The ADAC GT Masters is entering the home stretch this weekend at the Sachsenring (September 23rd to 25th). The penultimate stop of the tour in the German GT Championship, which this year uses renewable fuel, requires nerves of steel from teams and drivers.
The leaders are close together, every point counts, every mistake can mean the premature end of all title dreams. Ideal conditions for an exciting race weekend on the demanding course in Saxony, which Germany’s fastest GT3 series even laps faster than the motorcycle aces of the MotoGP.
There will also be a premiere at the Sachsenring: The FIA ETCR eTouring World Cup will start in Germany for the first time and determine the first electric touring car world champion in motorsport history at the World Championship finale at the Sachsenring.
The top three are watching each other
Front-runner Raffaele Marciello (27, CH) has the best chances in the fight for the title. The Mercedes-AMG is traditionally strong on the roller coaster in Saxony. For Marciello, it’s all about extending his lead in the standings before the finale in Saxony, after losing his lead at the Lausitzring last time.
Christian Engelhart (35/Starnberg) and Ayhancan Güven (24/TR) are ten points behind leaders Marciello.
Christian Engelhart (35/Starnberg) and Ayhancan Güven (24/TR) from the Joos Sportwagentechnik team are ten points behind championship leader Marciello. The driver duo clinched their first win of the season in the #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R in Lausitz and want to keep putting pressure on the leaders. “Our tactics will be the same as always, another one doesn’t work in the ADAC GT Masters either: full attack in qualifying to get a good grid position. However, past experience at the Sachsenring has shown that major shifts are possible in the second half of the race due to tire wear, although overtaking is difficult. You have to be well prepared for qualifying and the race,” explains Christian Engelhart.
He relies fully on his strong driver colleagues. “As a newcomer, Ayhancan quickly settled into the ADAC GT Masters and is doing a sensational job. He delivered some top qualifying sessions and doesn’t allow himself any mistakes in the race. We want to score more points than the competition at the Sachsenring in order to have a strong starting position for the finale in Hockenheim,” said the 2020 champion.
Jack Aitken (26/GB) and Albert Costa Balboa (32/E) have also been among the championship contenders since their strong performances at the Lausitzring. With two second places in races nine and ten, the driver combination in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo with starting number 63 from Emil Frey Racing has moved up to third place in the table and is therefore also one of the favorites at the Sachsenring.
German premiere and finale for electric touring cars
As part of the ADAC GT Masters, the FIA ETCR eTouring Car World Cup will be held at the Sachsenring for the first time in Germany. The premiere is also the finale of the innovative racing series, in which, among others, FIA Rallycross World Champion Mattias Ekström or the two former ADAC GT Masters drivers Bruno Spengler and Maxime Martin compete in vehicles with up to 680 hp.
The FIA ETCR will celebrate its German premiere at the ADAC GT Masters weekend at the Sachsenring (September 23-25).
In addition to the e-bolides, three other spectacular racing series will start at the Sachsenring as part of the supporting program of the German GT Championship. In the ADAC GT4 Germany and the ADAC TCR Germany, the drivers want to create a good starting point for the finale in Hockenheim. The same applies to the drivers of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, who are holding rounds 13 and 14 of a total of 16 races this season at the Sachsenring.
All 14 races in the ADAC GT Masters will start at 1 p.m. The TV channel NITRO will present the races live from 12:30 p.m.
