Reigning ADAC GT Masters champions Sebastian Asch and Maximilian Götz are defending their respective titles separately in the 2013 season. Asch has stayed with championship team MS RACING and gone over to Audi along with the crew from the Black Forest. Götz has moved to Polarweiss Racing but is still in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. The start to the season went very differently for the defending champions. Whilst Asch was still getting accustomed to the Audi R8 LMS ultra, Götz achieved a pole position and two podiums during the three ADAC GT Masters race weekends held to date.

However, Götz, who is defending his title along with FIA GT3 European champion Maximilian Buhk (20, Germany), is still not completely satisfied with his start to the season: "We had a bit of bad luck in three of the six races, so results from the first six races are slightly down on last year. We dropped a few points, which has so far cost us a better position in the championship."

But the Mercedes driver is on course with plans to defend his title. "Our speed over the first three race weekends was better than last year. We secured two pole positions at Oschersleben and achieved two podiums at Spa. We were quicker even at the Sachsenring, which is the most difficult track imaginable for our Mercedes-Benz. What is crucial, though, is that up until now, we have done considerably better in qualifying than last year and our car goes well on almost every track."

Improving qualifying results is also top of Sebastian Asch´s list of things to do. Asch, team-mate Florian Stoll and MS RACING were making a new beginning at the start of the season with the Audi R8, but their hard work during the first two race weekends paid off in the third race weekend at the Sachsenring, where Asch/Stoll secured their first championship points of the current season with a P7 and a P8.

Asch: "Both we as drivers and the team had to first get to grips with the new car in the initial races. We knew in advance that it would not be easy. We have learned a fantastic amount but expected better results, for sure. It was plain to us that we would be not as fast as the Abt Audi to begin with, but we are working hard to beat Abt and their Audi. The Sachsenring race was a significant step forward, but we simply have to get even more out of the car in the quali. However, our times are looking good, and we keep closing on the front-runners. Our current goal is to achieve the Audi´s first podium."

At the moment, Asch is looking forward to the fourth race weekend at the Nürburgring: "It´s not easy for me to estimate how we will place, but actually, Audi has always done quite well there, which makes me feel very optimistic."

Götz also has a podium at the Nürburgring in his sights. After all, the Mercedes-Benz driver finished on the podium together with Asch in three out of four races last year in the Eifel. Götz: "We aim to achieve podiums in both races at the Nürburgring, just like we did in Spa. We have already proved previously at the Nürburgring that the Mercedes can do it."