ADAC GT Masters·20.6.2015

ADAC GT Masters: Comments after the race: What the drivers had to say after the fifth race of the 2015 ADAC GT Masters

Jens Klingmann (#80 BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert, BMW Z4 GT3), winner: "There were some great scraps today, but we allowed ourselves plenty of space on the track. If you can fight hard but fair - as it should be in GT racing - and come away with the win, it's incredible fun. It was important for us to at least finish this time after a difficult start to the season, including a double retirement last time out. I could see on the first lap that our car was very strong. I had to use that to my advantage and went right to the front of the field. All we have to do now is win tomorrow, then all the other races, and we'll be champions!"

Dominik Baumann (#80 BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert, BMW Z4 GT3), winner: "I had to really watch the front tyres in the closing stages. So it was good that Jens had already pulled out a decent lead in the first stint, otherwise things could have got tricky once again in the final stages. With a pairing as strong as ours, we really should have been much nearer the front in the first few races, but things are now looking up."

Sebastian Asch (#21 Team Zakspeed, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3), runner-up: "The start wasn't bad, but it took too long to get the tyres up to temperature. I had to let the BMW go past, because we had no chance against it. Second place counts as damage limitation. Luca was also struggling with the car towards the end, so we need to see if we should change anything for the second race."

Luca Ludwig (# 21 Team Zakspeed, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3), runner-up: "I concentrated on controlling the gap. I had to push quite hard, and the car was difficult to drive. But we can be very satisfied with second place. We were consistent and didn't make any errors, which is how we need to drive."

Luca Stolz (#7 Bentley Team HTP, Bentley Continental GT3), third: "We were able to go at a good speed in the race. We had the necessary pace to keep up with the field, but overtaking was difficult. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get past the Schütze Porsche."

Jeroen Bleekemolen (# 7 Bentley Team HTP, Bentley Continental GT3), third: "Luca drove a great first half of the race, but in my stint the tyres started to degrade. Alzen was coming up behind, but fortunately he got caught up in a battle with the Porsche, which gave me some breathing space. We were at the limit, but it was enough for us to get the podium."

Remo Lips (# 13 RWT Racing Team, Corvette Z06.R GT3), winner in Gentlemen class: "The race went better than expected. A win in the Gentlemen and tenth in the overall classification is excellent. I haven't tested here, and this is the sort of track where you need to have driven before to be really fast."

Samuel Sladecka (#12 Senkyr Motorsport, BMW Z4 GT3), second in Gentlemen class: "It was a tough race for me because I wasn't able to put in any dry laps on Friday, which meant I had to relearn everything. Today was my first GT3 race, so I've still got a lot to learn."

Lennart Marioneck (# 12 Senkyr Motorsport, BMW Z4 GT3), P15: "Due to a scrap with a Nissan, I lost time and I also lost touch with the field. When I had a clear track ahead, we weren't fast enough. We had bad luck at the pit stop and lost 25 seconds. If we manage to do everything perfectly tomorrow, we'll hopefully be a little further forward."

Andreas Weishaupt (# 3 C.Abt Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra): "That was a top result and the team were also first class today. I've got to do some work on my own performance - this track is longer than the average, so the gaps become somewhat larger. I'm looking forward to the coming races, but as regards this one, I'm reasonably satisfied."

Stefan Wackerbauer (# 1 C.Abt Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra) DNF: "I lost drive while battling with the BMW and spun. I eased off the brake, as I didn't want to be stuck in the middle of the track, but I then hit the barrier. I hope that we have more luck tomorrow."