End of a dry spell
Schubert Motorsport had to wait more than five years for the team's eleventh ADAC GT Masters victory to come along. Before Saturday's win at the Red Bull Ring, Schubert drivers had last stood on the top rung of the podium at Zandvoort in 2015. Team boss André Schubert was sounding suitably pleased: "We are delighted to have emerged from this dry spell. The Red Bull Ring was our chance, and the team seized it with both hands. I am very proud of the performance of the entire team. The engineers got the maximum out of the package, and on Saturday, our drivers exploited its potential to the full. Henric and Nick had the race under control from the very beginning and left no-one in any doubt that we deserved our first victory in the 2020 ADAC GT Masters. The BMW M6 GT3 simply thrives on this track, and we have now shown that our team can win under the right conditions."
Double pole
For the first time since the Red Bull Ring in 2018, the drivers of a single car took pole position on both days. For Tim Zimmermann, it was also a maiden Pirelli Pole Position Award in the ADAC GT Masters, while for his GRT Grasser Racing team-mate, Steijn Schothorst from the Netherlands, it was pole number two of 2020, the first having come at Hockenheim.
Heroic charges through the field
The Aust Motorsport pairing of Maximilian Hackländer and Nicolaj Rogivue had their strongest race weekend of the season so far. In Saturday's race at the Red Bull Ring, the duo fought their way up from 26th on the grid to 14th place and scored their first points of the season. Things went even better on Sunday. Although the Audi drivers dropped back to the end of the field in the early stages after a collision on the first lap and a spin on the second, Rogivue and Hackländer then proceeded to stage an impressive recovery to finish seventh. Hackländer even clocked the fastest lap of the race. "Nicolaj had already worked his way up into the points-scoring positions before the pit stop window," said Hackländer. "When I took over the car, it felt very good right away, and I gained some more places. Late on, I was on the tail of the sixth-placed Land Audi. Unfortunately, the race then came to an end. The fact that I set the fastest race lap is almost more important than our finishing position. It shows that we didn't just benefit from the penalties but were also really fast in our own right. The result was really good, and it provided a really necessary boost for the whole team."
Red Bull Ring specialists
MRS GT-Racing claimed their third ADAC GT Masters win on Sunday, with Erik Johansson and Jens Klingmann at the wheel. And for the third time, victory for Karsten Molitor's team came at the Red Bull Ring.
Mücke confident
Because Igor Walilko was out injured, BWT Mücke Motorsport fielded only one Audi R8 LMS at the Red Bull Ring. The Polish member of the squad is expected to be fit again for the Lausitzring fixture at the end of October. "We are working on the assumption that our Junior pairing will then be back in action," says team principal Peter Mücke. "Unfortunately, Igor could not drive this weekend because of a swollen foot. However, if his recovery goes according to expectations, he should be fit again by the Lausitzring weekend."
Successful home race
The GRT Grasser Racing Team were in great home form at Spielberg, with two pole positions and podiums in both the general and Pirelli Junior classifications. Furthermore, Tim Zimmermann extended his lead in the Junior standings. "All in all, it was a great weekend for our team," said team boss Gottfried Grasser. "Huge credit to the whole team and especially to our youngsters in the number 82 car, who once again showed how incredibly fast they are. We have realistic title prospects in both the team and Junior classifications. Winning these two championships is our ultimate goal. We are confident that the next event will play to our strengths. The switch from Zandvoort to the Lausitzring should suit us, because we are usually very competitive there."
Good prospects
With a victory and a P2 in the Pirelli Trophy classification, Audi man Elia Erhart extended his lead in the classification for amateur drivers. Taking a 79-point buffer into the four remaining races, the EFP Car Collection by Tece driver has a good chance of wrapping up the title early in the next couple of rounds at the Lausitzring.
Useful data
For guest entrants Yaco Racing, the main objective at the Red Bull Ring was to gain experience with the Pirelli tyres. In the first race, Simon Reicher and Norbert Siedler crossed the finish line in 24th place, and on Sunday there was a retirement. "We have a better understanding of how the new Pirelli tyre affects our Audi R8," says team manager Uwe Geipel. "In summary, we can say that the weekend was quite instructive. It was clear to us well before the weekend that you shouldn't expect miracles at these ambient temperatures."