It was an exciting end to the Supercup season for FACH AUTO TECH in Mexico: In the final round, Nick Yelloly was able to gain the upper hand on title rival Michael Ammermüller, but the Brit fell just short of the championship victory. Second place in the drivers’ and teams’ championships gave the Sattel-based team another top finish in the hard-fought Porsche single-make series.
“We can look back on the weekend with a smile but also with a tinge of disappointment”, said Team Principal Alex Fach. “We still had a chance of winning the championship right through to the final moments of the race. Nick drove so well, but second place wasn’t enough to take the title. On the other hand, we have to be proud of our efforts this season. It’s been a great year, which we were able to bring to an end with a podium and many fond memories.”
After finishing fourth and setting the fastest lap of the race on Saturday, Nick Yelloly put in a gritty drive on Sunday. The 27-year-old started from fourth on the grid, but fought his way up to second. “I knew I had to get past Michael Ammermüller to maintain any chance I might have had of title glory”, Yelloly said. “I overtook him at the end of the start/finish straight and was then able to established a gap.” Ammermüller’s third position was enough to secure the title.
Yelloly’s teammate Jaap van Lagen finished in the points in both races at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. After finishing fifth behind Yelloly, the 41-year-old secured a twelfth-place finish on Sunday. The Dutchman was in great form all weekend, and only damage to the front spoiler on his Porsche 911 robbed him of a chance of another top-10 result.
Young driver Roman de Angelis put in a strong performance on his Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup debut. The 17-year-old Canadian, who appeared on the FACH AUTO TECH radar after some excellent results in North America, was evidently unfazed by his first ever Supercup start and finished sixth and eighth in the rookie classificaition.
For Alex Fach and his team, the final race weekend in Mexico brought a successful but also turbulent season to a close. “We may have missed out on the championship by a tiny margin, but we should still be proud of what we’ve achieved”, Fach said. “In 2018 we once again demonstrated that we are among the top teams in the toughest Porsche single-make series in the world. I would like to thank all of our partners, fans and the whole team from the bottom of my heart. Congratulations to Michael Ammermüller and Lechner Racing to their title wins.”
FACH AUTO TECH ultimately finished second in the teams’ classification after ten races. The team from Sattel in Switzerland finished the year with a total of two wins and four podiums. Nick Yelloly’s triumph in the Principality of Monaco was undoubtedly among the highlights of the season.