Rahel Frey in the ADAC GT Masters: “You learn to be more assertive”

• Former DTM driver in Prosperia C Abt Racing Audi R8
• Speedy Swiss driver takes stock after ten ADAC GT Masters races
• Top-five finish: main aim in remaining races

The ADAC GT Masters is no longer the domain of men only, and this year, two very quick lady
drivers are among the front-runners in the Super Sports Car League. Claudia Hürtgen (41,
Germany) has already won two races in the BMW Z4, and now, former DTM driver Rahel Frey
(27, Switzerland / Prosperia C Abt Racing) has joined her in the ADAC GT Masters line-up. After
two years in the DTM, the speedy Swiss miss has moved to the ADAC GT Masters for the 2013
season, lining up in the Audi R8 with ex-Formula 1 driver and FIA GT1 World Champion Markus
Winkelhock (32, Germany), and with the most successful driver in the series, Christopher Haase
(25, Germany), who has achieved the greatest number of wins. Frey intends to finish in the
points again along with Haase during the ADAC GT Masters weekend at the Lausitzring (30th
August-1st September).

Full schedule: Competing in four different series in the Audi R8

The Audi R8 has become Frey’s second home. The 27-year-old not only competes in the ADAC
GT Masters in the R8 but has a very busy schedule, racing in the Blancpain Endurance Series, at
the Nürburgring Nordschleife and in the Audi R8 LMS Cup in China. Frey: “Quite apart from my
international programme, I also really wanted to race in Germany and think that, as far as
Europe is concerned, the ADAC GT Masters is the top series to be in.”

Frey feels at ease in the ADAC GT Masters but had hoped for more in these initial ten races from
a sporting point of view. “Coming from the DTM, you expect much more of yourself, naturally.”
So far, the Swiss driver, who in 2009 was the first and only woman ever to win an ATS Formula
3 Cup race, has achieved three points-scoring finishes in the ADAC GT Masters. “We dropped a
lot of points for various reasons, especially at the start of the season. We were unlucky in one
race, and then another time, our car just did not suit the track particularly well. At any rate, you
then spend the rest of the season chasing points.”

No problem getting used to R8 sports car after the DTM Audi

Frey had no difficulty at the beginning of the season in making the transition from the Audi A5
DTM to the 550-bhp mid-engine Audi as used in the ADAC GT Masters: “You quickly get
accustomed to the R8; however, there is a bit less rigidity in the GT3 car on the whole than in
the much stiffer DTM vehicle. The biggest change for me, though, was the brakes. Carbon fibre
discs are utilised in the DTM, but cars in the ADAC GT Masters still use steel. I got a real scare
the first time I braked in the R8 because I was more used to the brakes in the DTM car.”

The Audi works driver has had another new experience in the ADAC GT Masters, apart from
frights with braking; she has to share her Audi with a team-mate. “You really have to make
compromises when you share the car with another driver, beginning with the position of pedals,
mirrors and steering wheel and ending with the car’s setup. Fortunately, Markus Winkelhock
and Christopher Haase both have a similar driving style to me, which makes working on setup
easier. However, sharing a car with someone also has its advantages because you learn to be
more assertive. You are quite spoiled in the DTM in some respects, as you have the vehicle all to
yourself.”

Qualifying: Major challenge

Frey aims to improve her performance in qualifying in the next races, because so far, things
have not always gone as well as they might. “We had one or two problems with setup and
perhaps did not always get tyre pressures spot on. Of course, a driver’s position on the grid is
extremely important in the ADAC GT Masters, as exemplified by our team-mates René Rast and
Christopher Mies; they always end up quite far forward in qualifying and then subsequently
achieve excellent results. Having a good grid position is a sure-fire way to secure points.
Recently at the Red Bull Ring, we finished in the Top Ten from P21 on the grid. If we can
improve in the quali, then we might even secure a place in the top five.”

Frey and Haase have set themselves firm targets for the remaining six races. “We aim to secure
more points at all costs and clinch at least one top-five result. I had reckoned on a podium in my
first season in GT3, but that will probably now be difficult to achieve this year. However, we will
do our utmost to achieve another decent result this season.”