ADAC GT Masters promotes youth with biggest prize purse to date in milestone season

• Roughly € 775,000 in prize money awaits the competitors
• Race format modified to prepare talented youngsters for the DTM
• Red Bull Ring hosts ADAC GT Masters opener, finale in Hockenheim

Munich. 2027 is going to be a special season for the ADAC GT Masters: next year, the world’s longest-running GT3 series will celebrate its 20th birthday. In the milestone season, the ADAC is once again ramping up its focus on youth development in the series, and will again support talented youngsters through the now established “Road to DTM” programme. The total prize purse of € 775,000 in cash and non-cash prizes is bigger than ever before. The winner of the “Road to DTM” classification will receive the majority of that, and can look forward to a support package worth € 620,000. The calendar for the 20th anniversary season consists of six dates, five of which feature on the DTM platform. The season kicks off from 23rd to 25th April against the spectacular alpine backdrop of the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

“Road to DTM” competition offers new incentives
The ADAC’s successful youth development programme enters its fourth season with the “Road to DTM”. From 2027, the competition for aspiring young drivers will be even more attractive. € 620,000 of the total prize purse will go to the winner of the “Road to DTM”. That amount will take the form of cash and non-cash prizes, including the entry fee to enable the step up to the DTM, a tyre package for the entire season, and prize money. The Road to DTM development concept leads from the German Kart Championship, via the BMW M2 Cup and ADAC GT4 Germany, into the ADAC GT Masters, and finally to the DTM. As such, it allows each champion to take the step up to the next level of motorsport.

In order to ensure the young ADAC GT Masters drivers are as well prepared as possible for the step up, changes to the sporting format are planned for the coming season. As in the DTM, all the races will be one-hour sprints. In the future, tyres will be changed during the standard driver changeover, which also includes a minimum stationary time. The goal is to ensure the drivers learn how to return to the track on cold Pirelli P Zero tyres after a pit stop, and how to fulfil their full potential.

“The ADAC GT Masters is the world’s longest-running GT3 series for a reason, and has always been a talent factory. All the DTM champions since 2019 have come through the ADAC GT Masters, as have more than half of the current crop of DTM drivers. That underlines the importance of the ADAC GT Masters on the path to professional racing. We are reflecting this with the “Road to DTM” programme. The prize purse of roughly € 775,000 will be used even more purposefully for the Road to DTM next year. With the changes to the sporting format, we are preparing talented and ambitious drivers even more consistently for the step up to the DTM,” says ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss.

Finn Wiebelhaus completed the “Road to DTM” success story in 2026. He was champion of the X30 Juniors class in the ADAC Kart Masters, before starting for the ADAC Formula Junior Team in the French Formula 4 series. After one year in France, he switched to the ADAC GT Masters, dominating the 2025 season and ending the year as champion and winner of the “Road to DTM” competition. With the entry fee for the current season secured, he made the step up to the DTM. He now lines up for HRT Ford Racing and has impressed with two podiums so far in his rookie DTM season.

From the Alps to the North Sea, and on to Hockenheim
For the second time in the history of the ADAC GT Masters, the season opener will take place outside of Germany at the Red Bull Ring. The ADAC’s GT3 series then heads to the Dekra Lausitzring from 18th to 20th June. One special highlight will be the Int. ADAC Truck Grand Prix at the Nürburgring from 9th to 11th July. This year, the event attracted 135,000 people to the Eifel region, providing a sensational backdrop for the young drivers in the ADAC GT Masters.

At the height of summer, the series heads to Zandvoort on the North Sea coast of the Netherlands, where it lines up from 6th to 8th August. In September, the teams and drivers can look forward to a return to the Sachsenring. The ADAC GT Masters will start at the famous MotoGP circuit near Chemnitz for the first time since 2023. In keeping with tradition, the grand finale will take place from 8th to 10th October at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg.

2027 ADAC GT Masters calendar (subject to amendment)

23.04.–25.04.2027	Red Bull Ring (A) presented by VKB-Bank
18.06.–20.06.2027	Dekra Lausitzring
09.07.–11.07.2027	Int. ADAC Truck-Grand-Prix Nürburgring
06.08.–08.08.2027	Zandvoort (NL)
24.09.–26.09.2027	Sachsenring
08.10.–10.10.2027	Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg