News

Published: 12 January 2023

Marcalis Shinaul with debut in the Pfister-Racing Tourenwagen-Challenge (PRTC) 2023

Ansbach. Another talent will make its debut in the Pfister-Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) in the 2023 season. The 29-year-old racing driver from Ansbach (Bavaria) took part in the track day with a racing driver license course at the Salzburgring in September 2022. After successfully completing the course, he really "tasted blood" and now wants to prove his talent in the PRTC in a CUPRA Ibiza V1 Cup racing car.

“We are happy to welcome another talent in the Pfister-Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) with Marcalis Shinaul. Marcalis earned his first spurs at the track day and racing driver license course at the Salzburgring. He was able to successfully complete the license course, which enables him to enter the PRTC. We wish you every success from now on!” says series organizer Andreas Pfister.

Andreas Pfister (l.) and Marcalis Shinaul (r.) with the racing-licence-certificate at Salzburgring

Racing driver Marcalis Shinaul is already looking forward to the coming racing season:

“As this is my rookie season, I hope to learn and grow as a driver as soon as possible. I just want to show what I'm capable of behind the wheel and do my best!"

Pictures: Pfister-Racing GmbH

Published: 29 November 2022

Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) announces race dates for 2023 –

 latest information on the PRTC at the Essen Motor Show

Obersfeld. “In every crisis there is an opportunity, and that includes motor racing. The interest in affordable touring car motor racing is even higher than ever, and we are pleased to be able to offer a contemporary, exciting and affordable product with the Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC),” explains organizer Andreas Pfister. “This season, 21 drivers have already competed in 3 racing classes from 3 nations, and even more participants are expected next year. All the detailed information on the new season is also available at our booth in hall 8 at Essen Motor Show from December 3 to 11, 2022.”

The Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) enables affordable circuit motor racing to take place in Germany and its neighboring countries. Talented newcomers from the world of carting as well as from driver evaluation programs and racing driver license courses all participate in the Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge. And they are joined by ambitious newcomers and gentleman drivers.

Considerable attention is paid to the professional marketing of the racing drivers and the sporting events in order to increase the attractiveness of touring car motor racing and to put the drivers and series partners in the limelight in a targeted way.

The winner of the Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (Division A, Class 2) will receive a free test opportunity in the TCR racing car.

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real cars, real racing: that’s the Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge!

appealing mix of ambitious youngsters and “gentlemen drivers”

Exciting touring car motor racing with genuine races is therefore guaranteed. The mix of ambitious youngsters from the world of carting as well as experienced “gentleman drivers” promises exciting wheel-to-wheel duels and genuine touring car motor racing on cool racing circuits.

Provisional racing calendar for 2023*

*subject to approval of DMSB **Guest race

Eligible to start in the Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) are touring cars according to FIA/DMSB Group H regulations in 4 different racing classes:

Class 1 – CUPRA Ibiza V1 Cup / Central fielding with rotating system

Class 2 – CHEVROLET Cruze Eurocup 1.8 LT V4 / Central fielding with rotating system

Class 3 – CUPRA Leon MKII DSG, SKODA Octavia Cup DSG or similar

Class 4 – CUPRA Leon TCR or similar

The class winners win honorary awards and other high-quality prizes. Opportunities for entry are available as part of the ACV Touring Car Driver Evaluation and by attending a racing driver license course.

As part of the official test days, it is possible to book experienced instructors in 1:1 Active Coaching sessions in order to prepare quickly and purposefully for joining a race.

Further information on the driver support program of Pfister Racing GmbH, the Pfister-Racing Touring Car Challenge and the ACV Touring Car Driver Evaluation is available at www.pfister-racing.eu and www.pr-tourenwagenchallenge.eu – you are also welcome to contact us by telephone on +49(0)9350 / 90 900 59

Published: 20 September 2022

The best banked corner conquerors at Eurospeedway Lausitz:

two action-packed PRTC victories for Tim Schestag, finishing just ahead of Robin Renz

Eurospeedway Lausitz. The modern Lausitzring near Berlin (Brandenburg) awaited the Pfister-Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) racers from September 9 to 11, 2022. The racetrack was driven in the long 4.543-kilometer track version on the DMV Racing Weekend. In addition to long straights with close barriers, the track challenged the drivers with a demanding “in-field” as well as a banked corner just before the start-finish straight. In addition, the weather was also to play an important part: changeable conditions awaited the drivers and teams in the Lausitz region.

