High tension ahead of the third tour stop of the German GT Championship in Zandvoort next weekend. Niklas Krütten (19/Trier) and Ben Green (24/GB) travel to the Netherlands as surprise leaders.
On the dune course with two spectacular banked corners, the youngsters have to show whether they can deliver a similarly impressive performance as at the Red Bull Ring, where they won both races at the second stop of the ADAC GT Masters and thus catapulted themselves to the top.
The youngsters are the hunted
The distances to the competition are small. The top five supercars are within ten points. The Krütten/Green duo from Team Schubert Motorsport in the #10 BMW M4 GT3 are the front runners and one of the hunted at Zandvoort and have to prove that they can handle the pressure. “So the omens change, from the hunters now to the hunted. But we are happy to take on this role,” says 19-year-old Niklas Krütten.
Lurking just three points behind is Jusuf Owega (20, Cologne), who will again be at the start for Montaplast by Land-Motorsport with Ricardo Feller (22, CH) in the #29 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. The current champion from Switzerland won race one in Zandvoort last year with Christopher Mies (33/ Düsseldorf) and wants to repeat this success with his new, young partner. Incidentally, with five victories, Audi is the most successful brand in Zandvoort and has been on the top step of the podium in three of the last four races.
NITRO will broadcast the ADAC GT Masters races live on Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 p.m.
Third-placed Jonathan Aberdein (24, ZA) and Raffaele Marciello (27, Italy) from Mann-Filter Team Landgraf are still waiting for their first win of the season with the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, but are within striking distance with a deficit of only four points to the top. Also in pursuit is the pairing of Nicky Catsburg (34, NL) and Jesse Krohn (31, FIN) from Schubert Motorsport in fourth place, where local hero Catsburg has big plans in his home races with the BMW M4 GT3 #20.
Christian Engelhart (35, DEU) and Ayhancan Güven (24, TR) as fifth overall in the number 91 Porsche 911 GT3 R from Team Joos Sportwagentechnik want to continue the upward trend in Zandvoort after two podium finishes at the Red Bull Ring.
Two local heroes and a prominent returnee
Two local heroes start with different expectations in Zandvoort. Nicky Catsburg is aiming for podiums at both of his home races. The Dutchman, together with his colleague Jesse Krohn, has his sights set on overall victory in the German GT Championship and wants to get closer to the top with good positions in front of the home fans.
His young compatriot Thierry Vermeulen (19) from Car Collection Motorsport would be more than satisfied with a place in the top ten in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. He can count on solid support from his friend Max Verstappen. The Formula 1 world champion wants to keep his fingers crossed for his buddy Vermeulen at his home game.
A prominent driver is celebrating his return to the ADAC GT Masters on the Dutch North Sea circuit. Maximilian Götz (36/Uffenheim), champion of 2012, will compete for Madpanda Motorsport in the cockpit of a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. The 36-year-old wants to use his wealth of experience to help the new team and, like the fans, is looking forward to competing in the German GT Championship.
TV partner NITRO will broadcast the ADAC GT Masters races live on Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 p.m.
