The ADAC GT Masters enters its decisive phase as the Sachsenring hosts the third-to-last Super Sports Car League race weekend of the season. Still topping the table by a 30 point margin are Luca Ludwig (26, DEU) and Sebastian Asch (29, DEU), who share the cockpit of a Team Zakspeed Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. They have won two races outright this season, but they will be coming under sustained pressure in the run up to the grand finale. Their closest pursuer, Klaus Bachler (24, AUT) from Austria in a GW IT Racing Team Schütz Motorsport Porsche 911, took a sizeable 10-point chunk out of the Mercedes-Benz duo's lead last time out. Third-placed Dominik Baumann (22, AUT) and Jens Klingmann (25, DEU) in a BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert Z4 are hoping that the rollercoaster circuit near Chemnitz could aid their cause. "The Sachsenring is probably the best track on the calendar for our BMW," says Klingmann, who won there two years ago. SPORT1 will be showing both races from the Sachsenring. Live coverage on Saturday and Sunday commences at 13:00 CEST.
Bachler focuses on ADAC GT Masters title fight
At the Sachsenring, Porsche man Bachler intends to further increase the pressure on the championship leaders whilst feeling relatively free of it himself. Currently placed second in the standings, he also has commitments in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship. With conflicting dates in his diary for the next two race weekends, Bachler has opted for the ADAC GT Masters. Championship leaders Ludwig and Asch experienced double disappointment in their Mercedes-Benz on the recent Nürburgring weekend, but they are putting a brave face on it. "We'll be back at the Sachsenring our usual cool selves," predicts Asch.
Among the favourites on the twisty rollercoaster is the compact BMW Z4. Driving one of the three BMWs in the field next weekend will be Markus Palttala (38, FIN) who won the 24 Hours of Spa just under four weeks ago. The Finn has been brought in to boost the Senkyr Motorsport team and will be partnering Lennart Marioneck (26, DEU).
Audi the most successful manufacturer on the Saxony circuit
Anyone targeting a podium at the Sachsenring will have to get past the Audis first. The track record in Saxony of the marque with the four rings is impressive. Since 2009, Audi R8s have won eight of the twelve races staged there. In the recent event at the Nürburgring, victories for the pairings of Daniel Dobitsch (31, AUT) and Edward Sandström (36, SWE) and of Florian Stoll (34, DEU) and Marc Basseng (36, DEU) put Audi back in the limelight for the first time this season. Also looking for their first win of the campaign are C.Abt Racing. Christian Abt's squad includes the defending champion and winner of the 2014 Sachsenring race, Kelvin van der Linde (19, ZAF), partnered by Stefan Wackerbauer (19, DEU), and in the second car, Jordan Lee Pepper (19, ZAF) partnered by Nicki Thiim (26, DNK). Wins in this year's ADAC GT Masters have been more keenly contested than in any previous season: the ten races so far have seen eight different driver pairings ascend to the top rung of the podium.
Home fixture for YACO Racing and Philip Geipel
Revelling in the support of their home fans will be YACO Racing from nearby Plauen, who recently scored their best result to date. Philip Geipel (28, DEU) and ex-DTM driver Rahel Frey (29, CHE) were runners-up in one of the two recent races at the Nürburgring. Equally intent on a podium finish is Albert von Thurn und Taxis (32, GER), who has chosen the Sachsenring to make his return to the Super Sports Car League in 2015. The 2010 champion will be partnering Red Bull Ring race winner Tomas Enge (38, CZE) in a Lamborghini Gallardo entered by Reiter Engineering.
Trial for new qualifying times
A new and more compact format for qualifying in the ADAC GT Masters aimed at generating more action is to be trialled at the Sachsenring. The starting grid for the two races will be determined in a qualifying session on Saturday and a second one on Sunday morning. This means that the super sports cars will get more race track exposure on both race days. The first free practice session of the ADAC GT Masters starts on Friday at 13:45 CEST.
Pirelli tyres come in for intense wear
The Sachsenring circuit is challenging not only for the drivers but also for the tyres supplied by exclusive partner Pirelli, as Anna Playford (Pirelli Trackside Engineer) explains: "The Sachsenring is a technically demanding circuit, with uphill and downhill sections and only short straights. These track characteristics put a permanent strain on the tyres because of the high level of energy that is continually passing through them. The teams have to pay particular attention to their setup here. The prevailing transverse and longitudinal forces make optimum balance essential if maximum cornering speeds and uniform tyre wear are to be achieved."
Plenty of action with a total of 13 races on Saturday and Sunday
Motor racing action at the Sachsenring will continue non-stop throughout the weekend, and not just in the ADAC GT Masters and the ADAC Formula 4. This will feature the touring cars competing in the DTC des DMSB - ADAC Procar, the GT and touring cars of the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy (STT), and the tow single-make trophy events in the Volkswagen Golf Cup and the Trofeo Abarth Europe. Fans attending on both Saturday and Sunday will see a total of 13 races.