This was Goethe’s first season in the GTWCE Sprint Cup. The youngster raced for Team WRT, sharing the #30 ROFGO Audi with some of the best GT drivers in the world, such as Kelvin van der Linde, Marcus Winkelhock, and Christopher Mies.
For the season finale in Valencia, Benjamin was joined by Audi works driver, Le Mans winner, and 2017 Sprint Cup champion Robin Frijns.
The weekend started on the back foot as the #30 WRT squad couldn’t set a timed lap due to a damper failure caused by the kerbs at Turn 12, forcing them to the back of the grid.
Benjamin started Race one from P27, and had a blinding first lap with some brilliant moves, avoiding the first lap chaos, and stormed through the field with a spectacular drive, moving up fifteen positions before the safety car was deployed. The 18-year-old made a great restart and climbed all the way up to P12 before handing the car to Frijns who carried on the charge, crossing the line in P5.
In Race 2 on Sunday afternoon, it was the Dutch driver’s turn to take the start from the last place, and he did an impeccable job, fighting through the pack, passing the baton to Benjamin in P15. The youngster delivered another strong performance, finishing the final race of the season in P12.
Benjamin Goethe:
“That was fun! I’m really happy with my start in Race 1 and enjoyed some epic battles out there. It’s a pity we had to start from the back of the grid because our pace looked good enough for a podium, but we still made the most out of the situation. It was great to work with Robin this weekend, he did a fantastic job and so did the entire team. It’s been a challenging Sprint Cup season, but I’ve learned a lot from my teammates and from WRT. Our focus now turns to the Endurance finale in Barcelona, aiming to finish the season on a high note.”
Benjamin’s next race will take place in two weeks in Barcelona (8-10 October), where he will compete in the season finale of the GTWCE Endurance Cup alongside Stuart Hall and James Pull.