Dylan Pereira wins on Red Bull Ring and now leads Supercup rankings
A commanding lights-to-flag victory for Dylan Pereira at round four of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: On the Red Bull Ring, the Luxembourger from the BWT Lechner Racing team converted his pole position into his second win of the season. As a result, Pereira now lies two points ahead of Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich (SSR Huber Racing) in the overall rankings. The German took the flag on the Formula 1 racetrack in Spielberg in second place. Clinching third, Denmark’s Bastian Buus from BWT Lechner Racing also won the rookie class with his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
For BWT Lechner Racing, the Supercup race on the Red Bull Ring in Styria was a home event. The Austrian squad did not disappoint the ca. 40,000 fans who visited the Formula 1 circuit near Spielberg: Dylan Pereira from Luxembourg as the winner, Bastian Buus from Denmark claiming third overall and UK driver Harry King in fourth place – each at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by the team. Only the German Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich (SSR Huber Racing) managed to plant himself on second place between the protégés of Robert Lechner, who also contested the Supercup during his active race career. Bad luck, however, plagued the points’ leader and reigning Supercup champion Larry ten Voorde: Driving for GP Elite, the Dutchman was running in second place with his ca. 375 kW (510 PS) 911, when he became the unwitting victim of an accident and was thrown out of contention.
Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport, was impressed by the fourth round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season at the Red Bull Ring: “Thirty years of the Porsche Supercup – that’s an extraordinary time span for the international flagship of our one-make cups. Such success is only possible thanks to the professionalism of everyone involved, from the drivers and the teams to the organisers. In Spielberg, we once again witnessed a race packed with gripping fights for positions. That’s great motor racing and it’s exactly what makes the Supercup so special.”
With battles for positions raging behind him, Pereira controlled the race from the front of the pack. The Luxembourger maintained his rhythm even through the two short neutralisation periods due to the safety car. On both occasions, he managed to defend his lead. “I’ve experienced worse restarts. My car ran perfectly today so I’m completely satisfied. The fact that I’m now leading the championship is something I didn’t expect,” admitted Pereira after the 18-lap race.
Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich was also extremely pleased with his second place. “I got off the line well and I was able to overtake Harry King in the first corner. Larry, however, was a tough nut to crack at first. Instead, I was busy defending myself from Marvin Klein. In my rear-view mirror, I noticed his overtaking attempt, which ultimately threw Larry out of the race, and managed to could foil them,” explains the 20-year-old German. Heinrich wrapped up the first half of the season in second place, just two points behind the series leader Pereira.
In the rookie category, Bastian Buus remains undefeated at race four in his debut Supercup year. The Dane made up six places in the race – a feat no one else in the leading group managed to do. “I’m lost for words, it’s simply incredible,” grinned the 19-year-old. “We all work very well together at BWT Lechner Racing, and we push each other to achieve top performances. I’m learning a great deal from Dylan and Harry,” said Buus in praise of his teammates.
In the ProAm classification, too, spectators were treated to a home win: Austrian Philipp Sager from Dinamic Motorsport won his class for the first time this season. The trophy was presented to him by Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Boards of Porsche Automobile Holding SE and Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.
In a fortnight, the teams travel to Le Castellet to contest round five of the season. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup heads into the second half of the season at the Circuit Paul Ricard as support to the French Grand Prix (14 July 2022).
Result race 4 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Spielberg (A)
1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 29:40.386 minutes
2. Laurin Heinrich (D/SSR Huber Racing), +4.257 seconds
3. Bastian Buus (DK/BWT Lechner Racing), +5.562 seconds
4. Harry King (UK/BWT Lechner Racing), +6.451 seconds
5. Simone Iaquinta (I/Dinamic Motorsport), +8.613 seconds
6. Jaap van Lagen (NL/Martinet by Alméras), +9.170 seconds
Points’ standings 2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (after 4 of 8 races)
1. Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing), 78 points
2. Laurin Heinrich (D/SSR Huber Racing), 76 points
3. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team GP Elite), 65 points
4. Harry King (GB/BWT Lechner Racing), 60 points
5. Bastian Buus (DK/BWT Lechner Racing), 48 points
Full race results and championship standings:
https://motorsports.porsche.com/germany/de/category/mobil1supercup/pmsc-2022-results