September 2020

Million Returns to Germany; Sachsenring Race Preview

Million Returns to Germany; Sachsenring Race Preview

JAS Rennsport race shop & our 318ti Cup

Fürstenwalde, Germany

After months of travel restrictions, I’ve been cleared to enter Germany and will contest the remainder of the 2020 BMW 318ti Cup with team JAS Rennsport!

The next race is at Sachsenring on September 25/26th. All information on timetables, social media links, and more is below.

After an official series test at Hockenheimring in late February, the series cancelled its opening three races due to the pandemic. The start of the season was delayed from March to July. I will join the series at the third round in Sachsenring after being forced to miss rounds at Lausitzring and Meppen. Rounds at the Nurburgring and Autodrom Most will follow after Sachsenring in October and November, respectively.

Based in the city of Furstenwalde outside Berlin, JAS Rennsport’s race shop has become my home leading up to my personal series debut.

Furstenwalde, Germany

It’s incredibly exciting. Myself, teammate Luca (Alpert), and team boss Lars (Winkler) have been working tirelessly to get me back since all of this started. I received the email a few weeks ago with excitement from Lars that I was granted approval from Germany’s border police. My entire year’s planning changed right there, I didn’t think I would be boarding a plane to until 2021!

Myself and Luca racing for virtual JAS Rennsport on iRacing. Photo: 12h Silverstone

The time away from Germany and the lockdowns have actually given myself and teammate Luca the chance to bond much faster and deeper than would’ve been possible before. We would do endurance racing together on iRacing each weekend, and not only has it been a lot of fun talking to one another, but we’ve learned more about our racing styles, strengths and weaknesses, and communicating how we work best. Coming back to Germany, we feel like we’ve known each other for years! It will be a serious help when we get into problem solving during the fast paced BMW 318ti Cup race weekends! Luca is a seriously quick and passionate young racer, the perfect co-driver for me this year.

JAS Rennsport isn’t new to motorsport or the series, but is new to running the full season in 2020. The extended time has allowed them to be better prepared, making improvements with the car setup, braking, and handling in the opening rounds. We’re prepared to jump straight into the action with competitive potential, shown by Luca scoring the team’s first podium in the last race.

Seat fitting, again!

I’ve only been here a single week, but it might be this week I look back on with fond memories as the next chapter of something truly special in my career and personal life. By the end of my time here, 10 weeks will have gone by before flying back home in late November. Definitely the longest I’ve been away from home, in a foreign country nonetheless! But right now, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Ask me as a 6-year-old in karts what my dream is, and I would respond ‘professional sports car driver in Europe!’ Well, I’ve spent each of the past 14 years in karts, competitive spec racing, and multi-class endurance events in America. I feel the experience and goals I’ve reached there have allowed me to enter this next phase. Seeking and finding an opportunity in the BMW 318ti Cup and team JAS Rennsport at the time I did couldn’t have been better. Delayed 7-8 months by the pandemic did little to affect an aspiration I’ve held for so long. Now the chance is here, the next chapter begins.

Below, you will find a timetable and information about following JAS Rennsport at the upcoming round at Sachsenring. I am working on providing a live onboard, but until that is finalized, please follow my social media links and stay up to date. Thank you so much for reading, reach out to me with any questions. Los geht’s! Tschuß!

2020 BMW 318ti Cup Round 3 - Sachsenring

(LOCAL TIME, CEST) (PDT +9)

Friday, Sept 25

Practice: 11:30 - 12:00 (30m)

Qualifying: 17:25 - 18:05 (40m)

Saturday, Sept 26

Race: 10:40 - 12:20 (100m)

FOLLOW MATT

FOLLOW THE BMW 318TI CUP

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Background on the Sachsenring

The Sachsenring is a 3.7km (2.3 mile) road racing circuit located in eastern Germany near the city of Dresden. The circuit dates its roots back to the mid-1920’s when locals organized a race around the town of Hohenstein-Ernstthal in Saxony. The old circuit, which ran on public roads in the area, gained most notoriety as a round of the European Motorcycle Championships for the decades that followed. In the early 1970’s, the East German authorities denied western teams and riders from the event and it continued behind the iron curtain. In 1995, a new multi-use facility was constructed by ADAC Sachsen and racing was revived at the track for touring cars and bikes. The circuit went through considerable changes to make the lap faster and safer and the current configuration has been around since 2003. It is most known today as host to the MotoGP German Grand Prix and ADAC GT Masters events.

Today, the track consists of 12 corners and is popular among drivers for its tight corners and steep elevation changes. Notably, it is run in the anti-clockwise direction which is unusual compared to other circuits in the country. 9 left hand corners and 3 to right give drivers a unique tire management challenge and provides a sensation of constant right pulling G-forces.

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