Finale at Hockenheim: Closest ADAC GT Masters title fight yet

• Only two points separating title favourites De Phillippi and Mies, Gounon and Keilwitz
• Guest appearance by former Le Mans winner Stéphane Ortelli
• Titles in all four championships to be decided

Munich: Drama, a test of nerves, nail biting tension – the final weekend (30th September - 2nd October) of the 2016 ADAC GT Masters at Hockenheim will go down in the record books as the closest battle for the title in the ten-year existence of the series. The Audi duo of Connor De Phillippi (23, USA) and Christopher Mies (27, DEU, both Montaplast by Land-Motorsport) go into the last two races of the campaign just two points ahead of Corvette drivers Jules Gounon (21, F) and Daniel Keilwitz (27, DEU, both Callaway Competition). Porsche man David Jahn (25, Leipzig, KÜS TEAM75 Bernhard) has an outside chance of overturning a 30-point deficit to catch the front-runners. The Junior and Trophy classifications as well as the team championship are also building up to an exciting conclusion. SPORT1 will be showing the two final races from Hockenheim live on Saturday and Sunday, coverage commencing at 13:00 CEST.

Key facts: Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg, Hockenheim, Rounds 13 and 14 of 14

Length of circuit: 4,574 metres
Layout: 17 corners (eleven right-handers, six left-handers) driven clockwise
Last year’s winners of Race 1: Rahel Frey and Philip Geipel (YACO Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra)
Last year’s winners of Race 2: Jordan Pepper and Nicki Thiim (C.Abt Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra)
ADAC GT Masters Hockenheimring on TV: Both races (Saturday and Sunday) will be broadcast live on SPORT1. See attachment for an overview of the TV broadcasting schedules

After twelve races, the 2016 Super Sports Cars League is set for a pulsating climax. How do the title contenders rate their chances at the Hockenheimring? “I think that we will be on level pegging with our opponents in qualifying,” says championship leader Mies. “In the race, the Corvette with its high top speed will hold the advantage on the many long straights. Rain would suit us nicely.” His co-driver De Phillippi is also feeling upbeat: “I’m ready for the title showdown. The Hockenheimring is the circuit I know best in Europe. During two days of tests ahead of the final weekend, we have gathered some promising data.”

Record ADAC GT Masters race winner Keilwitz is poised to add a second title to the one he won in 2013: “I’m looking forward to the races at Hockenheim. Due to the proximity of the circuit, our Callaway Competition team has been testing there extensively for many years now. We know exactly how to tackle the track. A lot will depend on the results in qualifying, because the teams always post very similar times at Hockenheim.” Team-mate Gounon: “Two points are nothing. Essentially, we all go into this weekend on zero. Connor and Christopher will be giving 100 percent; we will also be giving 100 percent. It’s going to be incredibly tense, and I just can’t wait for it to start. The Hockenheimring is one of the few tracks that I already know from the ADAC GT Masters, so I’m looking ahead to the races with confidence.”

Callaway are not the only people for whom Hockenheim counts as a home fixture. For example, Porsche man David Jahn who was born in Speyer only twelve kilometres away. He and team-mate Kévin Estre (27, F) have been the strongest pairing in the second half of the campaign; their deficit of 30 points on the championship leaders gives them a mathematical chance of snatching the title. “My connections to Hockenheim are very close,” says Jahn. “It’s where I started my karting career, my family still lives in Speyer, and there will be plenty of my friends cheering me on at the racetrack. In terms of the title fight, we are focusing on scoring as many points as possible. But unless the other two teams slip up, it’s going to be difficult.”

Even slimmer are the chances of defending champions Sebastian Asch (30, DEU) and Luca Ludwig (27, DEU, both AMG team Zakspeed) in their Mercedes-AMG GT who are a full 42 points adrift of the leaders, and of Robert Renauer (31, DEU) and Martin Ragginger (28, A, both Precote Herberth Motorsport) in a Porsche who have a massive 46 point gap to make up.

Just as tight a situation prevails in the three other competitions forming part of the 2016 ADAC GT Masters. Montaplast by Land-Motorsport lead the team championship, with Callaway Competition only two points behind. Team championship leader Montaplast by Land-Motorsport can count a prominent guest driver for the final two races. Stéphane Ortelli (46, MC), winner of the 1998 Le Mans with Porsche will share an Audi R8 cockpit with former champion Christopher Haase (28, DEU). In the Junior class (for contestants under 25 years), it is De Phillippi versus Gounon. Favourite for the Trophy (formerly Gentlemen or Amateur classification) is Corvette man Remo Lips (33, CH, RWT Racing). His margin over Lamborghini driver Rolf Ineichen (38, CH, GRT Grasser Racing Team) is 14½ points.

But the excitement at Hockenheim will not be confined to the outcomes in the ADAC GT Masters: the ADAC Formula 4 and the ADAC TCR Germany also reach their climax this weekend. There will be a diverse programme of support series over the three days, including the Special Touring Car Trophy (STT), the Renault Clio Cup Central Europe and the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC. Fans should take note of these two events: a Meet the Drivers autograph session on Saturday at 16:20 in front of the Greschbachhalle in the paddock, and the Pit Walk on Sunday from 11:50 onwards when the pit lane is open to the public.

Fans who want to attend the ADAC GT Masters season finale at Hockenheim in person can buy tickets in advance, starting at just 20 euros, including access to the paddock, at www.adac.de/motorsport.