First test outing: T3 HRT Motorsport posted their very first kilometres with the Bentley Continental GT3. The German outfit did not receive their amazing GT sports car until shortly before testing due to the corona pandemic. Bentley works driver Jordan Pepper and team-mate Constantin Schöll covered 185 laps in all, which was the sixth-highest total out of the 29 vehicles taking part in testing.
New name: T3 Motorsport have changed their name slightly for this year to T3 HRT Motorsport to reflect their teaming up with Hamburg-based outfit, HRT Performance, with whom the outfit from Radebeul will race vehicles in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland for the first time this year. The famous one-make Cup will contest races as a partner series to the ADAC GT Masters over four race weekends.
Strong debut: Team WRT, one of the most successful outfits in international GT3 racing, made a strong debut in the ADAC GT Masters. The team field two Audi R8 LMS supercars with drivers, Rolf Ineichen/Mirko Bortolotti and Charles Weerts/Dries Vanthoor. Audi Sport driver Vanthoor was the fastest of anyone on Saturday and posted the third-best lap time on Sunday in the final session. „We were able to collect a lot of valuable data,“ said Vanthoor. „We tried out quite a few things as regards set-up, learning a lot in the process. For Charles, driving on cold tyres was an important part of our programme, because tyre warmers are not allowed in the ADAC GT Masters. He did very well.“ Regular Lamborghini driver Rolf Ineichen had exclusive use of the sister car on Saturday, as his partner, Mirko Bortolotti, was unable to join him until Sunday. „I got really in tune with the Audi. It’s a very forgiving car,“ said Ineichen. Sports Director Kurt Mollekens, a two-time winner of the Spa 24 Hours, will manage Team WRT in the ADAC GT Masters.
Well prepared: SSR Performance gained valuable experience at the Lausitzring as well. This new outfit, backed by Manthey Racing’s expert crew, will also be contesting its first season in the Super Sports Car League. The guys from Munich focused not just on posting hot laps during testing but also practised at length the various procedures required at the racetrack, such as working in the pit lane. Driver Michael Ammermüller feels very confident: „It’s really great to be finally getting started again, and we are well prepared. I’m looking forward to the first qualifying session for Race 1.“ Team-mate, Christian Engelhart, added: „The ADAC GT Masters is an extremely demanding race series with top drivers and experienced outfits, which makes our task all the more difficult. Still, after this test weekend, I can say that we’ve made good progress and are well prepared!“
Staying power: Jannes Fittje and David Jahn took the top prize for hard work after posting the most test laps at the Lausitzring. They covered a total of 190 laps in the Porsche 911 GT3 R prepared by Küs Team75 Bernhard, which is the equivalent of some 660 kilometres.
Taster session: 17-year-old ADAC Sports Foundation protégé, Niklas Krütten, gained his first impressions of the ADAC GT Masters when he tested a GT3 vehicle for the first time, taking out the BMW M6 GT3 fielded by MRS GT-Racing. „I got the offer to test with the team and promptly accepted to see if GT racing might be an option for me in the future,“ said Krütten. „It was a terrific experience and great fun. I learned a great deal, because, of course, the BMW drives very differently compared to a single-seater racing car. Martin Tomczyk and the team taught me a lot, for sure!“ BMW works driver Tomczyk stood in for regular driver Jens Klingmann at MRS GT-Racing. Jens is still recovering after breaking both arms at the start of the season but hopes to return to the cockpit in some ten days’ time.
Lone competitor: Rahel Frey is set to return to the ADAC GT Masters but missed testing at the Lausitzring, as she was at Paul Ricard last weekend, competing in the European Le Mans Series. She finished third in a Ferrari in the GTE category. On both days, her ADAC GT Masters team mate, Hendrik von Danwitz, was a lone competitor in Aust Motorsport’s number 4 Audi. „I posted a lot of laps and learned something new in every session,“ said the German newcomer. „We improved consistently and narrowed the gap on the Top Ten. I feel well prepared for the start of the season.“ Former champion, Zakspeed’s Daniel Keilwitz, was also at Paul Ricard where he raced in the LMP3 class.