Thomas Ambiel enjoyed his highlight of the season so far at the opening race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, where he surprised many by winning a race. Although he has yet to repeat that success, he feels in good hands in the Prototype Cup Germany.
If you asked Thomas Ambiel to sum up the first half of his season in three sentences, he would answer as follows: “I feel very happy in the Prototype Cup and have been made to feel very welcome by everyone. As a newcomer, it is a lot of hard work, but I expected that and was looking for this kind of challenge. And I am very happy with the Rinaldi Racing team, my car is always superbly prepared and has never failed to finish a race due to technical issues.”
The fact that he has been so well received is also down to the IT entrepreneur’s personality. “I do not have any reservations. As a result, I have already received lots of support from other teams. I have actually become good friends with Danny Soufi and will soon visit him in Texas – he has also given me many valuable tips. Furthermore, I was delighted that Peter Mücke allowed me to speak privately to his engineer Michael Weiss. That meeting really helped me a lot on the technical side of things. As an LMP3 rookie, I still have an awful lot to learn and plenty of input from different sides can only help me.” He particularly likes the atmosphere in the paddock. “It goes without saying that everyone wants to win when we are out on the track. However, outside the cars there are no egoists. And to have such an experienced and successful man as Peter Mücke say ‘I am glad you are involved’ is very special and tells me I am in the right place.”
That manifests itself in the fact that, as well as his role of racing driver, he is also a sponsor of the series with his company ambiel.ai. “It felt right, as LMP3 is a high-tech class and my IT business is also high tech. I also believe that the ADAC and Creventic are doing a good job, which should be supported. I would do it again anytime.”
The second aspect, which Ambiel mentioned with regard to the first three race weekends, refers to the challenge of establishing his place in the field. “The field is really strong, with some damned fast and talented youngsters.” With this in mind, he is pleased there is a Trophy competition. “I have a good Trophy rival in Michael Herich. We keep having some great battles. However, I also have one eye on Sven Barth, who I know very well and is a fast racing driver. If I am within two seconds of him, I am happy.” To improve, Ambiel analyses his race weekends meticulously. In doing so, he discovered why he was so successful at Spa-Francorchamps. “Aside from the fortunate circumstances with the weather, I was also one with the car, improved with every lap, and my concentration was solely on the racing. On account of the total harmony between me and my car, I christened it ‘Harmony’ after Spa.”
The 45-year-old would love to step onto the podium again in the second half of the season – preferably together with Barth. “Sven and his team-mate Maxim Dirickx seem to have developed a taste for the podium in Lusatia, where they twice finished runner-up. And I am learning with every race, whether it be from a driving perspective, technical or totally different aspects. Every detail is important, in order to be able to perform well in a series like the Prototype Cup Germany. And who knows, perhaps Sven and I will really end up on the podium together again.”
