Walilko came to motorsport through his father, who used to race motorcycles until he was involved in an accident: "I was always at the races with him. I got a kart following the incident that ended his career. I competed in the Polish championship for the first time aged ten. In the years that followed, I contested the European and World Championships, going up against the likes of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and many other drivers who are in Formula 1 today."

He moved to the Formel ADAC in 2014 where he was in competition with many of the drivers he will now meet again in the Super Sports Car League. Of the top ten drivers from that year, no less than six of them are in the 2020 ADAC GT Masters line-up. "The 2014 cohort was particularly strong," said Walilko. "I learned a great deal in the course of the season and gained a lot of experience which helped me immensely later in my career."

He switched to the Porsche Cup in 2018 after a few more seasons in open-wheel racing: "Formula racing was becoming harder for us to justify financially, so we looked around for something else. We thought that the Porsche Cup was our best option, because the cars have no driver aids such as ABS or traction control. That teaches you a lot and gives you a good feel for a racing car, plus, the standard in the series is very high."

22-year-old Walilko now feels ready to tackle the ADAC GT Masters: "Aerodynamics played an important role in single-seater racing, and I got my first experience of racing sports cars in a Porsche. I can now combine the two, driving a GT3 car." At BWT Mücke Motorsport, he will be racing for an outfit, with which he is very familiar: "I did some testing with Mücke when I was in the Formel ADAC. We stayed in touch subsequently and have now decided to join forces in the ADAC GT Masters."

Walilko tested the Audi R8 LMS that he will race this year earlier in March and told us: "The huge amount of downforce made the car feel awesome, especially in the fast turns. It felt mega. The brakes are the main thing that make the Porsche Cup car feel so very different, because you can brake much later in the Audi, in some instances, as much 50 metres further down the track. I had to get used to it at first, but driving a GT3 car is certainly very entertaining."

Walilko and partner Mike Beckhusen are the pairing with perhaps the least amount of GT3 experience in the whole of the starting field, since the ADAC GT Masters is also new to Beckhusen as he moves up from the ADAC GT4 Germany. Consequently, Walilko sees the coming season primarily as a year of learning on the job. Nevertheless, results are still important. Walilko: "I don't really know Mike very well yet. We met for the first time during testing at Autodrom Most, but I'm pretty sure that we'll work well together. It will be the first time that I've shared a car, but I'm looking forward to it. The ADAC GT Masters is new to both of us, but we want to be contenders up front in the Pirelli Junior classification. I will do my utmost to be among the front-runners, but I don't want to put myself under any pressure. I'm going to learn as much as I can, because I aim to be a competitor in the ADAC GT Masters for many years to come."

Series newcomer Walilko is particularly looking forward to racing at the Lausitzring: "That will be like a home fixture for me, as I live in Zielona Gora which is only some 140 kilometres away. It's been a while since I've driven at Oschersleben, but I'm pleased to be lining up there. I hope I can impress the Polish fans and increase interest in the ADAC GT Masters back home, because this is one of the best racing series in the world, and it’s great to be part of it now."