This much is already certain: The successor to Alexander Fach, who is moving abroad and finished his first Supercup race in Imola last Sunday in a respectable sixteenth place, will come from Class 1 and drive a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of the latest 992 generation.

So far, the now 510-hp one-make cup car has been used in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and in selected national championships. Class 2 remains reserved for the predecessor model 991.2, while Class 40 is now available for the 911 GT3 Cup built between 2013 and 2016 (991.1).

Good value retention of the GT3 Cup models
The purchase of up to eight new sports cars, as Fach Auto Tech did, represented a considerable investment. However, the team boss from Schwyz emphasizes how much demand there is for the used cars.

In some cases, the Type 992 911 GT3 Cup cars that will be used as early as 2021 are trading above the price of a new car, which is proof of their quality and value retention.

Chance for Jürg Aeberhard
During the pre-season tests of the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse a month ago in spring-like Le Castellet, all owners and the customers hired by the various racing teams were able to get used to the new model.

Last year's third-placed Gregor Burkard, 2018 champion Ernst Keller (both Team Sportec), Alexander Schwarzer, who joins Fach from the Porsche Race Academy, and newcomers Jürg Aeberhard (ANT) and Jasin Ferati (Fach) are considered the title favorites.

Jürg Aeberhard (gallery left in conversation) is an old hand. For budget reasons, however, the Bernese has never been able to contest a full season and is now being given an affordable chance as the new spearhead of ANTperformance.

And Jasin Ferati, as already reported, is the new official Porsche Junior (gallery on the right). The 20-year-old from Winterthur is making his racing debut behind the wheel of a Porsche this weekend.

Also for newcomers with sporting ambitions
Other champions will be determined in the field of Cayman GT4 models, which are divided into three classes, and in Open GT for all other Porsche types.

The Porsche Drivers Competition Suisse is ideal for newcomers or simply sporty drivers. Here, it's not primarily about fast lap times, but about uniformity. For this purpose, every street-legal Porsche model is eligible to start.

Six race weekends in four countries
The racing season begins this weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg (A) with two half-hour sprints for all fields. These will take place on Saturday, April 30.

After that, the schedule includes Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet (May 26-28, sprint and 100 -mile endurance), the Autodromo di Franciacorta near Brescia (July 8-10) and Circuit de Dijon-Prenois (F, August 18-20, two sprints each), Mugello (September 22-24, sprint and endurance) and Misano (October 27-29, double sprint and night race without points).

Well informed with AutoSprintCH
After each race weekend, AutoSprintCH will report in detail on the race events on the homepage and provide an interim report in each print edition.

porsche.com/swiss/en

After the forced break in 2020 and a mini-season in 2021, the Swiss Slalom Championship will be held under normal circumstances again this year. It all starts this weekend at the barracks area in Bière.

Course in reverse direction
Unlike the last edition of 2019, the OC has changed the route.

OC President Nicolas Genoux: "We wanted to offer the riders something new after a two-year break. That's why we're going in the opposite direction this year. So where the start was in 2019 is the finish this year - and vice versa."

Philip Egli against four "test drivers
Because his long-time competitor and two-time Bière winner Marcel Maurer is taking a break this year, Philip Egli would be the lone favorite in the optimal Dallara (gallery left) with self-developed EPR engine based on Opel. But with Thomas Zürcher (Tatuus-LRM F4, 3rd Bière 2019) and Yves Hängärtner (Dallara-Egmo GP3), there are two other fast formula drivers on the grid. For lack of driving and testing opportunities in recent months, however, they regard the Bière slalom more as a functional test.

Six-time Swiss hillclimb champion Eric Berguerand (Lola-Cosworth), day winner in Bière in 2014, and Joël Volluz (Osella FA30) also take advantage of this starting opportunity with a view to the upcoming hillclimb season, which begins in Hemberg on June 11/12. In the straight and flowing sections, they can gain an advantage with their potent three-liter race cars.

Eugster wants to know
Lukas Eugster is also making a comeback after a two-year break with the Ligier-Honda from the sports car category. His declared goal is to take his first stage win, having already come close in 2019.

Lukas Eugster: "We still had a problem with the clutch during the Equipe Bernoise test days in Ambri. But we were able to solve that. And therefore I think we are ready."

