Pereira wins ahead of points’ leader ten Voorde – title showdown on Sunday

High suspense in the title fight at the season finale of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland: At the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Dylan Pereira (Luxembourg/Förch Racing) netted his sixth win of the season. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Nebulus Racing by Huber) reached the finish line in second place ahead of Leon Köhler (Germany/T3/HRT Motorsport). This means that only four points separate the series leader ten Voorde and his hottest pursuer Pereira in the overall standings. At the decisive race on Sunday, a maximum of 25 points are up for grabs. “Thanks to my super start I immediately took the lead. Towards the end, Larry ten Voorde was right on my bumper. To be honest, I was a little nervous at that point, but I kept my focus so that everything is still open in the championship,” said Pereira.

In bright sunshine and outside temperatures of 12 degrees Celsius, polesitter Laurin Heinrich (Germany/T3/HRT Motorsport) led the grid line-up. At the start, Pereira was wide awake and ready to pounce in his 485-hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: At the first corner, the 23-year-old swept past the rookie. Ten Voorde also overtook Heinrich in the first lap. Frontrunner Pereira initially managed to pull clear, but the final laps turned into a nail-biter for the win. The Huber driver ten Voorde loomed large in Pereira’s rear-view mirror and attempted to rattle the leader. The Förch driver, however, kept his wits about him and beat ten Voorde to the flag by 0.6 seconds. “I did everything I could to win this race, but Dylan defended himself well. I’m the hunted in the championship, and that role feels great. Everything is open and I’m looking forward to the final race,” said ten Voorde.

Heinrich’s race ended early in the second lap. While running in third place, the 19-year-old drove through coolant that had leaked from a competitor’s vehicle and slid off the track into the barriers. As a consequence, the field lined up behind the Porsche Taycan Turbo safety car. Köhler profited from his teammate’s accident and inherited third place. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t match the pace of the leaders but I’m still happy with this result. It’d be great to conclude the season on Sunday with another podium finish,” outlined Köhler. With his performance, the 21-year-old was the best driver from the Porsche Carrera Cup Talent Pool, the junior development programme in the one-make cup. Securing fourth place on the 3.667-kilometre racetrack in the southwest of Magdeburg, Joey Mawson (Australia/Fach Auto Tech) achieved his best result so far this season.

Fifth place went to rookie Julian Hanses (Germany/Förch Racing) ahead of Kay van Berlo (Netherlands/Nebulus Racing by Huber) and Diego Bertonelli (Italy/Fach Auto Tech). Lukas Ertl (Germany/Overdrive Racing by Huber) brought his Cup car over the line in eighth place. In the ProAm class, Carlos Rivas (Black Falcon Team Textar) continued his winning streak and celebrated his ninth win of the season. Matthias Jeserich (Germany/CarTech Motorsport by Nigrin) and his compatriot Stefan Rehkopf (Nebulus Racing by Huber) finished behind the Luxembourger.

Three titles will be decided on Sunday: Ten Voorde (211 points) faces Pereira (207 points) in the duel for the overall championship title. Victory in the rookie class goes down to the wire between Hanses (186 points), Heinrich (181 points) and Bertonelli (176 points). In the team classification, Förch Racing (313 points) fights for honours against Nebulus Racing by Huber (275 points). Last weekend at the Lausitzring,
Rivas was crowned 2020 champion of the ProAm class.

The eleventh and final round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland gets underway at 11:40 a.m. local time on Sunday. Pereira starts from pole position. The event is streamed live on the German TV station Sport1+. Fans can watch the race action via a live stream on the official YouTube and Facebook channel (@CarreraCupDeutschland) and in the Porsche Motorsport Hub.

Result race 10, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland
1. Dylan Pereira (Luxemburg/Förch Racing)
2. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Nebulus Racing by Huber)
3. Leon Köhler (Germany /T3/HRT Motorsport)
4. Joey Mawson (Australia/Fach Auto Tech)
5. Julian Hanses (Germany /Förch Racing)
6. Kay van Berlo (Netherlands/Nebulus Racing by Huber)
7. Diego Bertonelli (Italy/Fach Auto Tech)
8. Lukas Ertl (Germany /Overdrive Racing by Huber)
9. Jukka Honkavuori (Finland/MRS-GT Racing)
10. Carlos Rivas (Luxembourg/Black Falcon Team Textar)

Points standings after 10 of 11 races
Drivers’ classification
1. Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Nebulus Racing by Huber), 211 points
2. Dylan Pereira (Luxembourg/Förch Racing), 207 points
3. Leon Köhler (Germany/T3/HRT Motorsport), 127 points

Rookie class
1. Julian Hanses (Germany /Förch Racing), 186 points
2. Laurin Heinrich (Germany /T3/HRT Motorsport), 181 points
3. Diego Bertonelli (Italy/Fach Auto Tech), 176 points

ProAm class
1. Carlos Rivas (Luxembourg/Black Falcon Team Textar), 245 points
2. Matthias Jeserich (Germany /CarTech Motorsport by Nigrin), 178 points
3. Stefan Rehkopf (Germany /Nebulus Racing by Huber), 172 points

Team classification
1. Förch Racing, 313 points
2. Nebulus Racing by Huber, 275 points
3. T3/HRT Motorsport, 244 points