One of the strongest ADAC GT Masters fields ever as regards drivers with four former Formula 1 drivers and a reigning world rally champion lined up at the Lausitzring to begin this third race weekend of the ADAC GT Masters that is already proving to be fantastically competitive. It was warm, 23 degrees, with a clear blue sky early on Friday morning as first practice closed with a field that has never before been so tightly bunched in the ADAC GT Masters. The fastest 20 supercars were within just a second of one another in the first free practice session. The results of the first 60-minute session hold the promise of an exciting weekend, as only 0.078 seconds separated the fastest, Kelvin van der Linde and René Rast in the Audi R8 LMS ultra (Prosperia C Abt Racing) from the sixth fastest, Florian Stoll/Daniel Dobitsch (kfzteile24 APR Motorsport) in another Audi R8.
In first practice, Van der Linde/Rast finished 0.013 seconds, the blink of an eye, ahead of fellow Audi drivers Rahel Frey and Philip Geipel in the R8 LMS ultra (YACO Racing). Claudia Hürtgen and Dominik Baumann were third fastest in the BMW Z4 GT3 (PIXUM Team Schubert) in first practice which was briefly interrupted by the red flag for four minutes when Marko Asmer (MRS GT-Racing, McLaren MP4 -12C) spun off.
Luca Ludwig and Alon were at the wheel of the fastest Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (BKK MOBIL OIL Zakspeed), finishing fourth ahead of the leader in the standings and Zandvoort double race winner, Jaap van Lagen, who is lining up at the Lausitzring in the Porsche 911 GT3 R (GW IT Racing Team, Schütz Motorsport) with last year´s winner, Martin Ragginger.
Toni Seiler/Jeroen Bleekemolen (Callaway Competition) brought home the fastest Corvette GT3 Z06.R in eighth place behind the Audis of Stoll/Dobitsch and Fabian Hamprecht/Nicki Thiim (Prosperia C Abt). ADAC GT Masters titleholder Daniel Keilwitz along with Oliver Gavin in the Corvette (Callaway Competition) placed tenth behind the second BMW Z4 GT3 in the field of Max Sandritter and Jens Klingman (PIXUM Team Schubert).
The first ‘duel´ that took place during FP1 between world rally champion Ogier and ex-Formula 1 driver Jaime Alguersuari, both of whom are competing in the ADAC GT Master for the first time this weekend, was won by the rally driver. On his first outing in the Audi R8 LMS ultra (Prosperia C Abt Racing), Ogier took P14 along with Markus Winkelhock. Alguersuari and Nico Bastian in the Mercedes-Benz (ROWE RACING) finished 0.251 seconds behind them in 17th position.
Corvette one-two in Gentlemen practice
Two Corvettes were in front in the separate Gentlemen practice session that was held after first practice. Remo Lips took fastest time from team-mate Toni Seiler (both Callaway Competition) in the 30-minute session reserved for ‘bronze´ drivers. They were followed home by the Porsche 911 GT3 R of Dominic Jöst/Florian Scholze and by the leader in the Gentlemen class, Herbert Handlos (all TONINO Team Herberth).