Notes from the fifth race weekend of the ADAC GT MasteThe penultimate round of the German GT Championship provided plenty of fascinating facts and stories. Take a look at the Hockenheim notebook.

Back on top: The GRT Grasser Racing team had to wait more than two years for its eleventh victory in the ADAC GT Masters. However, that barren run came to an end when Mirko Bortolotti and Marco Mapelli triumphed on Saturday in Hockenheim. “What we achieved at the weekend means an incredible amount to me,” said team principal Gottfried Grasser. “Teamwork of this kind is only possible with the right people – and we have them. Hard work always pays off in the end, and I can only thank every single person who has made this success possible. I am unbelievably proud of our team spirit and, obviously, the fantastic performances of our drivers. They all did an incredible job this weekend.”

Top spot: Thanks to the two victories at the penultimate round of the season, the GRT Grasser Racing Team has taken the lead in the Team competition. The Austrians now lead Montaplast by Land-Motorsport by one point.

Informative comeback: Aston Martin returned to the ADAC GT Masters with Prosport Racing for the first time since 2019 in Hockenheim. Drivers Tim Heinemann and Salman Owega finished 17th and 21st, but gained a lot of valuable experience in the process. “After two years away from the fiercely-competitive ADAC GT Masters, we knew it would be tough to hit the ground running with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3,” said team principal Christoph Esser. “The fact that Thursday’s test sessions were cut short by the storm did not help. Despite this, we have made progress. That was not an easy task for Tim and Salman, there is no doubt about that. We know what we need to do after this sobering weekend.”

Rising star: Ricardo Feller not only left Hockenheim as the overall leader in the ADAC GT Masters, but the 21-year-old Swiss from the Montaplast by Land-Motorsport team now also leads the Pirelli Junior competition, thanks to a class victory and a third place.

Fightbacks: Jeffrey Schmidt and Marvin Kirchhöfer fought back from 25th and 21st on the grid to finish eleventh and ninth. In doing so, they twice picked up points for Callaway Competition. However, the team from Leingarten had hoped for more from its home outing. “It is enough to make you pull your hair out,” said Jeffrey Schmidt. “The guys have replaced virtually every part over the past few weeks, and have rebuilt the car twice. We simply don’t know what the problem is. We will continue to look into the cause. I hope that we have found and solved the problem by the finale at the Nürburgring.”

Highs and lows: Mann-Filter Team Landgraf – HTP/WWR endured an emotional rollercoaster in Hockenheim. After Raffaele Marciello and Maxi Buhk ended Saturday empty-handed after receiving a post-race penalty, they kept their outside chance of winning the title alive with second place on Sunday. “We don’t give up,” said Buhk. “After all, we gained twelve points on the leaders on Sunday alone. If we could have held onto the eleven points from yesterday, we would be right in there. No matter, anything can happen at the finale – particularly in a race in the Eifel mountains at the start of November. As always, we will give it our all and see what happens.”

Great atmosphere: There were big crowds at the #FanFest in Hockenheim. Thanks to the many spectators, there was an enthusiastic atmosphere in the open paddock during the autograph sessions and the pit walk, and also on the viewing platform of the eBay Tower.

New start: Iris Dorr, team manager at MRS GT-Racing for many years, has formed her own team: ID-Racing. She is being supported by the core members of her previous team. “I see our core competence being the experience we have among my team, our mechanics and engineers, as well as the desire to do the best job possible for each of our drivers and to work hard to achieve success. That goes for the talented youngsters, experienced old hands and gentlemen drivers,” said Iris Dorr, for whom another aspect is particularly important: “We will offset any resources we consume. Our goal is to achieve CO2-neutraler motorsport in the medium term.”

Top result: Fifth place on Saturday was the best result of the season so far for Jusuf Owega and Patric Niederhauser. The result came at exactly the right time: next week’s event at the Nürburgring is the home event for their team Phoenix Racing.

Happy: After the two races at the Lausitzring, Aust drivers Daniel Keilwitz and Sebastian Asch finished 11th on Sunday to pick up points for the third time this season. Team principal Frank Aust believes they could have been looking at an even better result: “All in all, it was a satisfying weekend,” said Aust. “We were the second-fastest Audi in the field on Sunday. Had we not had two collisions on Saturday, a top-ten finish would have been possible. But that is motorsport for you.”

Double strike: The GRT Grasser Racing Team is the first racing team since 2018 to win both races on one weekend. Callaway Competition last achieved this at the Red Bull Ring three years ago. Back then, the team from Leingarten even pulled off the feat with the same pair of drivers.