Latest podium success for Jeffrey Schmidt in Porsche Carrera Cup
Lechner Huber Racing driver Jeffrey Schmidt has made yet another podium appearance in the Porsche Carrera Cup, finishing third in Saturday’s race at Spielberg (Austria). This was his third Top Three result of 2016 in the high-speed single-make cup competition. And because the race runner-up was a guest driver, the 22-year-old actually scored the championship points for second place.
Jeffrey, how good does it feel to be on the podium yet again?
It definitely feels very good. I’m especially pleased for my team who have worked so hard in recent weeks. In qualifying, we matched the leaders for pace and qualified in P4. Unfortunately, I was demoted to ninth grid position for allegedly having blocked an opponent. In my view, though, that wasn’t the case. But after that, the race went very well. Our car was fast and I managed to charge from ninth to third place. Our performance was really good.
What happened in the second race?
I got off to a great start from fourth place and immediately closed the gap on Christian Engelhart ahead of me. But when he braked, he drifted over sharply to my side of the track. That pushed me out of the first corner. The car took off on the kerbs, and I went airborne. I was lucky that I didn’t collide with anyone else. The car was slightly damaged by the impact. After that, I was down in ninth position but succeeded in overtaking some opponents and battling my way back to sixth again. Unfortunately, there was nothing more I could do. The drivers at the front were long gone, and in the end I ran out of time.
So the move by your opponent at the start affected the rest of your race?
That’s right. I was a little frustrated because I it wasn’t my fault and I’d already had bad luck in this regard in last week’s Porsche Supercup. After crossing the line, I was consequently quite emotional and must have driven too fast on the way to parc fermé. I was then disqualified, which in my opinion was an excessive penalty. I apologise to our team. I hope I’ve now had my full share of bad luck for the year and that we will be rewarded for all our hard work with more points.
Next weekend, you’re off to the legendary street circuit of Monaco where the Porsche Supercup is to be staged as a support race to Formula 1. Are you looking forward to the highlight of the campaign?
Yes, this is going to be really cool! I’m really looking forward to racing in front of this magnificent backdrop. To have the opportunity to drive on this fantastic circuit with its great motorsport tradition is really quite special. And what’s more in the context of Formula 1. The atmosphere and ambience in Monaco are unique.
