Paddock radar from the Nürburgring

A babygrow for Christopher Mies. Wine tasting with Ralf Schumacher. Höhner sing for peace.

Ralf Schumacher spoke about the origin of and philosophy behind his wines during an exclusive dinner © Photo: ADAC

Wine Tasting with Ralf Schumacher

On Friday evening, ADAC GT Masters series partner Ralf Schumacher presented his own wines at a wine tasting session. Schumacher has been a winemaker since 2019 and owns a vineyard in Slovenia. During the exclusive dinner, he spoke about the origin of and philosophy behind his wines. The range includes more than 15 red and white wines, as well as rosé and sparkling wines. The ADAC GT Masters winners are familiar with the quality of his products. Once the trophies have been presented, the traditional champagne shower takes place with a sparkling wine from the man who won six Formula 1 Grands Prix as a driver.

Höhner sing for peace

Cologne-based cult band ‘Höhner’ served up a musical treat in the pit lane and on the starting grid on Sunday morning at round four of the German GT Championship at the Nürburgring. Höhner thrilled visitors with hits including “Viva Colonia” and “Wenn nicht jetz, wann dann?”, before Henning Krautmacher and Patrick Lück were joined by Ukrainian Angelika Falkenstern to present their new peace song. The “Lucky Kids” children’s choir from Cologne supported the trio, which conveyed the important message of global peace within the initiative “Music against war”. Lück and Krautmacher then gave the ADAC GT Masters field the ‘Start Your Engines’ signal ahead of race eight of the season. “We are very grateful to be involved in such a prestigious car race. Music always takes a minor role at sporting events, but we were given a great platform here and enjoyed plenty of attention. Freedom and peace are the most important things on the planet. We all need to work together to achieve them,” said lead singer Henning Krautmacher.

ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss presented Christopher Mies with a babygrow on Sunday © Photo: ADAC

A babygrow for Christopher Mies

Christopher Mies is a father. The Audi driver can expect some shorter nights from now on, but that will be far outweighed by the reigning ADAC GT Masters champion’s joy at becoming a dad. “It is such a cool feeling to hold your child in your arms. I can hardly describe it,” said the 33-year-old from Düsseldorf. ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss presented the proud father with a babygrow for the newborn baby on Sunday. The writing on the new outfit says it all: ADAC GT Masters Champion 2044.

ADAC board member Lars Soutschka and Simon Bitter, member of the executive board at Kühne+Nagel, work together © Photo: ADAC

New signs for visitors

Visitors know where they are headed at ADAC GT Masters events. This is guaranteed by the navigation system “powered by Kühne+Nagel”, which was making its debut at the Nürburgring. The official logistics partner of the ADAC GT Masters ensures fans and spectators always know where they are and how best to get around in the paddock. Simon Bitter, member of the executive board at Kühne+Nagel, and ADAC board member Lars Soutschka are delighted to be taking the next step and expanding the cooperation. Kühne+Nagel is one of the world’s leading logistics service providers and has been supporting the ADAC’s diverse range of motorsport activities since 2019. Bitter was joined at the Nürburgring by Matthias Knicky, Senior Vice President for Sea Freight at Kühne+Nagel.

In the Mannesmann garage, visitors to the Nürburgring were able to explore the long-established company’s wide range of products © Photo: ADAC

Tools instead of race cars

In the Mannesmann garage, visitors to the race weekend at the Nürburgring were able to explore the extensive range of products provided by the long-established company. Garage number 19 was not adorned by race cars, but toolboxes, battery chargers and torque wrenches in an ADAC design. The visitors had the opportunity to get active and showcase their manual skills during a tyre change. Last year, the ADAC GT Masters agreed a long-term cooperation with Brüder Mannesmann Werkzeuge GmbH, whose logo is prominent at the racetracks. The company is represented with its high-quality range of products at all rounds in Germany.

PS on Air broadcast its 50th show at the Nürburgring © Photo: ADAC

PS on Air celebrates its 50th show

A milestone was reached on Saturday: PS on Air broadcast its 50th show. Illustrious guests celebrated the achievement with presenter Patrick Simon, who was in charge of the barbecue and handed out sausages. Former Mercedes Motorsport Director, Norbert Haug, was among those to extend their congratulations, along with Martin Huning, Motorsport Director at Ravenol, who presented the show with a mini Mick Schumacher helmet. The celebration ended with a pit stop challenge between Patrick Simon and Audi driver Markus Winkelhock, which was won in style by the presenter. PS on Air has broadcast roughly 50 hours of livestream over the past three years. 180 guests have taken their place on the airplane seats in the pit lane at numerous racetracks. Only Maro Engel has managed to tip the seat over backwards, as Patrick Simon was able to prove in a video. This way to the milestone show.

Moment of truth for journalists

Saturday evening was the moment of truth for journalists at the German GT Championship at the Nürburgring. In the RaceRoom Café, run by series partner RaceRoom, media representatives took their place behind the wheel to determine their champion in a virtual race. A 15-minute qualifying session was followed by a 15-minute race on the short layout. Professional Nico Nünninghoff from the Dörr Esports team took victory, ahead of journalists Michael Bräutigam (Motorsport aktuell) and Heiko Stritzke (Motorsport-Total).