W&S Motorsport with podium after solid GTC Race season opener at Hockenheimring

At the GTC Race, the GT60 powered by Pirelli will be held as a one-hour race on Saturday. In extremely wet track conditions on Friday, Horrell and Schwalbach qualified for 22nd on the grid in the strong field of GT3 and GT4 cars. To operate the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, the #75 bolide was customised for Tim Horrell by PARAVAN Mobility Experts. He operates the vehicle manually with a throttle ring installed on the steering wheel and a brake lever. Horrell took the start and escaped the turmoil in the field during the start phase. The pit stop window opened during a safety car period and almost all the competitors headed for the pit lane in the same turn. Horrell handed over the Porsche Cayman GT4 to Henry Schwalbach in 16th position. The 16-year-old driver held his own solidly in the duels, gained positions and crossed the finish line in tenth place in the GT4 class.

Roland and Luca Arnold started from position 16 in the PARAVAN Mercedes-AMG GT3 #65. Starting driver Roland Arnold found himself in the middle of the GT4 field during the first lap. In the following laps Roland Arnold worked his way up to twelfth place. In the fourth lap he lost the rear in the Sachs curve and finished the race in the gravel.

Tim Horrell took over the first of the two 30-minute sprint races on Sunday. After a penalty in qualifying, he had to start the competition from the back of the field in the #75 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. He made up five positions in the first race laps and set convincing times. After 17 laps, he saw the chequered flag in second place in the Drivers' Trophy and 15th in class in the Porsche specially equipped for him. Roland Arnold was on the third row of the grid with the PARAVAN Mercedes-AMG GT3 #65. He got off to a good start and gained a position on the first lap. In the further course of the race he held on to fifth place, which he finally brought to the finish line after 30 minutes, thus securing third place in AM classification. 

For the second sprint race, Henry Schwalbach climbed into the cockpit of the #75 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. The junior driver started from 31st place and gained five positions already in the first laps. However, Schwalbach had to pit after six laps following a contact with a fellow competitor and had to end the race prematurely due to a damaged radiator. 

Luca Arnold took up his first ever GT3 race from fifth position and safely piloted the #65 PARAVAN Mercedes-AMG GT3 through the half hour. In the penultimate lap, he had slight contact while overtaking, but this had no consequences, so Roland and Luca Arnold celebrated fifth place and third in the semi-pro standings after his debut in the GT3 class of the GTC Race. 

The next stage of the GTC Race as part of the ADAC Racing Weekend is at the Lausitzring from 2 to 4 June 2023. Then W&S Motorsport and the two driver duos can expect another exciting weekend with three races. 

Quotes after the race 

Daniel Schellhaas, Team Principal W&S Motorsport: "After the effort to rebuild the car within three days after the accident in Monza, we were happy that the weekend went satisfactorily. We would have liked to give Henry and Tim more driving time to prepare, especially so that Tim could get used to the special conversion to his needs. We had to do that in a rush, which was not ideal. Now we will analyse the experiences from the weekend and we are sure that there will be more improvement already at the next race."

Patrick Wagner, Team Principal W&S Motorsport: "Both drivers had no preparation time with the Porsche Cayman GT4, which of course has an impact on the races. The team gave everything so that we could start. Two penalties after qualifying didn't make the races any easier after starting from the very back each time. I think we need to do some more fine-tuning on the rebuilt car in order to get further ahead in the strong GT4 field at the Lausitzring. The podium for Tim on Saturday gives us hope and made us very happy. Roland and Luca were also rewarded with trophies for their performances."

Tim Horrell, Driver #75: "It was a difficult debut to my first season in Europe. The very professional team welcomed me warmly from the first moment and did their best to provide us with the car after the accident. Certainly, more preparation time would have been necessary, but it was not possible under the circumstances. Now we have to continue to improve the car and myself as a driver. Thanks to W&S Motorsport for the first race, I feel part of a strong team and we will work together on improvements."

Henry Schwalbach, Driver #75: "My thanks to Team W&S Motorsport for the incredible amount of work to get the car prepared optimally and for looking after us professionally throughout the weekend. I was very happy with the way the GT60 powered by Pirelli went, as I was able to gain positions and hold my own in the duels. The sprint race on Sunday didn't go so well from the last grid position. After making up places, I made an avoidable mistake when overtaking after the safety car period, which I learned from. I am sorry for the team and would like to come back stronger next time."

Roland Arnold, Managing Director PARAVAN GmbH and Driver #65: "The project with W&S Motorsport and Tim Horrell is very exciting and presents us with new challenges in the further development of input devices in disability mobility. The fact that Tim then made it onto the podium was a very emotional moment for all of us. From my point of view, the whole weekend was a very successful one, despite the retirement on Saturday. Until the weekend at the Lausitzring, we will continue to improve the special steering of the Porsche Cayman GT4 to provide Tim and Henry with a car that is even easier to control." 

Luca Arnold, Driver #65: "My first weekend in a GT3 was of course very exciting for me. I was able to get to know the car and it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I had to wait an extra day for my first race after my father retired on Saturday. It was great to start from sixth place alongside well-known and experienced drivers, to have fair close battles and to finish fifth in my GT3 debut. I am very happy about the instructive weekend together with my father and W&S Motorsport."