Continuation of the touring car duel
In the touring cars, the title duel between Martin Bürki in the VW Polo (center gallery) and Christian Darani (right gallery) in the Fiat X1/9 will continue. Both are almost unbeatable in their classes E1-1600 and E1-2000 respectively. So in the end the class strength could be the deciding factor again.

In addition to them, Christoph Zwahlen (Porsche GT3), Jürg Ochsner (Opel Kadett) and Manuel Santonastaso (BMW 320) are also in the running for a top result in the touring cars at the slalom at the foot of the Col du Marchairuz, which was held for the first time in 1966.

Suzuki Switzerland as a pioneer
The Suzuki Swiss Racing Cup, which will hold its first race in Bière on Saturday, has a special premiere in store. Only the Swift Sport 48V Hybrid model is now eligible to take part.

This makes it the first one-make cup in Switzerland with an electrically assisted drive. With defending champion Marcel Muzzarelli, "runner-up" Fabian Eggenberger and multiple race winners Sandro Fehr and Patrick Flammer (won a race in Ambri in 2021 with the hybrid), the best from the previous year are participating with new cars. After the season opener, all other Suzuki races will be held in the same way as the slalom championship.

Calendar Swiss Slalom Championship 2022:

• 30 April/1 May. Bière*
• May 14-15, Frauenfeld*
• May 21/22, Ambri (doubleheader)**
• May 28/29, Bure*
• June 25-26, Chamblon*

*Saturdays each LOC event incl. Suzuki Swiss Racing Cup
**two daily scores LOC/NAT

slalom-de-beers.ch

motorsport.ch

"Ricky" Feller's new partner Jusuf Owega started the first of the two one-hour races on Saturday in second place in the new Audi R8 LMS evo II GT3 #29 from Land Motorsport (see video). The young man from Cologne was unable to prevent pole setter Franck Perera in Emil Frey Racing's Lamborghini Huracán #19 from pulling away at the front.

Feller made short work of it
The key to success ultimately proved to be the latest pit stop of all the teams. This enabled the gap to the leading Lamborghini from Safenwil to be reduced from four to one second.

Ricardo Feller, who switched to the cockpit, overtook Arthur Rougier, who was ahead of him, in the 33rd lap and saw the chequered flag after 43 laps with a lead of 4.032 seconds. With second place for the best of its three duos, the Emil Frey Racing team celebrated a brilliant debut following the Frenchman's pole position.

Ricardo Feller: "Jusuf put in a top performance and even spared the tires. I braced myself for a long fight with the Lamborghini, but was able to overtake him pretty quickly and finish the race from the front. That was a top start."

Pole man Niederhauser caught off guard
On Sunday, it initially smelled like another Swiss victory after Patric Niederhauser had put Rutronik Racing's Audi on the best grid position. But already at the start, Jules Gounon at the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG showed that he didn't want to stay in second place for long.

The Frenchman immediately attacked the Bernese in front of him and overtook him on the first lap. Gounon kept "Nidi" at bay until the mandatory stop and handed over his car to fellow driver Fabian Schiller in first place.

After that, there were no problems on the track for Schiller, who defended his lead in commanding fashion and celebrated his first victory in the ADAC GT Masters with a lead of 2.735 seconds over Luca Engstler and Niederhauer, who was cheering along in the pits.

Marciello also on the podium
South African Jonathan Aberdein crossed the finish line in third place, which also secured a podium place for the third Swiss in the field, Raffaele Marciello from Ticino, after finishing fourth the day before.

Fifth place went to the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #63 from the Emil Frey Racing team with crew Jack Aitken and Albert Costa Balboa. The Spaniard set a new lap record of 1:24.060 at Oschersleben in the German GT Championship.

Swiss in the first three places in the table
Saturday's winners did not finish higher than sixth. Feller and Owega nevertheless left Oschersleben as championship leaders. Second intermediate place is taken by Marciello and Aberdein, third by Niederhauser and Engstler and fifth by the best-placed Emil Frey duo Perera/Rougier - the GTM season could not have started much better for the Swiss.

adac-motorsport.com

During testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in anticipation of the upcoming 500-mile race at the end of May, Beth Paretta announced her program for this year. In partnership with Ed Carpenter Racing, Paretta Autosport will enter a Dallara Chevrolet driven by Simona de Silvestro in a tentative three IndyCar rounds: the weekend of June 12 at Road America in Elkart Lake, July 3 at Mid-Ohio and August 7 at the Nashville street circuit. Further appearances thereafter are not ruled out.

