new PRTC table leader at the Eurospeedway Lausitz: Tim Schestag proves to be the best

around the steep curves

Eurospeedway Lausitz. From 24-26.09.2021, the Lausitzring welcomed the Pfister-Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC), hosting competition rounds 7 & 8 in the current racing season. On the 4.534 km racing track in Brandenburg, the racing drivers weren’t just put to the test by a challenging “in-field”, but also by the only steep curve of the season before the start-finish straight sections.

The PRTC is becoming increasingly popular, and at the Eurospeedway, it was able to present a new record field with a total of 14 touring cars in 3 categories. Björn Röhlich (GER, Hamburg), Karla Hübner (GER, Leipzig) and Alexander Sailer (GER, Berlin) were all new additions to the racing class.

“Real cars, real racing. That’s the motto of our racing series. We offer professionally organized races with appealing touring cars in 4 qualifying categories, at reasonable costs and with good marketing. This concept is becoming increasingly popular, and we have been pleased with the great response. Last but not least, our racers put on a terrific show for the spectators!” stated organizer Andreas Pfister at the beginning of the racing weekend.

Once again, young driver Noah-Gabriel Vogler (GER, Ranstadt) was in the mix in his CUPRA Ibiza!

All of the racing cars are equipped with standard tires from TOYO TIRES, with the semi-slick Proxes R888R, which, in combination with the central fielding and “rotating system” of the CHEVROLET and CUPRA racing cars by Pfister-Racing GmbH, ensure a competitive race at an affordable price.

The winner of the 2021 Pfister Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC) will receive a free test drive in the 350 hp TCR racing car.

Pole position and two wins: Tim Schestag is in a class of his own at the Eurospeedway

On the Friday, the drivers were able to get a feel for the track in the free training sessions and gain a first impression of it. With cool and windy weather conditions, it was necessary to find the right techniques for bringing the semi-slicks to the correct driving temperature quickly.

In the qualifying rounds to determine the starting grid on the Saturday, Tim Schestag (GER, Walldorf) succeeded in making his mark by taking pole position with a clear time advantage, ahead of Robin Renz (GER, Filderstadt) and Roman Holzner (GER, Munich). The remaining drivers in the top 5 were Dirk Ehlebracht (GER, Oberursel) and local hero Marco Bedrich (GER, Cottbus).

After a short break, the first race then started on the Saturday with a rolling Indianapolis start. After the lights went out, a four-way battle for the lead broke out between Tim Schestag, Dirk Ehlebracht, Robin Renz and Roman Holzner, who gave each other no quarter and once again offered the spectators touring car action at its best.

Behind them, Björn Dietrich (GER, Wittenberg) and Marco Bedrich managed to pull away from the rest of the field relatively quickly, but were unable to keep up with the leaders. Although they drove an inconspicuous race, both managed to score important PRTC rating points once again.

20 competition points on his account mean 1st place overall for Tim Schestag (GER, Walldorf)

At first it also looked like a good race for Thomas Eckert (GER, Nuremberg). With his fast lap times, he seemed set for the top 5, before a transmission failure on his CHEVROLET Cruze Eurocup 1.8 LT V4 Cup racing car forced him to quit the race early.

In the top 5 twice: Local hero Marco Bedrich (GER, Cottbus)

Some great wheel-to-wheel duels also took place in the middle of the field: Guest starter Björn Röhlich put on a great performance in his first race, and put both Patrick Huber (GER, Stuttgart) and David Stein (GER, Usingen) under considerable pressure. At the end of the race, Röhlich managed to score his first two points with 7th place.

After a poor qualifying round, Mathias Gaiser (GER, Oberursel) was able to move up again. He put on another good performance, and as the laps went by, was gradually able to work his way up to 6th place.

In the CUPRA class 1, Noah-Gabriel Vogler put on another strong race and entered into entertaining duels with the faster CHEVROLET Cruze Eurocup racing cars. In the CUPRA class 3, Alexander Sailer handled the CUPRA Leon MKII DSG racing car with increasing skill during the race.

In the leading pack, the fight for pole position went down to the last millimeter, which wasn’t without its consequences: Robin Renz grabbed the lead, but was immediately forced to contend with Schestag and Ehlebracht at the same time, forcing him off the track. Poor contact with a road hump saw his car suffering a technical problem, which forced him to retire from the race.

Schestag then succeeded in fending off Ehlebracht before finishing with a great win. The podium was completed by Roman Holzner, who secured 6 important points for his PRTC overall ranking.

The outcome of the first race was doubly important, as it was also the starting position for the second race on the Sunday, which also got under way with a rolling Indianapolis start.

Fight for the podium in the second race: Björn Dietrich secures 3rd place by a razor-thin margin

In the second race on the Sunday, Schestag managed to take the lead from the start, and put a buffer of several seconds between himself and his closest rival, Dirk Ehlebracht. Ehlebracht had the right to feel satisfied with the course of the racing weekend, however: he secured a total of 16 competition points and second place in the overall rankings.

Behind them, the battle for the final spot on the podium was much closer. Björn Dietrich found his speed again and put down the fastest racing lap of the weekend on the asphalt in his Chevy. He also had to fend off some tough competition from Robin Renz, who surged ahead from 11th place with a strong recovery.

The duel between the two was finally decided by a razor-thin margin by Björn Dietrich, who secured 3rd place in a photo finish.

0.054 tenths of a second separated Björn Dietrich and Robin Renz at the finishing line

The other points finishers were Robin Renz, Marco Bedrich, Roman Holzner, David Stein and Mathias Gaiser. David Stein, in particular, showed improving form in the second race and managed to achieve much quicker lap times.

In the championship, Tim Schestag, Dirk Ehlebracht and Roman Holzner are now fighting it out for the coveted title in the Pfister-Racing Touring Car Challenge (PRTC). The touring car action is to continue from 15-17 October 2021 at the legendary Nürburgring GP circuit.