Over the course of 16 races, Kelvin van der Linde and René Rast drove their Prosperia C Abt Audi R8 LMS ultra to the 2014 ADAC GT Masters title and succeeded in doing what no championship duo have ever managed before, scoring points in all 16 races and winning three of them. This was how van der Linde and Rast's successful campaign developed:
etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Races 1 and 2:
The season gets off the perfect start for the Audi partnership, with both drivers qualifying for pole position in the two races. Rast battles Mercedes man Götz in the second stint of Race 1 and has to settle for the runner-up spot, 0.3 seconds behind the 2012 champion. In the second race, the Prosperia C Abt pairing fully exploit their pole to secure a start-to-finish maiden win of the new season They leave Oschersleben topping the table.
Zandvoort, Netherlands, Races 3 and 4:
On the rain-affected second weekend in the Netherlands, van der Linde and Rast impress with P3 and P2, which makes it four podiums out of four. Rast takes his first ADAC GT Masters pole in qualifying for the second race. But the Audi duo are unable to stop Zandvoort double winner Jaap van Lagen from knocking them off their perch.
Lausitzring, Races 5 and 6:
The first race at the Lausitzring is the toughest of the season so far: van der Linde spins on the opening lap and has to mount a charge from the rear of the field. In the circumstances, seventh is a respectable result. Van der Linde and Rast are back on the podium after the second race, having finished second behind the BMW Z4 of Hürtgen and Baumann.
Red Bull Ring, Austria, Races 7 and 8:
Rast overtakes ex-Formula 1 driver Alguersuari on the last lap to salvage a point from Saturday's race. Things go a lot better the following day on a dry track when van der Linde and Rast finish second and become the first Audi R8 team to appear on the Red Bull Ring podium. This is enough to restore their lead in the standings and to bestow the unofficial title of 'half-time champions' after eight out of 16 races.
Slovakia Ring, Slovakia, Races 9 and 10:
The second half of the season gets off to an unexpectedly difficult start: a P6 in the first race followed by tenth place on Sunday after being penalised for ignoring yellow flags, which allows BMW drivers Hürtgen and Baumann to dislodge them from the top of the championship table.
Nürburgring, Races 11 and 12:
A sixth place finish on Saturday moves van der Linde and Rast up to second in the championship. The following day, they battle their way through to the runner-up spot which takes them back to the top of the championship standings.
Sachsenring, Races 13 and 14:
The two races at the Sachsenring are a tour de force, as van der Linde notches up his second pole of the season. Victory number two of 2014 is followed by victory number three 24 hours later. The Audi drivers leave the Sachsenring with a massive 35-point cushion ahead of the grand finale at Hockenheim.
Hockenheimring, Races 15 and 16:
The first of the two final races is a disappointment as the Audi duo finish outside the points, but when main rival Jaap van Lagen is handed a penalty which drops him back behind the favourites, van der Linde and Rast already have the title in the bag with one more race to go. The new champions finish the 16th and last race of the season in sixth place, having accumulated 214 points. No previous champions have ever racked up such a huge joint score.