Paretta is an all-female crew. Like Penske did last year in Indy, Carpenter now provides technical assistance.

Return to familiar race tracks
Simona de Silvestro has completed 69 IndyCar races to date. In 2013, the 33-year-old from Vaud finished second on the podium at the Houston GP. In 2021, she made her IndyCar comeback in Indianapolis after a six-year absence. Just qualifying with and for Paretta Autosport (gallery left) could be celebrated as a success.

Simona de Silvestro: "I'm looking forward to this new challenge. I was already strong on the planned tracks in the past, which gives me confidence. To return there in the IndyCar cockpit is a joy. I've been training hard physically and feel ready."

Another woman and a strong Swiss in the field
Simona will not be the only woman in the field. Colombian Tatiana Calderón, once a team member of Sauber F1, will contest all IndyCar races in 2022 with AJ Foyt Racing on circuits and street circuits, but not on oval speedways.

Nor will she be the only Swiss on the grid with the Dallara #16 (gallery on the right). Although Romain Grosjean drives and scores points for France, he is a native of Geneva. On April 9, Grosjean finished the Long Beach Grand Prix in second place, just behind championship leader Josef Newgarden. The long-time GP driver's first win seems only a matter of time.

Simona de Silvestro is still a Porsche factory driver. However, she no longer drives in the ADAC GT Masters, and in the Formula E team, like compatriot Neel Jani, she is only a substitute driver.

indycar.com

The forecast changeable weather does not invite much to stay outside. All the better, then, that there is plenty of interesting racing to be consumed on TV and live streaming on the Internet this weekend. We list what can be seen where, when and how.

First upgraded Formula 1 sprint race in 2022 before a Grand Prix
Formula 1 returns to Europe for the fourth round of the World Championship. Imola will also be the first of three planned sprint races, with the other two taking place in Austria and Brazil. Qualifying will therefore be moved to Friday afternoon after only one free practice session.

This will determine the starting grid for the 100km sprint race on Saturday afternoon, which will take place after the second practice session. Its finish will decide the starting grid for Sunday's Grand Prix. Also, the top 8 in the sprint now receive World Championship points (8, 7, 6, etc.) and no longer the top three.

First Ferrari home game in front of many fans
After Imola moved to the calendar as a substitute venue in 2020 and was also held as a scheduled race without a crowd last year, the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari will resemble a madhouse this weekend. Scuderia Ferrari leads the drivers' championship with two-time season winner Charles Leclerc and the constructors' championship with the points of Carlos Sainz (who was allowed to extend his contract until 2024 in the run-up to the race).

Alfa Romeo Sauber fans can also hope for more championship points from Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou thanks to the obviously stronger drive from Maranello.

TV premiere of Nico Müller
Swiss television will report on Friday from 4.55 to 6.20 p.m. on SRF zwei from the qualifying for the sprint race. This will be broadcast on Saturday from 4 to 5:10 p.m. on SRF info.

The GP Emilia Romagna will then be broadcast again on Sunday from 2.50 p.m. on SRF zwei. On all three days, professional racing driver Nico Müller will make his debut as a commentator.

Supercup debut of Alexander Fach
As part of Formula 1, the Porsche Supercup also starts its 30th racing season - at the same venue as in 1993. Swiss fans are keeping their fingers crossed above all for Team Fach Auto Tech and its three drivers. For Porsche Cup Suisse champion Alexander Fach, it means his debut in the top-class one-make cup, which we have already referred to several times.

Due to the live broadcasts of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on Eurosport 1, the Supercup on the same free sports channel will not take its turn until Monday at 12 noon.

Ricardo Feller starts to defend title in German GT Championship
At the ADAC GT Masters season opener at Oschersleben, Ricardo Feller will compete as the defending champion. However, the number 1 car on the Audi R8 will be adorned by his last year's champion partner Christopher Mies. Mies and the soon-to-be 22-year-old from Aargau have been assigned new teammates at Land Motorsport, in Feller's case it's the German Jusuf Owega.

