Pole position and podium finishes for W&S Motorsport at fourth GTC race weekend in Oschersleben

For the GT60 powered by Pirelli on Saturday afternoon, Roland Arnold was unable to set a scored lap in qualifying on Friday and had to start the one-hour race from the back of the field with the PARAVAN Mercedes-AMG GT3 #65. The safety car was sent out on the track during the first lap. After four laps and already in 18th position, Roland Arnold started to catch up through the GT4 field. At the mandatory stop with driver change to his son Luca Arnold, he was already in seventh place overall. Luca Arnold, who is contesting his first season in a GT3, confidently stayed on top and continued to gain positions. After 38 laps, the PARAVAN Mercedes-AMG GT3 #65 crossed the finish line in third place and the father-son duo celebrated second place in the Semi-Pro classification. 

Tim Horrell started the race in the PARAVAN Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport #75 from 17th position. But still in the first lap the Porsche, which had been specially modified for the paraplegic US-American, was damaged after a contact and Horrell headed for the pits. After the restart behind the safety car, Horrell was again the victim of contact, came into the pits again and had to retire the car.

On Sunday morning, for the first 30-minute sprint race of the GTC Race weekend, Luca Arnold with the PARAVAN Mercedes-AMG GT3 #65 sorted himself into fourth place on the second row of the grid. After four laps, the race had to be interrupted with the red flag after accidents. After a longer interruption and with 22 minutes remaining, Luca Arnold, lying in third place, resumed the sprint and defended his position against the attacks of the pursuers before the safety car gathered the field behind it again twelve minutes before the end. Finally, the youngster passed the black-white-chequered flag in second place and the team of Patrick Wagner and Daniel Schellhaas celebrated another podium finish.

From eleventh overall and sixth in the GT4 class, Tim Horrell in the #75 PARAVAN Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 started the first sprint event. Horrell was hit on the rear by an over-motivated competitor on the fourth lap and the bolide was so badly damaged that the race was again over prematurely for him.

From pole position, Luca Arnold started the second sprint race on Sunday afternoon with the PARAVAN Mercedes-AMG GT3 #65. It began to rain while still on the grid and the team decided to switch to rain tyres after the first lap. Luca Arnold regrouped in the middle of the field in eleventh position and after five laps had already moved up to sixth position. A longer safety car period made further overtaking impossible and he managed to gain another two positions in the remaining six minutes. He finished a successful weekend with W&S Motorsport in fourth place overall and second in the semi-standings.

Henry Schwalbach started the second sprint race from 14th place. The team decided to leave the slick tyres on the PARAVAN Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport #75 and was in a sensational fourth place overall for five laps. However, the Porsche Cayman GT4 was hit at the rear and thus the race was again over prematurely for the #75. 

The final weekend of the GTC Race will be held from 13 to 15 October as part of the ADAC Racing Weekend. Then, on the 5.1-kilometre layout of the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit, the battle for positions and points will be staged for the last time this season. Before the final race weekend, Luca Arnold is in fourth place in the GT3 classification and fifth in the GT60 classification and in a promising position in the fight for the championship. 

Quotes after the race 

Patrick Wagner, Team Principal W&S Motorsport: "We had another weekend with ups and downs. With the PARAVAN Mercedes-AMG GT3 we were able to finish on the podium three times, Roland and Luca did an excellent job at the wheel. Unfortunately, fate struck the Porsche Cayman GT4 in all three races. Tim and Henry were unable to score any points, although the tests were promising even in the rain. The rainy weather at Oschersleben on all days made it even more difficult to find the right strategy. We will give everything again at the finale at the Nürburgring!"

Roland Arnold, Managing Director of PARAVAN GmbH and Driver #65: "It is a shame that qualifying didn't go so well for the GT60. We had a good preparation and the car felt great. A big thanks goes to the whole team for giving us a great car again for Saturday and the results speak for themselves. In the GT60, despite the last starting position, we still managed to finish third! All in all, we can be very satisfied with the weekend, and we can go on like this. It is a shame that Tim had such bad luck this time, but I am sure he will come back even stronger at the Nürburgring in October."

Luca Arnold, Driver #65: "We had very challenging conditions this weekend. The test day was held in the rain, but that ended up being the optimal preparation for the changeable weather conditions of the weekend. Qualifying for the sprint races went great with fourth on the grid and pole position. In the GT60, we went from last place to third, so there's nothing to complain about. The first sprint race was very positive - starting fourth and finishing second. The second race was a rain poker: starting from pole with slicks was unfortunately the wrong strategy, in the end we finished fourth. All in all, the weekend was bombastic. The learning curve was steep, I am very happy and proud of my team."

Tim Horrell, Driver #75: "It was a tough weekend here at Oschersleben. Nothing seemed to go the way it should, but there are still some positives we can build on for the next race to finish the year on a good note. A big thank you to the team for their hard work in repairing the car after all the incidents this weekend. My thanks also go to PARAVAN for their continued dedication and hard work this season."