The races within the support programme of the ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race are definitely a highlight in the calendar of the ATS Formula 3 Cup. The 21 drivers from eleven countries delivered an impressive performance today. Exciting battles marked the third race of the weekend. Title favourite Marvin Kirchhöfer struck again and Freddy Killensberger kept the Trophy drivers in check.
The Lotus team delivered a dominant performance, with Briton Emil Bernstorff, Artem Markelov from Moscow and Marvin Kirchhöfer from Leipzig (all Lotus / Dallara F311 Volkswagen Power Engine) in the lead, followed by Swede John Bryant-Meisner and Austrian Thomas Jäger (both Performance Racing / Dallara F311 Volkswagen Power Engine). After Kirchhöfer had overtaken Markelov, the gap extended. However, the Russian managed to catch up again. Kirchhöfer grabbed the lead and broke away while the gaps among the field increased. Places two and three were not clear for quite a while. Bernstorff dropped and had to defend his place against Bryant-Meisner. In the end, the podium was all black and gold again, with Kirchhöfer first, Markelov second and Bernstoff third.
Killensberger closes gap in the Trophy ranking
Initially securing the lead, local favourite Sebastian Balthasar from Cologne (GU-Racing / Dallara F311 Mercedes) had to let his team-mate Freddy Killensberger (GU-Racing / Dallara F307 OPC-Challenge) pass. The driver from Wortelstetten defended his position at the top until the end, winning the Trophy ranking once again. Only one point ahead of him in the overall standings, Balthasar grabbed the second place. Finishing third, Swiss Jan Schwitter (Rennsport Rössler / Dallara F307 OPC-Challenge) secured a place on the podium in his ATS Formula 3 Cup debut.
Marvin Kirchhöfer: “It was fantastic. I did not have a perfect start but was able to overtake Artem pushing as hard as possible. Emil was in front of me at the end of the race. I put pressure on him, gambling a little with the push-to-pass system. He had to give it his all. In the end, I overtook him on the uphill section, exactly were I had overtaken Artem before. I’m very happy!”
Artem Markelov: “This second place today feels like a first place. The race was really tough. However, I was able to overtake Emil, even though he was ahead of me for a long time. Then I had to focus on Marvin. It was a good day for me. Thank you to my team. What can I say? I’m really happy!”
Emil Bernstorff: “At first I tried to break away, and then I wanted to preserve the tyres. But then Marvin overtook me where I had not expected it. Still, Lotus won all three places on the podium again, which is brilliant.”
Freddy Killensberger: “The start today went better than yesterday. After overtaking my team-mate I was able to break away and even battle with the Cup drivers. I’m very happy.”
2013 SONAX Rookie ranking
Marvin Kirchhöfer continues to lead the SONAX Rookie ranking with 164 points, followed by John Bryant-Meisner in second place with 122 points. American Gustavo Menezes (Van Amersfoort Racing / Dallara F311 Volkswagen Power Engine) took the third place of the SONAX Rookie ranking, having scored 92 points.
ATS Formula 3 Cup team ranking
The Lotus team from Oschersleben dominates the team ranking (166 points), followed by the Performance Racing team from Silverstone, with 125 points. Van Amersfoort Racing from the Netherlands places third in the newly established team ranking, having scored 105 points.
Points scored in the first nine races of the 2013 ATS Formula 3 Cup (top 10): 1 Marvin Kirchhöfer / DEU 158
2 Artem Markelov / RUS 113
3 Emil Bernstorff / GBR 107
4 John Bryant-Meisner / SWE 94
5 Gustavo Menezes / USA 66
6 Thomas Jäger / AUT 49
7 Yannick Mettler / CHE 46
8 Tomasz Krzeminski / POL 20
9 Matteo Cairoli / ITA 17
10 Nabil Jeffri / MYS 16
Off the track
The ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race is the biggest race event in the world. A tradition was revived on Thursday: the Adenauer Racing Day is a big event in the city with the top teams participating. Yannick Mettler did a fantastic job, representing the ATS Formula 3 Cup. The Swiss, who enjoys the direct contact with the fans, was very impressed. The ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race is a huge event and an attraction for everybody. Thus, numerous former Formula 3 drivers also come to the Nordschleife. The 2010 champion, Frenchman Tom Dillmann, paid a visit to his Lotus team. Both Cyndie Allemann, who secured the top position on the podium in the 2006 season as a rookie, and Klaus Bachler will participate in the ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race. The Austrian joined Porsche’s young-driver promotion programme in 2012. “Formula 3 is the general qualification for motorsports. You really get the opportunity to learn and have a lot of free practice sessions. The higher the class, the lesser practice sessions you have for completing a perfect lap.” The Nürburgring will always be special to Rahel Frey. “I enjoyed my time in the Formula 3 and I learned a lot.” I was the first female driver in the Formula 3 to win a championship, which was here at the Nürburgring. This was a piece of history in 2009 and it certainly pushed me forward in my career.” This weekend, Emil Bernstorff and Marvin Kirchhöfer were on top of the podium. We will see where this will take them…certainly up the career ladder in motorsports.