W&S Motorsport's success story in the Nürburgring Endurance Series and the 24-hour race continued in 2022

The spearhead of the W&S Motorsport fleet for 2022 was the AVIA racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 992 #120, which started in the Cup2 category of the PETN. Alongside Daniel Blickle and Tim Scheerbarth, Ralf Schall climbed into the cockpit of the fast Porsche for the first two rounds. From the third race onwards, David Jahn completed the driver line-up and he was to cause a few astonished faces in the course of the season. 

Marius Rauer, Daniel Bohr and Sebastian Vittel took the wheel of the AVIA racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS #960. The sister car, the Vöhringer Cayman GT4 #961, was shared by the Gentlemen drivers Jürgen Vöhringer and René Höber. Both Cayman GT4s were fighting for championship points in PETN's Cup3. After accidents during the season, the third W&S Motorsport Porsche Cayman GT4 #962 was used as a replacement for both driver crews. 

Already at the first of eight races of the season Blickle, Scheerbarth and Schall took the podium and were happy about the third place in Cup2. Wiedmann, Biermann and Rembert also finished the four-hour race in third place in V5. The AVIA racing Cayman #960 saw the chequered flag as the winner of the Am classification in Cup3 and the Vöhringer Cayman #961 in third place in the Am classification. 

The second round of the campaign at the beginning of April had to be cancelled in the run-up due to the bad weather forecast for the Eifel. This turned out to be the right decision, as heavy snowfall on that Saturday turned the Green Hell into a winter wonderland. NLS2 was rescheduled in November as the final race of the 2022 season. 

At the end of April, the Porsche quartet from W&S Motorsport then competed again in the third round of the season. Blickle, Scheerbarth and Schall repeated third place in class and thus secured further valuable points in the PETN. The AVIA racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS #960 finished seventh in Cup3 and the Vöhringer Cayman GT4 #961 tenth in the highly competitive one-make cup. The Porsche Cayman 2.7l #460 took on the four hours from second place in class, but crashed after just a few laps. 

Successful participation in the 24h race at the Nürburgring 

In May, the highlight of the year at the Nürburgring was on the agenda. Before the 50th 24-hour race in the Green Hell, the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers with two races over three hours was held as a dress rehearsal on 7 and 8 May. W&S Motorsport started with the two Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS in Cup3. Jürgen Vöhringer, René Höber and Sébastien Carcone competed in the Vöhringer Cayman GT4 #250. They finished both races in third place in class. The cockpit of the AVIA racing Cayman GT4 #251 was shared by the four Swiss drivers Urs and Markus Zünd, Viktor Schyrba and Benedikt Frei. The quartet finished the race on Saturday in fifth place in Cup3. In Sunday's race, the #251 was in a top five position for a long time before the Cayman GT4 crashed. 

Over 230,000 spectators made the journey to the Eifel three weeks later for the 50th edition of the toughest endurance race in the world. The team of Patrick Wagner and Daniel Schellhaas took up the challenge twice around the clock with the two Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS #250 and #251. In addition to Jürgen Vöhringer and René Höber, Dirk Biermann and Axel Duffner also took the wheel of the #250 Vöhringer Cayman GT4. The AVIA racing Cayman GT4 #251 was again driven by the four Swiss. Both cars survived the marathon without almost any scratches and in the top 50. In the end, the #250 finished in 38th place overall and the #251 in 45th place and the team celebrated another successful participation in the endurance classic in the Eifel. 

The second third of the 2022 NLS season with the fourth round began with setbacks for W&S Motorsport. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 992 #120 had to pit early in the race due to a technical problem and then start a race to catch up. With three points left in the PETN, it passed the black-white-checkered flag in 25th place overall. Marius Rauer, Daniel Bohr and Sebastian Vittel in the #960 AVIA racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS clinched victory in the Am classification by finishing fourth in class in Cup3. The sister car with the #961 crashed heavily in the last hour of the race. Driver René Höber escaped with a scare and was able to get out of the Vöhringer Cayman unharmed. The regular trio Wiedmann, Rembert and Biermann of the production-based Cayman in CMS Wheels design #460 delivered a flawless race and were rewarded with second place in V5. 

At the 6-hour race in July, the drivers of the AVIA racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 992 #120 scored their first well-deserved class win and finished in the top 10. The two Cup3 protagonists finished the race in ninth and tenth place and the driver trio of the #460 Porsche Cayman also climbed the podium with second position in V5. 

