At the season opener of the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland in Imola, Laptime Performance was able to impress with a strong speed.

This year's season of the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland began in Imola, Italy, as part of the FIA WEC support programme. More than 90,000 spectators flocked to the storied circuit and created a special atmosphere. Laptime Performance started with two Porsche 911 Cups, driven by Niels Langeveld and Sebastian Freymuth.

After a difficult qualifying session, in which both drivers were unable to show their full level of performance, the focus in the first race of the season was on a catch-up race. Niels Langeveld advanced with his Porsche from 20th on the grid to eighth place. However, the spectacular catch-up race was not crowned with success, as the Dutchman retired shortly before the end. Sebastian Freymuth had already had to park his car for safety reasons with brake problems.

Things went better in the second race on Sunday morning. Niels Langeveld finished the race – which had to be ended prematurely after a violent accident – in tenth place. He thus scored the first points for the team from Neufinsing in this year's season in the traditional one-make cup. Sebastian Freymuth narrowly missed out on the points in 17th position.

"We travelled to Imola very well prepared and knew that we had the pace, especially in the long run. However, there was a technical change to the car on Thursday evening, which Porsche prescribed because there were problems with the brake temperature. Air deflector blades had to be retrofitted and some air ducts had to be removed from the underbody. As a result, the aerodynamics on the front axle deteriorated significantly. Of course, it was the same for everyone, but it was critical. In addition, there were software and firmware updates for various control units, loggers and so on," explains team principal Simon Eibl. "Unfortunately, we then had massive braking problems with Freymuth's car with implausible ABS interventions, which was not a solution. Nothing worked in qualifying, so he had to abort his two fastest laps. Hence the slightly worse starting position. Porsche is currently working a solution. I would also like to thank Manthey as the technical support of the series and Porsche AG, who did everything they could to find a quick and good solution for everyone."

"Niels started the first race from 20th on the grid and was able to fight his way up to eighth place. He drove very smartly and the pace on the long run was really great! We specially chose the air pressures so that he could sound the alarm at the beginning, but unfortunately he retired with a technical defect one lap before the end. Freymuth parked the car relatively early for safety reasons, as the ABS didn't regulate properly and the brake pedal became long. As a result, we redid everything that had to do with brakes during a very long night. On Sunday, things went a little better for him and it felt normal, but when you have to start at 22, it's hard to get away from the back. It was good for Niels, a solid top 10 result. We're quite well prepared for the Red Bull Ring," Eibl concluded.

The Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland continues next week. At the Red Bull Ring in Styria, the racing series will compete in the DTM programme for the first time this year.