All races were broadcast in a live stream with commentary on the organizer’s website.

The PRTC was once again dominated by ambitious novices, fast newcomers and talented gentleman drivers, who provided an explosive mix with the ultimate touring car action.

“Real cars, real racing. That’s the motto of our racing series. We offer professionally organized races with appealing touring cars in 4 qualifying categories, at reasonable costs and with good marketing. We are already in the second half of the season and the races are getting even more exciting every time. This is how real touring car motor racing should be!” said organizer Andreas Pfister at the start of the racing weekend.

Local hero Marco Bedrich (GER) from Cottbus made it onto the podium at his home race

All the racing cars are equipped with standard tires from TOYO TIRES, with the semi-slick Proxes R888R or RS1 Slick Proxes, which in combination with the central fielding and “rotating system” on the CHEVROLET and CUPRA racing cars (class 1 and 2) from Pfister-Racing GmbH, allow for a competitive race at affordable costs.

The winner of the 2022 Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) in class 2 will receive a free test drive in the 350 hp TCR racing car.

Robin Renz takes pole position and makes his ambitions clear

On Friday, the drivers were able to get to grips with the track and conditions during the free test sessions. The track was regularly wet again due to gathering showers, which resulted in worse gripping conditions. However, with the Proxes R888R semi-slick tires from the manufacturer TOYO TIRES, the race cars were ideally equipped for these conditions.

The racers had to show their hand for the first time in the qualifying session to determine the starting grid for race 1 on Saturday morning: Robin Renz (GER, Stuttgart) was able to continue his strong form and set the best time for class 2 on the still cold asphalt with a lap time of 2:23:626. Rookie Simon de Mori (AUT, Hörbranz) also made it into the first row of the grid, just a few thousandths of a second behind. Behind them, there was another strong starting row with Tim Schestag (GER, Walldorf) and Marco Bedrich (GER, Cottbus).

Thomas Eckert (GER, Nuremberg) made it to 5th place on the grid ahead of Dirk Ehlebracht (GER, Oberursel).

Tim Schestag (GER, Walldorf) VS. Robin Renz (GER, Stuttgart) was the duel for both races

After qualifying, the drivers only had a short breather, because the first race was already about to start. The track conditions had improved in the meantime and the racetrack had dried completely.

After the start Robin Renz took the lead first. Second placed driver de Mori, on the other hand, did not fare well – he had to drop a few positions. Tim Schestag took immediate advantage of this to catch up directly with the leader.

Behind them, Marco Bedrich was also a winner at the start, but had to earn his third place with tough battles against Dirk Ehlebracht and then also Simon de Mori.

Another local hero from Berlin got along better and better in his touring car: Martin Held (GER) had his CUPRA Ibiza racing car under control and even managed to overtake some faster race cars.

A good weekend for Simon de Mori: notching up 3rd place and 5th place!

After the first few laps, both the leaders and the midfield began to get a lay of the land: Renz was put under more and more pressure from Schestag and Ehlebracht had to use all his experience to stay within striking distance of Bedrich.

Then a sensation in the fight for victory: Schestag once again slid into the slipstream of Renz and pulled onto the inside line. Renz wanted to prevent this and also steered to the right, leading to a collision. Robin Renz had to take a spin in the grass, but impressively managed to get back on the track ahead of the third-placed driver.

Tim Schestag then left no stone unturned despite minor injuries to his racing car and added another victory crossing the finish line ahead of Renz. 3rd place went to a happy Marco Bedrich in front of his home crowd ahead of Dirk Ehlebracht, who just missed the podium.

