The outcome of the ADAC GT Masters season opener was the end of a long dry spell for Sebastian Asch. Together with Luca Ludwig, the 2012 ADAC GT Masters champion secured two podium appearances at Oschersleben. Asch last finished in the Top Three in the grand finale to the 2012 campaign when he won the title together with current DTM driver Maximilian Götz in a Gullwing Mercedes. "Mercedes-Benz and I are a perfect fit," said Asch, commenting on his series comeback. "Also, the team does a fantastic job. The combination with Luca Ludwig, Zakspeed and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is spot on. I feel really at home in this team, and my partnership with Luca Ludwig is excellent. We are all working together towards the same goal."

With Asch and Ludwig sharing a cockpit at Mercedes-Benz, history has come full circle: the fathers of the two ADAC GT Masters drivers were team-mates at AMG during the 1993 and 1994 DTM seasons. Asch: "It's a fascinating detail that our fathers were team-mates in the past. And our fathers were also in at the start of Zakspeed, so it would be hard to imagine a richer family tradition."

Asch, who hails from Swabia in south-west Germany, has now become the most senior contestant in the ADAC GT Masters after Toni Seiler decided to focus on racing historic models this year. Asch has been competing in the Super Sports Car League since 2008 and has contested 93 races in the series. His 100th start in the ADAC GT Masters comes in the second half of the season at the Nürburgring (14th 16th August) which constitutes the home race for his Zakspeed outfit. "I didn't realise that I would be the most experienced driver in the series this year and only read about this just before the start of the season," said Asch, adding with a chuckle: "I would prefer Toni Seiler to make a comeback so that I'm no longer cast in this role!"

The shared aim of Asch and Ludwig is to take the drivers' title. Asch has the ambition to achieve what no-one has ever done before, namely to win a second drivers' championship in the ADAC GT Masters. He spells it out: "We intend to be contenders for the championship and to win the title."

After making a solid start to the season at Oschersleben with two second places, Asch is now looking forward to the next race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria (5th - 7th June). "The races at the Bullring are difficult to forecast. In the 2012 season, when we won the title, this was our most difficult weekend. So we want to make sure we finish in both races and come away with a decent points haul, because our target this year has to be scoring on a consistent basis. I'm really looking forward to the Red Bull Ring. The track is great and has a wonderful natural setting. What's more, I still have some unfinished business - in 2011, I had to retire from the race while in the lead. It would be great if we could make it onto the podium there."