ADAC GT Masters·13.12.2014

ADAC GT Masters news and notes in December: News and notes from the ADAC GT Masters' winter break

- Maximilian Götz with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Maximilian Götz was seen arm-in-arm with Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in Stuttgart towards the end of November. The 2012 ADAC GT Masters champion was at the Stars & Cars event organised by Mercedes-Benz and posted demo laps and signed autographs along with stars from Formula 1 and the DTM.

- ROWE Racing were also represented at the Mercedes-Benz event. ADAC GT Masters race winner Thomas Jäger posted demo laps in ROWE's gullwing car.

- Callaway Competition again fired up their Corvette V8 engines just before the winter break. Callaway used one more final day of testing in Hockenheim at the end of November in order to take out three of the sports cars before the Corvette team's well deserved winter break.

- Mario Farnbacher made a trip to the United States in December. Farnbacher went to the Florida Keys to enjoy the sun and wind up the season in relaxed fashion together with his Porsche team-mates with whom he raced in the USA whilst at the same time being involved in the ADAC GT Masters.

- Maro Engel also travelled to the US, but on business. The Macau GT Cup winner was busy working as an instructor for the new Mercedes AMG GT in Palm Springs, California.

- ADAC GT Masters TV commentator Patrick Simon got to drive in America around the middle of November. Simon drove a Porsche 935 K1 in the inaugural Daytona 24-hour event for classic cars in Daytona, Florida, partnered by ADAC GT Masters race winner Nico Verdonck. Their reward for all the hard work, their bright red Porsche made headlines on the front page of the Daytona News Journal on the Monday after the event.

- Jesse Krohn gets BMW contract: Finnish driver Jesse Krohn has won through on this year's young driver programme at BMW and can look forward to outings next year on the Nürburgring's Nordschleife in the BMW Z4 GT3. Fans have known that Krohn has got talent ever since the 2012 season when the Ford GT driver twice finished on the ADAC GT Masters podium.

- BMW driver Jens Klingmann was pleased with his special award at BMW's end-of-year bash. BMW gave Klingmann the honour for his sporting gesture at the season opener in the etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, where he rushed to the aid of his colleague on the second race after the accident at the start.

- There's little sign of a winter break for Bentley team HTP. The team led by Norbert Brückner will line up with the Bentley in next year's ADAC GT Masters and are already preparing for the Bentley's first sortie in early February in Bathurst, Australia. Whilst all this is happening, the team are also moving from Saarbrucken to Limburg.

- HTP will come across some familiar faces from the ADAC GT Masters at Bathurst. ADAC GT Masters champion René Rast and Markus Winkelhock will also contest the 12-hour race near Mount Panorama in an Audi R8 LMS ultra prepared by Phoenix Racing.

- Former ADAC GT Masters driver Frederik Lestrup will be back competing in Germany again next year. The Swede, who raced the BMW Z4 fielded by Swedish outfit West Coast Racing until 2012, will line up next year in the DTC DMSB / ADAC Procar in a 300-bhp mini. Lestrup last took the wheel in the V8 supercar championship in Australia.

- Tuning bits for road cars: Apart from racing cars, Reiter Engineering are now also offering tuning parts for road-going Chevrolet Camaros. The range includes lightweight, high-tensile rims, suspension mods, plus the carbon-fibre bonnet that originates from the GT3 racing car used in the ADAC GT Masters.