Gold Cup Porsche ahead of Pro Cup sisters

SROSPA24

Jun 28

Herberth Motorsport delivered a surprise performance in the Superpole session for the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The 911 GT3 R driven by Joel Sturm, Tim Heinemann, and gentleman driver Rolf Ineichen secured ninth overall, making it the top-finishing Porsche in the field and placing the trio on pole for the Gold Cup category. Meanwhile, the Porsche customer teams Schumacher CLRT, Rutronik Racing, and Dinamic GT qualified in 11th, 15th, and 17th respectively in the individual time trial.

Herberth Motorsport’s Gold Cup pole

After qualifying 19th with his co-drivers, Joel Sturm was the first of the Porsche quartet to set a time during the Superpole session. The German turned a blistering lap in the #92 Herberth Motorsport Porsche – clocking 2:16.127 on his second run, and shaving almost half a second off his first attempt. That effort secured ninth overall and first place in the Gold Cup class for Sturm, his fellow Tim Heinemann and their Gentleman co-driver Rolf Ineichen.

Joel Sturm (Herberth Motorsport Porsche #92): “I think that was the best lap I could’ve done – there wasn’t much more in it. We hit our minimum goal with Gold Cup pole, and being the fastest Porsche is a great bonus. That said, in terms of performance, we’re still lacking a little compared to the competition. Let’s see how things unfold for us in the race.”

Schumacher CLRT 5th row

At the wheel of Schumacher CLRT Porsche, Laurin Heinrich from Germany had been on course for a strong result but missed the braking point into the final chicane on his opening lap. He recovered on his second attempt to secure 11th on the grid. The reigning IMSA GTD Pro champion shares the car with DTM race winner Ayhancan Güven from Turkey and current FIA Endurance Trophy LMGT3 title-holder Klaus Bachler from Austria.

Laurin Heinrich (Schumacher CLRT Porsche #22): “We were hoping for a place in the top 10, but starting the world’s biggest GT3 race from eleventh isn’t a bad position either. Unfortunately, not everything went smoothly for us in Superpole. Still, we’ve got a strong car and one more warm-up session to make the final tweaks.”

Rutronik Racing in seventh row

Former Zandvoort winner Patric Niederhauser posted a time of 2:16.668 on his first lap in Rutronik Racing’s #96 Porsche but failed to improve on his second run. The Swiss driver and his teammates Alessio Picariello and Sven Müller will start Saturday’s race from P15.

Patric Niederhauser (Rutronik Racing Porsche #96): “I always think it’s really cool to take part in Superpole here at Spa. Our 911 GT3 R felt great, and I managed two solid laps. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to be further up the grid – but the race is long, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Dinamic GT in eighth row

Factory driver Mathieu Jaminet experienced bad luck: After recording 2:17.068, a red flag interrupted his second attempt. Although he was later granted another flying lap, he fell just short of his earlier benchmark on worn tyres. The Frenchman will tackle the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps from 17th on the grid with Matt Campbell – with whom he currently leads the North American IMSA series in the Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 hybrid prototype – and Bastian Buus.

Mathieu Jaminet (Dinamic GT Porsche #18): “The session didn’t go well for us due to the red flag – it came right in the middle of my second flying lap. After that, I had to go out again on the same set of tyres, which is obviously not ideal, but that’s how the rules work. In the end, it won’t matter too much – it’s a race twice around the clock. Still, we’ve got a bit of work to do tomorrow.” Source: Porsche