We got a foretaste of just what might be possible during the final two meetings of 2019 at Hockenheim and at the Sachsenring where Keilwitz contested his first four races for Zakspeed. He promptly went out and achieved a second place and two fourth places along with partner Jimmy Eriksson. "We're aiming to build on those results, for sure! Zakspeed are very keen to compete up front once again, and I want to win again and be a championship contender. We'll just have to wait and see how things develop. The ADAC GT Masters is not an easy series, but we want to be top contenders right from the start and do our best."

Keilwitz quickly settled in at Zakspeed. "I drove for the outfit in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring back in 2016," he told us. "So I already knew most of the team and only needed a short time to get used to things once more."

He also soon got to grips with the Mercedes-AMG GT3: "I was already familiar with the car from the Nordschleife, and, as I've already driven many different GT3 cars in my time, it was actually quite easy for me to adjust to the Mercedes-AMG, especially since it's a car that you can easily get used to. I'm now looking forward to contesting a full season in the car, because it's a real all-rounder and is actually capable of winning at any circuit you care to name. And that's important in order to be able to score points consistently. I don't yet know what the new Evo package is like but am not at all worried that it won't work properly in the Mercedes-AMG."

Jimmy Eriksson will still be Keilwitz's team-mate this season. "He really surprised me in the four races we contested and in a positive way! He remained particularly calm while racing and turned in a top-class performance, so I'm delighted that he's still going to be my partner. We get along fine together and work along the same lines. I think we've got a package that will function well and be outstanding."

Consequently, Keilwitz is confident that he can soon forget last season which was disappointing until he switched to Zakspeed at a relatively late stage. The winner of 22 ADAC GT Masters races started the year with great expectations. After almost a decade with Callaway Competition, he had switched to Propeak Performance, who fielded the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3. But Keilwitz and his team-mates could only manage two finishes in the Top Ten from ten outings in the British GT3 sports car. "2019 was definitely the most difficult year I've had so far in the ADAC GT Masters," said 30-year-old Keilwitz. "No one ever thought it would turn out like that. I don't regret leaving Callaway after so many years. We just never expected it to be so tough. Fortunately, I notched up some good results towards the end of the season, which was important for my self-confidence, because at some point, you begin to doubt yourself when everything goes wrong. I have to say, ending the year properly did me the power of good."