W&S Motorsport poised for start of 2023 Nürburgring Endurance Series season with four Porsche

Daniel Schellhaas, Team Principal W&S Motorsport: "We expect even more participants in Cup2 and Cup3 than last year and therefore an even closer competition on the track. Precise pit stops, clever strategy and, of course, no mistakes from the drivers and the team will be the factors for decisive points in the championship. We know we can do it, but our competitors will not offer us the title defence as a gift. Therefore, the task from the first round onwards will be to collect as many points as possible in order to hold the coveted works trophy in our hands again after nine rounds and to have a say in the overall standings. Daniel Blickle finished second overall in the NLS drivers' standings in 2022 and we want to beat that this year."

"The endurance races on the Nordschleife are our passion and we have already been able to celebrate numerous great successes on what is probably the most beautiful and toughest race track in the world. We want to continue this tradition and remain loyal to the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring. We are even expanding our commitment with the third Porsche Cayman GT4. We are very familiar with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 992 and the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS and the cars are reliable. The new minimum standing time rule in Cup2, which is now based on the completed race laps, requires very little adjustment. That's why I am very optimistic that, with ambition and the necessary bit of racing luck, we will always be able to finish with all four Porsche cars in the top positions. We are looking forward to finally getting back to racing in the Green Hell and hope to have many fans around the Nordschleife keeping their fingers crossed for us!" adds W&S Motorsport Team Principal Patrick Wagner.

The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 992 #120 in AVIA racing design 

Paul Harkema and Tim Scheerbarth will fight for points and victories in the Cup2 of the PETN at the wheel of the fast bolide this season. Harkema already contested one season in the Cup car last year and therefore has a lot of experience. Scheerbarth will enter his third season with W&S Motorsport. The 2011 VLN champion won the Porsche Cayman Trophy with the team in 2021 and played a major role in the PETN's Cup2 victory in 2022. 

The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS #960 in AVIA racing design 

The work in the cockpit of the AVIA racing Porsche Cayman GT4 is shared by Marius Rauer, Finn Zulauf and Moritz Oberheim. Rauer gained a lot of experience in the #960 car last season. In 2023, he wants to build on this and fight for class victory. Zulauf joined the team of Patrick Wagner and Daniel Schellhaas in 2021, finished third in the Junior classification in the ADAC GT4 Germany together with AVIA W&S Motorsport and celebrated overall victory at the 2022 season finale. The 18-year-old gained his Nordschleife permit last year with the team to now score points in Cup3. Oberheim has been successful in endurance racing in various classes for years and was the first winner of the Porsche Cayman Trophy in 2016 at the age of 19. 

The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS #961 in Vöhringer design 

Jürgen Vöhringer is contesting his third season with the team at W&S Motorsport. The managing director of Vöhringer GmbH & Co. KG and eponym of the Vöhringer Porsche will again compete in Cup3 with René Höber, as he did in 2022. The Gentlemen crew is completed by Sebastien Carcone. The man from Luxembourg has already competed several times for W&S Motorsport in recent years. 

The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS #962 in CMS design 

New in the fleet and promisingly manned is the CMS Porsche Cayman GT4. Niclas Wiedmann and the W&S Motorsport newcomers Philip Miemois and Mauro Calamia will take turns in the cockpit. Wiedmann celebrated numerous podiums and a class win with W&S Motorsport last year in the production-based Porsche Cayman 2.7L. The Finn Miemois already competed in Cup3 last season, which he finished as fourth best driver, and thus has a lot of experience in the highly competitive PETN class. Swiss driver Mauro Calamia crowned himself Cup3 champion in the 2022 Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring and was third best driver in the overall NLS standings in 2022. The 33-year-old wants to attack with the team from Ofterdingen and his teammates to defend his class title in the one-make cup.

In 2023, the Nürburgring Endurance Series will stage six races over four hours each, three races over six hours each and thus offer a total of 42 hours of racing action. The popular sports series fascinates spectators with a large starting field of up to 160 race cars in different classes and with international participants. At family-friendly admission prices, visitors can enter the open paddock, the starting grid and have an insight into the pit action during the race. 

Covered grandstands and popular spectator areas around the legendary Nordschleife are also accessible. An extensive range of livestreams throughout the day in German and English with many onboard cameras is available to those at home on the homepage www.nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de. The online offer is completed by a live timing and live ticker. The schedule provides for qualifying on race day from 8:30 to 10:00. The race will start at 12:00 noon. 

Quotes before the season

Tim Scheerbarth, Driver #120: "It's finally kicking off again and I am incredibly eager to drive through the Green Hell again in the AVIA racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. I am excited to see how big the field will be in Cup2 this season and who we will have to compete against. Once again, it will be a matter of hundredths of a second that decide victory. With Paul at my side and the strong team behind us, we can succeed in winning the class again. But first we have to complete the nine runs without any mistakes and have the necessary pinch of luck, because the score will only be settled at the end."

Marius Rauer, Driver #960: "Thanks to the new race simulator that W&S Motorsport has set up in Ofterdingen, I have already been able to prepare extensively for the season and am therefore very confident that we will do very well in Cup3. Our goal is to regularly finish on the podium and win the class. Thanks to the professional work of the entire crew and two strong drivers at my side, we can do that. After the winter break, I am really looking forward to enjoying the atmosphere at the Nürburgring and the racing action up close again."

Jürgen Vöhringer, Driver #961: "The anticipation for the third season together with W&S Motorsport is huge and I can't wait to see the team of Patrick Wagner and Daniel Schellhaas and my fellow drivers again. The chemistry is great and the car is always optimally prepared and looked after. We Gentlemen drivers may not be able to keep up with the young guns, but will hopefully be able to achieve good results again through consistency."

Niclas Wiedmann, Driver #962: "With the promotion to the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS, the next chapter as a driver is about to start for me and a big dream is coming true. After having gained a lot of experience with W&S Motorsport and being successful together, I am sure that I can also bring strong results in Cup3. Philip and Mauro have already done well in PETN, so I am looking forward to driving with them and scoring as many points as possible. The ultimate goal is of course to win the class for the team."