After a strong qualifying performance by Tim Heinemann, the up2race Porsche 911 GT3 R was unable to take part in the CW 6h ADAC Ruhr Cup race of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Endurance Series.

The KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen is the annual season highlight of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Endurance Series. At the race, "Goldy", the Porsche 911 GT3 R from up2race, was to celebrate its racing debut in the popular endurance series. Tim Heinemann and former professional soccer player Oleksii Kikireshko took the wheel of the gold-colored Porsche, which quickly became one of the crowd favorites on the Nordschleife.

In Friday's test, the two drivers used the extensive track time to set up the car perfectly for the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. The riders achieved this in cooperation with the engineers from up2race.

Heinemann proved the quality of the car in qualifying on Saturday morning when he set a lap time of 7:55.692 minutes, which could allow him to join the phalanx of the fastest GT3 cars. But in the final phase of qualifying, the Porsche was hit in the rear area by a slow BMW and damaged so badly that it could not be repaired until the end of the race.

A bitter end to a weekend that makes the entire up2race team, Oleksii Kikireshko and Tim Heinemann look forward to the upcoming races very positively.

Tim Heinemann (GER):

"The first outing of our "Goldy" on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Unfortunately, we had an incident in qualifying that prevented us from starting the race. Nevertheless, I am incredibly proud of the entire team. We were competitive right from the start and right at the front. However, I am even more pleased with the flawless performance that the entire team delivered behind the scenes. Everyone worked as part of a unit and all the tasks in the background were perfectly implemented.

A special thank you goes to our fantastic mechanics for their tireless efforts and hard work. To be so professional as a completely new team from day one is really impressive and a testament to the dedication and excellent work of each individual. A huge thank you also to all the fans. We are incredibly pleased that you like our chrome-gold design so much. To see that "Goldy" has already become a real audience favorite makes us particularly proud."

About Tim Heinemann: The role model for many SimRacers

Tim has been driving virtual races on the RaceRoom Simulator since 2010. In 2018, it made the leap from the simulator to the real racing car and has since been considered a shining example of the dream of tens of thousands of SimRacers: "From Virtual to Real". In the 2020 DTM Trophy, he became dominant champion with 7 wins from 12 races, before becoming GT3 champion in the 2021 GTC Race. In the 2022 DTM Trophy, he was crowned two-time DTM Trophy champion and demonstrated his skills at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.