Meanwhile, Patric Niederhauser has returned to Rutronik Racing, with whom "Nidi" captured the title in 2019. The third Swiss in the GT bunch is Raffaele Marciello on Mercedes-AMG. New to the field of teams with a total of 23 GT3 sports cars is Emil Frey Racing with its three Lamborghini Huracáns.

All ADAC GT Masters races in 2022 will start at 1 p.m.. The TV station NITRO presents them live from 12:30 p.m. each day, and they can also be watched live on RTL+.

GT4 premiere by Born and TCR debut by Maurer
In the supporting program, the ADAC GT4 Germany will start with a record field of 30 cars. The defending champions are the Swiss-flagged Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport team with two BMW M4 GT4s.

The only Swiss GT4 driver this year is newcomer Miklas Born on a Mercedes from Schnitzelalm Racing (gallery right). After TCR and GT3, GT4 is a new affordable field for the talented 20-year-old from Basel. Race 1 over 60 minutes starts on Saturday at 15:35, race 2 on Sunday at 14:40.

Maurer Motorsport is making its debut in the ADAC TCR Germany with two Holden Astra TCR cars from Australia. These are driven by Michael Maurer, the son of the team boss, and the Belgian Vincent Radermecker (gallery left). Race 1 starts on Saturday at 2:40 p.m., Race 2 on Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

The races of the frame race series and the qualifying sessions of the ADAC GT Masters are available free of charge in the livestream on sport.com as well as under adac.de/motorsport to see.

Second battle at the Nürburgring
160 teams will start the second endurance race of the year at the Nürburgring on Saturday at 12 noon. Around two dozen drivers from Switzerland are expected at the start, including four plus one team in the GT3 king class SP9 Pro. They are Philip Ellis and Manuel Metzger on two different Mercedes as well as the Zurich team Octane 126 with its Ferrari 488, which Jonathan Hirschi and Simon Trummer share with the Germans Grossmann and Ludwig.

The elaborately produced livestream is available on the YouTube channel the VLN and on the Homepage to see. The broadcast will start before practice at 8:15 a.m. and end with the award ceremony at approximately 4:30 p.m.

Jasmin Preisig attacks with Wolf power
Almost simultaneously, the third race of the 24H Series season will start in neighboring Belgium. The only Swiss contenders for victory in the field of over 40 touring car and GT teams at the 12H Spa-Francorchamps are Daniel Allemann in a Porsche GT3 and Jasmin Preisig with Fabian Danz in the Audi RS3 LMS TCR from Wolf-Power Racing in the touring cars.

Part 1 of the twelve hours of racing will be completed on Saturday from 12:25 p.m. to 5:55 p.m., and Part 2 on Sunday from 11:20 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. They can be seen in their entirety on the YouTube channel of the series.

Cupra EKS has announced its top-class driver team for the FIA eTouring Car World Cup (ETCR). Tom Blomqvist and Adrien Tambay, together with champion Mattias Ekström and Jordi Gené, are the drivers in the all-electric touring car. The special race car livery also sets standards and characterizes the brand's new aesthetics.

Xavi Serra, Head of Technical Development at Cupra Racing: "Bringing drivers of the caliber of Tom Blomqvist or Adrien Tambay into the all-electric racing series for the first time is something very special. We are sure that they will find their feet and achieve very good results. At the same time, in Mattias Ekström and Jordi Gené we have drivers with a lot of experience and continuity. Every team would like to have such a combination."

Cupra EKS' opponents in the FIA ETCR in 2021 will be the Hyundai and Alfa Romeo by Romeo Ferraris teams.

Two sons of famous fathers
Tom Blomqvist is the son of 1984 World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist and became the youngest Formula Renault UK winner in 2010 at the age of just 16. Since then, the Swede has competed in various championships such as Formula 3, DTM, Formula E, FIA WEC and the IMSA SportsCar Championship, taking several victories and podium finishes.

Adrien Tambay is the son of former GP winner Patrick Tambay. The Parisian began his career in the Formula 3 Euro Series and went on to compete in the Auto GP, the GP3 series and the DTM with similar successes to Blomqvist.

