Antti Rammo wins from last place in Zandvoort

• Fightback also earns MRS driver victory in the Trophy competition
• Soufi/Kratz finish second and extend their lead in the championship
• Markus Pommer and Valentino Catalano complete the podium

Zandvoort. The Prototype Cup Germany field put on a thrilling show with some remarkable wheel-to-wheel battles in Saturday’s race at Circuit Zandvoort. In the end, it was Antti Rammo (41/EST, MRS GT-Racing) who took victory, having started from last place on the grid in his Ligier JS P320. Championship leaders and fellow Ligier drivers Danny Soufi (20/USA) and Torsten Kratz (53/Mönchengladbach, both Konrad Motorsport) were runners-up. ADAC Stiftung Sport driver Valentino Catalano (18/Westheim) and Markus Pommer (33/Untereisesheim, both Gebhardt Motorsport) completed the podium in a Duqueine D08. “I am so happy, I am a bit shocked really. We obviously never expected to win this race. Thank you to the team – we are absolutely overjoyed,” said Rammo, celebrating on the podium.

Duqueine driver Keanu Al Azhari (16/UAE, Mühlner Motorsport) started the race from pole position. However, Felipe Fernández Laser (35/Leipzig, Frikadelli Racing Team) immediately dived through a gap on the outside in turn one to take the lead in his Ligier. Not long later, Fernández Laser dropped back to fourth place, leaving Al Azhari to set the pace. By the halfway point of the race, he had opened a lead of over 13 seconds over the rest of the field. Just in front of Fernández Laser, the two Duqueine cars of Valentino Catalano and Julien Apothéloz (23/CHE, BWT Mücke Motorsport) were battling for second place. As the race progressed, Danny Soufi joined the trio, creating a four-way battle for second place that kept the crowds on the edge of their seats.

Shortly before the pit stop window opened, the Duqueine of Tomas Granzella (20/URY, Racing Experience) rolled to a stop at the edge of the track, triggering a Safety Car phase. Al Azhari consequently saw his lead evaporate. After the restart, the entire field came in as one for the mandatory pit stop. His status as a Bronze driver meant that MRS GT-Racing driver Rammo had the shortest stationary time, which allowed him to return to the track at the front of the field with a lead of over ten seconds.

Spurred on by his sudden lead, Rammo upped his game in the second half of the race and had extended his advantage to 25 seconds by the time he took the chequered flag to claim his maiden win, which also earned him victory in the Trophy competition. Behind the Estonian, a spectacular three-way battle for second place was raging between Torsten Kratz, who had taken over from Soufi, Catalano’s team-mate Markus Pommer, and solo starter Al Azhari, with Kratz eventually coming out on top. That also ensured that Danny Soufi won the Junior classification.

A few minutes before the end of the race, Al Azhari was passed by the rampaging Jacob Erlbacher (23/Böblingen) in a Duqueine, which meant fourth place for the Gebhardt Motorsport driver and his team-mate Maxim Dirckx (20/BEL).

Sixth place went to Apothéloz and Riccardo Leone Cirelli (16/ITA), ahead of Sven Barth (43/Eberbach) and Michael Herich (47/Brühl, both Momo Gebhardt Racing) in a Ginetta G61-LT-P3. Felipe Fernández Laser and his team-mate Klaus Abbelen (63/Barweiler) completed the top eight.

Antti Rammo – Winner for MRS GT-Racing
“A technical issue meant I had to wait until qualifying this morning to get my first laps under my belt. With that in mind, we obviously never expected to win. We were definitely a little lucky with the Safety Car in the middle of the race. After that, I wanted to maintain my rhythm and continue to learn the circuit as well as possible – after all, everything was still new to me. However, the race then came to an end and we won. It is just indescribably nice. The team gave me a winning car today.”

Torsten Kratz – Second place for Konrad Motorsport
“After the pit stop, I came back out in second place. The cars behind me then put me under some real pressure, which did not make life any easier. However, I gave it my all and am very pleased to have brought the result home. Second place is excellent.”

Danny Soufi – Second place for Konrad Motorsport
“Torsten is my hero today. He drove an unbelievable race. I made one little mistake in my stint, but was able to battle with the top five. The Safety Car then allowed us to climb back through the field. I also won the Junior competition, so I am super happy.”

Markus Pommer – Third place for Gebhardt Motorsport
“I think we could have done better than third place with our car today. I soon closed in on the Konrad car in my stint, but also had to defend against those behind me. I did not want to take too many risks and secured the points towards the championship.”

Valentino Catalano – Third place for Gebhardt Motorsport
“It was a super race. I started from P5 and made it as far as second place. That was really good fun. The track conditions were really tough today. Despite this, there was some really good racing. On the whole, we are happy with third place and looking forward to race two on Sunday.”