Super sports cars at imposing track: ADAC GT Masters in Spa

• Premiere of ADAC GT Masters at Spa-Francorchamps
• Home race for Nico Verdonck and BMW drivers Jörg Müller and Claudia Hürtgen
• ADAC GT Masters race also available on internet as live stream

Pulses race on the approach to the infamous Eau Rouge, then it’s full throttle for the long Kemmel straight whilst staying focused for Blanchimont, which demands the driver’s full concentration. Yes, the ADAC GT Masters drivers are certainly looking forward to the debut of the Super Sports Cars League on the Formula 1 track in Spa-Francorchamps (10th-12th May). For the first time, the ADAC GT Masters will be contested at what many drivers consider to be one of the world’s most beautiful racetracks – the majestic Ardennes Rollercoaster. With its ultra-fast dips, white-knuckle turns and full throttle sections, the natural circuit not far from Aachen in Germany is the perfect setting for the second race weekend of the ADAC GT Masters.

Key facts, Circuit Spa-Francorchamps / Belgium, season’s races 3/4
Length: 7.004 kilometres
Layout: 21 turns, taken clockwise
Last year’s winner: Not applicable, ADAC GT Masters at Spa-Francorchamps for first time
ADAC GT Masters from Spa on TV: See attachment for television schedule

René Rast (26, Germany), who won the ADAC GT Masters season-opener at the etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in the Audi R8 together with co-driver Christopher Mies (23, Germany / Prosperia C. Abt Racing) is excited about racing at the longest circuit on the ADAC GT Masters calendar. Rast knows Spa really well: The Audi driver won last year’s 24-Hours of Spa, the premier endurance racing event for GT sports cars. Rast: “I think Spa is easily one of the world’s most beautiful circuits because it represents such a big challenge. The track is very fast, and you need a lot of courage for some of the turns.” Ragginger (25, Austria) also has already notched up one 24-hour win at Spa during his career. The Porsche driver won there in 2010 and also aims to finish on the podium as the ADAC GT Masters debuts in the Ardennes. Placed second and fourth with Robert Renauer (28, Germany / Tonino by Herberth Motorsport) at Oschersleben in the Porsche 911, Ragginger has made an excellent start to the new season.

Home race for Ford driver Nico Verdonck

Nico Verdonck (27, Belgium / Lambda Performance) is very happy to be racing at home. The only Belgian in the ADAC GT Masters line-up is competing with Frank Kechele (26, Germany, Germany) in the new Ford GT, which made a promising debut at Oschersleben. Verdonck will meet some fellow Belgians in the pit lane, as the famous Belgian Porsche team Prospeed Competition will use the Spa ADAC GT Masters premiere as the occasion for a guest appearance by the two Americans Charles Espenlaub (44) / Charles Putman (57) in a Porsche 911. Spa is to all intents and purposes a home race for the two BMW drivers Claudia Hürtgen (41) and Jörg Müller (43, PIXUM Team Schubert), since Hürtgen comes from Aachen, which is only some 70 kilometres away from Spa-Francorchamps, whilst Müller (24, Germany) lives in a small German town not far from her. He will be at the wheel of the BMW Z4 with Max Sandritter.
Ex-DTM driver Rahel Frey (27, Switzerland) is likewise pleased to be lining up in the Audi R8 with FIA GT1 World Champion Markus Winkelhock (32, Germany / Prosperia C. Abt Racing) for the second race weekend of the ADAC GT Masters: “I like Spa-Francorchamps a lot; it’s such a great track. After our initial experiences in the ADAC GT Masters at Oschersleben, though, we are in for a challenging weekend.”

Defending champions Asch and Götz to attack in Spa

Defending champions Maximilian Götz (27, Germany / Polarweiss Racing) and Sebastian Asch (26, Germany / MS RACING), who have gone their separate ways this season, intend to go on the offensive in Belgium. The season did not start according to plan for either of them: Although Götz took pole at Oschersleben, he was placed ninth in the first race together with Maximilian Buhk (20, Germany) in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, and only achieved a modest tally of points. Asch, making his racing debut in the Audi R8, did not fare any better, and he and Florian Stoll (31, Germany) left Oschersleben without any points. Götz is optimistic about the forthcoming race in Belgium: “Spa is a driver’s track, where experience counts for a lot and where the weather can be extremely unpredictable. The start of the season proved that we have the speed. I hope that we can bag plenty of points at Spa.”

ADAC GT Masters racing on the Internet at ran.de

Fans can enjoy racing from the ADAC GT Masters live on kabel eins and also as a live stream on the Internet at the website: ran.de. The live stream on Saturday and Sunday begins at the same time as the kabel eins broadcast on: twelve o’clock – high noon.
The 2013 ADAC GT Masters will once again be contested over 16 rounds on eight race weekends throughout the year. All 16 races of the ADAC GT Masters will be shown on free-to-air TV station kabel eins. The live broadcasts to audiences in Germany, Austria and Switzerland commence at 12 noon on both the Saturday and the Sunday. The Super Sports Car League is being hosted by two new venues this time: the Formula 1 circuit at Spa-Francorchamps and the Slovakia Ring in Slovakia.
Tickets for all ADAC GT Masters races start at €20 and can be purchased online at www.adac.de, from any ADAC branch office, online at www.eventim.de or from one of the more than 20,000 Eventim outlets throughout Europe.