Maximilian Götz (Haupt Racing Team) set Friday’s fastest time in a Mercedes-AMG GT3: making his second appearance of the season in the ADAC GT Masters, the racer from Uffenheim’s lap time of 1:18.765 minutes was the fastest of the day at the Sachsenring. Sven Müller (Bingen/Team Joos by Racemotion) and Ralf Aron (EST/Haupt Racing Team) completed the top three.
In summery weather, and with temperatures reaching as high as 28 degrees Celsius, Götz set the day’s best lap time in the morning session. “It was still a bit cooler at the start, and the track conditions were better. The team is pleased with the strong result, having ended the day in first and third place. We found the right set-up and are ready for Saturday,” said the 2012 ADAC GT Masters champion. The 37-year-old last raced at the Sachsenring three years ago. “It is super important that I am already familiar with the circuit. That allowed me to find my flow quickly in the first few laps. A good rhythm is crucial. The Sachsenring has a great mix of fast and slow corners,” said Götz, pointing out the features of the undulating track in Hohenstein-Ernstthal.
Second place on the opening day of round four of the season went to Müller. The championship leader, at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 R, finished 0.247 seconds slower than Götz. Mercedes-AMG driver Aron completed a strong result for Haupt Racing Team, ending the day in third place in the timings sheet (+0.490 seconds). Benjamin Hites (CHL/GRT Grasser-Racing-Team) made it into fourth place with the fastest lap of the afternoon. The race winner from the Nürburgring took 1:19.264 minutes to complete his best lap of the 3.645-kilometre Sachsenring in a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2. Fifth place, half a second slower, went to Eduardo Coseteng (PHL/Schubert Motorsport) in a BMW M4 GT3.
Qualifying takes place at 08:30 on Saturday morning. The battle for grid positions will be streamed live on the free YouTube channel @adacmotorsports. TV partner Sport1 is showing the first race after the summer break live on free-to-air TV from 15:00.
