At the penultimate stop of the ADAC GT4 Germany season 2022 from 23 to 25 September at the Sachsenring, the driver duos of W&S Motorsport Max Kronberg with Hendrik Still (#30) as well as Finn Zulauf and Nicolaj Møller Madsen (#31) showed an impressive performance and were rewarded with points for four top 10 places.

The mountain and valley railway with a track length of 3,645 metres and 14 curves, which is driven counterclockwise, was a challenge for the drivers and the team. In the 20-minute qualifying session on Saturday, Max Kronberg qualified for 25th position on the grid in the #30 Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport. The sister car, the #31 AVIA racing Cayman GT4, driven by Nicolaj Møller Madsen, clinched seventh place on the grid. However, both cars had to move back five positions on the grid due to a track limit penalty in the past races.

Starting driver Kronberg started the race, which was shortened to 50 minutes, from last place on the grid and quickly made up positions in a turbulent first half of the race before handing over the #30 Cayman GT4 to Hendrik Still in 16th place after 15 laps. He routinely showed all his skills at the Wheelant and passed the finish line in 10th place.

Møller Madsen only knew the way forward from the sixth row of the grid. The Dane was already in the top 10 after a few laps.Finn Zulauf climbed into the cockpit on the 15th lap of the race and rejoined eighth place during a safety car phase. This was followed by breathtaking duels and three battles for the positions and the youngster asserted himself confidently against the competitors. In the end, the team was rewarded with fifth place overall for the #31 Cayman GT4 in AVIA design and Zulauf celebrated third place in the ADAC GT4 Junior Trophy Germany. In the junior championship, the 18-year-old ranks third before the season finale.

The omens for the second race on Sunday afternoon were excellent for W&S Motorsport after qualifying in the morning as the best-placed Porsche and it went from the second row of the grid into the second race. Hendrik Still qualified for fourth place on the grid in the #30 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Team-mate Finn Zulauf even topped this performance and placed the #31 AVIA racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport ahead of him in third place as the fastest Porsche in the field.

Once again, Zulauf proved his talent on the opening lap and had advanced to second place. This was followed by countless battles for the places at the top, in which the youngster kept a cool head. For a short time, the Königsteiner was in the lead before handing over the #31 Porsche to his team-mate Møller Madsen in second place. The Dane lined up in third place after the pit stop. In the further course of the race, Møller Madsen struggled with the heavily degrading tyres and finished in eighth place overall.

Hendrik Still's start in the #30 Porsche Cayman GT4 also quickly led to duels for positions in the top 5. Still found the right mix of defending backwards and attacking forward to maintain fifth place. Max Kronberg took over the cockpit at half-time and rejoined the field in seventh place. The Berliner also managed the balance between defense and offense and passed the chequered flag in front of the sister car in seventh place.

The grand finale of the ADAC GT4 Germany and at the same time the home race for W&S Motorsport will take place from 21 to 23 October 2022 at the Hockenheimring in the north of Baden-Württemberg. The team of Daniel Schellhaas and Patrick Wagner is aiming for further podium places there - as at the fifth round of the GT4 European Series with two class wins and two second places - and would like to support Finn Zulauf in the fight for the Junior Trophy.

Quotes after the race

Daniel Schellhaas, Team Principal W&S Motorsport: "I'm very proud of the team and the four drivers. That was a lot of work and with a bit of luck we could have done even better. Finn did an excellent job and once again proved his steep learning curve. We were the fastest Porsche in the field and set some of the fastest lap times in the race. The competition in the ADAC GT4 Germany is tough and at the highest level, we are looking forward to an exciting season finale!"

Max Kronberg, Driver #30: "We finished both races in the top 10 and offered exciting racing, which was really fun. Hendrik was strong on the road and the team gave us a perfectly tuned car. Especially the race to catch up from the very back to tenth place on Saturday will remain in my memory for a long time to come. I'm confident about the last two rounds at Hockenheim and I'm looking forward to the season finale."

Finn Zulauf, Driver #31: "The victory - at least the podium - was within reach. But it shouldn't have been. Both races were tough, fair and extremely demanding. But it was a lot of fun to fight for victory at the front and it's a pity that it didn't work out in the end. In the Junior Trophy I was on the podium again and here I am still well in the race for the championship. In October, billing will take place at the Hockenheimring. Nicolaj fought hard and the team worked super and professional as usual. I would still like to see a win as a reward for everyone, because we deserved it."