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Team StarChase Concludes a Successful Season with 2nd Overall and Dealer Trophy

Shanghai. Porsche Carrera Cup Asia visited Shanghai International Circuit once again last weekend for the finale of 2018 season from November 16 - 18. Team StarChase and Philip Hamprecht drove two near flawless races to clinch second in the overall Championship, in an intense year-end weekend.

Shanghai International Circuit, a FIA Grade 1 circuit, is known for its demanding straightaway-hairpin combination and technical design. Together with the fast-changing weather over the weekend, the races truly tested the skills of the drivers. Qualifying was held early Saturday morning and Hamprecht impressed with two solid outings setting 2:08.304 and 2:08.375 to start third and second respectively for Rounds 11 and 12.

Midday on Saturday, Hamprecht, who started Round 11 with the used tires, did not have a good start, dropping down a couple of places right into the mix. He managed to recover his drive at the first corner to stay ahead from the pack of drivers behind him. Hamprecht held on to fifth all the way to the chequered flag. Despite missing out on the podium, his consistent performance showed he has grown throughout the season.

Round 12 was held later that afternoon, newly shod, Hamprecht had a better race and performed well, putting on a great show for members of StarChase. Right from the start, he was on pace with pole-sitter Chris van der Drift and was putting pressure on him at the back straight but was not successful. He then got in position to try for another fierce attack, where three cars went side by side to fight for the lead, making it one of the most exciting and thrilling battles of the whole season. Eventually, Hamprecht found a way past his rival at the start of lap 2 to take the lead.

Halfway through the race, various accidents caused the safety car to be called, reducing the gap that Hamprecht built to Martin Ragginger behind him. After the restart, he maintained his lead but the minor contact that he had during the earlier intense overtaking manoeuver caused a slight damage to his car and from there, he did his best to defend but after multiple attacks, Ragginger found a way past in the final lap to claim the race win. The excellent performance and podium finish was proof of Hamprecht’s ability as a top-notch driver.

On his final 2018 races Hamprecht said, “It was not the best weekend but overall it was still good. I struggled a bit during free practice but thanks to the team’s effort, I managed a good rhythm in qualifying. I really wanted to win the last race to end the season on a high but the contact early in the race damaged my car slightly causing me to be overtaken at the last lap. On a whole, the season was still fantastic and I would like to say a big thank you to all the members of Team StarChase for their hard work and support. I am happy that we can end the season as runners-up in the Championship”.

Mr. Robby Niermann, Chief Operating Officer of StarChase, “I am very pleased that Team StarChase can end the 2018 season as runners-up in the Championship and would like to thank all the team members and partners for their hard work and support. Philip's performance was outstanding all through the season, winning 4 races and finishing on the podium at nearly every other event. With the last race, Team StarChase secured 1st place in the 2018 Dealership Trophy and this award gives all our team members, fans and sponsors great motivation for the 2019 campaign."

BASF-owned Glasurit Automotive Refinish, a Team StarChase sponsor in 2018, brought a special gift during the weekend: A beautiful oil painting of car No.99, perfectly replicating the Porsche Classic Continental Orange livery. Dr. Sebastien Garnier, Director of Business Management Automotive Refinish Coatings Greater China, “We focus on painting cars, so we pour great passion into colors and design. We are very happy to continue our collaboration with Team StarChase this year and the orange livery is very eye-catching on the track, attracting a lot of attention. Philip also performed really well and has achieved excellent results this year. We are very proud as a sponsor."

Rounds 11 and 12 conclude the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2018 season. After an excellent performance throughout the season, Team StarChase and Philip Hamprecht are 2nd Overall as well as claiming the Dealer Trophy win.

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VLN 6 Stunden Rennen: Die Siegesserie hält an

Das Team um Uwe Alzen erzielte auch beim fünften Lauf der VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft am Nürburgring den Klassensieg. Im einzigen 6-Stunden-Rennen der Saison gewann das Team die Klasse SP7 und wurde Neunter im Gesamtklassement.

