High-speed festival in the ADAC GT Masters at the Salzburgring

• Title race enters deciding phase
• Three homegrown drivers in second Austrian event of this year's ADAC GT Masters
• Saturday race live on Sport1, all the action on Joyn, Servus TV On, and YouTube

Munich. The wait is over: the summer break in the ADAC GT Masters comes to an end this weekend with the penultimate event of the season at the Salzburgring. From 4th to 6th September, the ADAC's GT3 series will put pedal to the metal at the old-school circuit on the outskirts of Mozart's city. Fans at the racetrack and watching from home can look forward to two 80-minute endurance races. Sport1 will broadcast Saturday's race live on free-to-air TV from 14:00. All the race action will be shown on Joyn and ServusTV On, while the two qualifying sessions can also be followed live on the ADAC YouTube channel.

Title race heating up
The Salzburgring hosts races nine and ten of the season, as the title race nears its thrilling conclusion. It could not be any tighter at the top of the table. Championship leaders Felix Hirsiger (28/CHE) and Finn Zulauf (22/Königstein im Taunus/both Liqui Moly Team Engstler Motorsport) in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 lead the BMW duo of Tim Zimmermann (29/Langenargen) and Leyton Fourie (20/ZAF/both FK Performance Motorsport) by just one point.

The Salzburgring was a happy hunting ground for the second-placed pairing last year. Fourie secured pole position on the Sunday, and the duo went on to win the race, having finished sixth the previous day. "Unfortunately, we had rain on the first day of racing, and they are not the best conditions for our car. Otherwise, it would probably have been an even better weekend," Fourie recalls. "The Salzburgring ought to suit us and our car. Our goal is clear: to be at least as successful as last year, and to leave Austria on top of the table."

The championship leaders travel to Austria with three wins and a further podium to their name this season. Zulauf arrives at the Salzburgring fully motivated, but is also expecting a challenging weekend for himself and team-mate Hirsiger. "We must wait and see what happens in the races. However, the circuit should be one of the trickier ones for our Lamborghini," the 22-year-old admits honestly. "We will try to score plenty of points and stay in the race for the title. Our focus is on putting ourselves in a good position ahead of the finale in Hockenheim."

Home outing for three Austrians
Three Austrians will contest their second home event of the 2026 calendar, having previously lined up at the Red Bull Ring. One of the homegrown racers is Leo Pichler (24/AUT/Razoon - More than Racing). He already has one win under his belt this season in the Porsche 911 GT3 R, and is hoping for a strong showing in front of his home crowd. "It is a real old-school track, which is very unique and has a bit of everything. You have long straights, and slow and quick corners. If the weather refuses to play ball, it will be extremely interesting, as that can be quite something," says the racer from Weiz. "We won at the Red Bull Ring, and I am hoping for another home victory at the Salzburgring."

The second of the Austrian trio is Tim Hütter (19/AUT) from Gallneukirchen. This is his second season in the ADAC GT Masters. He lines up for Liqui Moly Team Engstler Motorsport in another Lamborghini. Kiano Blum (19/AUT/Haupt Racing Team) is another looking forward to appearing in front of his home public, but will do so from a more challenging position: unlike his colleagues, the Ford driver is yet to complete a single lap of racing at the Salzburgring. "My team was there last year, so we have data and videos, which I will use to prepare as well as possible," said the man from Fussach. He and team-mate Niklas Kalus (21/Duisburg) currently lie third in the championship.

Endurance races at the Salzburgring
The ADAC GT Masters will line up at the 4.255-kilometre Salzburgring for the second time in the history of the series. Of the twelve corners, one particularly stands out: 'paddock turn' is taken at about 245 km/h and demands great courage. There are hardly any run-off zones, so the drivers must be really precise, otherwise they will be straight into the gravel beds.

Two endurance races, each with two pit stops and driver changeovers, await at the Salzburgring. The tyres are changed once during the 80 minute races, and competitors can refuel as and when they like. Different strategies make for drama right down to the chequered flag. Fabian Dybionka (17/POL) is looking forward to making his debut this weekend. He starts for Haupt Racing Team and will share the Ford Mustang GT3 with Emil Gjerdrum (19/NOR) for the rest of the season.