A late safety car phase ensured a dramatic final phase at the season opener of the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland. Gravel thrown onto the track by spin left the race control no choice but to gather the peloton again at a slow pace behind the lead car a few minutes before the finish. When the cleared track was reopened, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup field was left with only one sprint over one lap.

Only leader Robert de Haan made it through the last kilometres of the race, which was held as part of a round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), without a battle for position. The 18-year-old Dutchman from the Proton Huber Competition team had started from pole position and controlled the entire race confidently. "I was able to pull away a little at the start. Even in the two restarts after safety car phases, I had no problem maintaining the lead," said the reigning rookie champion of the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus secured second place in the first of 16 races of the season. "My start went great, I was able to make up one position. But I couldn't get close to Robert: he simply made fewer mistakes over the race distance," admitted the Osnabrück native from the Bonk Motorsport team.

Alessandro Ghiretti, the second Porsche Junior, crossed the finish line in third place. "I messed up the start and lost three positions. I apologise to my team for that," said the Frenchman, who drives CLRT for Schumacher, self-critically. It was only halfway through the race that he was able to overtake the strong Senna van Soelen. In the last corner before the finish, Ghiretti also squeezed past Alexander Tauscher. In the opinion of the sports stewards, however, he was a little too rough and subsequently received a time penalty of one second. As a result, Tauscher, who competes in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Team Target, was classified third ahead of Ghiretti in the official result.

Senna van Soelen (Team75 Bernhard) crossed the finish line as the best-placed driver from the talent pool of the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland, but was not entirely satisfied with sixth place behind Marvin Klein (Proton Huber Competition). "The lap-long duel with Alessandro Ghiretti was great. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake and he was able to overtake me – and on the last lap I misbraked, which allowed Marvin to pass me," the 19-year-old Dutchman looked back.

In the rookie classification, van Soelen's compatriot Sacha Noorden (Proton Huber Competition), Brazilian Matheus Ferreira (Target) and Daniel Gregor (Team75 Bernhard) from Maikammer shared the podium. "I'm really proud of my first rookie victory," said Norden happily after his debut in the German Carrera Cup.

One of the regulars on the top step of the ProAm podium, on the other hand, is Michael Essmann (Team75 Bernhard). The entrepreneur from Rheine prevailed in the gentleman drivers' classification against long-time rival Ahmed Alshehab from Kuwait (a-workx by Porsche Paderborn) and German Carrera Cup newcomer Michael Schrey (Bonk Motorsport). "My start wasn't ideal. Fortunately, I was able to make up for lost positions in the course of the race. Now I'm looking forward to the second race on this cool track," commented Essmann.

The trophies were presented by Thomas Illner, Chief Operating Officer Porsche Germany, among others. "Absolute fascination and pure excitement right down to the last metre – you couldn't wish for anything better for the opening race of the 36th season of our one-make cup," said Illner, praising the performance of the 32 drivers.

Winner Robert de Haan will also start from pole position on Sunday

"Tomorrow the whole thing again," Robert de Haan has resolved for the second race of the weekend. Saturday's winner will also start from the first starting position tomorrow at 9:55 a.m.

Fans can watch the second round of the season as a live stream on the Porsche Motorsport Hub Porsche Motorsport Hub as well as the channels of the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Germany at YouTube and on Facebook follow. In addition, the TV station ProSieben will broadcast live on the Internet portal of ran racing.

Result race 1, Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland, Imola (ITA)

1. Robert de Haan (NLD/Proton Huber Competition), 17 laps
2. Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus (DEU/Bonk Motorsport), + 1.035 seconds
3. Alexander Tauscher (DEU/Target), +2.707 seconds
4. Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti (FRAU/Schumacher CLRT), + 3.688 seconds
5. Marvin Klein (FRA/Proton Huber Competition), +4.237 seconds
6. Senna van Soelen (NLD/Team75 Bernhard), +4.356 seconds