Philip Hamprecht (Schweiz) sowie Mike Stursberg (Wermelskirchen) waren im Porsche 911 GT3 MR wieder das Maß der Dinge in der Klasse SP7.
Mit einer Zeit von 8:29 Min. sicherte sich Philip Hamprecht die erste Startposition der Klasse im Qualifying. Nach einem fehlerfreien Rennen erzielten er sowie
Mike Stursberg nach 41 Runden auf der Nürburgring Nordschleife den Klassensieg und den 9. Platz im Gesamtklassement.
Zitat Uwe Alzen: „Philip und Mike haben wieder einen tollen Job gemacht. Das 6-Stunden-Rennen zu zweit zu fahren und dann auch noch zu gewinnen, ist schon eine klasse Leistung. Dank H&R Spezialfedern konnten wir das Set-Up des Autos noch einmal verbessern und wir haben den vierten Sieg in Folge erzielt. Ich bin wirklich sehr stolz auf die Jungs.“

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Team StarChase Masters Sydney Races with Double Podium

Sydney. In what was an amazingly difficult day in Sydney, Team StarChase showed their mettle claiming one win and some vital points for the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2018 season. Rounds 6 and 7 were held at the Sydney Motorsport Park on a beautiful Saturday alongside an Invitational race, an outing that combines Porsche Carrera Cup Asia challengers with Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.

It was an overwhelmingly tight schedule to compete in three races in a day but Team StarChase and driver, Philip Hamprecht, excelled under pressure finishing two races on the podium including an outstanding win.

Great weather greeted them in Australia but that did nothing to quell the difficulty of competing in three races in a day. Combined with the bumpy circuit, sharp corners and various overtaking lines, Sydney Motorsport Park definitely challenged the driving skills and raw speed of drivers.

Qualifying was held on Friday afternoon and with two red flag interrupting the session, drivers were hampered in their efforts to set their fastest lap. Hamprecht managed to find his pace during the session to clock the third and second position with his two fastest lap times with 1:30.179 and 1:30.269.

The German driver showed his prowess and seized an opportunity as the lights went off for Round 6 to get himself behind the race leader. As the race went on, Hamprecht began to feel the pressure from Chris van der Drift behind him but he managed to keep his cool to defend his position well. Towards the end of the race, Hamprecht, who was on old tyres, was overtaken by van der Drift, leaving him to finish on the podium in third.

It was all about the tyres in Round 7 as Hamprecht showed amazing concentration and great skill, winning the race after claiming the lead from a strong start. An on-track accident caused a safety car period but at the restart, Hamprecht got away clean before pulling another gap from second placed man giving his rivals no chance and taking his fourth win this season with a clear advantage.

The Invitational race for Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and Porsche Carrera Cup Australia were held under perfect conditions on a Saturday evening. Hamprecht started the race in fifth and gained another 10 points with a smooth finish.

Philip Hamprecht commented on his performance in Sydney: “It was a good weekend and although we had used tyres for Round 6, I think we managed to get the maximum points. We lost some points to Chris, but the second race went well and with new tyres, Team StarChase collected maximum points possible.”

With Hamprecht’s outstanding performance over the weekend, Team StarChase continues to extend its lead on the dealer’s championship, currently leading with 116 points.

Mr. Robby Niermann, Chief Operating Officer of StarChase: “I am proud of the performance of our Team StarChase this weekend. Having three races in a single day was a big challenge for our team, but everyone worked together and we achieved excellent results. Philip’s performance was impeccable throughout the weekend; especially in the seventh round where he took home another win. I am happy that we cut the gap to the championship leader significantly. We are back in the hunt and will fight for another victory in Singapore in the next round.”

