2014 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: Germany race report
2013 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup champion, Nicki Thiim scored his first win of the 2014 season in just his second Supercup start of the year, battling his way to victory in tricky conditions at the Hockenheimring, 110km north of Stuttgart.
Saturday’s qualifying session was the hottest of the year, with a sweltering air temperature of 31 degrees Celsius greeting the 28-strong grid comprised of the world’s best Porsche 911 GT3 Cup drivers and Hollywood star, Patrick Dempsey.
Danish racer, Thiim leapt to the top of the times late on, usurping Internationl Scholar, Earl Bamber, who was quickly relegated to fourth by Kévin Estre and Michael Ammermüller as the session reached its climax.
Championship-leader, Kuba Giermaziak toiled to seventh as his VERVA Lechner Racing teammate, Ben Barker had a similarly difficult session on his way to qualifying 11th.
Conditions for the race couldn’t have been more different with the track damp in places thanks to earlier rainfall and much lower ambient temperatures. This didn’t stop Thiim marching to victory though, once he had overcome the fast-starting Estre on lap two.
The move also allowed Bamber through into second as the leading trio began to pull away from the chasing pack. On lap 12, Estre attempted to find a way back passed the Kiwi only to find the door closed, with the Frenchman ultimately having to settle for third.
| Driver (Nationality) | Points | |
| 1 | Kuba Giermaziak (PL) | 76 |
| 2 | Earl Bamber (NZ) | 71 |
| 3 | Michael Ammermüller (D) | 52 |
| 4 | Ben Barker (GB) | 49 |
| 5 | Christian Engelhart (D) | 48 |
| 6 | Sven Müller (D) | 47 |
Porsche Junior, Klaus Bachler played a starring role during the 14-lap race, charging through from sixth to fourth with Ammermüller and Giermaziak rounding out the top six thanks to the demise of fifth-placed qualifier, Sven Müller who would trail home 11th after a first-lap incident.
Total 911’s Supercup columnist and rising British star, Ben Barker couldn’t make much headway during the encounter, moving as high as eighth before contact with another driver dropped 22-year-old to tenth.
The result still leaves Giermaziak in the lead of the championship however, Bamber is now just five points behind, with Ammermüller leaping three points ahead of Barker to take third place in the standings ahead of next weekend’s race at the Hungaroring, near Budapest.
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