Emotional moments in the Walter Lechner Memorial Race 30.03.2021: Simmenauer wins the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer is the new champion of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East. After six races and two second places on the final weekend at the Bahrain

Simmenauer wins the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East



Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer is the new champion of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East. After six races and two second places on the final weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit, the Frenchman secured overall victory in the Porsche racing series, which was launched by Walter Lechner senior.



 The “Walter Lechner Memorial Race”, which was held directly before Sunday’s Formula 1 race in honour of the Austrian motorsport legend, who passed away in December, formed the final race of the season and was won by Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (Turkey).

In memory of Walter Lechner, Sunday’s winners each received a replica helmet with an authentic Walter Lechner design as individual trophies for their success in the Memorial Race. The front windscreens of the cars were adorned with the former racing driver’s writing.



The number three car, driven by Bandar Alesayi (Saudi Arabia), bore a stylish illustration of the motorsport expert on the doors and bonnet. Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff, who drove for Lechner’s team, and his wife Susie Wolff were among those who observed the minute’s silence before the start of the race, along with Jost Capito, CEO of British F1 team Williams.



Simmenauer impressed in the overall standings of the 2020/2021 Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East. Having performed consistently throughout the season, with one third place and five runner-up finishes, the 20-year-old was crowned champion with 136 points to his name on Sunday. He was followed in second place by Dutchman Lucas Groenevelt from the GP Elite team with 112 points. This was enough to give Groenevelt victory in the GT3 Pro-Am competition.



Third place went to Daan van Kuijk, also from the Netherlands and racing for GP Elite, with 104 points. Team Bahrain driver Jaber Al Khalifa won the title in the GT3-Am class. The best GT4 driver, and champion in the GT4 Central Europe class, was Vienna’s Leo Willert (110 points).




Second and third place in the GT4 Overall category went to Freddy Fast from Austria (95 points) and Poland’s Franz Dziwok (86 points). The GT4 MiddleEast competition within the regional Porsche sprint series was won by Bandar Alireza from Saudi Arabia.



Walter Lechner’s partners in the Middle East, and big supporters of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, also paid their respect to him in Bahrain. Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit, took two victories in the GT4 class for Team Bahrain. His red and white Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 bore the words “Danke Walter” in Arabic.



The Saudi Arabian father-son duo of Fawaz and Fahad Algosaibi also took part in the “Walter Lechner Memorial Race”. As in the first race of the series in 2009, son Fahad was at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.



“Our desire with the ‘Walter Lechner Memorial Race’ was to give our father an honourable farewell at the racetrack, together with his friends and acquaintances. We can look back very proudly on what he achieved in his life, which was shaped by motorsport. We are looking forward to continuing that work as he would have approved,” said Robert Lechner.




Under the leadership of Robert and Walter Lechner junior, Lechner Racing lines up in various different racing series. In the 2021 season, BWT Lechner Racing will continue its involvement in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and the Porsche Carrera Cup France. The iconic Austrian racing team from Faistenau, near Salzburg, has also registered for the International GT Open.


 

Lechner Motorsport- photos Porsche