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28.09.2012 - ADAC GT Masters
ADAC GT Masters title chase intensifies after qualifying
- First place on grid in Race 1 for second-placed championship challenger Engelhart
- ADAC GT Masters pole position No 2 for Martin Ragginger
- Well-matched field with 16 cars from eight manufacturers within one second of each other
Three of the seven remaining contenders for the ADAC GT Masters title have booked prime spots on the grid for this weekend’s final two races in the 2012 Super Sports Car League at the Hockenheimring. Christian Engelhart (25, Kösching / Team Geyer & Weinig EDV – Schütz Motorsport), currently lying second in the championship, drove his Porsche 911 to pole position for the first race on Saturday. In the second qualifying session for Sunday’s race, it was another Porsche driver Martin Ragginger (24, Austria / FACH AUTO TECH) who took the honours. But the pair who gained most from the qualifying session were Sebastian Asch (26, Ammerbuch) and Maximilian Götz (26, Uffenheim / kfzteile24 MS RACING team) in their Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Currently running third equal in the standings, they secured P4 and P2 to establish themselves as favourites to take the crown. “This weekend is going to be a real thriller,” predicts Christian Engelhart.
Key facts, Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg
Length of track: 4,574 metresWeather: 22ºC, sunny
Pole position for Race 1: Christian Engelhart (Team Geyer & Weinig EDV – Schütz Motorsport-Porsche 911) 1:40.361 mins
Pole Position for Race 2: Martin Ragginger (FACH AUTO TECH-Porsche 911), 1:39.650 mins
Engelhart books perfect starting position for title showdown
Christian Engelhart could not have hoped for a better outcome to his pursuit of joint championship leaders Diego Alessi (40, Italy) and Daniel Keilwitz (23, Villingen / Callaway Competition) in their Corvette. The second-placed driver put his Porsche 911 on pole in commanding fashion, setting the fastest time with his very first flying lap. “I could have gone even faster on my second and third hot laps, but I was blocked both times,” said Engelhart after qualifying. Claudia Hürtgen (41, Aachen, Schubert Motorsport) in her BMW Z4 as well as Mario Farnbacher (20, Ansbach, Farnbacher ESET Racing) in his Porsche 911 kept plugging away in an attempt to crack Engelhart’s fastest lap but finally had to settle for grid positions two and three. Sebastian Asch, running equal third in the championship on a nine-point deficit, kept his title challenge very much alive with fourth place, just ahead of the fifth-placed Audi R8 of René Rast (25, Frankfurt, Mamerow Racing).Ragginger claims second ADAC GT Masters pole of the season
In qualifying for Race 2 on Sunday, a Porsche was once again the car to beat. Martin Ragginger put his 911 on pole, thereby securing an excellent platform for co-driver Swen Dolenc (44, Maulbronn), who is now well placed to clinch the amateur championship. Ragginger: “Our goal this weekend is to wrap up the amateur title for Swen as soon as possible, preferably on Saturday. If that plan doesn’t work, we at least have the best grid position on Sunday, which means we have an excellent chance. I just hope that the pole here brings us better luck than at the Lausitzring.” Four weeks ago, Ragginger and Dolenc also started from pole position but had to retire shortly before the end of the race whilst in the lead.Alongside Ragginger on Row 1 will be Maximilian Götz in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. “In Sunday’s race, we will be the best placed of the drivers still challenging for the title,” says Götz. “Starting from second on the grid, we are now aiming to record our first win of the season.” Sharing the second row will be newly crowned FIA GT3 European Champion Maximilian Buhk (19, Dassendorf, HEICO Junior Team) in another Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Nicolas Armindo (30, France, FROGREEN CO2 neutral) in a Porsche 911. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (45, Neuss, Callaway Competition) starts the final race of the 2012 ADAC GT Masters season in his Corvette from fifth place. Engelhart’s latest team-mate, Sean Edwards (25, GB), is ninth on Sunday’s grid.
Championship leaders Alessi and Keilwitz qualified 13th and seventh respectively in their Corvette, though Keilwitz will now be starting from sixth on Sunday after a McLaren received a late penalty. Keilwitz remains optimistic about their title chances: “It’s true that our main rivals start ahead of us on both days. But the races are long, and a lot can happen.” The other main contenders, currently joint fourth in the standings, have an uphill struggle: defending champion Dino Lunardi (33, France) and Maxime Martin (26, Belgium / ALPINA) in the BMW ALPINA B6 start from positions 15 and 22 respectively.
