All three ADAC GT Masters titles remain open until the final race weekend at Hockenheim in 14 days' time. Championship leaders Luca Ludwig (26, DEU) and Sebastian Asch (29, DEU, both Team Zakspeed) in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG were effectively playing for game, set and match at Zandvoort on Sunday but in the end almost came away empty-handed. Dominik Baumann (22, AUT) and Jens Klingmann (25, DEU, both BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert) kept their title chances alive with a fourth victory of the season in their BMW Z4. In a thrilling race, Jaap van Lagen (38, NLD) and Tomas Enge (39, CZE, both Reiter Engineering) in the Lamborghini Gallardo were first across the finish line, but were later hit with a drive-through penalty for having infringed the rules during a safety car deployment. This was converted into a 30-second time penalty. As a result, the Lamborghini duo were demoted to twelfth. Albert von Thurn und Taxis (32, DEU) and Nick Catsburg (27, NL, both Reiter Engineering) moved up to P2 in the other Lamborghini Gallardo. Third place went to Jordan Lee Pepper (19, RSA) and Nicki Thiim (26, DEN, both C.Abt Racing) in the Audi R8. "Obviously we are happy about the victory, even though we did not win the race on the track," said Baumann. "After our good performance today, I think we deserved the victory, because it certainly wasn't handed to us on a plate."
Two Lamborghinis in hot pursuit of BMW up until penultimate lap
The race was dominated by a three-way battle between Baumann and Klingmann in the BMW and the two Lamborghinis driven by von Thurn und Taxis & Catsburg and by Enge & Van Lagen. Enge drew past the leading BMW of Klingmann two laps before the end of the race and crossed the finish line in P1. After the race, Enge was handed a penalty as a result of an infringement of the rules during a safety-car period which was triggered by debris on the track. Enge had improperly taken his time on the restart behind the safety car. Race stewards regarded that as a dangerous manoeuvre and a violation of the rules and gave the Lamborghini pair a retrospective penalty, so Baumann & Klingmann were awarded the win.
"Being declared the winners by default doesn't make the title fight any easier for us, because now we've drawn even closer to the championship leaders, and thus the pressure has increased," said Baumann. "I obviously feel sorry for Tomas Enge and Jaap van Lagen, because they drove a good race, but the rules are the rules."
This win in Zandvoort means that Klingmann & Baumann are now the closest rivals of championship leaders Asch & Ludwig who had a tough race and took only one point. The Mercedes-Benz drivers have a clear lead of 31 points at the top of the standings in the run-up to the finale at Hockenheim in 14 days' time. A total of 50 points will be awarded to the winners of the two races in the finale at Hockenheim. Porsche driver Klaus Bachler (24, AUT) also still has a chance. Bachler finished fifth in the 911 aided by co-driver Martin Ragginger (27, AUT, both GW IT Racing Team Schütz Motorsport), and is now just six points behind Baumann & Klingmann.
Guest drivers von Thurn und Taxis and series newcomer Catsburg were second. Since guest entries in the ADAC GT Masters are not eligible to score points, the teams finishing behind them automatically move up the rankings. Von Thurn und Taxis had a tough battle on his hands to come second. Right up to the chequered flag, the aristocrat from Regensburg held off five supercars led by the Audis of Jordan Lee Pepper & Nicki Thiim and of Marc Basseng (36, DEU) & Florian Stoll (34, DEU, both kfzteile24 MS Racing). Two more R8s driven by Daniel Dobitsch (31, AUT) & Edward Sandström (36, SWE, both kfzteile24 MS Racing) and by Stefan Wackerbauer (19, DEU) & Kelvin van der Linde (19, RSA, both C.Abt Racing) finished sixth and seventh respectively. Hari Proczyk (39, AUT) & Bernd Schneider (51 DEU, both HP Racing) in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG came eighth ahead of Luca Stolz (20, DEU) & Tom Dillmann (26, FRA, both Bentley Team HTP) in a Bentley Continental followed by Rahel Frey (29, CH) & Philip Geipel (28, DEU, both YACO Racing) in an Audi R8, thus completing the Top Ten.
Drama in Gentlemen class
There were not one but two changes of leader in the Gentlemen class towards the end of the race. Corvette driver Remo Lips (32, CH, RWT Racing Team) overtook Andreas Weishaupt (42, DEU, C.Abt Racing) in the Audi R8, but the Swiss then spun into the grass on the penultimate lap, leaving Weishaupt to claim victory. The title chase in the Gentlemen stakes could hardly be more finely balanced going into the final weekend. Weishaupt's double victory at Zandvoort draws him level on points with the previous table-topping pair of Dominic Jöst (37, DEU) and Florian Scholze (42, DEU, both MRS GT-Racing) who had to miss out on both races at Zandvoort after an accident in Friday's free practice. Lips is strategically poised nine points behind in overall third place.
ADAC GT Masters team championship
The team championship will also not be resolved until the grand finale at Hockenheim. With just two races to go, Team Zakspeed have a 12-point lead over BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert. GW IT Racing Team Schütz Motorsport are in third place on 38 points and still have a mathematical chance of winning the title.