Kraus and Banerjee secure second consecutive podium at RCN

Ralf Kraus and Tim Banerjee claimed their second consecutive podium finish at the sixth round of the Rundstrecken-Challenge Nürburgring (RCN), taking third place in the R3 class. The result capped a strong performance for Team Automobile Theisen, whose four Opel Astra OPC entries finished between third and seventh in class among 167 starters.

Kraus held a top-three position from the start in car #48, reporting that the engine delivered full power throughout the rev range after issues in the previous round. Banerjee took over at the halfway point and maintained third place to the finish. "We would have needed rain to challenge the stronger Renault Clio for second," Banerjee explained, adding that despite sunny conditions, numerous accidents and Code 60 cautions disrupted the race.

Simon Overmann and Holger Bruning finished fifth in class in car #50. Bruning, competing in what he described as his final RCN round of the season, praised the car's performance and expressed satisfaction with improvements made in two target sectors. Maya Niepenberg made her RCN debut as a starter driver, reporting that she gained confidence with each lap despite contact from other competitors during the race.

Christopher Bartsch set the fastest lap time for the Theisen team—9:37.2 minutes—during his stint in car #649 in round 14. Jürgen Neuhoff and Jan Eisenburger completed the team's strong showing with seventh place in class in car #46.

The series returns to the Nürburgring on 26 September for the seventh and penultimate round of the season.