Premiere: first race with eco-friendly fuel in Germany. Stands full of spectators generate great atmosphere at opening race.
A superb performance in front of packed stands in Oschersleben: after a dominant display, reigning champion Ricardo Feller (21/CH) and Jusuf Owega (20/Cologne) won the first race in the German GT Championship with the #29 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. The Audi duo also marked a first: the pair won the first race in Germany to take place with eco-friendly fuel. This year, all supercars in the ADAC GT Masters will be running on fuel developed specially by Shell, using 50% sustainable components. In perfect, sunny conditions, Lamborghini works drivers Franck Perera (38/F) and Arthur Rougier (22/F) from Emil Frey Racing finished behind them in second place. Joel Sturm (20/Brühl) and Sven Müller (30/Bingen) from Allied-Racing claimed third position in the #22 Porsche 911 GT3 R. Jusuf Owega celebrated his first ADAC GT Masters win and also topped the Pirelli Junior standings: “The team provide me with a rocket. All I had to do was get in and put my foot down.”
Key Facts, Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Oschersleben, Race 1 of 14
Track length: 3,667 metres
Weather: 15.9 degrees, sunny
Pole position: Franck Perera (Emil Frey Racing, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo), 1:22.688 min.
Winner: Ricardo Feller/Jusuf Owega (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II)
Fastest race lap: Franck Perera (Emil Frey Racing, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo), 1:24.091 minutes
Jusuf Owega had started Saturday’s race from second place. The young driver from Cologne was unable to prevent polesetter Franck Perera from pulling away in the lead, setting a new lap record of 1:24.091 minutes in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The latest pit stop made by any team proved to be the key to success. This cut the gap to the leading Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #19 from four seconds to just one. Having taken over in the cockpit, Ricardo Feller overtook the Arthur Rougier on lap 33, before taking the chequered flag with a lead of 4.032 seconds after 43 laps. The Emil Frey Racing team celebrated a superb debut, adding a second-place finish to the pole position. The same applies to series newcomer Allied-Racing in third position.
Jonathan Aberdein (24/ZA) and Raffaele Marciello (27/I) from Mann-Filter Team Landgraf finished fourth with their Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #48, missing out on a podium by just one second. The top five was completed by Robert Renauer (37/Vierkirchen) and Klaus Bachler (30/A), making a successful debut for their ID Racing with Herberth team in the Porsche 911 GT3 R #44. Christian Engelhart (35/Starnberg) and Ayhancan Güven (24/TUR) drove the Porsche 911 GT3 R #91 to sixth spot for Joos Sportwagentechnik, while Konsta Lappalainen (20/FIN) and Mick Wishofer (22/A) secured seventh for the #14 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo from Emil Frey Racing. Jesse Krohn (31/FIN) and Nicky Catsburg (34/NL), making his ADAC GT Masters for the local favourites from Schubert Motorsport, followed in eighth place. Kim-Luis Schramm (24/Meuspath) and Dennis Marschall (25/Eggenstein) from Rutronik Racing produced a fantastic chasing performance as they battled up from 18th to finish ninth with the Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #27. The final spot in the top ten was claimed by their team-mates Patric Niederhauser (30/CH) and Luca Engstler (22/Wiggensbach) in the #15 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.
Jusuf Owega: “I was tense before the race, but I know what I can do and what I have to do. Everything is so tight in the ADAC GT Masters, small things make a big difference. I am delighted with my first win.” Ricardo Feller: “Jusuf produced a top performance, even going easy on the tyres. I was ready for a long fight with the Lamborghini, but I was able to overtake him pretty quickly and then bring the result home from the front. That was a great start and hopefully it will continue tomorrow.”
This was the first German GT Championship event to use the new fuel from longtime ADAC GT Masters supplier Shell. The “Blue Gasoline 98 GT Masters” contains approx. 50% sustainable components (compared to around 10% in E10 standard petrol) and proved to be the perfect fuel for the competing cars. The new fuel presented no problems for the power units in the supercars and represents an important contribution from the ADAC GT Masters and Shell to increased sustainability in motor racing.
