The Dutch round of the German GT Championship yielded some fascinating facts and stories. Take a look at the Zandvoort notebook.
Excitement and variety
With one race remaining before the halfway point of the season, the top six duos in the German GT Championship are separated by just 15 points. Remarkably, all six manufacturers in the ADAC GT Masters are each represented by one pair in the top six: Ammermüller/Jaminet (Porsche), Buhk/Marciello (Mercedes-AMG), Feller/Mies (Audi), Bortolotti/Costa Balboa (Lamborghini), Schmidt/Kirchhöfer (Corvette), and Yelloly/Krohn (BMW).
Comeback kings
Dylan Pereira and Jannes Fittje made up an impressive 26 positions in the races in Zandvoort, following two disappointing qualifying sessions. On Saturday, they climbed from 17th on the grid to finish 14th. They then recovered from 25th to cross the finish line in 12th place on Sunday, making them the best-placed Porsche drivers in race two. “We need to make sure we find our pace in qualifying and start from further up the grid,” said Fittje. “If we start in the top ten, we can achieve a lot in the race. We are analysing everything and will hit back at the Nürburgring.”
Fighting spirit
It was a tough weekend for Mirko Bortolotti and Albert Costa Balboa. Having arrived in Zandvoort in second place in the championship, they were on course for a podium finish on Saturday when a communication error resulted in the car being released too soon from its pit stop, and consequently a drive-through penalty. On Sunday, a light contact at the start of the race disrupted the car’s electronics. The duo had to complete the race without ABS, but still managed to fight their way to ninth place. “We missed a big opportunity to score big points in the championship,” said Costa Balboa. “Saturday was a bitter disappointment, and the second race was really one of the toughest of my life. However, we have to take the positives. Despite everything, we have still closed the gap to the leaders in the overall standings.”
First setback
After a strong start to the season, defending champion Michael Ammermüller and Porsche works driver Mathieu Jaminet finished outside the points for the first time on Sunday, following a collision on the final lap. “We would have been seventh,” said Ammermüller. “This result would have played into our hands in the title race, so the weekend was obviously not ideal for us.” Ammermüller and Jaminet still top the overall standings with a lead of seven points.
The run continues
BMW works drivers Nick Yelloly and Jesse Krohn are the only duo to have claimed at least one podium finish at each of the three race weekends so far. However, third place in the Saturday race in Zandvoort was followed by an early retirement one day later. “Third place was a nice success,” said Krohn. “In contrast, the second race was a disappointment. When you start from the midfield, you are in the danger zone at the start. There is a lot going on at the back, and sometimes you get caught up in it. As the field entered turn two, I tried to avoid a car in front of me. At the same time, however, another car outside me turned in. The light contact was enough to damage the wishbone.”
Lead extended
In the fiercely-competitive Pirelli Junior competition, Audi drivers Kim-Luis Schramm and Dennis Marschall continue to lead the way. The Rutronik Racing by Tece duo finished fourth and third in the class in Zandvoort, extending their lead from 24 to 42.5 points.
Class fighter
Florian Spengler (Car Collection Motorsport) took the sole lead of the Pirelli Trophy competition at the dune circuit, thanks to a win and a second place in the class. However, there was one bit of bad news for him at the weekend: a collision in Sunday’s race means the 33-year-old will be relegated three places on the starting grid for the next race at the Nürburgring. Incidentally, the remodelled circuit in Zandvoort features FIA-approved concrete safety barriers from Hermann Spengler GmbH & Co. KG, for whom Florian Spengler works when not at the racetrack.
Setback
Things did not go to plan for Elia Erhart (Rutronik Racing by Tece) in Zandvoort. Coming into the weekend, he was level on points at the top of the Pirelli Trophy competition. However, he then dropped back to third place in the table. After third place in the class on Saturday, his partner Pierre Kaffer was hit from behind by a Porsche during a turbulent start and was forced to retire the car. “Our Audi is extremely well prepared by the team, and we regularly manage to exploit the pace on the track in the races. The only thing we cannot control is the element of luck – and, unfortunately, we are still lacking that at the moment. However, we are confident that this unlucky streak will come to an end at some point,” said Erhart.
Consistency
Three drivers have managed to finish in the points in each of the season’s six races so far: Audi driver Dries Vanthoor (Team WRT) and the Mercedes-AMG duo of Jules Gounon/Igor Waliłko of the Zakspeed Mobil Krankenkasse Racing team.
Top ten
Christopher Mies had to wait exactly three years, nine months and 15 days for his tenth triumph in the ADAC GT Masters. Before the victory in Saturday’s race in Zandvoort, the Audi Sport driver, who is contesting his sixth season for Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, last won a race in the series at the Sachsenring in September 2017.
Pole premiere
Audi driver Ricardo Feller secured his first ever pole position in the ADAC GT Masters on Saturday. Incidentally, the first six qualifying sessions of the season have produced six different pole-sitters.
Clear matter
Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts led for the full 32 laps in Sunday’s race. The two Belgians from Team WRT also enjoyed a perfect lights-to-flag victory when they claimed their maiden triumph at 2020 season-opener.
New look
Phoenix Racing started the third race weekend with a new design. The Audi R8 LMS of former champion Patric Niederhauser and rookie Jusuf Owega now has a livery with striking neon-yellow elements.
Competitive Corvette
Callaway Competition was satisfied with the race weekend on the North Sea coast: Jeffrey Schmidt and Marvin Kirchhöfer twice finished in the top ten in the only Corvette. “The initial situation was not easy for us,” said Schmidt. “The circuit has never really been a Corvette track, and many of the other teams had already tested there, whereas we had not. We managed to do an awesome job of setting the car up within two sessions, which allowed us to score an awful lot of points at the weekend. We certainly could not have expected more, so the fourth place in Zandvoort feels like a win. We will take that, as the championship is really very close.”
Just short of the podium
Precote Herberth Motorsport came into the third race weekend with great hopes. However, the results fell well below the Bavarian team’s expectations. Robert Renauer and Sven Müller were fourth in their 911 GT3 R on the Saturday, before Müller was forced out of the second race after a collision with a rival. The team’s second car, with Simona De Silvestro and Klaus Bachler at the wheel, was even less fortunate. After a puncture in race one, it was a case of damage limitation for the duo on Sunday, as they finished 13th to at least pick up a few points. After two difficult race weekends, they are hoping for a change in fortune at the Nürburgring. “We will now put Zandvoort behind us and look ahead. Our aspiration is to challenge for the podium again,” said team principal Alfred Renauer.
Model of success
The two successes in Zandvoort were wins number 19 and 20 for the second generation of the Audi R8 LMS. Now with 46 race wins to its name, the manufacturer with the four rings is the most successful in the ADAC GT Masters.