Four of the 14 races in the 2016 ADAC GT Masters have now been contested. The Super Sports Car League is currently taking a mini-break between the previous race weekend at the Sachsenring and the Motorsport Festival held in conjunction with the DTM at the Lausitzring (3rd - 5th June). A good opportunity to take a look at the performance so far of the new GT3 models which have just embarked on their first full season in the ADAC GT Masters.
Audi R8 LMS: The second generation of the mid-engine car from Ingolstadt joins the fray with the most auspicious track record, having already entered and won major endurance competitions in the 2015 season, thereby asserting it raceworthiness before some of the competing models had even been unveiled to the public. The six Audi teams in the ADAC GT Masters have converted this strong early form into impressive results. Of the twelve podium appearances during the current campaign, they have made eight - four runner-up spots and four third places. Connor De Phillippi and Christopher Mies (both Montaplast by Land-Motorsport) lead the drivers' standings, while De Phillippi also tops the Junior table. However, the new R8 LMS still has to post its maiden ADAC GT Masters victory.
BMW M6 GT3: The M6 GT3 made an instant impression on fans with its chunky exterior. The coupé built in Munich is used by only one team in the ADAC GT Masters, namely Schubert Motorsport. In the season opener - a home fixture for the Oschersleben-based outfit - Jesse Krohn partnered by DTM driver Martin Tomczyk (standing in for regular driver Louis Delétraz) secured a respectable fifth-place finish. They also made it into the points in the second of the two races there: starting from 18th on the grid, the duo battled their way through to eighth. The M6 was then fast again at the Sachsenring, but a technicality nullified their promising fifth place in qualifying and thus the chance of a potential podium finish in the first race. After a retirement in the second race of the weekend, Krohn and Delétraz will now be hoping for better luck at the Lausitzring.
Corvette C7 GT3: Designed and built by Callaway Competition, the C7 GT3 got the 2016 season off to a start that was every bit as good as the closing stages of the previous campaign for the Z06.R GT3 predecessor model. Record ADAC GT Masters championship winner Daniel Keilwitz now partnered by French rookie Jules Gounon plotted a steep upwards curve on the results graph, going from seventh to fourth to first. The sequence was interrupted by a retirement in Race 2 at Oschersleben when they were involved in a collision at the start while lying in second place. Keilwitz and Gounon currently occupy the third spot in the drivers' championship.
Lamborghini Huracán GT3: Making a guest start in the 2015 ADAC GT Masters at the Red Bull Ring, the Huracán left a lasting impression with a famous win. And the fans of the Italian sports car manufacturer did not have long to wait for the Lambo to achieve renewed success. Christian Engelhart and Rolf Ineichen (both GRT Grasser Racing Team) secured victory in the second race at Oschersleben, which was just as much of a surprise as the guest triumph of the previous year, because Ineichen is actually registered as one of the amateur entrants competing for the Trophy. Their GRT team-mates Luca Stolz and Gerhard Tweraser acquitted themselves well at the Sachsenring, claiming a pole position and also holding the race lead for several laps.
Mercedes-AMG GT3: The car with perhaps the biggest act to follow in the ADAC GT Masters is the Mercedes-AMG GT3. Driving the predecessor SLS AMG GT3 model, Sebastian Asch and Luca Ludwig won the 2015 drivers' title. In the first four races, Asch and Ludwig have already demonstrated that the new Mercedes-AMG is the equal of the championship-winning car with a victory on its ADAC GT Masters debut, two pole positions and a further win at Sachsenring taking them to second place in the drivers' standings. What's more, AMG Zakspeed lead the team championship after two points scored by the sister car are added to the tally.
Porsche 911 GT3 R: If this were a school report, the term so far for the Porsche 911 could be summarised as "good performance at Oschersleben, unlucky at the Sachsenring". Robert Renauer and Martin Ragginger (both Precote Herberth Motorsport) emerged from the first weekend at Oschersleben fourth in the drivers' standings after a P4 and a P6 finish. The two experienced campaigners then came away empty-handed from the Sachsenring after a collision and an excursion into the gravel. Another Porsche outfit, KÜS TEAM75 Bernhard, opened their championship points account at the Sachsenring while that of the rival bigFM Racing Team Schütz Motorsport is still stuck at zero. The Porsche teams are hoping for better things at the Lausitzring, which is where the 911 traditionally counts as one of the stronger contenders.