Corvette driver Jules Gounon (22, F, Callaway Competition) secured the ADAC GT Masters title at the Hockenheimring last weekend. A look at the season’s stats soon shows why the Frenchman is such a well-deserved champion. We present our round-up of this season’s 14 races:
- No driver took as many wins (three), podium places (six) or scored points (twelve times) as often as freshly crowned champion Gounon
- The Frenchman’s three pole positions were also the most achieved this season, but he shares that honour with BMW driver Philipp Eng, who also lined up three times in P1
- Gounon’s Corvette, bearing start number 77, which he shared with Daniel Keilwitz, Renger van der Zande and Albert Costa, led for 106 laps, more than any other car this season
- The lead in the drivers’ standings changed hands four times during the season. Four different drivers headed the table in the first five races. Jules Gounon led from the seventh race onwards and remained in the top spot for the rest of the season
- Gounon was also the man to beat in the Junior category for drivers under 25. He won the title and secured more wins in class than anyone else (five in all)
- Lamborghini driver Rolf Ineichen was successful nine times in the Trophy class for amateur drivers and champion Remo Lips twice
- Lamborghini driver Christian Engelhart posted three fastest race laps this season, a record. His outfit, GRT Grasser Racing Team did it four times
- 20 drivers in all from eight teams achieved at least one win in the 2017 season. 35 took podiums and 53 secured championship points
- Nine drivers took their maiden victories in the Super Sports Car League - Lucas Auer, Ricky Collard, Philipp Eng, Mathieu Jaminet, Sven Müller, Edoardo Mortara, Ezequiel Perez Companc, Markus Pommer und Renger van der Zande
- Three outfits also managed to do the same - Aust Motorsport, BWT Mücke Motorsport and BMW Team Schnitzer
- The teams with the most victories are championship-winning team Callaway Competition and GRT Grasser Racing Team, who both won three times
- 2016 winners, Montaplast by Land-Motorsport are the outfit with the most podium finishes (9)
- Two teams managed to secure championship points in every race, Aust Motorsport and BWT Mücke Motorsport
- As regards manufacturers, three different brands were ahead. Corvette, Lamborghini and Audi all won three times. Six of the seven brands represented in the ADAC GT Masters achieved at least one victory
- Mirko Bortolotti won through in the closest qualifying of the season. On his hot lap on Saturday at Zandvoort, the Italian was a mere 0.015 seconds quicker than Maximilian Götz in the Mercedes-AMG. The gap between P1 and P2 in qualifying was less than 0.1 seconds seven times in all
- The biggest margin between the pole-setter and the second-placed driver in a qualifying session was 0.375 seconds on Saturday at Hockenheim when Jules Gounon beat Mercedes-AMG driver Luca Stolz in the fight for pole position
- The small gaps between the cars in the field also never fail to impress. On Saturday at the Lausitzring, 21 vehicles were covered by just 0.838 seconds in the quali
- Fans watching the first race at Zandvoort saw a close finish that was over in the blink of an eye. Jules Gounon & Renger van der Zande won from Markus Pommer & Kelvin van der Linde by just 0.375 seconds
- Sebastian Asch & Lucas Auer won by the biggest of margins in the first race at the Nürburgring with a lead of 7.257 seconds on Jaminet & Ammermüller
- With an average speed of 170.9 km/h on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring, Christian Engelhart and Rolf Ineichen (Lamborghini) set a new record for the fastest race in the Super Sports Car League which has been going since 2007
- The slowest race of the year was one affected by rain. The winners, Christopher Mies and Connor De Phillippi, drove at an average speed of 118.4 km/h on Sunday at Zandvoort
- The most changes in position at the head of the field took place in Sunday’s race at Zandvoort and at the Nürburgring with P1 changing hands four times between five different vehicles
- Aged just 16 when he contested the season opener at Oschersleben, Swiss teenager Ricardo Feller was the youngest driver in the ADAC GT Masters this season. 50-year-old Dutchman Patrick Huisman was the oldest