08
Jul 2019
On the podium again at the 24h race in Portimao
Another podium finish for WTM at a 24h race in Portimao, Portugal.
Just two weeks after their podium success in the SP9 Pro-Am class at the ADAC TOTAL 24h race at the Nürburgring, WTM Racing has once again claimed a podium finish in a 24-hour race, this time even in the overall classification. Georg Weiss, Leonard Weiss, Jochen Krumbach and David Perel drove to third place in the 24 Hours of Portimao.
The Ferrari 488 GT3 “Guido”, managed by Rinaldi Racing, came from eighth on the grid without any problems over the distance twice around the clock. However, the team around Georg Weiss was looking for speed all weekend without finding it. “There we go home with some homework,” says team boss Georg Weiss.
What the long-distance experienced team lacked in pace, they compensated with a perfect strategy and good driving performance. In a gripping finale, Leonard Weiss managed to withstand the pressure of Porsche works driver Klaus Bachler, who challenged WTM Racing for the podium in the Herberth Porsche. As David Perel was in danger of exceeding his maximum allowed driving time in the end, Leonard Weiss had to bring the Ferrari to the finish. He managed to keep Bachler at bay by a good minute.
Quotes after the race
Georg Weiss (driver Ferrari 488 GT3 #22): “A successful event. The whole team did an excellent job and we felt absolutely comfortable in the 24h Series again. It’s really great what Creventic puts together here. We are happy about the podium finish, but we have to look at why we don’t have the pace of the teams at the front. I don’t think it’s down to the drivers. So we either need to improve the car or exploit the regulations more consistently. We will look at that.”
Leonard Weiss (driver Ferrari 488 GT3 #22): “A super weekend for me and the team. I’m overjoyed that we were able to clinch third place together. A great job from everyone. I struggled with the track at the beginning of the weekend, but I managed really well in the race.”
Jochen Krumbach (driver Ferrari 488 GT3 #22): “I’m happy, but also quite tired and worn out after almost eight hours of driving. Double stints are really exhausting in Portimao. We didn’t quite have the speed we needed, but were able to move up the field during the race thanks to an almost faultless drive, good strategy and an excellent performance from Rinaldi Racing.”
David Perel (driver Ferrari 488 GT3 #22): “Portimao was a tough place for us. We lacked a bit of pace, but we had a perfect strategy. My teammates did a great job of staying out of everything. After our pace in qualifying, a podium feels like a win. Thanks to everyone at WTM Racing for a great experience.”
