Racereport Nürburgring 01.-02. July 2023
The winning streak of Ioannis Smyrlis (Porsche 992 GT3 Cup) ended at the third round of the DMV STGT season at the Nürburgring. After winning the first race, Smyrlis was beaten by Gregor Drasal (Lamborghini Super Trofeo) in the second heat. Third place each went to Bastian Hein (BMW M4 GT4 G82) and Sophie Hofmann (Audi R8 GT4 Evo).
The first race of the DMV STGT followed the well-known way. Ioannis Smyrlis converted his pole position into a start and finish victory. Behind them, Gregor Drasal finished second with his Lamborghini Super Trofeo. The Lambo driver stayed close to the leader for a long time. A spin just before the end made the gap grow to over 44 seconds. “Gregor Drasal is putting more and more pressure. I couldn't really drive away today. He was breathing down my neck the whole time at first. But it's fun when the competition gets bigger. I think it was a top race. I'm slowly getting ready to dress warmly," said Smyrlis about his fifth win of the season. “The race was pretty good. I was also able to keep up with the Cup car. However, he then pulled away from me in traffic. I'm still a little too hesitant," said Drasal.
In the second round, Smyrlis initially defended first place, but had to let Drasal pass him in the second round. However, the Lambo driver was unable to drive away. Smyrlis pushed hard and regained the lead after five laps. Now it was Drasal who constantly attacked the Porsche in front of him. The runner-up kept trying his luck on the start and finish straight. The decisive maneuver finally succeeded a few meters earlier. In the "Hyundai N curve" before the start and finish, Drasal sat next to the Porsche and took first place. Although Smyrlis stayed on again, a spin in the penultimate lap destroyed all hopes of victory. With that, Drasal celebrated his first overall victory in the DMV STGT.
“It was a nice fight and everything went very fairly. In between there were a few tricky situations. When Ioannis drove past me for the first time, there were a few disagreements with participants who were lapped. But it went well. In the end, the competition turned around today, not always me. That's why I was able to take the last two laps a little more relaxed," said Drasal.
Despite the missed victory, Smyrlis was also satisfied: "Today was the best duel of the year so far. A lot of people tried to beat me this year. Timo Glock failed, Subaru with a factory entry and Gregor Drasal is now plastering me. It was still a great race, completely fair, although it was very close. My tires gave up towards the end. Congratulations to Gregor Drasal. He did a great job and was always fair.”
Podium for Hein and Hofmann
Third place overall was closely fought in the first race, with Bastian Hein narrowly beating Sophie Hofmann. Both had to work their way past Horst Kespohl (Ferrari 458 GT3).
Hein succeeded a bit earlier, so that a larger gap opened up between the M4 and the R8. When Hofmann had also passed, the lead melted away. Towards the end, Hein had to defend himself with everything. With a gap of 0.29 seconds, Hein had the upper hand. The BMW driver also took first place in the GTS3. “The race was great. In the beginning the Ferrari from the higher class held up the pace a bit until I passed. About halfway through the race, my brakes and tires broke, just like in the BMW Challenge race. I had to reduce my complete pace, so that Sophie Hofmann still came nearer. I tried to drive faster again. Luckily it just worked out,” said Hein. Due to the problems, the BMW driver did not compete in the second race.
After Hein did not compete in the second race, Hofmann was able to take third place overall over time, ahead of Kespohl. The Audi driver also secured victory in the GTS3 ahead of Hermann-J. Backus (McLaren 570S GT4), third in class in the first heat, and Moritz Berrenberg (Porsche Cayman GT4).
Double victory for Frank Anhorn
Clearly the fastest GTS4 driver in the first round was Ted van Vliet in the BMW M3 GTR F80. The BMW driver had just fought his way up to Kespohl's Ferrari when he spun. Nevertheless, he was sure of class success ahead of de Beus/Schouten (BMW M3 GTR E46) and Fabian Driefer (BMW Me E92).
In the GTM class, Frank Anhorn (BMW M240i RC) celebrated two victories. In the first race, Max Rosam (BMW 328i E36) was closest for a long time before it was over. So there was the sovereign success in front of Robert Mühlich and Yanis Anhorn (both BMW M240i RC). In the second race, Frank Anhorn didn't miss a beat either. Second place went to Marius Schäfer (Seat Leon Supercopa), who had fought a close battle for positions with Max Rosam for a long time. As in the first race, Rosam had to park his BMW early. As a result, Yanis Anhorn again came third in the class. “In the first race there were more starters and more of the same vehicles in the class. It was a tough fight. Now in the second race there were not so many participants. It was a bit easier then. I'm absolutely satisfied. It was a great weekend and two nice races for us,” says Frank Anhorn.
The next DMV STGT Races will take place from 25.-27. August at Lausitzring!
Text & Photos: arpRedaktionsbüro Patrick Holzer
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