ADAC GT Masters: Title race enters the next round at the Red Bull Ring

• Pure drama in the championship: Just eight points separate the drivers at the top
• Locals Tim Hütter, Leo Pichler and ‘Razoon – more than Racing’ put pedal to the metal
• Three guest starters bolster the ADAC GT Masters field

Munich. The Austrian festival continues in the ADAC GT Masters. Just days after the race weekend at the Salzburgring, the ADAC’s GT3 series now heads to the Red Bull Ring, where two sprint races will feature on the DTM platform from 12th to 14th September. The races will be streamed live at sport1.de, Joyn, ServusTV ON and youtube.com/adacmotorsports, with coverage starting at 15:05 on Saturday and 15:10 on Sunday.

Title race enters the closing stages
With its long straights and high-speed sections, the 4.318-kilometre Red Bull Ring could provide the stage for another intensification of the title race in the ADAC GT Masters. Currently leading the championship are Salman Owega (20/Cologne) and Finn Wiebelhaus (19/Obertshausen) from Haupt Racing Team. However, the lead held by the two Ford Mustang GT3 drivers is remarkably slim. Just eight points separate them from Tim Zimmermann (29/Langenargen) and Leyton Fourie (19/RSA/both FK Performance Motorsport) in a BMW M4 GT3 Evo. “We travel to the Red Bull Ring with an eight-point lead and will definitely be trying to extend that advantage over the chasing pack, in order to have a bit of a cushion at the finale,” said Wiebelhaus, who claimed his maiden ADAC GT Masters victory at the Red Bull Ring last year. His team-mate Owega has also climbed onto the podium at the Austrian circuit – however, both were still at the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the time.

Their rivals can also point to some impressive statistics. “I won the title in the BMW M2 Cup at this track and made it onto the podium in ADAC GT4 Germany last year,” said BMW driver Fourie. “I have many fond memories of the Red Bull Ring. The circuit has been kind to me in the past, and I hope that will be the case again this time. However, I know it is going to be a tough and close battle.”

Local favourites at the Red Bull Ring
Also hoping to have another say in the title race is Austrian team Razoon – more than Racing. The team from Eggersdorf near Graz joined the ADAC GT Masters this year and already has two wins to its name with the Porsche 911 GT3 R. Drivers Leo Pichler (23/AT) and Simon Birch (18/DNK) are third in the championship, 31 points behind the leaders. Not only are they hoping to give the many fans something to cheer about with two strong results at their home event, but also to rejoin the title race. “I am hugely looking forward to my home race, as there will be a lot of people from home there. The Redu Bull Ring is by far the circuit, at which I have driven most during my career, including my very first race,” said Pichler, who comes from the Austrian town of Weiz, with a smile. “It is important not to put any more pressure on us than usual and to be too hungry for a good result. We are trying to approach it like a totally normal race weekend and not to change anything.” Austrian Tim Hütter is also looking forward to the support of the local fans. The 18-year-old from Gallneukirchen is contesting his first season of GT3 racing and lines up in a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 for Liqui Moly Team Engstler by GRT.

Three guest starters line up with Ferrari, BMW and Lamborghini at the Red Bull Ring
Three teams will be joining the already strong field for a guest appearance in the ADAC GT Masters at the Red Bull Ring. They include Baron Motorsport, who will run two Ferrari 296 GT3. At the wheel of the first Ferrari will be two familiar faces: Ernst Kirchmayr (69/AUT) and Fabrizio Crestani (37/ITA). The same duo made a guest start in a Ferrari at the Red Bull Ring last year, but for a different team. Sharing the driving duties in the second Ferrari will be Masoud Jaberian (33/IRN) and Edoardo Bacci (32/ITA). Baron Motorsport, a Ferrari specialist from Vienna, has been racing on the international GT scene for years and arrives at the Red Bull Ring with a number of successes and a lot of experience of the circuit under its belt. As such, the expectations are high. “We believe we have what it takes to win,” said team principal Philipp Baron confidently. “We are looking forward to a nice, well-organised event with a large home crowd.”

Guest starter number two is making its return to the series: Senkyr Motorsport contested the full ADAC GT Masters season in 2015 and was a guest starter at the Red Bull Ring in 2017. The team from Popůvky near Brno in the Czech Republic is now set for its comeback. Rudolf Beňo (46/SVK) and Richard Gonda (31/SVK) will be driving the BMW M4 GT3. “Our driver Rudolf is part of our racing driver training programme and only really started out in motorsport two years ago,” pointed out team principal Robert Senkyr. “In the meantime, he has become so good and got so many kilometres of testing under his belt that we want to try something a bit bigger with him. We have opted for the ADAC GT Masters.”

ARC Bratislava will also be making a guest start at the Red Bull Ring. The team from Slovakia was formed in 1997, since when it has lined up in a wide range of racing series around the world. AT the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo1 will be a youngster and an old acquaintance making his return: Adam Konopka (18/SVK), son of team principal Miroslav Konopka, and local favourite Gerhard Tweraser (36/AUT), who contested a total of 34 races in the ADAC’s GT3 series between 2012 and 2024. “We have never started in the ADAC GT Masters, although I think it is a nice series with some exciting circuits. We are currently looking at options for next year,” revealed team principal Konopka. “With this in mind, our goal is simply to turn up and understand how the racing series works.”