A weekend of highs and lows in the dunes

Zandvoort (21–23 August) hosted the only double-header of this year’s Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season. Proton Competition experienced a dramatic weekend featuring comebacks, but also a bitter retirement.

Keagan Masters started the first race from tenth on the grid and managed to move his black Porsche 911 Cup up to eighth place in a closely fought race. The team was therefore feeling confident ahead of the second race, as the fast South African had secured a strong fifth place on the grid in qualifying. However, the race came to a swift end when, after a good start, he was innocently knocked off the track by a rival at the exit of the first corner and spun into the gravel trap. It was a disappointment for the whole team, as Masters’ pace had been very competitive throughout the weekend.

Gentleman driver Kai Pfister started both races from the back of the field, but put in a flawless and combative performance in each, enabling him to move up several places. The Würzburg-based driver finished the two races in 24th and 25th places, meaning he finished ahead of 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve in both races.

Local hero Michael Verhagen has competed almost exclusively in the Ferrari Challenge in recent years, but made a guest appearance in the Supercup at Zandvoort with the team from Hofkirchen in Bavaria. The experienced Dutchman finished the two races in 26th and 28th place.

“We believe Keagan had the potential for a strong result in the second race, as his pace in the first race was good, which makes his bitter retirement all the more frustrating. Kai put in a good performance in both races and managed to move up a few places in each, whilst Michael also drove a flawless race. We are now focusing on rounding off our Supercup season with another highlight at Monza,” explained project manager Michael Dirsch after the event on the Dutch North Sea coast.

This year’s Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season finale will take place from 4 to 6 September at the high-speed circuit in Monza, northern Italy.