Plenty of ADAC GT Masters drivers get to tinker with their racing cars but there is probably only one driver, Carsten Tilke, graduate engineer and son of racetrack architect Hermann Tilke, who could build his own racetrack. Tilke has been an amateur driver competing in the ADAC GT Masters since 2011.

He contested his first season, 2011, in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, moving to an Audi R8 LMS ultra prepared by Prosperia uhc speed alongside co-driver and ex-ADAC GT Masters champion Abt in 2012. Last year´s season was only Tilke´s fifth in motor racing, since the Munich-based driver did not begin racing seriously until 2008. "Although my father is very heavily involved in motor racing, I have been too busy studying until some years ago. Still, I began in a Cup Porsche without any experience of other classes or karting," the 29-year old told us, reminiscing on how he got started in motor racing.

After a debut season in the Porsche Sports Cup, Tilke then hit motor racing nirvana. In January 2009, he unexpectedly won the 24 Hours of Dubai in a Porsche 911. "Whilst many favourites stumbled by the wayside, we just kept going, moving up through the field," says Tilke, recalling his first major success in motor racing. There followed a further two years in the Porsche Sports Cup before a move to the ADAC GT Masters.

The Audi driver has mixed feelings about his second ADAC GT Masters season. "The season got off to a great start with fourth place overall in Zandvoort and my first win in the amateur class, but it became apparent during the course of the season that none of the Audi teams were having an easy time. When professional drivers can only manage to qualify their Audi R8 in P20 on the grid, then that means an even tougher time for me as an amateur. And what´s more, we were very unfortunate and had a lot of bad luck in seven races. We failed to finish, otherwise the result in the amateur standings at the end of the year would certainly have been very different."

The retirements were a particularly bitter blow: "I am just an amateur, and every second out on the track is vital to hone my driving skills. Also, time for testing is quite limited because I work full time as a research assistant at the Technical University of Munich and have to take leave of absence for race weekends."

Nevertheless, positive memories from the 2012 season remain uppermost in his mind: "As far as motor racing goes, the year may have been a mixed bag, but team spirits remained high."

Tilke cannot complain about having nothing to do during the winter break. For the past three years, he has been working on his doctoral thesis that should be finished by the end of the year. At some point in the future, Tilke can even see himself working with his father on the construction of racetracks. "My thesis has priority for the moment, but building racetracks would definitely be a very interesting proposition. Certainly, my aim in the medium-term is to work for my father."

When you have a quiet moment at home with your father, do you ever talk about the circuits he has built now that you, his son, has some first-hand experience of racetracks as a driver? "I can´t really say. You see, I´ve not had much opportunity to drive on my father´s new racetracks but hope to get the chance one day."

Whether 2013 will mark Tilke´s third year in the ADAC GT Masters has not yet been decided. "Of course, I would love to have another season but have not signed up yet. As always, it depends a little bit on the budget, plus, the need to finish my PhD is never far from my thoughts."