The other placings were achieved by Simon de Mori ahead of David Stein (GER, Usingen) and Thomas Eckert as well as Claus Gramlich (GER, Frankfurt).

The result of the first race was also the starting grid for race two, which was also started on Saturday.

The Pfister-Racing team mechanics now had a short time window to get the racing cars fit again for the second race and to rectify the consequences of the collision.

Marginal 0.124 seconds decide the victory in race 2!

Anyone who thought the first race already had a close outcome was once again proven wrong. At the end of the second race, 0.124 seconds were to make the difference between victory and defeat.

Tim Schestag and Robin Renz delivered touring car motor racing at its best. Both raced the laps in their own league and showed great slipstream duels.

Another great weekend for the Pfister-Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC): real cars, real racing!

Behind him, Simon de Mori managed to take the position as "best of the rest" in 3rd place, ahead of Dirk Ehlebracht, who narrowly missed the podium again. De Mori, meanwhile, should be quite satisfied with his third podium of the season after two good races at Oschersleben.

In contrast to the first race, Marco Bedrich had to settle for 5th place this time, but nevertheless scored more important points for the championship, ahead of David Stein.

In the lead, Schestag now had to reach deep into his bag of tricks to hold his own in the final meters in an extremely close photo finish ahead of Robin Renz.

After two wins at the Eurospeedway, Schestag once again clearly makes his mark on the Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) with a total of 72 competition points.

After another great weekend of racing with beaming faces among racers and fans, the PRTC is now preparing for another legendary track on the calendar:

The racers will start at the Nürburgring GP circuit from October 14 to 16, 2022 when high tension is a dead cert!

Published: 28 July 2022

Heated Austrian battle at the Salzburgring offers pure PRTC action in three qualifying classes

Salzburgring. The Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) has already heralded the halfway point of the season with races 5 & 6 at Austria’s Salzburgring. Touring car drivers competed in the “XLR8” (accelerate) race weekend with a strong supporting program at the ADAC Racing Weekend from June 17 to 19, 2022. In addition to the motorsport duels on the 4.255 km long traditional racetrack, the fans were offered a constant stream of highlights: The “Flying Bulls” were at the start as well as a special “Sim Racing Gaming Zone” and test drives with ultra-modern electric karts on site in the paddock.

All races were broadcast in a live stream with commentary on the organizer’s website.

The PRTC was once again dominated by ambitious novices, fast newcomers, talented gentleman drivers and motivated guest starters as “local heroes” who provided an explosive mix with the ultimate touring car action.

“Real cars, real racing. That’s the motto of our racing series. We offer professionally organized races with appealing touring cars in 4 qualifying categories, at reasonable costs and with good marketing. This concept is becoming increasingly popular, and we have been pleased with the great response. Last but not least, our racers put on a terrific show for the spectators. We provide the ultimate touring car action!” stated organizer Andreas Pfister at the beginning of the racing weekend.

15-year-old racing driver Raphael Rennhofer (AUT, Vienna) celebrated a successful debut in his touring car

All the racing cars are equipped with standard tires from TOYO TIRES, with the semi-slick Proxes R888R or RS1 Slick Proxes, which in combination with the central fielding and “rotating system” on the CHEVROLET and CUPRA racing cars (class 1 and 2) from Pfister-Racing GmbH, allow for a competitive race at affordable costs.

The winner of the 2022 Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) in class 2 will receive a free test drive in the 350 hp TCR racing car.

Bedrich sets the first mark with pole position for race 1

On Friday, the drivers were able to get to grips with the track and conditions during the free test sessions. The Salzburgring challenges them with fast high-performance passages but also a tight chicane that requires maximum concentration during the braking phase.

The racers had to show their hand for the first time in the qualifying session to determine the starting grid for race 1: Marco Bedrich (GER, Cottbus) was able to continue his improving form and set the best time for class 2 on the Austrian asphalt with a lap time of 1:52:930. Championship leader Tim Schestag (GER, Walldorf) also made it into the first row of the grid. Behind them, Simon de Mori (AUT, Hörbranz) and Raphael Rennhofer (AUT, Vienna) made up a complete starting row in red-white-red.

