Team Joos Sportwagentechnik put in an impressive performance on its debut in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, securing a top-three finish in the SP9 Am class.

Team Joos Sportwagentechnik used this year’s KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen race to make its debut in the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. The Porsche racing team from Vöhringen thus used the longest race of the season in the popular endurance series to make its series debut; this year’s event boasted a particularly strong field, with 134 cars – including 21 GT3 cars in the top class – lining up on the grid. Michael Joos, Fidel Leib and Marco Lamsouguer took turns at the wheel of the Porsche.

In qualifying, the Joos trio secured 24th place on the grid. Michael Joos encountered a unusual problem early on in the qualifying session, which briefly interrupted his attempt to set a fast lap. “We had a problem with the steering wheel, which caused the clutch to disengage and meant I eventually coasted to a halt on the start-finish straight. I was then towed back to the paddock by the stewards. We were only able to resolve the problem by changing the steering wheel, after which we were able to continue with qualifying,” explains Joos.

During the race, the trio staged a strong comeback. Particularly in the early stages, the Porsche managed to move up several places at once and thrilled the numerous fans with a strong performance. After six hours of racing, the trio were delighted to secure a strong third place in the SP9 Am class.

During the race and the extensive test session on Friday, the Porsche team – which has already enjoyed success in the ADAC GT Masters – was able to gather a wealth of data. The team will now meticulously analyse this data so that they can line up stronger for the NLS double-header on 12 and 13 September and thus further improve the overall package based on their initial experiences.

“From my point of view, this was a very successful weekend! Fidel did a brilliant job, and I’m also very pleasantly surprised by Marco, as this was his first time in a GT3 car – and right away on what is arguably the most challenging circuit in the world. Many thanks to my entire team; everyone did a brilliant job and contributed significantly to this success. I’m already really looking forward to the upcoming NLS races,” said team boss Michael Joos.

Fidel Leib added: “It was simply an amazing weekend! The whole team at Joos Sportwagentechnik did a superbly professional job and everything was perfectly prepared. A big thank you to Michi and the whole team. It was a very liberating feeling just to drive and test, and I felt very comfortable in the car. It was great fun and I’m really happy with the result too. I’m also very proud of Marco, who put in a flawless performance in his first GT3 race. It was a wonderful weekend all round and I’m already looking forward to the upcoming races.”

“I’m in love!… With the car, the track, the team and, of course, our fans!” says a delighted Marco Lamsouguer after his GT3 debut. “I have to say that the differences in speed, the G-forces and the power required to drive the car all exceeded my expectations. The step up from GT4 to the 911 GT3 R is possible, but only in a perfect environment like that provided by Team Joos Sportwagentechnik, with the right fellow drivers, experienced mentors and our brilliant engineer! Many thanks to everyone who supported me and made this possible.”