It was a weekend of ups and downs for Team StarChase in Round 3 and 4 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia at Fuji International Circuit in Japan as Philip Hamprecht fought valiantly for the win, but was dogged by misfortune in both races.
Hamprecht proved his blistering pace once again as he conquered the qualifying sessions on Friday to put in two lightning quick laps, with 1:42.804 and 1:42.823 respectively, earning him the highly advantageous P2 for Round 3 and P1 for Round 4.
A tricky start to Round 3 on Saturday saw Hamprecht overtaken right off the bat, but was undeterred and continued fighting throughout the race, defending brilliantly as some of the series’ toughest piled the pressure on the young driver. But, in the end, flagging tyres and tough challenges hampered his performance and he was dropped down to 6 just as the race was about to finish.
Executing a much improved start during Round 4, Hamprecht was plunged into some of the fiercest fighting witnessed so far in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s 2017 season. Initially overtaken by the championship leader, Hamprecht showed unwavering determination as he clawed his way back with a truly spectacular pass that proved his capability for fine-tuned technical driving. As the race hit its rhythm in lap 2, Hamprecht commanded a firm hold of the second place spot and was challenging the leader for first in a very promising performance. But a freak accident between a driver further back sent a tyre flying across the turn 1 gravel and into the front right of Hamprecht’s car, damaging the radiator and forcing him out of commission.
Minor redemption was made later in the day during the invitational race between Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and Japan, which saw 41 cars take to the grid. Battling both regular competitors and talented Japanese drivers, Hamprecht put in a stellar performance right from the start, charging his way toward the front and holding strong to clinch a third place and much-deserved podium win.
“The first round was really tough and I didn’t have a great start. That set me back from the very beginning and I was left defending for much of the race. There’s not much to say about Round 4 other than that we were very unfortunate. But that’s the nature of motorsport, anything can happen, you just have to do your best. I can’t wait to get back on the track and Thailand and bring home some wins. I want to give a really big thank you to Team StarChase – everyone did a fantastic job and the car was great, I’m very grateful for all the support they provided over the weekend” Hamprecht said.
Despite the setback in Round 4, Hamprecht remains a strong contender with 41 points in the Championship table. Team StarChase is now looking forward to Round 5 and 6, where the team will head to Thailand on June 30th to compete on the scenic beachside street circuit in Bangsaen.
“It was a tough weekend. We clearly have the speed we need to get on the podium, as we saw during Philip’s fantastic qualifying times, but we’re still getting into the rhythm that will win us a podium. His performance was really strong Round 4, but hitting the tyre was incredibly unlucky. The team did a great job this weekend and did a solid job quickly repairing the car to get in ready for the invitational race. Our eyes are now on Thailand – which I hope will be a turning point for Team StarChase this season,” Robby Niermann, COO of StarChase said.