The fight for the title ultimately developed into a real thriller for Zimmermann. The series newcomer from Langenargen in south-west Germany was 25.5 points up on Porsche driver Jannes Fittje as the final race got underway at Oschersleben. With only 37.5 points still to be won, it would appear at first sight that he had a comfortable lead, but motor racing is a game of two halves. What should have been a convincing drive to his first title win suddenly turned into a nail-biting affair for Zimmermann when he became a casualty of the collision at the start of Sunday’s race and only managed to cover a few metres in his Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo. Title rival Fittje, on the other hand, emerged unscathed and was the third best Junior at the chequered flag. "If he had overtaken just one more car, he would have finished on top in the end,” said Zimmermann. However, Porsche driver Fittje remained third and the title went to Zimmermann by a margin of just 1.5 points. “That was terrible for me. What a situation to be in! I would have loved to have gone wheel-to-wheel for the Junior title out on track, but sitting powerless on the sidelines was sheer torture."
Winning the title was Zimmermann’s reward for a strong first season in the Super Sports Car League after moving up from the Porsche Carrera Cup, so he was very upbeat in his summary of events: "2020 was my first year in GT3 racing and the main priority was to learn as much as possible. For example, I’d never driven a car with ABS and traction control before. I coped well and improved tremendously as the year progressed, which was paramount. I must say that I’m very pleased, and of course, finishing the year with the title in the Pirelli Junior classification is just great too, because there was plenty of strong competition from the 20 other young talents in the field, some of whom had outstanding works drivers like Dries Vanthoor as team-mates."
Two race weekends in particular served to shape Zimmermann’s year, Hockenheim and the Red Bull Ring: "We achieved three pole positions there in all, more than any of the other teams had managed all year. We also claimed a podium at Hockenheim, and of course, securing my maiden pole position at Spielberg is something I will always remember as well."
He found the flying starts a major challenge: "They were new to me, and I thought initially that they would be easier than standing starts, but they are actually quite complex, as there is so much to take into account. I have to honestly say that I felt a little bit out of my depth when I started from pole position. Still, I’m pleased that it turned out that way, because I learned a lot from the experience and it makes me a better racing driver."
GRT Grasser Racing and Zimmermann’s partner Steijn Schothorst formed the basis of his title win. "The environment at Grasser was ideal. I always think it important to feel good about your team and to know that you share a common goal and the same attitudes. Grasser are like family. The team have two Lamborghini works drivers, Albert Costa Balboa and Franck Perera, from whom I was able to learn a great deal both in terms of managing data, plus for example, how to psyche yourself up for a race. I had a great team-mate too in Steijn. We got on really well. We always worked together and never against one another."
What is not more widely known, though, is that Zimmermann owes the fact that he ended up at Grasser in the first place to this year’s champion, former Grasser driver, Christian Engelhart, who played an important role in preparing the way: "Christian was my driver coach in the Carrera Cup and made the initial contact."
The duo’s good performances even impressed Lamborghini. Zimmermann and Schothorst were invited to join the Italian manufacturer’s Junior programme towards the middle of the season. "As a result, I’m much more involved now with the people at Lamborghini. Their programme is excellent and I feel very privileged to be part of it."
Even before embarking on his two seasons in the Porsche one-make cup, the career of the young German driver, who set up his own company at the age of 16 in order to fulfil his dreams of competing in motorsport, was shaped by the ADAC. Young Zimmermann came to racing through his father, who also used to race, and began karting at the age of eight. He went on to line up in the ADAC Kart Masters at a later stage. His promising achievements led to sponsorship by the ADAC Sports Foundation. He joined the Formel ADAC in 2014 and immediately became a contender for victories. After contesting a season in the ADAC Formula 4, he was promoted to the new ADAC TCR Germany where he also achieved podiums.
How things will progress now after his successful ADAC GT Masters debut remains to be seen: "Winning the title in the Pirelli Junior classification and 22 sets of tyres along with it will help a lot, as it is not easy to find sponsors in the current situation with the pandemic. You have to be very creative. At the moment, I’ve got one or two interested parties, but nothing has been finalised as yet."