ADAC GT Masters·16.9.2019

Comments after second race at Hockenheim : Observations from the paddock on Sunday's race in the Motodrom

Kelvin van der Linde (HCB-Rutronik Racing, Audi R8 LMS), P1 overall: "Unbelievable. The day got off to a great start with the pole position - my first for several years in the ADAC GT Masters. And now we have clinched the title with a perfect race. We knew we had a chance of winning the championship, but we didn't want to dwell on it too much. We tried to drive our own race without being too aggressive. The second half of the race, when I was in the pits, was amazing. There were so many people in the garage, I could barely move. I still don't have the words. I think it's going to be a while before it sinks in that we've won the title. We now intend to celebrate - and we won't be holding back!"

Patric Niederhauser (HCB-Rutronik Racing, Audi R8 LMS), P1 overall: "I'm lost for words. I can't articulate my thoughts. It feels awesome. I've still got tears in my eyes. For me, it was definitely more nerve-wracking to watch from the garage than to be in the car. It was actually Kelvin who did all the work and laid the foundation for our victory with the pole. In the race, he was able to keep Franck behind him right up until the round of pit stops. After the driver change, I was initially unsure of where we were. That's why I pushed until it became clear that I still had the lead. I was then able to manage the gap. The car was good today. I really enjoyed driving it. A big thank you to the whole team - they always do such an incredible job. It's simply awesome to work with a team of this quality."

Dries Vanthoor (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P2 overall: "Kelvin and Franck were a bit faster, so I looked after the tyres for Ricardo. It worked. We had a good strategy with an early stop. I'm happy."

Ricardo Feller (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P2 overall and winner in Pirelli Junior classification: "I want to win the Pirelli Junior class. Naturally, it's a bit different when you're up against your team-mate, but still, we're all competitors out on track, and Max is doing a fantastic job as well. The race was actually quite boring for me. I came out on track and had a big gap to front and rear. I think that was the perfect strategy."

Rolf Ineichen (Orange1 by GRT Grasser, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo), P3 overall and winner in Pirelli Trophy classification: "I think we did a good job all weekend. The car was not exactly easy. Nevertheless, we tried to get the maximum out of it. We had some problems today during the pit stop, because the car wouldn't restart. We lost a few seconds through that and dropped back to third place, but I'm happy with the result."

Franck Perera (Orange1 by GRT Grasser, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo), P3 overall: "It was a good result and another good weekend for Lamborghini and Grasser. We missed out on points on Saturday, unfortunately. Qualifying today was excellent with second place. I was very close to pole position, but Kelvin van der Linde also had a very good lap. I tried everything in the race to overtake him, but he was very fast. Unfortunately, we had a problem with the pit stop. That's why we lost second place. Rolf then did a great job of keeping Timo Bernhard behind him and stayed in P3. He had a good race. It's nice to be back on the podium again."

Timo Bernhard (Küs Team 75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P4 overall: "Klaus had a good quali earlier with fourth place. I took over the car still in fourth place. I almost overtook the car in front of me. He made a few mistakes but always managed to pull away again. It was not easy to keep up, especially as the rear tyres were completely shot. We won't have any extra weight on board in the final round at the Sachsenring and intend to win again there!"

Klaus Bachler (Küs Team 75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P4 overall: "We started fourth and finished fourth. We didn't make any mistakes. Everyone in the team did a terrific job and Timo made excellent work of driving as well. Unfortunately, the Hockenheimring is not a track that suits our car one hundred percent. Nevertheless, we had a great weekend with car #17, finishing fifth and fourth. We secured a good haul of points. I'm now really looking forward to the Sachsenring in two weeks' time and hope things continue in the same vein."

Maximilian Götz (Mann-Filter Team HTP, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P7 overall: "Too bad that the race was stopped. I just got swept along in the traffic after the restart behind the safety car. I kept up with the others but was unable to gain any places, because everyone was travelling at around the same pace, so I tried to look after the tyres for Indy. Today was pretty unspectacular as far as I'm concerned..."

Aidan Read (Schütz Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P11 overall and P2 in Pirelli Junior classification: "What a crazy race that was! Yet again! I had a small collision with a BWT Audi at the start. The red flags and restart came at the right time for us, because we had a puncture. My pace was good. The driver handover went very well too. We were really racing, cooking with gas. It feels good to be back on the Junior podium again after the weekend at Autodrom Most. I'm very pleased with our performance. I've just had my best weekend ever. I feel more and more comfortable in the Mercedes AMG."

Marvin Dienst (Schütz Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P11 overall and P2 in Pirelli Junior classification: "I was a little surprised to find that we managed to score points in the Pirelli Junior stakes, but of course, it feels good after not taking any points on Saturday. I think the season finale could get quite exciting."

Mick Wishofer (Team Zakspeed BKK Mobil Oil Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P13 overall and P3 in Pirelli Junior classification: "My start was pretty good, the first one before the red flags came out. It was actually better, as we moved up from 19th to 12th. The red flags bumped us back down the field again. The second start was also good, though. I handed over the car in twelfth place. Everything went well."