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Francorchamps / Nürburgring / Deland / Sebring – Mühlner Motorsport and the American dependency Mühlner Motorsports America will be in action at two race tracks this weekend. Parallel to the test and set-up runs at the Nürburgring in preparation for the start of the NLS season, rounds 3 and 4 of the IMSA VPRC will be held at Sebring.

This year, Mühlner will start in the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring with new driver constellations. Peter Terting returns to the team after a break of several years and will politic the Porsche GT3 Cup with start number 123 together with Marcel Hoppe, while Nick Salewsky and Michele di Martino want to enter the race for the championship this year together with Tobias Vazquez on start number 124.

After the organizer had completely canceled the test on Saturday already in the morning due to difficult weather conditions, team and drivers had to bite the bullet and hope for better weather for one day. On Sunday morning, the GP circuit and Nordschleife could be put into operation for the entire event day and thus the engines could be started.

All the drivers took the opportunity to familiarize themselves comprehensively with the track and the car, and even though temperatures were fresh but conditions were otherwise ideal, they were able to carry out their test program in the Eifel. The race car, which had been built over the winter on the basis of a new bodyshell, ran absolutely flawlessly, as expected and to the satisfaction of everyone involved.

In Sebring, meanwhile, Antonio Saravelle drove the Mühlner Duqueine D08 with the starting number 18 over the track of the historic racetrack in bright sunshine. Already in the first outing Saravelle got along well with the car equipped with H&R special springs and supported by HR Special Springs and later in qualifying he was able to place the LMP3 on grid position 3. Already at 8 o’clock on Sunday morning local time the 1st race of the IMSA VP Racing Fuel Championship was started. During the 45 minute sprint, Saravelle was always able to keep contact with the leaders and finished the race only a few tenths behind the winner in 3rd place.

In the next few days, Mühlner will prepare the cars for NLS1 and is already hoping for the weather, which is known to have often caused surprises at the Nürburgring.

The second race of the new VP Racing SportsCar Challenge started with several accidents. After only a few meters, the race director had to call for a “Full Course Yellow” and send the safety car onto the track.

After a few laps there was the green flag again. Mirco Schultis at the wheel of our H&R Duqueine Automotive D08 #18 could not avoid a collision with another competitor at the restart and had to contest the rest of the 45-minute sprint race without his left fender. While Mirco had decided to do his laps even with the compromised aerodynamics, the Mühlner crew had already prepared everything for a possible pit stop and provided both fresh tires and a new nose for the LMP3.

However, Mirco remained focused and finished his race with full commitment.

The next round of the VPRC will be held in Sebring begin of March.

Mühlner Motorsports America started the new season for the established racing team with an exciting opening race. Directly a podium finish and fast lap times at the legendary Daytona International Speedway.

After the end of the IMSA Prototype Challenge, the American LMP3 teams start this year in the newly created VP Racing Fuels Sportscar Challenge (VPRC). The Mühlner team, based in nearby DeLand, fielded a Duqueine D08 equipped and supported by H&R Special Springs to kick off the new series as part of the Roar to the Rolex 24h. Bronze driver Mirco Schultis will compete in both 45-minute races.
Already in the free practice Mirco, who had never before sat in a vehicle of this series, was able to burn remarkable lap times into the asphalt and quickly made clear: I am exactly right here.
In the fiercely contested qualifying session, he secured a grid spot on row three after missing the chance for a final fast lap by a tenth of a second.
In the first race of the young season Mirco stayed away from the first fights of the starting phase and turned mostly lying on position three steadily improving lap times.
Although he had to give up the podium position in the overall standings shortly before the end, Schultis and the team are very satisfied with a third place in the bronze classification.
“IMSA has created a great new platform to give young drivers an entry into motorsport and to offer bronze drivers like Mirco a fair, genuine competition with prospects of winning trophies,” says team boss Bernhard Mühlner.
The second round of the VP Racing Fuels Sportscar Challenge will take place on Sunday, for which the team is now preparing the car.

Kick-off with new sprint series in America

Daytona will again be the first race track where Mühlner Motorsport’s race cars will touch the asphalt for the first time in the still young season. Mirco Schultis will compete in the newest series of the IMSA with the starting number 18. In addition to Daytona, the races of the IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge will be held at the legendary race tracks at Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta, among others. On each of the race weekends, the respective driver competes in a total of two 45-minute sprint races. The VPRC thus succeeds the IMSA Prototype Challenge, in which Mühlner most recently took the vice championship.

Mühlner’s blue and white GT and LMP racers will also be on the race tracks in Europe this year.
It is planned to enter several Porsche GT3 Cup cars in the Nürburgring Endurance Championship on the Nordschleife and in the 24-hour race through the Green Hell.
Preparations for the Prototype Cup Germany, the European Le Mans Series and the Le Mans Cup are in full swing.
Plans are in place to expand the ORECA 07 LMP2 and several Duqueine D08 cars, which have already been used successfully in 2022.

Our two H&R equipped and supported Duqueine Automotive D08 #18 and #21 were well prepared for Mark Kvamme & Dillon Machavern and Bob Doyle & Moritz Kranz, the 2021 Vice Champion, respectively.

Bob Doyle crashed hard in FP1. Huge damage to car #21 and Bob was brought to the Emergency Center at the track. He got released after he was checked but it was decided to withdraw the #21 from the race.

Now we focus on #18 and hope for a great result with Mark and Dillon.