The field is ready for the greatest success in Luca Engstler’s career. With pole position (ten points) and an undisputed start-to-finish victory (25 points) in the fourth last race of the season, the 21-year-old from Allgäu built his lead at the top of the ADAC TCR Germany table over Dominik Fugel (Honda Civic TCR), who was fourth this time. to 86 points and is very close to winning the championship.
“It was a very important victory, but we are nowhere near the point where we can lean back or even relax a little. I will tell my team that too, ”said Engstler, who remained cautious even after his sixth win of the season. “But if everything goes well, we might have a reason to celebrate together tomorrow.”
Engstler got off to an ideal start in good external conditions with sunshine and successfully defended his leading position in front of Jonas Karklys (Lithuania, Nordpass-Hyundai) and his brand and team colleague in the Hyundai team Engstler, the Dane Martin Andersen. In the further course of the race, the Hyundai trio continued to break away from their pursuers.
The only upset in the race in the final phase was a contact between Philipp Regensperger in the Opel Astra TCR and René Kircher’s VW Golf GTI TCR. Regensperger retired with a torn off left rear wheel. Kircher was able to continue the race, but could no longer keep up with the pace of the competition with his damaged Golf.
Sunday, which may already be decisive for the championship, begins at 9 a.m. with the second qualifying session. The race starts at 1:20 p.m. and can be seen live on TVNOW.de and on adac.de/motorsport.
Lamborghini can still win
Mirko Bortolotti / Marco Mapelli are the winners in the first race of the ADAC GT Masters at the third from last event of the year. With the first victory of the Italian brand, the duo ended a two-year dry spell for the Italian brand in the super sports car league.
The two Lamborghini works drivers won with just 0.521 seconds ahead of the championship leaders Ricardo Feller from Switzerland and Christopher Mies from Düsseldorf in an Audi R8 from the Land-Motorsport team. Third place went to Porsche works driver Mathieu Jaminet and defending champion Michael Ammermüller (SSR Performance). “I’m so happy. We waited a long time for victory and finally everything worked out, ”said winner Bortolotti. “We have shown character and shown that we can always be reckoned with.”
Mirko Bortolotti and Marco Mapelli clinch their first victory for Lamborghini in more than two years at Hockenheim.
Pole-setter Bortolotti got off to an optimal start and already set himself apart from the pursuers on the starting lap with his green flounder, one lap later his time cushion was almost two seconds. Only during the course of his stint was rival Ricardo Feller able to keep up with the leader’s pace and reduced the gap to less than a second before the driver change. After the mandatory pit stops, the Italian super sports car, now with Marco Mapelli at the wheel, stayed ahead of Feller’s partner Christopher Mies.
Two late safety car phases then pushed the field together again and ensured a thrilling final phase. Mies tried several times to get past Mapelli after the restarts, but in the end had to admit defeat. Thanks to his seventh victory in the ADAC GT Masters, Bortolotti kept his title chances as fourth in the table. For team-mate Mapelli, who shared a Lamborghini with his compatriot for the first time this season, it was the second victory in the racing series.
In second place, Mies and Feller increased their point lead in the overall standings from two to eleven with their fifth podium of the season. 84 points are still awarded in the three outstanding races.
