ADAC GT Masters·21.9.2014

ADAC GT Masters: Comments after the race : Observations after Race 2 at the Sachsenring

Kelvin van der Linde (#10 Prosperia C Abt Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra), winner: "That was a very exciting race for us. The mixed weather conditions pushed up our pulse rate quite considerably. In the second half of the race, it was difficult to keep the car on the track. Then I lost a part of the floor, which made things even more difficult. However, I didn't take any big risks, because there wasn't much pressure from behind."

René Rast (#10 Prosperia C Abt Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra), winner: "I was able to snatch the lead from my team-mate Nicki Thiim right at the start and then sail away under no pressure. It won't be easy at the Hockenheim finale in a fortnight's time, but our points cushion is very reassuring."

Fabian Hamprecht (# 11 Prosperia C Abt Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra), third: "I had a Porsche in my rear mirror all the time. I mistook Renauer's Porsche for the one driven by Engelhart which I had already lapped. That's why I let Renauer go past without putting up much of a fight. That was a pity, but in any case, he was much faster than me. Obviously, I'm pleased to be back on the podium."

Robert Renauer (#8 TONINO Team Herberth, Porsche 911 GT3 R), second: "I was significantly faster than the others in the rain, but actually I was only tailing Christian Engelhart who had the same pace as me. Our car had extremely good grip, which meant I could take each corner 5 to 10 kph faster than anyone else. That made it so much easier. Today was just one of those days, and there is no obvious explanation why. I wouldn't describe myself as a master of wet conditions - it was the car that made the difference."

Dominik Schwager (#8 TONINO Team Herberth, Porsche 911 GT3 R), second: "I was lucky enough not to get into any bumps or scrapes at the start. My pace was good, but on the first lap I had a BMW behind which was a bit faster, so I let him go past. 90% of the work today was done by Robert - he was simply sensational. That was a fantastic piece of driving."

Nicki Thiim: (#11 Prosperia C. Abt Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra), third: "We supported our team-mates and put on a great display of formation driving at the front today. We were really dominant, so I'm happy for the team and delighted with an excellent result all round."

Jaap van Lagen (#3 GW IT Racing Team Schütz Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P17: "It was very difficult to drive with a damaged rear wing. It was OK in the first sector, but on the fast sections, I nearly lost the car several times because the downforce was missing. The team then made the decision to swap the wings. If it hadn't been for that pit stop and with the way the race then went, we might have picked up a couple of points, but it made sense to replace the wing for safety reasons."

Claudia Hürtgen (#19 PIXUM Team Schubert, BMW Z4 GT3), sixth: "We frittered away three or four crucial seconds on our pit stop, which meant we emerged at the back of the group we were racing against. Philip Geipel left me no room, and that's something which you can either get upset about or just forget. But ultimately, it was us who made the mistake that landed us in this situation. Otherwise, with the difficult conditions towards the end, we might have been able to mix it with the front-runners."

Herbert Handlos (# 7 TONINO Herberth, Porsche 911 GT3 R), winner in Gentlemen class: "It was very difficult with slicks on the wet track. We raced with only success in the Gentlemen category in mind and were not competing for points overall. I even let three other cars pass me without a fight, because I didn't want to take any risks. It's better that way before someone gets nervous and there's a big collision. As things stand, we've now almost got the championship in the bag through our own efforts."

Dominic Jöst (# 9 TONINO Herberth, Porsche 911 GT3 R), second in Gentlemen class: "We stayed out in the rain on slicks in the second stint of the race, and as conditions got wetter, we went faster. The car hugged the track extremely well, and I posted very fast times, even in the difficult conditions. But unfortunately, Alfred and Herbert were too far in front for me to catch them."

Florian Scholze (# 9 TONINO Herberth, Porsche 911 GT3 R), second in Gentlemen class: "The start was action-packed, so I took things carefully on the first corner. I was well able to keep up with the field until the driver changeover. We then hit the jackpot in the rain, as our Porsche is fantastic in such conditions."

Remo Lips: (# 17 Callaway Competition, Corvette Z06.R GT3), third in Gentlemen class: "Slicks didn't make me feel at all confident in the rain. It was very tricky. I almost spun off twice, so I decided to get the car safely across the finish line. I'll go on the offensive again in Hockenheim."

Lennart Marioneck (#17 Callaway Competition, Corvette Z06.R GT3), P16: "Things were all over the place at the start and there were collisions even on the start straight itself. Chaos also reigned in Turn 1. I was lucky to get through the first corner, and then people's driving in the field was also quite uncouth. My pace was good in clean air, but unfortunately it was impossible to hang on to second place in the rain."

Christian Engelhart (#3 GW IT Racing Team Schütz Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P17: "I was very quick in the closing stages of the race but I didn't know that I was battling with the leading group. There was a communication problem with the box, and I had no clue as to what positions my opponents were in, otherwise I would definitely have driven more defensively."