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Challenging Bangsaen Brings out the Best and a Win for Team StarChase

Bangsaen. Team StarChase’s Philip Hamprecht came out victorious at the very challenging street circuit in Thailand for Rounds 4 & 5 of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, claiming one pole position and a win in Round 5 at Bangsaen Street Circuit. The weekend showed the massive strength and determination of the team in their fight for the Championship title.

This is the second visit for Porsche Carrera Cup Asia to the coastal town in Thailand. The contrast between the sweltering heat and sudden rain brought on added challenges on the bumpy and narrow street circuit. The tight tricky track caused quite a few incidents along the way, bringing out the safety car and cutting the qualifying session short. Held on Saturday morning, Hamprecht showed his dominance during qualifiers, setting a best lap of 1:35.219 for a front row start for Round 4 and a personal second best lap of 1:35.688 to claim pole for Round 5.

Round 4 was held later that same afternoon and Hamprecht had a brilliant front row start taking the lead by the first corner. As he was paving the way at the front, an accident occurred behind him not long into the race, causing a safety car period and reducing the gap he made. As the race resumed, it quickly became an extremely close race, putting the German under immense pressure. Although he was unfazed early on, the seemingly infallible Hamprecht was put under immense pressure from the fast charging William Bamber into a mistake, clipping the wall and damaging his steering forcing him to retire from the race early.

Sunday’s Round 5 was fraught with accidents but this time Hamprecht, who started on pole, defended his lead and drove a faultless race to claim an absolute win. After an impressive start, he just put his head down and raced without a single mistake, deterring any challenges from his competitors. Despite several accidents and two safety car periods, Hamprecht maintained a perfect lead bringing the Team StarChase Porsche to claim the chequered flag.

Philip Hamprecht: “I had good qualifying results and clean start in the first race but unfortunately I made a mistake, touched the wall and had to retire. I feel very sorry for our StarChase colleagues who came all the way from different Porsche dealers but with their support I felt stronger in the next race and made up for it with a win. I am happy.”

The win means Team StarChase collected another 20 points in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s Dealer’s Championship and it also widened the point’s gap giving Hamprecht a bigger lead in the Overall Championship.

Mr. Robby Niermann, Chief Operating Officer of StarChase: “Philip was fast and the team managed a perfect setup for the car. It was a great qualifier and he had a fantastic start in Round 4 but it was bad luck that he touched the wall, but that's racing. The positive encouragement from our StarChase colleagues definitely helped to make Philip strong enough for Round 5, giving him a perfect win today on this very difficult track.”

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VLN Lauf 3: Dritter Sieg im dritten Saisonrennen

Das Team um Uwe Alzen erzielte auch beim dritten Lauf der VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft den Klassensieg und bleibt damit ungeschlagen. Die Brüder Philip und Fabian Hamprecht (Schweiz) sowie Mike Stursberg (Wermelskirchen) waren im Porsche 911 GT3 MR wieder das Maß der Dinge in der Klasse SP7.

Mit einer Zeit von 8:19 Min. sicherte sich Philip Hamprecht die zweite Startposition der Klasse im Qualifying. Das anschließende Rennen verlief absolut problemlos und so erzielten er und sein Bruder Fabian sowie Mike Stursberg nach 27 Runden auf der Nürburgring Nordschleife den Klassensieg und den 10. Platz im Gesamtklassement.

Zitat Uwe Alzen: „Unsere drei Fahrer haben wieder einen sensationellen Job gemacht. Fabian saß das erste Mal in einem Porsche und hat auf Anhieb Top-Rundenzeiten gefahren. Unsere Mannschaft arbeitet perfekt zusammen, die Jungs in der Box machen einen tollen Job und ich freue mich schon auf unseren nächsten Einsatz.“

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Hamprecht Defend Championship Lead after Fuji

Japan. It was another ‘orange storm’ last weekend during the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia as Team StarChase continues to lead the Championship with Philip Hamprecht’s double podiums at Rounds 2 and 3 in Fuji International Speedway.

