Celebrations continue at the Nürburgring

A mixture of tricky conditions, mechanical failures, and off-track excursions didn't dampen the mood at the Nürburgring as Jack Manchester and Nico Bastian celebrated their Silver Cup – Sprint Cup championship win at the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup final.

Jack, Nico and AKKA ASP Team pulled together to deliver two 4th-place finishes in the Silver Cup class despite the ambitions of car #90 being cut short in both races, gaining valuable points in the overall Silver Cup standings.

The Team Thunderhead Mercedes-AMG GT3 showcased electric pace throughout Friday practice and Saturday qualifying with the team gaining a 5th-placed start for Race 1.

In the opening stint of Saturday's race, Nico maintained position within sight of the overall leaders, consistently running 1st in the Silver Cup class as the pitstop window opened at the 25-minute mark. As Jack took over, the first of the team's challenges emerged with the car experiencing a loss of front grip and braking performance.

Despite this, Jack valiantly fought to bring the car home 4th in class, even with a brief off-track moment caused by another driver squeezing car #90 on the exit of the Schumacher-S.

Race 2 was an uphill battle before the flag even dropped as the team discovered a gearbox fault 30 minutes prior to the race start. Against the odds, Jack's mechanics reassembled the car #90 in record time to join the race 6 laps down, ensuring a healthy points haul for the Silver Cup standings.

After one of the fastest pitstop and driver change combinations seen all weekend, Nico brought the car home across the line 17th overall - 4th in class after several other cars faltered.

Jack joined Nico along with Mercedes-AMG teammates Raffaele Marciello and Mike Meadows on the podium to celebrate their respective Sprint Cup titles – a testament to his progress in a spectacular debut season.

Jack reflected on his challenging weekend:

“Not the best weekend at the Nürburgring, but it was great to celebrate the Sprint Cup Silver Cup title and my birthday with Nico and the team. Congrats to Raffaele and Mike on the overall title, it’s been an amazing year for AKKA ASP Team and Mercedes-AMG.

I’m hoping for more silverware at the final round to end the season in style!”

With the Sprint Cup championship wrapped up, Jack and the team look forward to the final round in the AKKA ASP Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend – round five of the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup.

Championship Standings

Blancpain GT Series Sprint Silver Cup – 1st (108.5 points)
Blancpain GT Series Overall Silver Cup – 1st (142.5 points)