It was a tough season opener for Philip Hamprecht and Team StarChase as he fought for an early lead in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia championship during Round 1 and 2 at the Shanghai International Circuit over the weekend.
The race weekend got off to an excellent start as Hamprecht, participating in his first-ever GT3 race, put in a stunning performance during the first qualifying session of the season, managing two quick lap times with 2:09.099 and 2:09.208 earning him a P2 starting position for both races.
Facing a grid of some of the most experienced drivers in Asia, Hamprecht was dogged by series veterans in Turn 1, giving up his P2 position at the start but valiantly holding his ground at the front of the pack. However, misfortune struck after another driver’s shredded tyre sprinkled the track with debris and ushered out the safety car, disrupting Hamprecht’s momentum and causing technical troubles for the 20-year-old youth, leaving him struggling to finish the race. In the end, he finished Round 1 in 9th but took away invaluable experience.
Taking to the track with renewed vigor for a cold, wet Round 2 race on Sunday, Hamprecht was prepared for the turn 1 fight, keeping his position at the front of the pack and battling fiercely with surrounding drivers. As the race progressed it was a back and forth fight for Hamprecht as he balanced defense and offense. The action came to a thrilling climax as Hamprecht, then in fourth place, strategically waited for the second and third place drivers to distract each other before making his move, executing a flawless pass that saw three drivers charging side by side in a dazzling bit of on track drama. Hamprecht emerged victorious from the skirmish and was left defending P3 until a slick spot on the penultimate turn of the race sent him wide off the track, resulting in a fourth place finish.
Philip Hamprecht gave his own account of the weekend, saying: “It was a really tough weekend for me. In Round 1, my start was a bit slower than I would have liked and I got unluckily after hitting some of the debris on the track. The second race was a really good fight, we hung in there until the end despite really rough track conditions. I learned a lot this weekend and want to give a big thanks to Team StarChase for all the incredible support they gave.”
His admirable performance in Round 1 and 2 earned Hamprecht 21 points in the Championship table, placing him in fifth as the team prepares to take the fight to the Fuji International Circuit in Japan for Round 3 and 4 on June 2-4.
“I think Philip did quite well for his first time racing GT3. Obviously we faced some big obstacles this weekend, but that is part of the challenge of motorsport. In terms of the team, I think everyone did really well, reacting to each of the challenges with speed and precision and developing a solid strategy to give us the edge in both races. We are looking forward to applying the hard earned lessons from this weekend for an even better performance in Fuji,” Robby Niermann, COO of StarChase said.