Third win of the season and championship lead for the Lamborghini duo

Pole position turned into perfection. Felix Hirsiger (28/CHE) and Finn Zulauf (21/Königstein im Taunus/both Liqui Moly Team Engstler Motorsport) secured their third victory of the season in the ADAC GT Masters during the first race at the Nürburgring. The duo in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 crossed the line 5.737 seconds ahead of Niklas Kalus (21/Duisburg)/Kiano Blum (19/AUT/both Haupt Racing Team) in the Ford Mustang GT3, reclaiming the lead in the championship. Their closest rivals in the standings, Tim Zimmermann (29/Langenargen)/Leyton Fourie (20/ZAF/both FK Performance Motorsport), finished third. “We’re very happy. We really got everything we could out of the car. I got off to a good start and knew that the first ten to twenty minutes of the race would be crucial in order to have a bit of a buffer at the end to conserve the tyres,” explained Hirsiger. Team-mate Zulauf added: “Tyre wear is extreme in these temperatures, so during my stint I tried to bring the victory home safely. It feels good to be back at the top of the championship. I like being the one everyone’s chasing. But what really matters to us is being at the top of the table after the final race of the season.”

In 28-degree heat and glorious sunshine, Hirsiger started the race from pole position in the Lamborghini and defended first place. Behind him, a three-way battle developed between Fourie, Kalus and his Ford team-mate Emil Gjerdrum (19/NOR). As a result, Kalus took second place ahead of Gjerdrum, whilst Fourie’s BMW dropped back to fourth. Kalus and, later, Blum secured second place at the home race for their Drees-based Haupt Racing Team and were over the moon after a difficult few weeks. “It’s a huge relief to be back on the podium. We’re all absolutely delighted,” beamed Kalus. “When I was told after qualifying that I was third, I could hardly believe it, because none of us had expected to be so far up the field. At the start, I was determined to gain a position this time, and I managed it. From then on, Kiano and I pushed hard every lap, but first place was too far away. A big thank you to HRT, who changed the entire set-up overnight and made this podium finish possible.”

Gjerdrum initially settled in behind Kalus, but had to let Fourie past again after the first quarter of the race. “The start was a bit tricky because the outside line was still dirty from the trucks that had gone before,” explained Fourie, explaining why Kalus and Gjerdrum were able to overtake him. “I tried to be aggressive to perhaps still have a chance of catching the Lamborghini. Unfortunately, that backfired and both Fords overtook me. When the Ford made a mistake, I was able to get past again, but that was as far as I could go. With this third place, we’ve achieved the maximum possible for the championship today.”

In fourth place, twin brothers Sandro and Juliano Holzem (22/Polch/both Schubert Motorsport) crossed the line in another BMW. Enrico Förderer (19/Leuterod) and Jay Mo Härtling (23/Sprockhövel, both SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm) were the highest-placed guest drivers, finishing fifth in the Mercedes-AMG GT3, making Förderer the top rookie on his GT3 debut. Härtling had fought his way past Fabio Rauer (19/Stolberg) in a thrilling duel; Rauer finished sixth in the BMW alongside Storm Gjerdrum (16/NOR). Leo Pichler (24/AUT)/Alexander Tauscher (23/Mitterfels/both Razoon – more than Racing) and Robin Rogalski (25/POL)/Simon Connor Primm (21/Großschirma/both HGL Racing). Tauscher in the Porsche and Primm in the Audi had engaged in a spectacular duel, driving almost a full lap side-by-side around the circuit as they battled for position. Primm initially overtook, but had to relinquish the position shortly afterwards. The best Pro-AM team, DTM team boss Gottfried Grasser (47/AUT) and Gerhard Tweraser (37/AUT/both GRT Grasser Racing Team), finished ninth in their Lamborghini. The top 10 was rounded off by Mark Kastelic (18/SLO) and Pavel Lefterov (28/BGR, both Razoon – more than Racing) in their Porsche.

The second race of the ADAC GT Masters, held as part of the Int. ADAC Truck Grand Prix, takes place on Sunday at 2.25 pm and will be broadcast live on Sport1 on free-to-air TV. Joyn and ServusTV On will also show the second race in full. Qualifying takes place on Sunday morning at 8.30 am and – like the race later on – will be available on YouTube.com/ADACMotorsports.

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