Full speed ahead along the road to success: ADAC GT Masters championship leader Max Buhk

• The youngest driver in the ADAC GT Masters heads the standings with co-driver Maximilian Götz
• Buhk has notched up success after success in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
• The Mercedes-Benz driver talks about his dream season in interview

Maximilian Buhk (20, Germany / Polarweiss Racing) is currently bringing trophies home faster than he can house them. The youngest driver in the ADAC GT Masters is having a dream summer. At the end of July, the young German driver, together with ADAC GT Masters team-mate Maximilian Götz and DTM record-breaking champion Bernd Schneider won the 24 Hours of Spa, and just six days later, secured his first ADAC GT Masters win at the Nürburgring in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Mercedes-Benz is now rewarding these successes that also include a victory in the FIA GT Series in early July with a test in a DTM car. The FIA GT3 European champion and Götz head to the third-to-last ADAC GT Masters race weekend of the 2013 season at the Lausitzring (30th August-1st September) as championship leaders.

You switched to the ADAC GT Masters last year after two years in Formel ADAC. Why did you decide not to pursue a career in single-seater racing?
“It was never my goal to perhaps one day become a Formula 1 driver when I first began open-wheel racing. Formel ADAC provided an excellent introduction to motor racing, but after two years in Formel ADAC, I decided to move into Formula 3, GP3 and subsequently into sports cars; I tested a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG at Heico Motorsport towards the end of 2011 and was immediately impressed. I aim to become a professional racing driver and think my prospects in sports car racing are better.”

This is your second ADAC GT Masters season in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. In which areas are you developing during this second year?
“I’m acquiring racing experience primarily. I learn something new in every race and am still gaining knowledge, even though I’ve spent plenty of time sitting in a racing car. I had good basic speed to start with in last year’s races and am now trying to go further and be on the limit even more. I’m still learning a lot about tyres, for example, and every weekend there are situations where I add to my experience. Plus, the situation for me this year is very different, because I have title chances in both the ADAC GT Masters and the Blancpain Endurance Series. I did indeed win last year’s FIA GT3 European Championship, but there was a great deal less competition.”

You are currently being carried along on a wave of success, having secured a succession of victories. How have the past few weeks been for you?
“I am extremely pleased, but things are very hectic at the moment. I had never expected that the successes would come so thick and fast and that we would be so quick. It has all happened within the space of a few weeks and I have not really had time to think. I spent just two days at home after the victory at the 24 Hours of Spa before leaving to race in the ADAC GT Masters. I was stunned after the victory at Spa, and then we achieved another win at the Nürburgring and are now well ahead in the ADAC GT Masters title fight. So far, I’ve not had enough time to take it all in. I feel very much at ease with the team and in the car. Everything is coming together well at the moment.”

You will be testing a DTM Mercedes-Benz at the Lausitzring in mid-September. Are you aiming for a career in the DTM?
“Well actually, I don’t yet know where my career will take me, but of course, I have the DTM in mind. Dirk Werner has already proven that success in GT sports cars can be a stepping stone to the DTM by securing a place at BMW. The DTM test has been talked about quite a bit already in the past but it’s now happening very suddenly and is less than four weeks away. I’m looking forward to it and intend to train harder, because I expect that the DTM car will be physically more demanding to drive than my Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in the ADAC GT Masters.”

The Lausitzring is the third-to-last venue in the 2013 season, and then it’s off to the Slovakia Ring and Hockenheim. How do you rate your chances in the title fight?
“I think we will look pretty good at the Lausitzring. The track should suit us, even if there’s no special reason why. I know the Slovakia Ring from races in other series and from tests. I think the track layout should be very much to our taste. Basically this season, we’ve been quick at all circuits and very competitive, you know. At the Lausitzring, we aim to build on our performance to date and are definitely a force to be reckoned with.”