In the CUPRA class 3 Hinrich Groeneveld (GER, Moosburg) was able to secure a top spot for ATT-Racing with fast lap times, ahead of Patrick Eppich (AUT, St. Lorenzen) who were both at the start in 330 hp CUPRA Leon MKII DSG racing cars.

A strong Saturday for Marco Bedrich: pole position and victory in race 1!

The first race was a standing “Grand Prix” start and the numerous fans at the racetrack, but also the viewers in the live stream were already looking forward to real touring car action again.

Once the starting lights had gone out though, Tim Schestag took advantage of the opportunity to take over the leading position. Behind him, Marco Bedrich, Dirk Ehlebracht (GER, Oberursel) and David Stein (GER, Usingen) engaged in a three-way battle for second position.

Passing through the paddock bend three abreast and then entering the Reiner-S, none of the three racers wanted to give up even a single centimeter, resulting in quite a few collisions, which the chasing pack was able to use to catch up with the front positions.

Sebastian Gödderz (GER, Nürnberg) with a good first touring car race in the CUPRA Ibiza V1 Cup

The losers of the aforementioned collision were David Stein and Dirk Ehlebracht, who both forfeited positions. Mathias Gaiser (GER, Oberursel) was able to move up to third position ahead of Raphael Rennhofer.

Marco Bedrich, however, escaped with a few scratches and managed to get into the leader Tim Schestag’s slipstream.

Another duel then threw the rest of the race into confusion once again: Thomas Eckert (GER, Nuremberg) defended his position against Martin Rennhofer senior (AUT, Vienna) and hit the tire wall in the first chicane, which he pushed onto the track, resulting in a safety car phase to neutralize the race.

At the re-start, Schestag initially remained in the leading position, but was then thrown back by a misunderstanding with David Stein, who was being lapped, which Marco Bedrich took advantage of to take over first place.

Bedrich thus managed to take his third win of the season in a row, ahead of Tim Schestag, who was able to pass Mathias Gaiser again at the end. A great fourth place was achieved by touring car rookie Raphael Rennhofer.

In the CUPRA class, Eppich took a home win as Groeneveld struggled with technical problems on his racing car towards the end of the race.

All the preparations were then already focused on the second qualifying session and race, which was to take place on Sunday in even hotter temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius. In the meantime, the PRTC racers enjoyed meeting former Formula 1 racer Christian Danner in the paddock during a “Meet & Greet” with the touring car legends.

Dirk Ehlebracht makes an impressive comeback with pole position for race 2

The fans were already feverishly awaiting the rolling Indianapolis start of the second race, which Dirk Ehlebracht impressively secured pole position for ahead of Robin Renz (GER, Stuttgart), which meant that both were able to report back with a strong performance.

Tim Schestag won with the “SONIC-Chevy” in the second race and extended his lead in the standings

Ehlebracht was also able to take the lead at first after the start, but Tim Schestag was able to overtake him already at the end of the first race lap with a spirited maneuver. But just how much Tim Schestag was driving at the limit became apparent just a few moments later when he touched the tire wall in the first chicane.

This allowed the chasers to keep up with the front of the pack, first and foremost Dirk Ehlebracht as well as Robin Renz and Mathias Gaiser. But the suspense was far from over: Another safety car phase caused by Simon de Mori dropping out brought the entire field within a few meters of each other.

So after the restart, a real heart-stopping “neck and neck” finale began. Initially, a three-way battle broke out between Ehlebracht, Renz and Gaiser, which ended with a high-speed spin by Mathias Gaiser in the paddock bend after a bump with Robin Renz.

In the lead, Schestag now had to reach deep into his bag of tricks to hold his own in the final meters in an extremely close photo finish ahead of Robin Renz and Dirk Ehlebracht. The Top 5 was then completed by David Stein and Marco Chianese (ITA, Würzburg), who both delivered a strong race.

Patrick Eppich carried off the victory in the CUPRA class again ahead of Hinrich Groeneveld.

