Sun and rain, dry surface and wet patches - the weather was in a capricious mood for qualifying in the ADAC GT Masters at the Nürburgring. After a dry start to the qualifying session for the two races on Saturday and Sunday (live coverage on kabel eins commencing at 11.45am CEST), rain complicated the action on the short sprint track at the Nürburgring. Israel's Alon Day (22) got his timing just right in qualifying for Saturday's race, going out on track in his Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG when the surface was still dry and securing his first ever ADAC GT Masters pole. His team, BKK MOBIL OIL Zakspeed, are based in Niederzissen, just a few short kilometres from the Nürburgring. The qualifying session for Sunday's race was even worse affected by the rain as Denmark's Nicki Thiim (25) in a Prosperia C Abt Racing Audi R8 likewise notched up a maiden pole position in the Super Sports Car League.
Qualifying 1 for Race 1 (Saturday):
Dark clouds gathering over the Nürburgring triggered a lot of hectic activity and caused busy traffic at the start of the qualifying session. With the threat of rain in the air, all of the drivers were anxious to get in an early fast lap on dry tarmac. Mercedes-Benz driver Day kept his nerve and established himself at the top of the timesheets with two fast laps in succession. When it started to drizzle after ten minutes, the opportunity to overhaul the Israeli was effectively gone. Starting alongside Day will be Christian Engelhart (27, Germany) in a GW IT Racing Team Schütz Motorsport Porsche 911. Booking spots on Row 2 were David Jahn (23, Germany) in an RWT Racing Team Corvette and 18-year-old South African Kelvin van der Linde (currently lying third in the championship) in an Audi entered by Prosperia C Abt Racing.
"We knew it was going to rain, so I went flat out right from the start of qualifying," said Day, who shares the cockpit of the gullwing with local favourite Luca Ludwig (25, Germany). "It's great to be on pole position for our team's home race. The entire crew has done a fantastic job and supplied us with an excellent car. As for the race on Saturday, I'm now hoping for dry conditions."
Qualifying 2 for Race 2 (Sunday):
The wet conditions produced a battle royal for the best place on Sunday's grid. The leader board showed five changes at the top between Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Porsche before Nicki Thiim in an Audi R8 once and for all dislodged Austria's Norbert Siedler (31) in a TONINO Team Herberth Porsche 911. Maximilian Götz (28, Germany), sharing his HTP Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 for the very first time with former DTM driver Renger van der Zande (28, Netherlands), qualified third alongside fourth-placed René Rast (27, Germany) in a Prosperia C Abt Racing Audi. Ex-Formula 1 star Jaime Alguersuari (24, Spain) in a ROWE RACING Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG finished the session in fifth place, his best qualifying result in the ADAC GT Masters to date.
"I am just so relieved," said a jubilant Thiim after qualifying. "We haven't had an easy season so far, but today our luck was really in. At last we've had a problem-free qualifying. I felt OK on the wet track; in fact, I always enjoy driving in the rain. I had expected that these conditions would favour the Porsches, but our Audi's road holding was outstanding today."