Stolz sets new ADAC GT Masters qualifying record at Sachsenring

• Luca Stolz takes pole position for first race at Sachsenring in record time
• Title defenders Asch/Ludwig also on front row
• SPORT1 will broadcast race live at 1:00 pm

Hohenstein-Ernstthal: Luca Stolz (20, DEU, GRT Grasser-Racing-Team) in the Lamborghini Huracán took pole position for the first race and set a new ADAC GT Masters record for qualifying at the Sachsenring. Sebastian Asch (29, DEU, AMG Team Zakspeed) in the Mercedes-AMG and Christer Jöns (28, DEU, Bentley Team ABT) in the Bentley Continental also secured good grid positions by posting the second and third fastest times in qualifying. SPORT1 will broadcast Race 1 live today at 1:00 pm.

"It feels really great to be up front again. We had a little setback at Oschersleben," said Stolz. "We've been in a strong position all weekend here at the Sachsenring. The times in qualifying were bunched very close together and the key to securing pole position was most certainly the fact that I found a clear track twice. I heard after the session that I'd set a new record in qualifying at the Sachsenring. Very nice! We'll do our best in the race. We'll definitely aim for the win, starting from the top spot."

Conditions were perfect at the spectacular roller-coaster of a track in Saxony with bright sunshine and temperatures of 16 degrees. The previous record in qualifying set by Klaus Bachler (24, A, KÜS TEAM75 Bernhard) last year was smashed several times during the first stint of the twenty-minute session. In the end, it was Luca Stolz, who posted the fastest time of 1.19.570 which was more than four tenths of a second faster than Bachler's record from 2015. Stolz shares the Lamborghini with Gerhard Tweraser (27, A).

Sebastian Asch continued to show the fine form that has marked his start to the season. The defending champion, who shares the drive in the Mercedes-AMG prepared by AMG Team Zakspeed with Luca Ludwig (27, DEU), was only six hundredths of a second slower than Stolz to take second place. Christer Jöns and Daniel Abt (23, DEU) will start the race from third place on the grid in their Bentley Continental. Another Lamborghini driven by Patrick Kujala (19, FIN) and Milos Pavlovic (33, SRB, both Bonaldi Motorsport) is also on the second row.

P5 in the starting line-up goes to Jules Gounon (21, F) and Daniel Keilwitz (26, Villingen, both Callaway Competition) in the fastest of the Corvette C7s. Positions six to nine are monopolised by the Audi contingent: Lukas Schreier (20, DEU) partnered by Xavier Maassen (35, NL, both Aust Motorsport), Markus Winkelhock (35, DEU) and Markus Pommer (25, DEU, both Phoenix Racing), championship leaders Connor De Phillippi (23, USA) and Christopher Mies (26, DEU, both Montaplast by Land-Motorsport), and also Philip Geipel (29, DEU) and Rahel Frey (30, CH, both YACO Racing) - all driving R8s. The Lamborghini pairing of Rolf Ineichen (37, CH) and Christian Engelhart (29, DEU, both GRT Grasser-Racing-Team) complete the Top Ten.

Fans wishing to experience the ADAC GT Masters live at the racetrack can purchase tickets for all fixtures for the price of 20 euros, which includes access to the paddock, from www.adac.de/motorsport.