SSR Performance wrote series history as the first Porsche in the DTM. Michael Ammermüller (GER) already showed in free practice that the young team can keep up with the veterans. However, the first day of racing had to end after contact with an opponent and the resulting damage. Even on Sunday, luck stayed away despite a fourth starting position.
– SSR performance with the first Porsche in the history of the DTM
– A lot of experience was gained at the Nürburgring
– Fourth position on the grid in the second race was not rewarded
Race 1
Qualifying in the DTM on Saturday turned out to be a challenge due to the vehicle’s balance of performance. The first Porsche race in series history started from 20th position on the grid. In the beginning, Michael Ammermüller got off well, but was stopped by a contact with an opponent in the second lap. During the drive into the pits, the sobering result: The number 92 had to end the race early due to the resulting damage.
Race 2
The qualifying on Sunday gave the team a positive feeling. Under difficult track conditions caused by the heavy rain the night before, Michael Ammermüller put the Porsche GT3 R from SSR Performance in fourth position. With this result, the expectations in the wet qualifying were exceeded.
The Sunday race got off to a promising start. The reigning GT Masters Champion made up one position in the second corner and was on course for the podium. But luck was not on the side of SSR Performance. Another vehicle pushed the #92 off the track. Michael Ammermüller was able to join the field again but had to park the vehicle after a long safety car phase in the middle of the race distance due to a puncture.
Wolfgang Hatz, Team Principle SSR Performance
“It was a very eventful weekend in the DTM at the Nürburgring. On the first day we struggled with the vehicle’s balance of performance and started relatively far back. We did a lot better in the second qualifying. We started the race from fourth position and were able to make up one place immediately. We were very confident that we could see a nice race on Sunday. Unfortunately, the safety car restart caused a contact in the second corner that brought us to the end of the field. At another restart it was over when we had contact there too and the car suffered a puncture. Overall, it has to be said that we had a good team performance. The accidents on both Saturday and Sunday saddened our result. Nonetheless – that’s racing. We look confidently into our next race and are concentrating on defending the GT Masters championship lead.”
Stefan Schlund, Team Owner SSR Performance
“Despite the adjusted BoP after qualifying 1, we had little chance of realizing our potential. Due to the chaotic conditions in both races, it was hardly possible for us to collect the necessary data that would have been important for SSR and Porsche as well as ITR and AVL. Since we were also boxed out of the competition in both race 1 and race 2, the damage to the vehicle was enormous. In my opinion, that has little to do with racing. Those responsible should act quickly so as not to ruin the reputation of the series.”
Michael Ammermüller, Driver SSR Performance
“On Saturday we had no chance due to the balance of performance. Due to the change, the result in Sunday’s qualifying was a lot better. But the weather definitely played into our cards. I’m sure the race could have gone well. To be honest, the driving behavior of the rivals surprised me. In the GT Masters and also in the Supercup, people drive with more respect.”
About SSR Performance
The young and dynamic Munich based SSR Performance GmbH was founded by a car and motorsport enthusiast. The exclusive automobile company has had an exciting start to 2020. After moving to a new High Performance Automotive Center in the north of the Bavarian metropolis, which has seven floors and around 10,000 square meters of floor space, the motorsport department at SSR Performance had its first full season in the ADAC GT Masters 2020 on the program ended with Michael Ammermüller and Christian Engelhart winning the driver and team classification as well as the title in the team championship.
For SSR Performance GmbH, which takes care of repairs, maintenance and service of sports cars and vintage cars of all brands in their day-to-day business, motorsport is an integral part of the still young group of companies.
Stefan Schlund, CEO of SSR Performance GmbH from Munich emphasizes: “For us, our involvement in races with GT sports cars offers an excellent platform to demonstrate our competence in motorsport and the sports car sector derived from it.”
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