Reactions from the paddock after Sunday’s race in the German GT Championship in Hockenheim
Ricardo Feller, Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #29 “It was important to get past the Porsche at the start, as he was obviously handicapped by the weight a little. We managed to do so, and it went well for us after that. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a way past Jules, as he was always a bit faster than me. Jusuf finished the race cleanly. The team did a great job. Unfortunately, we had a slight issue with the GPS during the pit stop, which cost us a little time.”
Jusuf Owega, Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #29 “I wanted to attack Fabian in front of me during my stint, but that was not possible, particularly as I had picked up a lot of dirt. For this reason, I had to first prioritise securing my position against those behind me. We ended the season on the podium, which is a good way to finish. On the whole, I am happy with my performance. Everyone did their best.”
Marco Mapelli, Paul Motorsport, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #71 “After the start, I immediately tried to overtake the Porsche. Unfortunately, that did not work out. I then waited for my chance and was, unfortunately, too aggressive with my overtaking manoeuvre and forced Ayhancan off the track. I would like to apologise to him for that. We have had a good end to the season, with two podiums. Changing team during the season definitely paid off.”
Maximilian Paul, Paul Motorsport, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #71 “We had a mega car. As soon as we left the garage, I noticed that it was better than yesterday. Despite the penalty lap, I was able to close in on the front-runners. Then, like Marco, I had the Porsche in front of me again. I was then able to cut his line in turn six and overtake him – unfortunately, a little too late. Our pace was so good that I could have put the two leaders under pressure too.”
Mick Wishofer, Emil Frey Racing, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #14 “We are happy to have won the Team competition. Everyone did a good job, otherwise you cannot be this successful in your first year. Our three cars were set up well, and every single one of them always had a chance of competing at the front of the field. We all supported each other, the solidarity was very good. Today’s race was another mega show for the crowds, and we also finished third in the Junior competition. We are looking forward to next year.”
Tim Zimmermann, Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #1 “It was a wild race. We had contact twice, after which we no longer had the pace to compete at the front. Two unfair manoeuvres ruined our race. As far as my future is concerned, I would like to stay with the team and really enjoyed working with Chris. Let’s see what happens next season.”
Christopher Mies, Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #1 “We were once again in a promising position in the race, but were then, and let’s be clear about this, cleaned out. After that, we no longer had a chance. Unfortunately, we have repeatedly suffered setbacks as a result of things, over which we have no influence. We were third at the Nürburgring when the gears failed. The puncture at the Sachsenring was even more disappointing, as it probably cost us our second win of the season. That is a great shame, as, having not been very good as a team at the first two race weekends, we really got our act together and from that point on always had a car that was capable of winning. It was a long season. I not only had the seven race weekends in the ADAC GT Masters, but 25 in total. I have a wife and baby at home and am now looking forward to spending more time with them.”
Jesse Krohn, Schubert Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3 #20 “We have not been able to exploit our potential all year. Today, I actually collided with my team-mates, which is inexcusable. I am very sorry for my team, but there is nothing I can do about it now. We were able to perform some kind of damage limitation, with seventh place, but no more than that. We struggled all season with punctures or other issues. We were really unlucky, otherwise it could have been much better.”
Christian Engelhart, Team Joos Sportwagentechnik, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91 “With the extra 20 kilograms of weight, we had no chance of winning. Ayhancan laid the foundation for fourth place with his fantastic pole position. We then had to drive a defensive race and tried to keep the cars behind us. Ayhancan mastered that superbly too. Finishing runner-up in the championship is a huge success for the team. I am delighted for everyone involved throughout this great season.”
Frédéric Vervisch, Seyffarth Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #77 “Unfortunately, we had a technical issue on our guest start on Saturday, which meant we were unable to start. Today, despite the short preparation time, everyone did a very good job. We did not want to damage the car in the battles, some of which were fierce, and wanted to finish the race – which we did. On the whole, we were a little slower than the front-runners, but that is normal at first in such a strong series as the ADAC GT Masters. That was a weekend of learning for us. I hope we come back next season.”
Markus Winkelhock, Car Collection Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #69 “We had a difficult season and often failed to finish. That was the case again today. We came off immediately after the hairpin, through no fault of our own. After the DNF on Saturday, we were desperate to finish today. Unfortunately, that has been the story of our season and sometimes it has simply not been fun anymore. We were very unlucky and failed to finish through no fault of our own on so many occasions. I enjoyed working with the team, but as a driver you obviously want to be successful on the track.
Frank Bird, Mann-Filter Team Landgraf, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #84 “It was a disappointing end to the season and a shame that we failed to finish. However, that happened to other drivers too, although that obviously does not help us. I have learned a lot this season, with the new car, tyres, team and circuits. One highlight was the fourth place at the Nürburgring.”
Niklas Krütten, Schubert Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3 #10 “The weekend went better than expected, given the BOP. With seventh place, I got the maximum out of the car in qualifying on Saturday. We retained that position in the race. More was not possible. We started today’s race from 13th, but Ben got off to a mega start and was running eighth. Then Jesse pushed him into another car, which caused quite a bit of damage to the front of our BMW. That was the end of our good pace. We were 15th when I got into the car, and I was fortunate that a few cars dropped out from in front of me. After that, I defended like crazy and we finished ninth. That was really good with such a battered car.”
