ATS Formel 3 Cup – Markus Pommer wins on wet track

The final race of the fifth racing weekend of the ATS Formula 3 Cup in the support programme of the ADAC GT Masters was the first one on a wet track. It took a long time to dry in temperatures of about 13 degrees Celsius, and the drivers struggled to keep their cars on the track. Markus Pommer from Neckarsulm handled the 3.629-km track at Nürburgring best. The Team Lotus driver left Briton Sam MacLeod from Van Amersfoort Racing behind him in second place. Finishing third, Malaysian Nabil Jeffri from Team Motopark joined them on the podium.

Off to a good start from pole position, Markus Pommer from Neckarsulm (Lotus / Dallara F311 Volkswagen) took the lead. Briton Sam MacLeod (Van Amersfoort Racing / Dallara F311 Volkswagen) moved up one place right way, leaving Dutchman Indy Dontje (Lotus / Dallara F311 Volkswagen) in third place. In pursuit were Nabil Jeffri from Kuala Lumpur (Motopark / Dallara F311 Volkswagen), London-based Malaysian Weiron Tan (Van Amersfoort Racing / Dallara F311 Volkswagen) and Dane Nicolai Sylvest (JBR Motorsport & Engineering / Dallara F311 Volkswagen), who claimed his debut victory in the morning.

Staying on MacLeod’s tail, Dontje battled hard for second place. The 21-year old tried to overtake in a ‘coup de main’ but lost the battle and spun, which cost him the podium finish. MacLeod could sit back while Jeffri moved into third place. Dontje was the unlucky fourth-place finisher, while the three podium contenders cruised to the finish line.

The track started to dry at the end of the race. This could have been an opportunity for the ATS Formula 3 Cup newcomer, Chinese Kang Ling (ADM Motorsport / Dallara F311 Volkswagen). The Chinese was the only driver on slick tyres. He remained in the second-to-last position for the major part of the race. The 17-year old from Shanghai did not manage to gain any places. However, he scored the fastest lap in his final lap.

Markus Pommer: “My start was good. I pushed hard in the first few laps in order to break away. Then, I just wanted to drive a controlled race. But I realised that it is not easy at all. Sam put me under a lot of pressure. I tried to stay two seconds ahead of him.”
Sam MacLeod: “The first half of the race was really good. I put Markus under pressure but he kept calm. The track started to dry then and my tyres started to deteriorate. Indy put me under a lot of pressure. However, he made a small mistake and I had a good gap to the driver behind me. Another solid race.”
Nabil Jeffri: “I scored quite a few points and extended the gap to Indy. That’s the most important thing for me right now. Winning the championship will be difficult. Markus is doing a really good job.”

2014 ATS Formula 3 Cup rookie ranking
Indy Dontje defended his first place in the Rookie ranking this weekend. The Dutchman leads with 241 points to the 212 of Sam MacLeod. Nicolai Sylvest could close in on him thanks to his podium finish, defending his third place (183 points).

2014 ATS Formula 3 Cup team ranking
Team Lotus defend their lead of the team ranking, having scored 275 points, followed by Van Amersfoort Racing (193 points). Motopark is in third place (187 points).

Points scored in 15 races of the 2014 ATS Formula 3 Cup (top 10):
1. Markus Pommer / GER 278
2. Nabil Jeffri / MYS 192
3. Indy Dontje / NDL 167
4. Sam MacLeod / GBR 159
5. Nicolai Sylvest / DNK 120
6. Weiron Tan / MYS 94
7. Andrés Méndez / COL 75
8. Nikita Zlobin / RUS 63
9. Maximilian Hackl / DEU 37
10. Santino Ferrucci / USA 33

Off the track
The young talents did not sit back and relax over the summer. They continued to practice in other racing series, in order to put in 100 percent again at the start of the second half of the season here at Nürburgring. The Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort at the beginning of July was one of the major events on the calendar, just like the British Formula 3 round at Spa-Francorchamps. Pommer battled for more podium finishes in the Auto GP. “I achieved great results again,” says the 23-year old title contender. “I contested quite a few Auto GP races in the summer break and therefore I am well practised. I also raced at the Nürburgring sprint track two weeks ago. Swiss Thomas Amweg is well on course to secure the title in the Remus Formel 3 Pokal.

The ATS Formula 3 Cup on TV
“ran Racing” on Kabel 1 will include two minutes of highlights. The magazine programme is broadcast on Monday mornings from 1.40 a.m. and is available in the media library. The ADAC GT Masters magazine features four minutes of highlights. It is broadcast on Saturday, September 6th at 3.30 p.m. on Sport1 and at 8.40 p.m. on Sport1+ and will also be available on the ATS Formula 3 Cup YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/f3cup.

The race drivers will continue contesting the ATS Formula 3 Cup in two weeks time, in the support programme of the DTM round at Lausitzring.