Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven on pole, home race for two Austrians
A hectic Sunday for the teams contesting the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at the Red Bull Ring. Torrential rain at the Austrian Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday resulted in the postponement of the qualifying until this morning – allowing just four hours between the qualifying session and the start of round two of the season. All races of the international one-make cup are contested with identical 485-hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racing cars as support to the European Formula 1 events.
“My team would not have been thrilled if I’d damaged my car, but it’s best not to think about that because it would slow you down,” joked Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (Martinet by Alméras), who claimed pole position. The Turk shares the front grid row with Leon Köhler (Lechner Racing Middle East), who was again the fastest of the eight rookies. “My best lap wasn’t totally perfect,” admitted the 20-year-old German, “but I’m more than happy with P2.” Dylan Pereira (L/BWT Lechner Racing) on third and Max van Splunteren (NL/Team GP Elite) on fourth were also less than half a second shy of polesitter Ayhancan Güven.
However, Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans (BWT Lechner Racing), the winner of the season-opening round at the same venue and leader of the series, was more contemplative. “I lacked confidence in my car,” admitted the New Zealander, who planted his Porsche on position eight. The fastest of the Pro-Am drivers was the Norwegian Roar Lindland (Pierre Martinet by Alméras) on P20.
Father and son duo, Philipp and Moritz Sager, had a much shorter distance to travel than Evans and Lindland. For the two Austrians from the town of Peggau just 60 kilometres from the circuit, races at the Red Bull Ring are virtually a home game. Philipp Sager, the winner of the ProAm classification at round one of the series at the same venue last weekend, contested various single-seater series in the nineties. “I then took a 20-year break to look after my company,” says the owner of a large company involved in construction, real estate and logistics. He returned to racing in 2016 and concluded the 2019 season of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup second overall in the ProAm classification.
At 18 years of age, Moritz Sager is one of the youngest competitors in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. After starting in karts, the rookie tackled the Italian Porsche Carrera Cup last year. “I’ve just completed my university entrance exams, and next up is the compulsory six-month military service in Austria,” says Sager junior. “The main objective for my first season in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is to learn as much as possible.”
The family hierarchy is clear: “Moritz is faster than me, no doubt about that,” says Sager senior approvingly. “But I’ll be hot on his heels.” Moritz takes up the race from 19th on the grid, with Philipp starting from position 21. Aside from the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, the Sagers have a big goal: to one day contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans together.
Like their rivals, the father and son now have just three hours to prepare for the race. Round two of the 2020 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes off at 12.30pm local time. Fans can enjoy the race via a live stream on F1.com.