With a sensational show at the Salzburgring, the PRTC is now saying goodbye for the time being until the next races from July 22-24, 2022 at Automotodrom Grobnik (CRO) on the Croatian Mediterranean coast. Once again, there will be no end to the action on this track in line with the motto “real cars, real racing”.

Pictures: Pfister-Racing GmbH

Published: 19 May 2022

PRTC premiere wins for Marco Bedrich at the city of Magdeburg GP at Motorsportarena Oschersleben

Motorsportarena Oschersleben. Following this year’s early season opener at the Hockenheimring in early March, the Pfister-Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) started its third and fourth races of the season at Germany’s northernmost race track, Motorsportarena Oschersleben, from May 13 to 15, 2022. As part of the city of Magdeburg Grand Prix, the organizer MSC Stuttgart offered a great supporting program for the many motorsport fans, who were of course also keeping their fingers crossed for the PRTC racing drivers.

The PRTC was once again dominated by ambitious novices, fast newcomers and talented gentleman drivers, who provided an explosive mix with the ultimate touring car action.

“Real cars, real racing. That’s the motto of our racing series. We offer professionally organized races with appealing touring cars in 4 qualifying categories, at reasonable costs and with good marketing. This concept is becoming increasingly popular, and we have been pleased with the great response. Last but not least, our racers put on a terrific show for the spectators. We provide the ultimate touring car action!” stated organizer Andreas Pfister at the beginning of the racing weekend.

The Pfister-Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) is becoming more and more popular with fans & drivers

All the racing cars are equipped with standard tires from TOYO TIRES, with the semi-slick Proxes R888R or RS1 Slick Proxes, which in combination with the central fielding and “rotating system” on the CHEVROLET and CUPRA racing cars (class 1 and 2) from Pfister-Racing GmbH, allow for a competitive race at affordable costs.

The winner of the 2022 Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) in class 2 will receive a free test drive in the 350 hp TCR racing car.

Bright sunshine with best conditions for Bedrich

After the first free test sessions, the first qualifying session to determine the starting grid already indicated that Marco Bedrich (GER, Cottbus) had found his favorite conditions again. Bedrich, who is known for his “tight cornering” driving style, had clearly struggled to bring his speed to the track in cold weather conditions. However, it was a completely different story with high track temperatures: his driving style enabled him to make the most of the tire’s potential and secure pole position for race 1.

The first row of the grid was completed by 19-year-old Simon de Mori (AUT, Hörbranz), a strong youngster, ahead of Tim Schestag (GER, Walldorf) and David Stein (GER, Usingen), who also showed improving form.

Strong driving throughout the weekend: youngster Simon de Mori from Hörbranz (AUT)

The fans then found themselves eagerly awaiting the start of the first race, with a “Grand Prix” start this time.

Starting from pole, Bedrich clearly took the lead and was able to put a time gap between himself and his rivals in pursuit with good lap times right from the start. Behind him though, there were once again great touring car duels to watch with a battle between PRTC multi-time winner Tim Schestag and Simon de Mori. Schestag reached into his bag of tricks and was able to wrest second place from De Mori with eight valuable championship points.

Rookie Martin Held (GER, Berlin) also used his opportunities to get to know the CUPRA Ibiza V1 Cup racing car better lap by lap. He cleverly sat in the slipstream of the CHEVROLET Cruze Eurocup racing cars and was able to learn the correct racing line and braking points.

Winning streak broken – but still clear leader of the PRTC table: Tim Schestag with 34 competition points

In the other positions, Dirk Ehlebracht (GER, Oberursel) was able to improve somewhat after a mixed qualifying session and finished fourth ahead of David Stein.

In the middle of the field, the duel between Stein and Thomas Eckert (GER, Nuremberg) for a place in the top 5 provided plenty of action. Eckert was able to set the faster lap time in this race, but was a bit too overconfident when trying to attack Stein and had to leave the track for a short time, which cost him valuable seconds. In the end, he had to settle for 6th place.

The other competition points went to Claus Gramlich (GER, Frankfurt) in 7th place and of course Martin Held for another success in racing class 1.

