The Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland got off to a flying start with the first two meetings on consecutive weekends at Imola and the Red Bull Ring. To say that the trip to Italy was chaotic for the two Schumacher CLRT Racing Team drivers would be an understatement! In Austria, the first race was of the same ilk until the second round gave a more complete picture of the competitiveness of the team managed by Côme Ledogar. Flynt Schuring set pole and led the race from start to finish scoring a flawless victory. Despite some setbacks Chester Kieffer, making his debut in the German series this season, has already racked up two victories in the Rookie category!
Pre-season testing revealed the excellent potential of the two new Porsche 911 Cup – generation 992.2 – flying the E-Motion simulators’ colours. We asked Ledogar for his analysis of the start of the 2026 challenge for the Lyon-based squad, kicking off with the Imola event. “Obviously, we can’t dominate every weekend in such a hotly-contested environment as the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland. At Imola, our two drivers were on the pace, but Flynt suffered a technical problem in the first race and was the victim of a contact early in the second race. The penalty handed to the driver who punted him off the track will not give us back the lost result! Chester finished seventh and won the Rookie category on Saturday before retiring the next day due to a Turn 3 incident. So we’ve kicked off the championship with a couple of DNFs for Flynt and one for Chester.”
And neither will the first race in the spell-binding setting of the Red Bull Ring, be among the team’s unforgettable milestones.
“I’m a demanding team manager who often says to his troops, you must never give up, and a situation can always be turned around.” Côme Ledogar continued. “But at the start of the first race a driver made a “strike,” to use a bowling term, five cars got involved in the domino effect including our two and both had to retire! The result: Flynt – who’s the best driver in the field – had only scored six points after three races. Chester wasn’t where he should have been either although he’s showed incredible mettle. He’s got no complexes; he’s good in qualifying and good when it comes to wheel to wheel combat. Also he never stops calling himself into question. He’s clearly got what it takes to tackle the most competitive Porsche championship after the Supercup.”
Happily, the eagerly-expected reversal of fortune took shape the next day, Sunday, in the blazing Austrian sunlight. Schuring started from pole and drove a blinder leaving his rivals trailing in his wake, clinching a lights-to-flag victory and bagging the 25 points that went with it. The two Schumacher CLRT Racing Team drivers took turns to climb onto the topmost step of the podium: overall for Flynt and Rookies for Chester!
Côme Ledogar wanted to single out one of his former drivers, Marcus Amand, champion in the Porsche Carrera Cup France with the Schumacher CLRT Racing Team in 2025 who won the first race on the Red Bull Ring. “Like Flynt, Marcus was named Junior Porsche Motorsport driver but I couldn’t have them both in the team. However, I’m proud and happy to have been there at a crucial moment of his career, to help him to progress and to build his confidence. Marcus is part of all those young chargers who’ve driven for us and who’re now carving out amazing careers like Marvin Klein, Dorian Boccolacci, Alessandro Ghiretti and Flynt Schuring today and it won’t be long before Chester Kieffer joins them!”
Before the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup kicks off in Monaco this coming June, Schuring and Kieffer are determined to pursue their climb up the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland rankings at Spa-Francorchamps, on May 16,17 followed by Zandvoort a week later.
