Double celebrations for BWT Lechner Racing at Zandvoort: In a rather chaotic race that ended with a Red Flag, the Austrian squad secured its 12th team championship title in the history of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, an outstanding record, while Danish Youngster Bastian Buus claimed the rookie title. “It´s great to have these two championships already in the bag, before the season final in Monza in one week´s time”, BWT Lechner Racing Team Principal and CEO Robert Lechner was ever so happy. “I am very proud of the whole team. Everybody worked so hard and extremely professional over the whole year – this is the very well deserved reward. Bastian drove a great first season in his first year with us, fulfilling the high hopes we had in him from the very beginning. Now we can focus on also securing the overall drivers´championship for Dylan Pereira next weekend in Italy.”
Championship leader Pereira, who had actually set the fastest time on track in qualifying, but received a three-place grid penalty for an incident with Simone Iaquinta, which dropped him back from Pole Position to P4, scored another podium finish with P3 on track behind Marvin Klein from France and young Dutchman Morris Schuring, which became P2 when Schuring got a five second penalty for a false start. “I was a bit careful at the beginning when there was a huge chaos, lost a few places, but thankfully I was able to make up some ground again, stay ahead of my main championship rivals and extend my lead before the final in Monza. It doesn´t look too bad right now for winning my first championship, but for sure I don´t take anything for granted”, said the 25-year-old from Luxembourg. He now has a lead of 18 points over defending champion Larry ten Voorde (P3 at Zandvoort) and 20 over Laurin Heinrich (P5).
Bastian Buus, having qualified in P8, finished the race in P4 finally – his seventh rookie win in a row, a new record. “But the most important thing today is to have claimed the rookie title. That was my main goal for the season when I was given the chance by BWT Lechner Racing – and I am really thankful for all the help and support they gave me during the whole year to get there. I could not have done it without this amazing team behind me. I am impressed how everybody is working so hard all the time to find every last detail. Thanks to Robert and Walter as well for giving me this opportunity and believing in me. It´s a great day for me, I think there will be a little bit of celebration now,” the 19-year-old Dane was beaming all over his face.
Harry King, who had started from the front row and hoped to be able to claim his first Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup win, had to retire already on lap 2 after a collision with Jaap van Lagen: “I braked too late, he chose to take a wide line and I decided to go for the gap to avoid contact, but unfortunately it didn´t work out. Sorry to the team for the damage done on the car,” the British Porsche Carrera Cup champion apologized.
BWT Lechner Racing Team Manager Michael Schöch was really happy “that we are already able to celebrate two titles today. But we have to stay absolutely focused, get the cars well prepared for the final at Monza next Sunday where we hope to secure the next one with Dylan in the drivers´ championship. There will be quite a bit of work to be done on Harry´s car, but our whole team has done such a great job over the whole season – so now we will manage this final challenge as well.”