The final race weekend of the GTC Race at the Nürburgring brought Team Car Collection Motorsport not only two race wins but also three championship titles. Both in the Sprint classification and in the GT60 championship, GTC support driver Julian Hanses was able to triumph in the Car Collection Audi. In addition, Car Collection won the team classification in the Sprint. Hanses’ partner Finn Zulauf was also convincing with a second championship place in the GT60 classification.
Julian Hanses from Team Car Collection Motorsport traveled to the final race weekend of the GTC Race at the Nürburgring as the leader of the standings. The pilot, who is supported by the racing series, is completing his first season in GT3 racing and has already been able to convince throughout the season. Hanses also cut a very good figure at the Nürburgring and was not even impressed by the strongly changing weather conditions. The same applies to his partner Finn Zulauf, who is also sponsored by GTC Race and who was still very well placed in the overall standings despite school-related breaks.
First up was the one-hour GT60 – powered by Pirelli race, which both drivers contested together. Finn Zulauf started the race from third place and was able to work his way up to second place by the mandatory stop. Julian Hanses then struggled with the onset of rain and dropped back one place. After changing to rain tires, Hanses initially held this position. Due to mistakes during the pit stop, the two leading cars each received a penalty, which allowed Hanses to take the race win in the end.
The Eifel weather also played a major role in the first round of the GTC Sprint. A rain shower shortly before the start made tire selection tricky. The experienced Car Collection team stayed on slick tires despite the wet track, which initially gave the cars on rain tires an advantage and allowed them to pass Julian Hanses. But as the track dried, the young driver quickly turned this disadvantage into an advantage and regained the overall lead. In the end, Hanses won clearly with an 18-second advantage and thus made the title in the sprint classification clear.
The second round of the GTC Race, which Finn Zulauf took under his wheels for Car Collection, was also dominated by the weather gods. Here the rain set in only shortly after the start. Car Collection again made the right choice of tires and sent Finn Zulauf out onto the track on rain tires right from the start. He thanked them with a spirited drive that took him from fourth place on the grid to second overall. In doing so, he secured the title in the GT3 team classification for his Car Collection squad.
Peter Schmidt, Team Principal: “I am very proud that we were able to win three championships in the GTC Race with our young drivers. That’s not a matter of course, as the last race weekend at the Nürburgring showed. The weather presented us with some tricky challenges. But the team and the drivers didn’t let that impress them and delivered a perfect performance! We are very happy that we were allowed to participate in the unique talent development of the GTC Race as an operational team. The successes show that this is absolutely the right way!”
Text: Christopher Otto
