From pole to victory at the Norisring

• Valentino Catalano and Oscar Tunjo win the Saturday race
• Danny Soufi / Pavel Lefterov extend their lead in the championship
• Hot temperatures put man and machine to the test

Nuremberg. Valentino Catalano (19/Westheim) and Oscar Tunjo (29/COL, both Badischer Motorsport Club) were the winners of race seven of this season’s Prototype Cup Germany at the Norisring. They came home ahead of Danny Soufi (21/USA) and Pavel Lefterov (27/BUL, both Konrad Motorsport) in second place, and Riccardo Leone Cirelli (17/ITA) and Mattias Bjerre Jakobsen (18/DEN, both BWT Mücke Motorsport) in third.

The Gebhardt duo of Catalano and Tunjo started the race from pole position, but took a few laps to finally establish themselves in first place. “The start was fun, I had a nice battle for the lead with Danny Soufi. Unfortunately, Jacob Erlbacher benefitted from that at first and moved into the lead; however, I was able to overtake him again a few laps later,” said Catalano. Tunjo took over for the second stint, and safely guided the yellow Duqueine home in first place. “It is not easy to make a difference on such a short track. With that in mind, I am particularly pleased with the win,” said the Columbian. Catalano added: “After my misfortune two years ago, I desperately wanted to win at the Norisring. I have now settled that score, and am really delighted to have done so.” Second place was a valuable result for the Konrad duo of Soufi and Lefterov, as it allowed them to extend their lead in the Drivers’ Championship in the Prototype Cup Germany.

The race began with an exciting battle for the lead between Catalano and Soufi. However, Erlbacher (24/Böblingen, Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsport) seized his opportunity and surprised them both, taking the lead on lap two. However, Catalano he was unable to shake off the attentions of Catalano, who was rewarded with a chance to reclaim the lead from his team-mate Erlbacher on lap 14. Catalano then set about pulling clear of the rest of the field, before handing the car over to Tunjo shortly after the halfway point of the race. By this time, Jérémy Siffert (21/SUI, Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsport) was already at the wheel of Erlbacher’s car, but then had a spin. The Swiss, running second at that point, crashed out and Lefterov inherited second place.

Behind third-placed Jakobsen, Sven Barth (44/Eberbach, Aust Motorsport) was lapping the Norisring by himself. However, towards the end of the race he started to come under more and more pressure from Mattis Pluschkell (20/Elmenhorst, BWT Mücke Motorsport) behind him. The two cars collided shortly before the finish and Barth spun off the track, which brought his race to a premature end. As a result, Barth and team-mate Maxim Dirickx (21/BEL, Aust Motorsport) were classified as fourth. Pluschkell and Maksymilian Angelard (17/POL, BWT Mücke Motorsport) remained fifth. Behind Angelard and Pluschkell were the best of the Trophy starters Thomas Ambiel (45/Eppingen, Rinaldi Racing), and the pairing of Michael Herich (47/Brühl) and Alexzander Kristiansson (25/SWE, both Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsport) in sixth and seventh place.

Danny Soufi (second): “The start was tricky, which was not what I had planned. It was a hard but clean and fair battle with Valentino for first place. The rest of my stint was not easy either, but the team had a good strategy and I was able to hand the car over to Pavel in a good position.”

Pavel Lefterov (second): “It was not possible to win the race today, even though Danny and I gave it more than 100 percent. However, second place means we scored as many points as possible towards the championship, which is key for us at the moment.”

Riccardo Leone Cirelli (third): “My start was good, although my grid position was on the outside for turn one – the very close walls at the Norisring mean this is often not an easy position. I think we did a good job on the whole, and are working in the right direction.”

Mattias Bjerre Jakobsen (third): “My first lap after the driver changeover was not so good, and that was our only chance to gain a position. I did not manage to do so. Despite that, third place is a good result for us, as we look to find a good rhythm again.”


Broadcast times for the 2025 Prototype Cup Germany at the Norisring
Sunday, 6th July 2025
08:45 – Qualifying 2 – live – youtube.com/adacmotorsports
16:55 – Race 2 – live – youtube.com/adacmotorsports