ADAC GT Masters·20.6.2015

ADAC GT Masters: Comments after qualifying: What the drivers had to say after qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps

Sebastian Asch (#21 Team Zakspeed, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3), pole position for Race 1: "With the weather being so changeable and rain on the way, I went out right at beginning and put in three laps at full throttle. I had a clear track ahead of me, and our Mercedes-Benz ran perfectly. We have good starting positions for both races, so now we need to convert them into good results."

Bernd Schneider (#42 HP Racing, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3), pole position for Race 2: "I even amazed myself by taking pole. I had been counting on a Top Five grid position, so the pole and a lap time as good as this certainly exceeded my expectations. Even in free practice our car was very good, but the lap time in qualifying was much faster than I expected. We've come here to enjoy ourselves, and the further forward we are, the more fun we'll have."

Luca Ludwig (#21 Team Zakspeed, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3), P4 on the grid for Race 2: "When you look at our result in qualifying, it's apparent that experience of the track makes all the difference, just like on the Nordschleife. My qualifying was not a problem - the car holds the track well, and our starting position for both races is excellent. "

Marc Basseng (#24 kfzteile24 MS RACING, Audi R8 LMS ultra), P11 on the grid for Race 2: "The changeable weather conditions during free practice were a handicap for us, because we missed practice time in the dry. Nevertheless, we've made good progress here. Our sister car only just missed out on being the fastest Audi, so that's an encouraging sign."

Hans Reiter, Team Principal at Reiter Engineering: "David Russell was on a hot lap at Stavelot when he strayed onto the artificial grass and smashed into a barrier. The chassis of the Lamborghini sustained damage, so the weekend is finished for us."

Daniel Keilwitz (#69 Callaway Competition, Corvette Z06.R GT3), P6 on the grid for Race 2: "There was no way we were going to qualify any higher than sixth. That's where we find ourselves. We were a second adrift in the middle sector, and there's no way you can get that back in the other two sectors."

Martin Ragginger (#36 GW IT Racing Team Schütz Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R) P3 on the grid for Race 1: "It was a pity about the disruption caused by the accident involving the Lamborghini. I had just started to get a feel for the car and was going faster in the first sector. If it hadn't been for the crash, we might have qualified a bit further forward."

Klaus Bachler (#36 GW IT Racing Team Schütz Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P5 on the grid for Race 2: "It will be difficult to catch up with Schneider and Alzen on Sunday. But the gap from third place is fairly small. If we have another good start like at the Red Bull Ring, anything is possible."

Dominik Baumann (#80 BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert, BMW Z4 GT3), P3 on the grid for Race 2: "My grid position is basically OK, although I'm not so happy with my time - I feel that more was possible. P2 and P3 in the two races is a good situation to be starting from. I have huge respect for the work done by my team-mate Uwe Alzen; he really made that car fly."

Philip Geipel (#16 YACO Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra), P11 on the grid for Race 2: "My grid position is good, so I'm satisfied with that. Less so with my fast lap. We're actually too far behind the leaders."

Florian Strauss (#23 MRS GT-Racing, Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3), P20 for Race 2: "Marc had more problems with the turbo boost in the first qualifying session, so we had the car checked out again and finally found that a clamp was loose on a hose. I went out relatively late, but a part of the wheel arch was scuffing the tyre which cost us speed. Too bad that we still haven't been able to show what our Nissan is capable of here."