Jordi Gené is practically part of the inventory of Cupra and previously of Seat Sport. As one of the world's best test drivers, the Spaniard is an elementary component in the continuous further development of the Cupra e-Racer.

Mattias Ekström is the current ETCR champion and founder of the new partner team EKS. The 41-year-old Swede is regarded as one of the most versatile and successful touring car drivers in the world.

Paint finish characterizes new Cupra aesthetics
When the Cupra e-Racer 2022 makes its debut at the opening race of the FIA ETCR - eTouring Car World Cup in France (May 6 to 8 on the city circuit of Pau), it will compete in a brand-new livery. The body color is multi-layered and changes through chameleon-like vibrancy in its shades of green and purple, dynamically interspersed with neon yellow accents.

There are also innovations inside the vehicle. On the one hand, the weight of the Cupra e-Racer has been optimized, while reinforced parts make the vehicle even more robust. It also has a new roof hatch above the driver's seat and removable plastic windows. This allows drivers to receive medical care if the doors cannot be opened.

cupraofficial.ch

fia-etcr.com

With an exhibition held for nine months in Givisiez just outside Fribourg and various commemorative events - such as the ceremony at the Nicoli R. garage in the presence of Marcel Fässler shown in the video - the year 2021 was marked by the memory of racing driver Jo Siffert, who died 50 years ago.

Freiburg garage with Siffert reference
More than 8000 visitors of all ages came to Givisiez for this exhibition. Numerous media paid tribute to the exemplary career of the Fribourg native, who died in an accident in 1971 and rose from nothing to become Switzerland's best ambassador abroad.

Due to this enthusiasm and driven by the will to keep the memory of Jo Siffert alive, the existing committee has decided to continue to commemorate him in a different setting and sense. Thus, the "Espace Jo Siffert" has now been created in his honor at the Garage Nicoli R. Sàrl in Villars-sur-Glâne, the site of Siffert's second garage at the time.

Changing attractions
This return to the roots and the various attractions that change frequently, the different racing cars that are exhibited depending on the theme and with a racing simulator installed amidst relics, as well as the new Siffert watch collection, are intended to continue to commemorate the legendary motor sportsman.

Public access will be free of charge from the coming week. More information about the location, opening hours and regular attractions will be provided by the specially created homepage in the next few days.

josiffert21.ch

There is no more idyllic destination for the Swiss mountain races. All of Hemberg pulls together to make this motorsport event in Toggenburg a success. The next time on the weekend of June 11/12 as a prelude to the Swiss Mountain Championship 2022.

After two and a half years of organizational break, which followed the last mountain race Hemberg in June 2019, it was not so easy and natural to get back into the swing of things, admits OC President Christian Schmid.

Return of Eric Berguerand
The situation is likely to be similar for some drivers who have not competed in any or only a few hillclimb races since then. Above all Eric Berguerand.

The six-time Swiss mountain champion, who has been reigning since the end of 2019, has barely touched his ideal Lola-Cosworth and only got behind its wheel again this Wednesday at a small circuit in France.

During the functional test, the father of two wanted to find out whether he still felt any driving pleasure at all. He certainly does. He wants to try out his first race on May 1 at the Bière slalom before he starts defending his title in Hemberg.

Marcel Steiner's second turbo run-up
Although scheduled, his challenger Marcel Steiner has also had little practice since the last SM run in 2019. The newly developed turbo power unit from Helftec for the LobArt sports car proved prone to failure in several test runs in 2020 and 2021, but should now be ready for action thanks to more robust pistons.

The first planned event is the International Hill Climb Abreschviller in Lorraine (F) on April 30/May 1.

Marcel Steiner: "I can't assess the potential yet. I hope that we have worked in the right direction."

Robin Faustini keeps the ball flat
The only national day winner since the 2019 SM final was Robin Faustini last year in Oberhallau. But because the man from Aargau was not satisfied with the handling of the Osella FA30, he has since put a lot of work into the shuttered race car.

He has no illusions about the future because of this "insane success," as he calls it himself.

Robin Faustini: "Eric and Marcel didn't start in Oberhallau, plus I was lucky with the weather. It's nice to have won, but if things continue normally in 2022, then I and the car have to step up. I'm motivated, but it won't be easy to win another race."

