The first race of the 2023 Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) season, the 68th ADAC Westfalenfahrt, also saw the start of the two Zimmermann Porsches entered by Mathol Racing. In good external conditions in the Eifel, the two cars crossed the finish line after four hours of racing. There was a class win and a podium finish. Mathol team boss Matthias Holle: "Even though not everything worked perfectly yet, this was a great season debut. We will continue to work consistently to be even better next time."
During the morning qualifying session, the track was initially still wet. As conditions improved, various Code 60 zones around the Nürburgring-Nordschleife prevented fast lap times. So in the end, the results of the practice session were not very informative about the true speed of the teams.
The Zimmermann Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from the "Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring" one-make cup was driven at the season opener by all four drivers who will be in action this year: Arne Hoffmeister, Hendrik Still, Austrian Reinhard Kofler and Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci. As the Porsche had to start from grid position 5 among 12 competitors, the team initially lost touch with the leading group in the early stages. However, with a great race to catch up, the Mathol quartet fought its way further and further to the front over the course of the four hours of racing and, after a dramatic finale, still managed to make it onto the podium in third place. Team boss Holle: "A good result, which we certainly want to improve on in the course of the season. All four drivers showed great basic speed. We can build on this performance."
The Zimmermann Porsche 718 Cayman S in the VT3 class was driven by Theo Oeverhaus, Fielenbach and the Argentineans Vazquez and Falcone. The Porsche, which was previously unbeaten in the class, confidently claimed another success. However, it missed out on victory in the classification group of near-series cars. As one driver complained of feeling unwell during the race, the team had to make an additional pit stop. Team boss Holle: "Too bad, the Zimmermann car was running perfectly. Without the extra stop, more would have been possible."
