Two surprise winners clinched their first success in the ADAC GT Masters at the Nürburgring. David Jahn (23, Germany) and Sven Barth (33, Germany / both RWT Racing Team) unexpectedly won the eleventh ADAC GT Masters race in a Corvette. On the Nürburgring´s short sprint circuit, Alon Day (22, Israel) and Luca Ludwig (25, Germany / BKK MOBIL OIL Zakspeed) finished second on the podium for the first time this season ahead of the Porsche 911 of Robert Renauer (29, Germany) and Norbert Siedler (31, Austria / TONINO Team Herberth). "We´ve already proved with our podium at the Slovakia Ring that we can compete with the front-runners. However, to actually clinch the win is just fantastic," said Jahn. RWT Racing Team boss Gerd Beisel was also lost for words after his team´s maiden victory in the ADAC GT Masters. "I´m totally overcome. We won as a result of our own efforts and didn´t make any mistakes."
Jahn gains after mistake by pole-sitter Day at the start
Pole-sitter Alon Day held onto the lead for only a very short time in the Mercedes-Benz. The Israeli driver locked up in the first turn and had to run wide to the outside, allowing Jahn to take out a lead in the Corvette on Porsche driver Renauer. Day told us: "Unfortunately, I was a bit too optimistic about my braking point but missed running into the gravel bed, luckily." While Jahn ensured that a Corvette took the lead, dreams of a successful title defence by fellow Corvette driver Daniel Keilwitz (25, Germany, Callaway Competition) received a set-back. In an accident in the Mercedes arena during the start, the Corvette bearing #1 driven by Keilwitz´s team-mate Andreas Wirth (29, Germany) had to retire from the race, as did Nico Bastian (24, Germany, ROWE RACING) and Sebastian Asch (28, Germany / Farnbacher Racing) in a Porsche 911. The safety car came out for two laps after the collision, and on the restart, Jahn retained P1 in the Corvette. Renauer and Day shadowed Jahn in his slipstream right up until the mandatory pit-stop.
After the driver change-over, Barth edged out in front, momentarily extending his lead to as much as 3.7 seconds. The line-up behind Barth changed several times in the second half of the race. Ludwig took second place from Norbert Siedler thanks to a better timed pit-stop. Positions remained the same until the final lap, when Barth was once again in danger of losing his lead over the final few metres. Barth: "I was stuck in third gear in the final chicane but fortunately managed to make it to the finish line."
"The Porsche piled on the pressure in the first half of the race, but I managed to control the lead," said Jahn, talking about the start period. "We were bunched very close together, but I was never in any danger. We´re really pleased but haven´t really had time to take in this victory yet."
Ex-DTM driver Maro Engel (29, Germany) and Jan Seyffarth (28, Germany / ROWE RACING) in fourth position achieved their best result of the season so far in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Jaap van Lagen (37, Netherlands) along with Christian Engelhart (27, Germany / GW IT Racing Team Schütz Motorsport) crossed the finish line in fifth place. The Dutchman reclaimed the lead at the head of the standings after former front-runners Claudia Hürtgen (42, Germany) and Dominik Baumann (21, Austria / PIXUM Team Schubert) placed ninth. Kelvin van der Linde (18, South Africa) and René Rast (27, Germany / Prosperia C Abt Racing) finished sixth in the Audi R8, jumping up into second place in the standings as a result.
Ex-DTM driver Renger van der Zande (26, Netherlands) got off to a good start in the ADAC GT Masters, booking seventh place along with Maximilian Götz (28, Germany / HTP Motorsport) ahead of the Audi R8 driven by ex-Formula 1 driver Markus Winkelhock (34, Germany) and Christer Jöns (27, Germany / both Prosperia C Abt Racing). Mathias Lauda (33, Austria) in another gull-wing Mercedes placed tenth at his second ADAC GT Masters race weekend along with Luca Stolz (19, Germany / both HTP Motorsport).
Seiler wins Gentlemen Class
Toni Seiler (56, Switzerland) made this a clean sweep for Corvette at the Nürburgring. The Swiss driver took his Corvette to victory in the Gentlemen Class, aided by Jeroen Bleekemolen (32, Netherlands / both Callaway Competition). Remo Lips (32, Switzerland) and ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Lennart Marioneck (25, Germany / both Callaway Competition) ensured a one-two victory for Corvette, consigning Herbert Handlos (31, Austria / TONINO Team Herberth), who leads the Gentlemen standings, to third place.
Thiim in pole position on Sunday in the Audi
Audi and Porsche share the front row in the second race on Sunday (live on kabel eins, starting at 11:45 a.m.). Nicki Thiim (25, Denmark / Prosperia C Abt Racing), who finished in P18 on Saturday, is in pole position with Siedler´s Porsche next to him. Götz in the Mercedes and Rast in the Audi head up the second row; Rast is currently placed second in the standings.