PIXUM Team Schubert threw down the gauntlet in the battle for the title at the penultimate ADAC GT Masters Sachsenring race weekend. PIXUM drivers Claudia Hürtgen and Dominik Baumann immediately translated words into deeds during first practice when the BMW pair took best time early this Friday morning from the Audi R8 LMS ultra fielded by local team, YACO Racing and driven by regular driver Philip Geipel and team-mate Markus Winkelhock at the Sachsenring.

The two BMW Z4 GT3s entered by PIXUM Team Schubert enjoyed a one-two lead for much of the practice session, but then an Audi and a Porsche split the BMWs in the last few minutes. Markus Winkelhock brought home the Audi in second place with the smallest of deficits imaginable - 0.015 seconds; Robert Renauer and newcomer Dominik Schwager in the Porsche 911 GT3 R (TONINO Herberth) also overtook the Z4 of Max Sandritter/Jens Klingmann.

The top five super sports cars were tightly bunched at the 3.645 km track during first practice. Just 0.109 seconds separated Hürtgen/Baumann and the Porsche 911 GT3R of Jaap van Lagen and Christian Engelhart (GW IT Racing Team Schütz Motorsport) in P5; Van Lagen is currently placed second in the standings.

Championship leaders Kelvin van der Linde/René Rast (Prosperia C Abt Racing) booked sixth position ahead of the quickest Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 with Luca Stolz/Maximilian Götz (HTP Motorsport).

The Porsche 911 GT3 of the leader in the Gentlemen standings, Herbert Handlos/Alfred Renauer (TONINO Team Herberth) and Sebastian Asch/Philipp Frommenwiler (Farnbacher Racing), plus the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 of Luca Ludwig and Alon Day (BKK MOBIL OIL Zakspeed) completed the Top Ten.

Seiler leads in Gentlemen practice

Corvette driver Toni Seiler (Callaway Competition) finished out in front in the Gentlemen practice. Seiler is lining up for the first time at the Sachsenring with SebastiaanBleekemolen, Jeroen Bleekemolen's brother. This is Sebastian's first start in a Corvette and his first ADAC GT Masters race weekend since 2008. Seiler was the only Corvette driver to take part in the Gentlemen practice session. Remo Lips had to miss this additional session after Lennart Marioneck spun off track in FP1. Leader in the Gentlemen standings Handlos was second in the Porsche 911 GT3 R with a deficit of 0.023 seconds.