Thomas Amweg changes the F3000-Boldien
An old overall winner's car will appear in a new guise at the Swiss hillclimb races in 2022. Thomas Amweg's sponsor Phimmoracing alias Hans Peter has added the former Reynard 95D F3000 of Jean-Jacques Dufaux and Joël Volluz to its fleet.

The race car has since received a number of improvements, also in terms of safety. Amweg explains its advantage over the Lola B99/50, with which he won at Gurnigel in 2019, with the better power-to-weight ratio.

Two occasional starters in the Osella FA30
Keyword Volluz. Just like three years ago, the Valais native will be contesting one or two hill climbs, but is not aiming for the championship. With his Osella FA30, Volluz is sure to have a say in the day's victories wherever he competes.

The same model will also be entered by the German Alexander Hin in Oberhallau and St-Ursanne. The "home builder", who is getting faster with age, has acquired the Osella FA30 previously driven by Christoph Lampert from Vorarlberg.

Michel Zemp dreams of promotion
For the time being, Michel Zemp can only dream of such a three-liter racing car. The man from Langnau wants to improve further with the Norma-Honda and break into the phalanx of the "big guys.

Zemp admits that he is hoping for the chance to drive a vehicle from the most powerful class for the day's winners one day. He undoubtedly has the talent for it.

Search for successor to Andy Feigenwinter
In the touring cars, it is certain that Andy Feigenwinter will not defend the title he won in 2019. Runner-up Roger Schnellmann wants to compete with his Mitsubishi monster "on a whim", but because there are only "good" hillclimbs left (after the cancellation of Massongex), probably at all of them. With such a powerful car, however, it always depends on the defect witch, he weighs up his chances of winning the title.

Meanwhile, fellow Mitsubishi driver Ronnie Bratschi is concentrating on the European Championship. Because it was uncertain whether there would be enough starters in his Group 1, he skipped the opening round in France (with him there would have been even four instead of only three necessary top cars). He is also thinking twice about making the long journey to Portugal and then on to Spain half a year after the FIA Masters, with the risk of only scoring half points.

Fred Neff in the Porsche Turbo Monster
Back to Switzerland. Two resounding names return to the mountain with new racing cars. Frédéric Neff's Porsche GT2 R is nearing completion. The biturbo developed by Eggenberger Motorenbau could produce around 900 hp, if the Bernjurassian has his way.

Initially, however, he will drive with reduced power, which should still be enough in the InterSwiss group against the expected Porsche GT3 armada, even during the learning process, if the technology plays along.

Martin Bürki's affair of the heart
And finally, Martin Bürki is bringing back a car that is associated with many memories. From the family of his friend Jürg Beiner, who died three years ago, the busy garage owner was able to acquire the BMW M3 GTR V8 that the man from Graubünden raced in slaloms until 2018.

The multiple slalom champion and Berg Cup winner has invested a lot of time in the rebuild and has already completed a successful test drive under racing conditions at Hockenheim.

Martin Bürki: "It's a matter of the heart for me to achieve a few more good results with this car. I know it well and know that I can realize its potential."

In Group E1, many a turbo and/or all-wheel-drive driver will have to dress warmly.

bergrennen-hemberg.ch

The 18-year-old Swiss from Winterthur receives a sponsorship package worth over 30,000 Swiss francs from the sponsorship partnership between Porsche Schweiz AG and the organizing Porsche Motorsport Club Suisse. Former junior drivers Alexander Fach and Dominik Fischli move up to European GT racing.

Broad support for the newcomer

Michael Glinski, CEO Porsche Schweiz AG: "Our sponsorship program helps up-and-coming Swiss drivers to prepare intensively for international competition with GT race cars. With Jasin Ferati, the successful format is entering its fourth year."

In addition to a sponsorship sum, PSCS juniors receive support in the form of free sets of tires, driver equipment, personal coaching and reduced participation fees. The program was initiated in 2019, with the first sponsored pilot being Antonio Teixeira, a Swiss national of Portuguese origin.

