Kelvin van der Linde (Aust Motorsport, Audi R8 GT3), race winner: “What a great race! I’ve had to wait two years for my latest win in the ADAC GT Masters, but we’ve got the right package and a great driver line-up this year. I had a tough fight at first with the Porsche driven by Sven Müller. I was a bit faster than him but couldn’t get past. Our strategy was therefore the key to victory in the end. The team executed a really great pit stop, and we were able to draw level with the BMW. That’s what decided the outcome of the race.”
Markus Pommer (Aust Motorsport, Audi R8 GT3), race winner: “What a great feeling – a maiden victory both for me and for Aust Motorsport! We knew that the Audi would be strong at the Nürburgring, and Kelvin too with him having won the 24-hour race here in May. Even though it may have looked straightforward in the end, it wasn’t. On the final few laps, the flags were out in the first and last turns to warn that the track was slippery. On the restart, I was the first driver to get there, and it wasn’t easy to find the right braking point, but our car was really great today.”
Nick Catsburg (BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW M6 GT3), P2 overall: “It was a very intense race. I was exiting the pit lane side by side with Markus Pommer. It was very tight, but I still don’t know why we then had to let him go past. I think I could have kept him behind me. Towards the end, we were having some problems with the tyres. I’m satisfied with second place, because my aim was always to score a lot of points for Philipp.”
Philipp Eng (BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW M6 GT3), P2 overall: “If you finish on the podium in a series like the ADAC GT Masters, you’re entitled to feel satisfied. Obviously, we would have liked to win today, but the Audi was probably a bit faster on the day. Anyway, the satisfaction outweighs the disappointment. We are back on the podium, and our main rival for the title scored relatively few points this afternoon.”
Christopher Haase (Montaplast by Land Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P3 overall and winner in the Junior class: “This was a great advertisement for GT3 racing today. After the start, I had some degree of contact in turns two and three, but it was all OK. Initially, the front three opened up a bit of a gap, but I was able to close it again, and I set the fastest race lap in the process. After that, it was a question of timing our pit stop right. We eventually finished third. The second-placed BMW was a bit faster on the straights, so we were unable to overtake.”
Jeffrey Schmidt (Montaplast by Land Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P3 overall and winner in the Junior class: “A good race for us. We were certainly fast enough to have finished even further forward, but getting past the BMW was impossible.”
Rolf Ineichen (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3), P4 overall and winner in the Trophy class: “The race was a lot of fun. Christian put in a great performance, and we had a super pit stop.”
Christian Engelhart (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3), P4 overall and winner in the Trophy class: “We achieved the maximum that was possible. The track isn’t brilliant for our Lambo, since aerodynamics don’t count for much here. Strategy was the decisive factor today. I stayed out longer prior to the pit stops and pushed hard over two laps. We gained a few positions after the stop.”
Patric Niederhauser (Audi Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P5 overall and P2 in the Junior class: “Unfortunately, I lost around four places in the fourth corner on the first lap due to being pushed to the outside. It was tough after that, because I couldn’t overtake the cars in front of me. Still, I think Dennis and I drove a good race and didn’t make any mistakes. We got two important points here. That was a positive outcome to the weekend.”
Dennis Marschall (Aust Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P5 overall and P2 in the Junior class: “Prior to this weekend, our best result had been a seventh place, but now we’ve finished twice in the Top Five. We’re definitely on an upward curve. Patric and I are gradually improving. It’s great that Kelvin and Markus have got the maiden win for Aust Motorsport. They’ve always been fast but have often lacked the element of luck. They deserved this win.”
Indy Dontje (Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P7 overall and P3 in the Junior class: “I’m happy. We scored points, and I’m back on the podium in the Junior classification. It wasn’t easy for Maxi to get into the car for the first time this morning and then drive the first stint, but he did a really good job.”
Maximilian Buhk (Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P7 overall and P3 in the Junior class: “It was nice to be competing in the ADAC GT Masters again. I got a call yesterday evening and arrived at the Nürburgring last night. Qualifying was OK. I was tenth and in the best-placed Mercedes AMG. I was caught napping a bit at the start, as I hadn’t expected the other drivers to put their foot down immediately after the first corner. After that, I took care not to break anything and to hand the car over to Indy in one piece. We scored points for P7, so it was a good day.”
Michael Ammermüller (KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P10 overall: “It turned out reasonably well after all. We didn’t break anything. We got over the line and scored a point. We were the best of those who were on the podium yesterday. We’re basically satisfied and had a good weekend, all things considered. We’ll be rid of the weight once more next time and can then move forward again.”
Maximilian Götz (Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3), DNF: “I got away really well and had already gained three places when there was a huge impact as I turned into the first corner. Yet again, someone decided that they wanted to win the race in the first turn and took out five opponents in the process. Our Mercedes-AMG GT3 is in really bad shape, but that’s basically what happens when you have to start from way down the grid. The car didn’t run well in the quali. The balance was wrong. We were six tenths down on the first sector alone. We’ll have to analyse the reason why.”