA) and Mexico’s Jaime Guzmán Corcuera line up for Spanish team AF2 Motorsport. After guest appearances in 2022 and 2023, cult team Frikadelli Racing will now contest a full season in the Prototype Cup Germany. Team principal Klaus Abbelen (63/Barweiler) shares the cockpit with Felipe Fernández Laser (35/Leipzig), winner of the 2023 ADAC 24h Race at the Nürburgring. MRS GT-Racing is another team, with which people will be familiar from their time in various ADAC series. They will field a Ligier for Estonian Antti Rammo.

On Wednesday, Spa-Francorchamps hosted a test day for the LMP3 cars in the Prototype Cup Germany. The teams took the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the demanding and spectacular track. As has become the norm in the Prototype Cup Germany, there was the usual mix of different models at the top of the timing sheets. The fastest time of 2:18.977 minutes came courtesy of the Duqueine of BWT Mücke Motorsport. Just 0.015 seconds slower was Konrad Motorsport – followed by the Frikadelli Racing team (both Ligier). Rounding out the top four was the Racing Experience Duqueine.

Broadcast times for the 2024 Prototype Cup Germany at Spa-Francorchamps

Friday, 19th April 2024
16:40 - Qualifying 1, live

Saturday, 20th April 2024
09:00 - Qualifying 2, live
10:40 - Race 1, live

Sunday, 21st April 2024
09:15 – Race 2, live