Proton Huber Competition scores two wins in rookie championship

Proton Huber Competition driver Joe Warhurst won the rookie classification in both races of the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland at the Sachsenring. Podium finish in the Michelin Le Mans Cup at Spa-Francorchamps.

Proton Huber Competition has completed its sixth race weekend in the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland. The team fielded four Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars at the legendary Sachsenring. Robert de Haan, Marvin Klein, Sacha Norden and Joe Warhurst were behind the wheel of the cars.

Robert de Haan travelled to the rollercoaster track tied on points with the championship leader in second place, but had a difficult race weekend. In the first race, he struggled with a loss of power and finished the race in fifth place after a minor mistake. He started Sunday’s race from pole position and led until the penultimate lap. Then the Dutchman suffered a puncture and dropped out of the points. A bitter setback in the title fight! Marvin Klein retired on Saturday after a collision, but scored solid points in sixth place on Sunday.

British youngster Joe Warhurst put in an impressive performance on his debut at the technically demanding circuit near Chemnitz. Together with his team-mate Sacha Norden, he is pushing himself to ever better performances and making a name for himself in the tough field of the traditional one-make series. At the Sachsenring, he won the rookie classification in both races. Sacha Norden finished third and second in the sub-classification in the two races.

‘We travelled to the Sachsenring feeling positive, as the track suits us and our drivers,’ explains Michael Dirsch, who heads Proton Huber Competition’s Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland programme alongside Ajla Vukovic. “We are very pleased with our two rookies, Joe and Sacha, as they push each other to achieve their best. Both are close to the top 10 in qualifying, and we want to achieve this in the rest of the season. It should not be forgotten that ten drivers from the current Carrera Cup field have already won races. Marvin put in a solid performance and made a decisive contribution to the development of the car with his feedback. Unfortunately, overtaking is difficult at the Sachsenring, so he was unable to convert a difficult starting position into better results, even though his speed was really good. Robert showed on Sunday what he is capable of and that he should not be written off, despite all the commotion surrounding him. Every mechanic, engineer and the entire team are pushing hard for success. I am very pleased with how the whole team is sticking together. On Saturday, he scored important points despite a small mistake. On Sunday, he dominated the race until the penultimate lap before suffering a bitter tyre failure, which is difficult to swallow. But we are not giving up!”

With 34 points behind, Robert de Haan is currently second in the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Germany championship after twelve of 16 races. The rookie classification is led by Sacha Norden and Joe Warhurst. Only one point separates the two Proton Huber Competition rookies at the top. The team is currently third in the team standings.

At the same time, the team’s GT3 division fielded a Porsche 911 GT3 R for the Iron Dames in the Michelin Le Mans Cup at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Former DTM driver Vaninca Ickx and Spaniard Marta Garcia drove the Porsche. The two drivers finished third on the world-famous circuit, securing their first podium finish of the season.