Class victory at the premiere of the 12h Nürburgring 

After a break of almost two months, the premiere of a new race format in the NLS took place in September. New ground was broken with the 12 Hours of Nürburgring, which consisted of six hours each on Saturday and Sunday. W&S Motorsport mastered the challenge of the constant weather changes and drivers Blickle, Scheerbarth and Jahn celebrated a well-deserved class win in Cup2. Wiedmann and Rembert were joined in the #460 by Finn Zulauf. The young talent regularly competed for AVIA W&S Motorsport in the ADAC GT4 Germany and also completed his first mandatory laps for the Nordschleife permit. The trio continued their previous good results and finished the 12-hour race in second place. Unfortunately, on the other hand, the race went badly for both Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS: The AVIA racing Cayman GT4 #960 crashed on Sunday and the Vöhringer Cayman GT4 #961 had to stop the second part prematurely with technical problems. 

The seventh race of the season, again over the usual four hours, could be finished in second place in Cup2 and again in the top 10. As a result, the driver trio moved up to third place in the overall championship. The V5 Porsche Cayman #460 also saw the chequered flag in second place and Finn Zulauf thus secured the permit to drive the fast cars on the Nordschleife in the future. The Vöhringer Cayman GT4 #961 finished the race in eighth place in Cup3. Daniel Bohr in the AVIA racing Cayman GT4 #960 had an accident in the morning qualifying session, which is why the trio could not start the race. 

Due to health problems, Tim Scheerbarth had to miss out on taking part in the eighth race. Blickle and Jahn took up the challenge as a duo and were convincing all along the line. Right from the start, Jahn was able to leave numerous GT3 cars behind and was in the top five of the field in the first laps. The AVIA racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 992 #120 crossed the finish line as class winner and thus took the lead in the PETN Cup2 championship. The knot also burst in V5 and Wiedmann, Rembert and Biermann took their first class win of the season. After the accident at the seventh race, Bohr, Rauer and Vittel did not start with the #960, but shared the W&S Motorsport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS #962 for the remaining two races. The trio finished sixth in Cup3 after a turbulent race. The #961 Vöhringer Cayman GT4 finished race eight in tenth place. 

Title win at the season finale 

On the first weekend in November, the final race of the season was held as the rescheduled round of NLS2. Blickle and Jahn started again as a duo in the GT3 Cup Porsche #120. From eighth position, David Jahn then managed another brilliant start and briefly led the entire field before he was spun by a GT3 and had to sort himself out at the end of the first starting group. From then on, he and Blickle began a fast-paced chase for positions, which was rewarded with a well-deserved victory in Cup2, thus securing the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring for the team in the class. Daniel Blickle was also able to celebrate being runner-up in the overall drivers' standings and became drivers' champion in the PETN Cup2 championship. 

For the Porsche Cayman GT4 #962 the season ended tragically. In the last lap of the race, Daniel Bohr crashed on an oil track, but was fortunately only slightly injured. The Vöhringer Cayman GT4 #961 finished tenth in Cup3. Wiedmann and Rembert were also unlucky in the production-based Porsche Cayman #460, which was pushed off the track already in the first hour of the race. 

Team Principal Daniel Schellhaas summed up the season on the Nordschleife satisfied: "After winning the Cayman Trophy last year, we obviously wanted to keep it in the team. Cup2 and Cup3 were always strongly contested throughout the season and we experienced many exciting races. With the new 911 GT3 Cup, we were finally able to fulfil our mission of defending the title and build on our success. This was only possible thanks to a perfect performance by the entire team. I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone! We are especially happy for Daniel Blickle, who was the best Porsche driver twice and NLS runner-up!" 

Nordschleife pro and 2011 VLN champion Tim Scheerbarth also looks back with satisfaction: "The competition in the Trophy was tough as nails and the competition had nothing to give away. But we were able to quickly adapt to the 911 GT3 Cup and always score points. The four wins and the top 10 finishes were possible thanks to the car, which was always excellently prepared, smooth pit stops and clever tactics by the team. Daniel and David did a strong job at the wheel, which ultimately enabled us to clinch another triumph in the Porsche Trophy. I would have loved to have driven in the last two races. Unfortunately, an illness interfered and I had to be a spectator. But keeping my fingers crossed helped. Next year we will attack again to keep the trophy at W&S Motorsport. The whole team more than deserves it!" 

Marius Rauer draws a mixed conclusion for himself: "In Cup3 we met strong competitors and had numerous fierce battles on track. Unfortunately, there were also setbacks due to accidents and I was unable to achieve my goal of a top finish in my first GT4 season. Nevertheless, the season with W&S Motorsport was a great experience and I was able to learn a lot. I would like to continue implementing this knowledge in 2023 together with Patrick and Daniel's team and then celebrate successes together with the team!" 

Niclas Wiedmann sums up: "Thanks to the top work and support from W&S Motorsport and my cockpit colleagues, we finished the V5 class in second place. We were able to improve continuously from race to race, and by the end of the season the potential to win was there. Looking back, everyone put in a great performance and we were consistently on the podium. Thanks to the whole crew from Ofterdingen, who looked after us super and welcomed us with always the best family atmosphere."