Bedrich therefore celebrated his first ever touring car victory and naturally climbed the podium with a big smile on his face ahead of Schestag and de Mori.

After a short breather for the racers, it was back to business on Sunday, with the second qualifying session and second race on the agenda.

The second qualifying session provided another surprise: in the final minutes, Simon de Mori managed to secure a dream lap with 1:55.684, which catapulted him to pole position ahead of Marco Bedrich and Tim Schestag.

Fourth place on the grid went to David Stein ahead of Thomas Eckert, Dirk Ehlebracht and Martin Held as well as Claus Gramlich.

All the preparations were then already focused on the second race, which was to take place on Sunday afternoon.

Four-way battle in the second race sees Bedrich emerge victorious once again

From experience, the second race was expected to be even more risky for the racing drivers, as this was the final race of the weekend.

Starting from position 1 on the grid, De Mori initially reacted well to the lights going out and defended the lead ahead of Bedrich and Tim Schestag. Behind him, David Stein managed to improve his speed further and caught up with the leading trio. The four racers thus delivered an outstanding battle for the best places with regular changes in positions.

Every reason to smile: Marco Bedrich picks up 20 PRTC competition points.

Behind him Dirk Ehlebracht reached 5th place in front of a strong Martin Held, who had found a fantastic speed in his CUPRA Ibiza racing car.

But meanwhile, of course, all eyes were on the battle for victory. De Mori initially kept the victory in sight, but had to deviate from the racing line more and more often to defend his lead against Marco Bedrich by keeping him at bay. During a lapping maneuver, Bedrich managed to secure the lead with a clever move and did not relinquish it until the end of the race.

Tim Schestag defended the podium ahead of David Stein, who narrowly missed out on his first trophy.

This means that the PRTC is already heading for its season highlight at the Salzburgring (AUT). From June 17 to 19, 2022 the race series will start as part of the “XLR8 Race Weekend” with live stream and other highlights on the race weekend.

Thrilling motorsport action is guaranteed – 17 PRTC racing drivers have already announced their participation in three racing classes.

Published: 24 March 2022

Centimeter duels on the occasion of the PRTC season opener at the Hockenheimring

with a double victory by local hero Tim Schestag

Hockenheimring. For the racing drivers in the Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC), the 2022 season got off to an early start: On the weekend of March 4th-6th 2022, the prestigious Hockenheimring GP circuit awaited the drivers. On the 4.574 km racing circuit, genuine touring car action was once again on offer, with drivers who were up for the fight.

The PRTC once more offered a large starting field which also included some newcomers. 19-year-old Simon de Mori from Austria (Hörbranz) and 17-year-old Martin Held from Germany (Berlin) made their touring car debuts and earned their first motor racing spurs.

“Real cars, real racing. That’s the motto of our racing series. We offer professionally organized races with appealing touring cars in 4 qualifying categories, at reasonable costs and with good marketing. This concept is becoming increasingly popular, and we have been pleased with the great response. Last but not least, our racing drivers put on a terrific show for the spectators. We are looking forward to the start of the season!” said organizer Andreas Pfister at the start of the racing weekend.

Robin Renz (GER) from Stuttgart made a successful start to the new racing season

All the racing cars are equipped with standard tires from TOYO TIRES, with the semi-slick Proxes R888R or RS1 Slick Proxes, which in combination with the central fielding and “rotating system” on the CHEVROLET and CUPRA racing cars (class 1 and 2) from Pfister-Racing GmbH, allow for a competitive race at affordable costs.

The winner of the 2022 Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) in class 2 will receive a free test drive in the 350 hp TCR racing car.

Cold driving conditions make for challenging circumstances

The early start of the season saw the drivers welcomed with cold and windy weather conditions with temperatures around freezing, and it was necessary to find the right techniques to get the tires to the right operating temperature quickly in a good working time frame.

In the qualifying rounds to determine the starting grid, Hinrich Groeneveld (GER, Moosburg) performed the best, with his CUPRA Leon MKII DSG racing car from the ATT-Racing team securing first place in class 3.

