Le Mans prototypes start at the Nürburgring

• Danny Soufi and Pavel Lefterov out to defend their lead at the top of the table
• Maxim Dirickx looking to make a move in the Junior competition
• Both qualifying sessions and races to be streamed live

Munich. This weekend (8th to 10th August), the teams and drivers in the Prototype Cup Germany assemble at the Nürburgring as part of the DTM event. Danny Soufi (22/USA) and Pavel Lefterov (27/BUL, both Konrad Motorsport) travel to the Eifel region as championship leaders, ahead of Maksymilian Angelard (18/POL) and Mattis Pluschkell (21/Elmenhorst, both BWT Mücke Motorsport). The two Mücke drivers currently lead the Junior competition and are striving to succeed reigning Junior champion Soufi. Sven Barth (44/Eberbach) and Maxim Dirickx (21/BEL, both Aust Motorsport), who have finished on the podium in three of the past four races, are also hungry to have a say at the front of the field and back up their recent good form.

One year ago, it was a similar picture ahead of the Nürburgring weekend, as Soufi again came into the event at the top of the Drivers’ Championship – at the time, sharing a car with Torsten Kratz. However, the weekend in the Eifel did not go to plan for the two Konrad protégés, who could do no better than sixth and eighth in the two races. This year, Soufi and his current partner Lefterov are out to right that wrong, at a circuit that the American actually likes. “It is not a high-speed circuit, but a track that demands precision. Overtaking is not easy, but it is possible.” The Texan believes it is important to set ambitious goals: “We want to win. However, it is more important to score a lot of points, so that we can ideally extend our lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.”

Soufi has been involved in the Prototype Cup Germany since its inaugural season, and has developed consistently during that time. Having started out with virtually no experience on the LMP3 scene, he was crowned the top Junior last year and, together with Lefterov, is now the hot favourite to win the overall title this season. “I am very pleased with the way I have developed, as the hard work is paying dividends. I have done a lot of sessions in the simulator and trained hard to get to this point. I also think that the Prototype Cup Germany is a great racing series, with many different circuits and strong opposition. As such, it provides a good environment, in which to develop. It goes without saying that I am also very grateful to Franz Konrad for the fact that he and the whole team have accompanied me on my journey. And I am equally happy to have a strong partner like Pavel on my side. Not only is he damned fast, but he is also a great team-mate and a lot of fun to work with.”

Fun is something that everyone involved at the Aust Motorsport team is having at the moment: their two drivers Barth and Dirickx have joined the battle for second place in the overall standings. The German/Belgian pairing trails Angelard and Pluschkell by just six points and travels to the Nürburgring with bags of confidence, thanks to the success they have enjoyed in recent races. It is an even closer affair in the Junior competition, in which Dirickx finds himself just four points behind Pluschkell and Angelard. However, that same trio is not battling it out for second place in this category, but for the lead, which the Belgian has firmly in his sights. In the Trophy competition, Thomas Ambiel (45/Eppingen, Rinaldi Racing) has his nose ahead of rival Michael Herich (48/Brühl), who has a new team-mate in Mikkel C. Johansen (38/DEN). His previous partner Alexzander Kristiansson (25/SWE) now teams up with Oscar Tunjo (29/COL, all Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsport).

Broadcast times for the 2025 Prototype Cup Germany at the Nürburgring
Saturday, 9th August 2025
10:10 - Qualifying 1, live youtube.com/adacmotorsports
17:35 - Race 1, live youtube.com/adacmotorsports

Sunday, 10th August 2025
09:35 - Qualifying 2, live youtube.com/adacmotorsports
16:40 - Race 2, live youtube.com/adacmotorsports