Former Sachsenring winner Elia Erhart has a new team-mate for this year’s race weekend at the undulating circuit.

Since 2018, Erhart and Pierre Kaffer have contested every race in the ADAC GT Masters together, alternating at the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS. In 2018, they took victory together at the iconic circuit in Hohenstein-Ernstthal. After exactly 50 races in a row, the duo is now being split up for a weekend. As Audi works driver Kaffer is unable to make it, Erhart will share the driving duties in the number 11 car with Mattia Drudi. The Italian driver, who has been part of the Audi Sport customer racing squad since 2019, is making his comeback in the German GT Championship. “I am really pleased to line up in the ADAC GT Masters again. This will be my first ever race weekend at the Sachsenring, so it will be a big challenge. However, in Rutronik Racing by Tece I have a strong team with a wealth of experience around me, which will make things much easier. I am excited about what we can achieve together,” said Drudi.

“Mattia is, to a certain degree, an old acquaintance, as he was part of our EFP:racing team in the ADAC GT Masters in 2019. Although he was not driving with me back then – he was alongside Florian Spengler in the team’s second car – we know each other very well from that time. As such, I am looking forward to now sharing a car with him for the first time,” said Erhart.

Team principal Fabian Plentz is pleased to welcome Drudi into the fold: “Mattia will line up with our team for the first time at the Sachsenring. In recent seasons, he has often shown that he is capable of performing strongly. I am sure that Mattia will do a professional job of standing in for Pierre and, together with Elia, will back up the good result at the Lausitzring.”

Kaffer will return to the cockpit of the number 11 Audi for the penultimate round of the season in Hockenheim at the end of October.