The weekend started ambitiously when Hamprecht, who just turned 21 last week, set quick times in Qualifying to secure his place on the front row for both races with 1:41.465 and 1:41.626 respectively.

Saturday’s Round 2 race was declared a wet race, leaving it to start behind the safety car that lasted for two laps. Once the race resumed, Hamprecht, who started the race from second, was immediately put under heavy pressure by Ragginger behind him. Hamprecht fought hard to defend his second place but Ragginger cleverly found a way past, leaving the young German to cross the finish line in third.

Round 3 was held on a clear sunny Sunday in Fuji which allowed Hamprecht in the #99 orange Porsche to maintain absolute focus on the race. After a flawless start, the youngster gunned for the lead and claimed it after the first corner. From there he put his head down and remained for the rest of the race to achieve his second win for the 2018 season.

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and Porsche Carrera Cup Japan held a joint race on Sunday afternoon with 45 drivers starting the race. Hamprecht set a strong presence, completing the exciting weekend of racing.

“The season has started well for us and we keep our leading position of the Overall Class. I was really happy that we were able to show the StarChase guests two stunning races. I’d like to express a big thank you to Team StarChase for the fantastic job and the perfect car,” Hamprecht said.

Robby Niermann, Chief Operating Officer of StarChase, “Very happy. We came to Japan as the Championship Leader and we leave as the Championship Leader. I’m very proud of the whole team and especially proud of Philip because he did an awesome job, bringing the victory home. It was really nice to be able to do this in front of all the StarChase staff and hopefully it will motivate them and bring them good luck for the rest of the season.”

Team StarChase and Hamprecht will head to Bangsaen, Thailand as the table leader with 58 points after a strong victory in Fuji, which will be held at the beautiful seaside street circuit on 14th – 15th July, 2018.

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New Orange Livery Brings Victory as Team StarChase Claim PCCA Championship Lead

Team StarChase claimed the overall Championship lead at the Season Opener of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia held at Shanghai International Circuit last weekend. Driver Philip Hamprecht was unrivaled in pace scoring a perfect weekend with a win from pole position, with Team StarChase winning the dealer’s champion for the Shanghai round.

In just his second Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season, Hamprecht set a blistering pace to claim the season’s first pole position in Saturday’s Qualifying with a time of 2:07.301.

The sun finally came out on Sunday morning. It was picture-perfect weather for the start of Round 1. Starting on the front row, Hamprecht was immediately on pace to successfully defend his position and set out to open up a gap. A Safety Car period on lap 6 reduced the gap that he built but as soon as the Safety Car returned to pit, the German put his head down and started pulling away again. As his tyres began to degrade, the chasing pack caught up to Hamprecht but his lead was too big, crossing the line ahead of his rival with a 0.866 margin.

It was an outstanding season opening weekend for Hamprecht, “It’s was a perfect weekend with a pole and a win. I am really happy with how it went. I knew if I could get a good start, I could check out. In the beginning I was quite fast and managed to open up a comfortable gap and after the safety car, I was struggling with the car a little. Luckily, I could keep the lead until the end. It was the perfect way to start the season and now we’re leading the Championship. I want to give a big thank you to Team StarChase for all the incredible support they have given. We are looking forward to the Fuji weekend.”

Hamprecht now leads the Championship with 21 points. The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will continue the season at Fuji Speedway, Japan with Rounds 2 and 3 from 15th to 17th June.

“That was a perfect start to the new season for us. A great job was done by Philip. He did not put a foot wrong in the qualifying session. He put the car on pole and turned that into a win. I am very proud of what he has done and am very happy with the performance of the team. Also I am glad to be able to present the new car colours to the sponsors. It will be a perfect season if we can continue like this.” Mr. Robby Niermann, Chief Operating Officer of StarChase said.

