Benjamin Hites (GRT Grasser-Racing-Team) is at it again. The Chilean driver secured pole position in the ADAC GT Masters for the third time this season. He set the fastest lap time of 1:38.489 minutes in his Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 in Saturday morning’s qualifying at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg. Mercedes-AMG driver Alain Valente (CH/Haupt Racing Team) ended the session in second place.
With sunshine and temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius, conditions for qualifying were significantly better than the international field in the ADAC GT Masters had been faced with on Friday, when the practice sessions were shaped by rain at the 4.574-kilometre circuit. Hites took full advantage of the improved conditions, and the 24-year-old will now start from the front of the grid in the Grasser Lamborghini for the third time this year. No other driver has been as successful in qualifying this season. “That is my second pole in Hockenheim. I also started from the front here at the season-opener at the start of June. The circuit seems to really suit me, with its fast corners and hard braking points. We want to keep the title race alive for as long as possible. We have taken the first step towards achieving that,” said the winner of the Pirelli Pole Position Award.
Mercedes-AMG GT3 driver Valente narrowly missed out on pole, ending the session in second place just 0.1 seconds behind Hites. Third place for Jannes Fittje (Langenhain/Huber Motorsport) in a Porsche 911 GT3 R puts him in a good position in the race for the ADAC GT Masters title (+0.396 seconds). The point scored in qualifying sees him close to within 22 points of the leading duo. In fourth place, local favourite Marcel Marchewicz (Schnitzelalm Racing) from Schwetzingen produced an impressive display in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 (+0.535 seconds). Rounding out the top five was championship leader Salman Owega (+0.582 seconds). Together with Elias Seppänen (FIN), the Mercedes-AMG driver could be crowned ADAC GT Masters champion on Saturday. However, to wrap up the title with one race still to come, the Landgraf Motorsport duo must finish ahead of Porsche drivers Fittje and Nico Menzel (Kelberg). Another title contender, Finn Gehrsitz (Stuttgart/Team Joos by Racemotion) in a Porsche 911 GT3 R, starts next to Owega in sixth place (+0.708 seconds).
TV partner Sport1 is broadcasting race eleven of the season in Hockenheim live and in full on free-to-air TV from 15:45. The ADAC GT Masters will also be streamed live on the free YouTube channel @adacmotorsports.
