GT open - red bull ring
WHAT A WEEKEND!
This weekend was absolutely extraordinary. Let’s start with the weather in Austria—it felt like winter! Snow covered the mountains, and the rain was nonstop. Seriously, a lot of rain.
We kicked off practice on Friday in heavy rainfall. Unfortunately, one of the PCCB drivers, Knuttson, suffered from aquaplaning and couldn’t race for the rest of the weekend. I hope he recovers quickly, and we’ll see him back at Zolder!
Our practice sessions went fairly well. We experimented with different car settings to find what suited me best. It was my first time driving the Porsche in the rain, but here's a little secret—I was really good in the rain during my karting days. I loved it, and I was fast! I was hoping to carry that over to the Porsche.
Saturday rolled around, and it was time for qualifying and Race 1. Qualifying went smoothly. It started raining halfway through, so we had to switch to rain tires mid-session. I managed to secure P8 for Race 1 and P9 for Race 2.
Then came Race 1, and wow, was I in my element! The rain was coming down hard, but I was feeling confident. I started P8 and quickly moved up to P5 at the start. From there, it was all about staying steady, keeping up the pace, and avoiding mistakes. Not long after, I climbed to P4 and then set my sights on P3, eventually closing the gap and taking it!
But just as things were heating up, a crash further back brought out the safety car. After a few laps, the race was red-flagged due to the heavy rain, and unfortunately, we couldn't continue. Still, I finished P3 overall and P1 in the rookie class—two podiums for me!
As for Race 2, the weather finally cleared, and even though we started on rain tires, it stayed dry. I began in P9, and the start went well—I gained a few positions. But then I went wide while in P5 and dropped back to P15. That wasn’t going to stop me, though! I fought my way back through the field, overtaking one car after another— and finally ended up in P4.
The gap to P3 was too large to close in the remaining time, so I finished P4 overall, but once again, I claimed P1 in the rookie class! I’m thrilled with how this weekend turned out.
To top it all off, I even won the Michelin Star of the Weekend award!
It was an incredible weekend. Thank you all for your support and for tuning in to the race. It’s been a pleasure, and I can’t wait to see you all at Zolder. Let’s keep the momentum going!
Thanks for reading.
Talk to you soon,
Dréke Janssen.