2018 is the second year BASF cooperate with StarChase, Dr. Sébastien Garnier Business Management Director of Automotive Refinish Coatings Greater China, BASF said, “I am very happy and satisfied with our partnership. Today was a good start with the win Philip did a fantastic job and I am sure that he will perform well in the next few months, so I expect to win.”

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Zweiter Sieg im zweiten Saisonrennen

Auch beim zweiten Lauf der VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft am Nürburgring erzielt das Team Uwe Alzen Automotive den Klassensieg.

Die Fahrer Philip Hamprecht (Schweiz), Mike Stursberg (Wermelskirchen) und „Enzo“ (München) waren im Porsche 911 GT3 MR das Maß der Dinge in der Klasse SP7. Vom ersten Rang gestartet, verlief das Rennen fehlerfrei und ohne Zwischenfälle. Nach 26 Rennrunden betrug der Vorsprung des Fahrer-Trios fast zwölf Minuten auf den ersten Verfolger und der Sieg in der Klasse SP7 war gesichert.

Zitat Uwe Alzen: „Dieses Wochenende war ich voll und ganz in meiner Rolle als Teamchef unterwegs und ich muss sagen, dass die drei Jungs im Auto einen sensationellen Job gemacht haben. Auch das Team hat absolut perfekt gearbeitet. Ich bin wirklich stolz auf meine Mannschaft.

Zwei Rennen – zwei Siege, eine bessere Bilanz kann man nicht haben.“

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Team StarChase launches 2018 PCCA-campaign, sporting Porsche-vintage orange-livery

Shanghai. The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2018 season official pre- season test was held at the Shanghai International Circuit last weekend. Team StarChase completed a comprehensive testing program to optimize car set up and tyre performance and is ready to race!

Philip Hamprecht, now 20, will continue to race for Team StarChase this season, which will be his second season in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. He made his debut in the seriesin 2017, and stood out from the rest of the grid, winning twice, and stepping onto the podium several other times as well.

As one of the sponsors of Team StarChase in 2018, the BASF-owned Glasurit Automotive Refinish brings eye-catching Classic Continental Orange livery to the new 911 GT3 Cup car, which was the halo-color of famous, Le Mans-winning Porsches with‘ Jaegermeister ’ - sponsoring in the 1970s and 1980s.

In the three-day official tests, Philip Hamprecht quickly adapted to the new 911 GT3 Cup car, consecutively driving to the car’s limit and hitting the front with impunity. On Saturday morning’s second practise session, he did the fastest time and ranked himself on top among the top 28 drivers, and improved his fastest lap time of the testing weekend to 2:07.686 in the final session on Sunday, becoming one of the few drivers who lapped faster than 2:08.

"We struggled a little bit in the first two days. But with the hard work put in by the whole team, we improved a lot and found ourselves on the pace. It’s looking promising for the first race; it’s looking good for the new season. We showed some good pace last year. We showed potential and now we learned a lot from last year, and I’m looking forward to starting the new season and achieving a better result with my team." Philip Hamprecht commented on his performance in the official test.

2018 is the 15th season for Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, and there will be 12 rounds of racing in 7stations hosted on 6 first-class tracks in 6 countries. With its rich experience and perfect team work, Team StarChase is ready to fight again for the Championship.

"Team StarChase is very excited to start the new season. We finished the last race of the previous season with a victory, so we have good motivationand full confidence to continue with a good result. We have a new car.  We try to learn as much as we can during the test days and be ready for the first race in Shanghai. We want to be on or around the podium as many times as we can. And if we do this, then I’m sure also at the end of the year, we will be very much upfront of the standings. The challenge is to finish every race, if we finish every race and consistently get on the podium, I’m very confident that we can also be very far upfront of the standings at the end of the season." Robby Niermann, Chief Operating Officer of StarChase said.

The opening round of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will be held in two weeks at Shanghai International Circuit as the support race of F1 Chinese Grand Prix. Team StarChase will officially start its new journey in the top single make event in Asia, striving to win the team’s 5th championship.