From electric karting to formula racing
Jasin Ferati started his career in karting at the age of six. His early successes included a second place overall in the Swiss offshoot of the Rotax Max Challenge. After competing in the international IAME and OK categories, Ferati went on to win the German Electric Kart Championship DEKM, supported by Porsche Motorsport, at the first attempt in 2019.

With this title behind him, he made the leap into the monoposto. In 2020, the automotive mechatronics technician in training contested the Italian Formula 4, followed a year later by the step into the European Formula Regional Championship with Formula 3 cars.

In the footsteps of Alexander Fach
The renowned Schwyz-based Porsche racing team Fach Auto Tech signed the young driver for the 2022 season.

Jasin Ferati: "I am very happy to have found a new challenge in the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse. GT racing is new to me, yet I get to compete for the champion team Fach Auto Tech. My goal is to follow the same path as Alexander Fach. Just a few years ago we competed against each other in karts, now we're both in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup."

Richard Feller, President of the Porsche Motorsport Club Suisse: "We warmly welcome Jasin to the PSCS. After the promotion of Alexander Fach and Dominik Fischli, the title race is wide open this year. We are proud that the two rivals of the previous years are now fighting for victories all over Europe. We want to arm Jasin Ferati equally for the international stage."

The opening round of the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse 2022 will be held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, from April 28 to 30.

jasin-ferati.ch

Subject Auto Tech

Porsche Sports Cup Suisse

The first round of the 2022 Swiss Rally Championship was a rematch of the duel between Michaël Burri and Mike Coppens. Four seconds separated the two at the last encounter at the Rallye du Valais in October 2021, when local hero Coppens was ahead.

Burri turned the tables at the Critérium Jurassien. With a lead of 20.2 seconds, the Bernese-Jurassian and co-driver Anderson Levratti from France won in front of their home crowd in a VW Polo R5 for the second time since 2018.

Double reason for satisfaction for the second
Because Burri starts with a French license and is therefore not eligible for points in the Swiss championship, the defending champion can still be satisfied with the outcome of the rally.

Mike Coppens: "We knew it would be difficult to beat Burri. Here he knows every meter by heart. We drove well and that's why I'm very happy with second place overall and victory in the SM standings."

Coppens was also satisfied with his new car. Because his Skoda Fabia was not ready for action a week before the rally, the reigning champion had to switch to a Citroën C3 without further ado (gallery left). Because he quickly got to grips with it, he will stay with it for the time being.

Fireworks by Jonathan Hirschi
Because it snowed overnight, the second and third special stages had to be cancelled on Saturday morning, reducing the total length from 146.8 km to 98.31 km.

At the start, returnee Jonathan Hirschi and co-driver Michaël Volluz took command in his VW Polo R5. The man from Neuchâtel also led the overall classification after setting two more best times. It was only in SS6 that Burri took the lead after Hirschi recorded a slip.

Before the last stage Hirschi was again in second place behind Burri before a puncture slowed him down again and he had to settle for third place.

Bad luck for Althaus, no start for "Balli
Sacha Althaus' strong performance was not rewarded. Driving a Rally2 car for the first time, the man from Jura was in second position after two SS. But two punctures in SS5 and SS9 knocked the 25-year-old out of the top 10.

Ivan Ballinari did not appear at the start. The Swiss rally champion of 2018 and 2019 cancelled because his co-driver Marco Menchini was not feeling well.

Clio victory to border crosser Juif, Gonon takes VHC victory ahead of Keller
Fastest in the Clio Trophy Swiss was Styve Juif (center gallery) from France near the border. Ismaël Vuistiner from Valais was 18.4 seconds behind at the finish. Third place went to Guillaume Girolamo. He prevailed in the Junior-SM ranking after the retirement of Yoan Loeffler against his only opponent Sarah Lattion unchallenged.

In the historic VHC class, Florian Gonon, a former Swiss champion, won in a Ford Escort RS 1600 Mk1 (gallery on the right). At the finish line, the man from Valais had a 13.9-second lead over the German-Swiss duo Erwin Keller/Dominique Juplé in a BMW M3.

The second round of the Swiss Rally Championship, the Rallye du Chablais, will take place from June 2 to 4 around Aigle.

Critérium Jurassien overall classification Critérium Jurassien Res. classes

criterium-jurassien.ch