Marvin Kirchhöfer was off to a perfect start into his Formula 3 career. The rookie from the Lotus team secured the first place in the third race after his phenomenal victory in the first race. The team from Oschersleben assured their position on the dry track, with team-mates, Russian Artem Markelov and Briton Emil Bernstorff, following in second and third place respectively. Sebastian Balthasar from Cologne secured the victory in the Trophy ranking for the GU-Racing team. The season opener of the ATS Formula 3 Cup at the etropolis Motorsportarena Oschersleben set the course for the season.
Artem Markelov from Moscow, who competes for Lotus, got off to a better start and overtook his team-mate Marvin Kirchhöfer before the first lap. His other team-mate, Briton Emil Bernstorff, was close behind the driver from Leipzig. There was a lot of pressure on the 19-year old, who lives in Portugal. After all, Swede John Bryant-Meisner and Austrian Thomas Jäger, both contesting for the Performance Racing team, chased the Lotus drivers along the 3.696-km long track. Kirchhöfer took the lead in the sixth lap after a perfect overtaking manoeuvre on the outside line. This did not change until the end of the race. Kirchhöfer finished first, followed by Markelov, Bernstorff in third place. All of them compete in a Dallara F311 Volkswagen Power Engine.
High-profile grid in the Trophy ranking
There were no surprises in the Trophy ranking of the ATS Formula 3 Cup. Contesting in a Dallara F311 Mercedes for the GU-Racing team, Sebastian Balthasar from Cologne successfully defended his position right ahead of his team-mate Freddy Killensberger from Wortelstetten in a Dallara F307 OPC-Challenge. Austrian Maximilian Hackl for Franz Wöss Racing took the third place. Both Balthasar and Killensberger finished within the top 10 of the Cup ranking once again.
Rookies stir things up in the ATS Formula 3 Cup
It could not have been clearer and underlines Kirchhöfer’s performance. The rookie secured two victories and opened an incredible gap to the driver in second place in the first race. As a result, the 19-year old from Leipzig took the lead of the SONAX rookie ranking of the ATS Formula 3 Cup after the first racing weekend of the season. Bryant-Meisner grabbed the second place, with Californian Gustavo Menezes from the Van Amersfoort Racing team following in third place.
New team ranking
For the first time in the history of the ATS Formula 3 Cup, the best team will also win a trophy in 2013. The local heros from the team based in Oschersleben were on top of the grid. Kirchhöfer, Markelov and Bernstorff not only secured podium places for themselves but for the Lotus team as well, resulting in the first place after the first three races of the season. Performance Racing is in second and Van Amersfoort Racing in third place.
Points scored in the first three 2013 ATS Formel 3 Cup races (top 10):
1 Marvin Kirchhöfer / GER 62
2 Artem Markelov / RUS 46
3 John Bryant-Meisner / SWE 30
4 Gustavo Menezes / USA 26
5 Emil Bernstorff / GBR 19
6 Thomas Jäger / AUT 16
7 Yannick Mettler / SUI 12
8 Tomasz Krzeminski / POL 12
9 Sebastian Balthasar / GER 8
10 Matteo Cairoli / ITA 7
Comments from drivers from today’s race:
Marvin Kirchhöfer: “It was a great start into the new season. I would never have expected this. I wanted to achieve a place on the podium, but a season opener like this is just fantastic. I am going to practice the start a little more.”
Artem Markelov: “What a tough race. I was able to overtake Marvin right at the start but then he overtook me again. It was a very consistent race with a lot of good drivers. So I am very happy about my second place.”
Emil Bernstorff: “I was struggling a little bit with the car, especially when the tyres started to deteriorate. I was not really happy with the balance. But I am really pleased with the third place today.”
Sebastian Balthasar: “Today was a brilliant race, everything worked perfectly right from the beginning. I had a great start and consistently drove good lap times. I just tried to keep up the pressure in order to open a gap.”
Excitement off the track
Fastest driver on his favourite track, Jäger set the top speed of 244.76km/h (152.09mph) this weekend. Balthasar’s pre-race ritual also paid off. Perhaps the 16-year old won the Trophy ranking because he always gets into his single-seater from the left-hand side. A lot of new things for the rookies, and not only on the track: “The champagne really burns your eyes,” says Killensberger. “But it is definitely a cool thing!” The weekend was also very special for Bryant-Meisner. The 18-year old was back at the wheel in an official race exactly one year after his bad crash: “It is very special to be back and to find a good line.”
The ATS Formula 3 Cup on TV
The “ran racing” magazine programme on Kabel1 will include two minutes about the ATS Formula 3 Cup. The programme is broadcast after the racing weekends, on Mondays from 02:08 to 02.23 a.m., with a repeat on Tuesdays from 02:10 to 02.25 a.m. The Sport1 Magazine also shows four minutes of highlights of the ATS Formula 3 Cup. The next programme will be shown on Friday, May 10th, from 12.45 to 1.45 p.m. in conjunction with the ADAC Masters Weekends.