Zino-Ferret Fahlke made his debut in the Prototype Cup Germany at the Dekra Lausitzring. The 18-year-old from Konrad Motorsport left with a third and a fifth place to his name.

“On the whole, I am happy with my weekend. It went better than expected – although it was not perfect,” said Zino-Ferret Fahlke. He was particularly pleased with one aspect: “I was really surprised by my pace. Coming into the weekend, my goal was to keep up with the field, but it went far better than that from the word go. I was actually first in Free Practice 1. In contrast, the collision in race two was frustrating. I attacked the leader and was given a time penalty for the crash.” Fahlke consequently dropped back to fifth place. However, he was still able to take some positives out of the incident. “I learn from my mistakes and will do better in the next race. Especially as I now have my first weekend in the Prototype Cup Germany behind me and am familiar with the processes.”

As well as appreciating the smooth organisation of the series, for which he was full of praise, he also feels he has been made to feel very welcome by the Konrad Motorsport team. “The cooperation with my two team-mates Danny Soufi and Pavel Lefterov has been excellent. We have supported each other well.” After watching the Prototype Cup Germany live for the first time in Assen in 2023, Fahlke got in touch with Franz Konrad. “I knew the name and that Franz likes to have young drivers in his team. My instincts were right, and we have had a good relationship from the outset.” In 2024 he attended a test day at the Nürburgring with Konrad Motorsport, before contesting a race weekend in the Prototype Winter Series in the winter of 2024/25. “I would also have liked to have spent the whole season in the Prototype Cup Germany, but unfortunately did not have the finances to do so.”

Like many teenagers, Fahlke is also an enthusiastic sim racer. “I obviously use the simulator to prepare for my real races, but I also really enjoy it.” The sim area in the DTM paddock was right up his street, particularly as there was sometimes a long time between the Prototype Cup Germany sessions at the Lausitzring. As well as LMP3 and the simulator, he also still lets off steam on the kart track. “I drive for my father’s team, in which I am also a coach to my younger team-mates. I don’t have any problem racing karts and LMP3 cars at the same time. I actually have a similar driving style in LMP to karting. As a principle, I believe that driving is the best kind of practice for a racing driver; it doesn’t matter what car you are in.” He intends to remain true to the Prototype Cup Germany next season, and to focus more on his LMP3 commitment, with his sights set firmly on winning the title. However, he will not give up karting completely in 2026. Of that he is certain. “It should still be possible to fit in one or two kart races. I just have a lot of fun, and it does not make me a worse LMP3 driver.”