1st ADAC Formel4 Victory for JOSHUA at the Nürburgring
• Joshua Duerksen celebrates his first victory in ADAC Formula 4 at the Nürburgring
• Team Manager Roland Rehfeld: "It was extremely convincing what Joshua did on Sunday."
The trip to the Nürburgring For BWT Mücke Motorsport, where the second ADAC Formula 4 season stop took place last weekend, was worthwhile. At the traditional circuit in the German Eifel, where Formula 1 will be a guest in a few weeks, Joshua Dürksen celebrated his first victory in the series together with the Berlin racing team.
In the 3rd race of the weekend, which took place on Sunday morning, Duerksen took the lead with an outstanding start. The 16-year-old overtook both competitors who had started before him before the first corner. Afterwards he showed a flawless performance and steadily extended his lead over his chasers. The youngster from Paraguay dominated the 30-minute race and crossed the finish line with a lead of more than eight seconds over the runner-up.
The day before, Duerksen started the first race from fifth place with good prospects. In the early stages he made up two positions. A little later the BWT Formula 4 youngster collided with debris on track from another car. He had no chance to avoid the collision: the car in front of him retired so late that Duerksen was unable to react in time. He had to come to the pitlane for a repair stop, where the mechanics changed the front wing. Afterwards he showed an impressive recovery and finished the race in ninth place. In the second race on Saturday Duerksen again proved his fighting spirit. He improved from grid position twelve to sixth place.
The next ADAC Formula 4 weekend will take place at the Hockenheimring from 18th to 20th September. Already last year Dürksen showed his trump card. He drove once on the podium in the overall standings and won the rookie classification in two of the three races.
Roland Rehfeld (Team Manager):
"It was extremely convincing what Joshua did on the asphalt on Sunday! I already predicted that he would take the lead within the first two corners. But I was wrong. He already made it on the first metres. The victory is good for him and the whole team. I hope that the knot is broken now. Joshua had a lot of bad luck in the first race. But our pit crew did a great job and quickly changed the front wing. So he was able to catch up with the field again. Joshua drove to sixth place in a very superior manner. Until the next race, we're testing at Zandvoort and at the Hockenheimring, where the next race will be held. I'm confident that Joshua will improve again. It's a track he likes."
Peter Mücke (Team boss):
"In the first race Joshua Dürksen had bad luck. He was in a promising position, but then he drove over the rear wing of another car. He had to go to the pits for repairs. In the second race Joshua laid the foundation for success on Sunday. The third race went perfectly. He had a great start, set fast times and got away from the chasers. Joshua showed a lot of self-confidence and he is a worthy winner."
Joshua Duerksen:
"The weekend was great! But at the beginning it didn't go quite as I had planned. The qualifying could have been better. In the first race I had bad luck. In the second race I fought my way up to sixth position. It was a great race! In Sunday's race I kept pushing and never stopped. I was always looking for places to improve."
Photos © BWT Mücke | GruppeC
