The 2017 Racing Season had several high´s and low´s in due course. We´d like to Review on the best moments in the Categories Zele-Racing participated this season.
PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GERMANY (PCCD)
Ambitions were high at the start of the season when Zele-Racing decided to field two brandnew Porsche 991 Carrera GT3 in both PRO and AM categories.
We started off into the season Richard Gonda (SK) and Philipp Sager (AT) for round 1 at Hockenheim and round 2 at Lausitzring. Results were rather mediocre and Zele-Racing decided to change ist driver lineup to youngsters Dylan Pereira (LUX) and Al Faisal Al Zubair (OMN).
Despite very good progress we have decided to stop our Porsche program by the end of 2017 due to lack of funding and sponsorship.
WORLD TOURING CAR RACING (WTCR)
A last Minute decision on request of the TCR Intl. Organisation Zele-racing decided to field a Seat Cupra TCR in the TCR International (now WTCR). We started the season with hungarian hotshoe Ferenc Ficza on a high scoring runner up spot on the Podium in our first touring car race ever at Rustavi (Georgia). Further top 10 results followied at Bahrain and Monza (IT) before we set our Focus on PCCD.
For the final two rounds in China and Dubai belgian youngster Denis Dupont took the wheel of our Seat Cupra, Following an early out in China after being sent into the pitwall at the start of Race 1 he managed to march straight into Q3 in only his second TCR International race after Setting fastest times in FP 1 and FP2.
No surprise Zele-Racing Partner Comtoyou Racing (BEL) signed the rookie for the inaugural 2018 WTCR season with Audi Sport.
OTHER ACTIVITIES 2017
Michael Zele was called up by Nakajima Racing to join their Superformula Team in Japan as Performance Engineer and Adviser. Working with „The Fastest Indian In The World“ Narain Karthikeyan once again (NK was Zele-Racing AutoGP Driver in 2013) Michael Zele helped Team Nakajima to address their Problems at the time and started to build a solid performance platform together with engineer Yuki Kato and Team director Katsu Homma which would help Team Nakajima later on during 2018 to become a regular front runner again.