In the consistently hard-fought class 2 with the CHEVROLET Cruze Eurocup racing cars, Robin Renz achieved the best starting position with a lap time of 2:16:812, finishing in just ahead of Tim Schestag (GER, Walldorf) and Marco Chianese (ITA) from Würzburg, who also performed well, who got starting position three.

Driving with confidence, Tim Schestag continued his series of successes in his touring car before his home crowd

The fans then found themselves eagerly awaiting the start of the first race, with a rolling “Indianapolis start.” As soon as the first lap of the race, Schestag made it clear that he wasn’t satisfied with his second place on the starting grid, driving in the slipstream of Robin Renz.

In class 3, Hinrich Groeneveld took no prisoners, and steered his CUPRA Leon MKII racing car, with its more than 300 hp, towards a class victory.

Rookie driver Martin Held took his chance to gain some initial experiences during the important racing laps, collecting points in class 1 with his CUPRA Ibiza V1 Cup racing car.

Marco Chianese (ITA, Würzburg) pulled off a strong performance in only his second racing weekend

David Stein (GER, Usingen), had “one of those days”. Due to a technical defect, he was unable to take part in either the time qualifying or the race, which cost him important points in the overall standings despite every effort of the mechanics.

During the course of the first race on the other hand, Marco Chianese managed to further improve his lap times and catch up with Dirk Ehlebracht (GER, Oberursel), which ensured a close battle for 3rd place.

At the front of the pack, Tim Schestag succeeded in taking the lead and gaining a small advantage over Robin Renz. The race then came to a temporary stop due to a “Code 60 phase” which replaced the safety car, and the drivers were forced to reduce their speed to 60 km/h, which prompted a second inspection by the race organizers after the race.

After the lifting of the Code 60 phase at the end of the race, Groeneveld took his class win. In class 2, Tim Schestag achieved another victory, coming in ahead of Robin Renz and Dirk Ehlebracht. Marco Chianese finished in 4th place ahead of Thomas Eckert (GER, Nuremberg), who completed the top 5. Marco Bedrich (GER, Cottbus) failed to reach the black-white checkered flag this time, being forced to drop out of the race as his car suffered damage to its drive shaft.

After the first battle of the new season, the racers were only able to catch their breath for a short while, with the second race of the weekend scheduled for the Sunday morning. With cold weather conditions once again, the race organizers decided to allow the drivers to complete two warm-up laps this time to get their tires up to racing temperature.

Lap-long duel for victory in race 2

The second race succeeded in surpassing the first race in terms of excitement. Robin Renz made it clear that he wasn’t satisfied with his second place finish on the day before, and set out to take the victory in the second race and prevail over Tim Schestag.

In true touring car fashion, the two drivers battled side-by-side in a lap-long duel in the motordrome, and offered the spectators touring car action at its best, with both driving their “Chevys” in a class of their own. The live-stream action was also watched by the fans at home.

Towards the rear of the pack, however, Thomas Eckert hit the throttle too early, and after spinning off course on the first curve, found himself having to play catch-up with the rest of the field.

Simon de Mori (AUT, Hörbranz) scored two points on his debut in race 2

David Stein, on the other hand, put in another positive performance in race 2. With a freshly repaired racing car, he succeeded in working his way up a few positions and into the top 5. The battle for the winners’ podium, meanwhile, turned out to be between Marco Chianese and Dirk Ehlebracht. Chianese impressed with some quick lap times, but it was Ehlebracht who ultimately put in a solid performance to notch up his second podium finish of the weekend.

The second victory was secured by Tim Schestag, who finished just before Robin Renz. The duel between the two drivers from Baden-Württemberg in Germany is certainly a taste of the further fight for the championship.

In the other finishing positions, it was Marco Bedrich, Simon de Mori and Thomas Eckert who secured the coveted PRTC Class 2 points.

The touring car action in the PRTC will be continuing on May 13th-15th 2022 at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (GER), and is certain to offer another round of exciting motor racing.