SSR Performance’s Bortolotti was unchallenged in the hour-long opening contest at the former German Grand Prix venue, resisting two safety cars periods and a brief rain shower to take the chequered flag by 1.1s over Winward Mercedes’ Lucas Auer. Championship leader Thomas Preining completed the podium in third.
As the race got underway at a dry Nurburgring circuit, with dark clouds hanging over, Bortolotti pulled off cleanly from pole, as Preining came under pressure from Audi duo Ricardo Feller and Kelvin van der Linde.
