What is new in the 2013 ADAC GT Masters?

• Starting times, tickets, drivers and cars: what’s new in the ADAC GT Masters for 2013
• What fans need to know: the most important changes at a glance

What changes have been made for the 2013 season of the ADAC GT Masters? As the opening weekend of the Super Sports Car League at the etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (26th - 28th April) approaches, we summarise the most important innovations.

Broadcast times on kabel eins: Live TV coverage on kabel eins starts at 12 midday on both race days (Saturday and Sunday), i.e. 15 minutes earlier than last year.

Commentators: kabel eins have signed up Formula 1 expert Jacques Schulz as a commentator for their live broadcasts of the ADAC GT Masters. Schulz will be joined in the commentary box by sports car expert and racing driver Patrick Simon who has been covering the ADAC GT Masters since 2011.

Racetracks: The 2013 ADAC GT Masters is to be hosted by two new venues. The series will be making its debut at the Formula 1 circuit of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) in May and at the Slovakia Ring near Bratislava (Slovakia) in September.

Cars: Lambda Performance have developed an all-new version of the Ford GT for the 2013 competition. Also new is the Lamborghini Gallardo FL2, with Team Rhino's Leipert Motorsport entering two of this model in its latest incarnation. Meanwhile, the Audi R8 LMS ultras and the Porsche 911 GT3 Rs will also be lining up in significantly upgraded form.

Tickets: Obtaining tickets for all ADAC GT Masters races will be a straightforward and convenient process. For the first time this year, tickets for all eight events can be purchased online via the website at www.adac.de/motorsport, from any ADAC branch office, online at www.eventim.de, or from any one of the 20,000 Eventim outlets in Europe. Tickets start at €20.00 (includes access to the drivers’ paddock).

Drivers: There will be quite a few new faces on the ADAC GT Masters grid this season. Making their debut in the Super Sports Car League are former DTM driver Rahel Frey (27, Switzerland) in the Audi R8 of Prosperia C Abt Racing and Christina Nielsen (21, Denmark) who is making the step up from Formel ADAC and will be co-driving a Farnbacher Racing Porsche 911. Ex-DTM driver Markus Winkelhock (32, Prosperia C Abt Racing) and sports car ace Jörg Müller (43, PIXUM Team Schubert) already have experience of the ADAC GT Masters, except that this season, they will be contesting every single race. Two names that are completely new on the ADAC GT masters team sheets are the speedy Danish driver Allan Simonsen (34) in a Farnbacher Racing Porsche and former FIA GT champion Gabriele Gardel (35, Switzerland) in an Aston Martin entered by Fischer Racing.

'Gentlemen' class: All drivers coming under the Bronze class will be eligible to compete for the Gentlemen trophy worth €75,000 in the 2013 season.

Vehicle classification: Vehicles will be classified according to a process known as 'Balance of Performance', the purpose of which is to ensure a level playing field for all the different makes of supercar entered for the 2013 competition. This will be based on the GT3 classification system worked out by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the body that governs world motor racing. This basic classification is determined by the FIA before the start of the season by measuring engine performance and downforce. The vehicle classification to be used for the ADAC GT Masters takes the FIA data as its basis but adapts it in line with a formula that takes account of those parameters that are specific to the race series, e.g. tyres. As in previous years, the DMSB (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund = German Motorsport Association) will have sole authority for determining vehicle classification.

Driver classification: The drivers will continue to be ranked by the FIA according to their record of motor racing success in four categories: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. This will also serve as the basis for driver classification in the ADAC GT Masters. However, the FIA Platinum and Gold drivers (i.e. full-time professionals) are combined as a single category for ADAC GT Masters purposes.

Handicap weights: Once again to ensure fair competition, driver pairings will be allocated handicap weights on the basis of their individual classifications. Two drivers in the Gold/Platinum category will have to carry a 40kg handicap weight (down from 60 kilos last season). Drivers from lower classifications (Silver or Bronze) can therefore gain a weight advantage of up to 40 kilos on the professional drivers in the Gold and Platinum bracket.