| Car Collection Motorsport was in excellent form at its home race weekend at the Hockenheimring during the third round of the International GT Open. The team from Walluf put in a highly competitive performance in the Pro-Am class with its Porsche 992 GT3 R over long stretches of the weekend – but was ultimately left unrewarded. Car Collection Motorsport had set its sights high for the home race at the Hockenheimring after its successes in previous races. In the first race of the weekend, the duo of Alex Fontana and his American teammate finished sixth in the Pro-Am class. After a good start and a solid performance throughout the first half of the race, a full-course yellow phase immediately after the pit stop dashed all hopes of a podium finish. Nevertheless, important points were scored – under challenging weather conditions that characterised the entire weekend. Sunday: First pole, then accident Sunday’s race was marked by a highlight: Alex Fontana secured pole position in his class and third place overall in qualifying in heavy rain. He also remained in the leading group in difficult conditions during the race and handed the Porsche over to his team-mate in the lead after a flawless stint, with slick dry tyres fitted. With the pit stop window about to close, there was no alternative to this decision. On a still wet track, the American lost control of the car while braking for the hairpin bend – the Porsche crashed into the track barrier and had to retire from the race early. Fortunately, the driver was uninjured. ‘Of course, it’s bitter to end up without a podium after such a performance – but the performance of the entire team was absolutely top-notch,’ emphasises team manager Romina Schmidt. ‘We have seen that we can compete at the front in this class. We want to build on that in the next race.’ The next round of the International GT Open will take place from 4 to 6 July at the Hungaroring in Hungary. Car Collection Motorsport will once again compete there with the aim of fighting for podium places in the Pro-Am classification. |
