Hürtgen & Baumann triumph at Spa in BMW

• BMW sees off challenge from Mercedes-Benz to secure victory at Spa-Francorchamps
• Difficult mix of conditions with drying track
• Green celebrates maiden victory in Gentlemen class on ADAC GT Masters debut

The rollercoaster track at Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian Ardennes was no easier a proposition for the drivers in today’s race than it had been on Saturday. Rain at the beginning and a drying surface towards the end complicated matters. Coping best with the changing conditions were the PIXUM Team Schubert pairing of Claudia Hürtgen (41) from nearby Aachen and Dominik Baumann (20) from Austria in their BMW Z4. The mixed duo wrapped up their first victory of the season after a ding-dong battle with the Polarweiss Racing Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG driven by Maximilian Buhk (20, Germany) and defending champion Maximilian Götz (27, Germany). The two Dutchman, Simon Knap (24) and Jeroen den Boer (25) came third in another BMW Z4, this time entered by DB Motorsport, to claim their second podium of the weekend. “With the changeable conditions towards the end of the race, our BMW was unbeatable today,” said a visibly delighted Claudia Hürtgen, after notching up her fourth ADAC GT Masters race victory. “This victory is a perfect platform for the 24-hour endurance race at the Nürburgring next weekend.”

Key facts, Circuit Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Race 2
Length of track: 7,004 metres
Weather: 8°C, overcast
Pole position for Race 2: Frank Kechele (Lambda Performance, Ford GT), 02:19.390 mins
Winners of Race 2: Claudia Hürtgen / Dominik Baumann (PIXUM Team Schubert, BMW Z4 GT3)
Fastest race lap: Nico Verdonck (Lambda Performance, Ford GT), 02:30.522 mins

Maximilian Götz wins sprint to first corner

The first half of the race was dominated by a prolonged safety car period. A racing incident between Mario Farnbacher (20, Germany) in a Farnbacher Racing Porsche 911 and René Rast (26, Germany) in a Prosperia C Abt Audi R8 sent Rast into a spin on the approach to the Raidillon summit. BMW driver Jörg Müller (43, Germany, PIXUM Team Schubert) was unable to avoid a collision with the almost stationary Audi, and immediately the safety car was deployed. Rast was taken to hospital after the accident for a check-up, while Müller was able to walk away uninjured.

Race leader at this point was Mercedes-Benz driver Maximilian Götz who had outbraked the equally quick-off-the-mark BMW of Dominik Baumann on the first corner. The safety car eventually came in after 20 minutes, and not long before the pit stop window opened. The order at the front remained unchanged after the driver changeover, with Buhk ahead of Hürtgen. But with a drying track, the BMW was gradually closing the gap. Ten minutes before the end of the race, Hürtgen exploited a mistake by Buhk to seize the lead. The Mercedes-Benz driver was no longer able to respond as Hürtgen built up a lead of seven seconds to win her home race. “I was getting the measure of Buhk in the second half of the race, and it became apparent to me that our BMW was indeed faster in these difficult conditions,” said Hurtgen. “I was able to increase my speed with every lap and I also avoided making any mistakes. That was the decisive factor.”

“Right from the off, I realised that our car performs brilliantly in mixed conditions,” said Baumann after recording his maiden ADAC GT Masters win. “With the track gradually drying out, we decided not to change to slicks, and that was the right decision.”

Andreas Simonsen (23, Sweden) and Sergey Afanasiev (25 Russia) in the second Polarweiss Racing Mercedes-Benz topped off a solid team performance, finishing in fourth position behind the Dutch duo of Knap and den Boer. The best-placed Porsche on the day was the Tonino by Herberth Motorsport 911 driven by Robert Renauer (28, Germany) and Martin Ragginger (25, Austria); they crossed the line in fifth position ahead of the Vita4One Racing Team BMW Z4 driven by Yelmer Buurman (26, NL) and Martin Matzke (23, CZ).

Saturday’s winners Verdonck and Kechele lose tyre gamble

Meanwhile, Nico Verdonck (27, Belgium) and Frank Kechele (26, Germany) were not having quite as much joy as on Saturday when they won the first race of the weekend in their Ford GT. Even though the track was still damp, the Lambda Performance duo opted for slicks. But the track wasn’t drying quite fast enough for their gamble to succeed and they paid the price by finishing back in ninth.

Green celebrates first victory in the Gentlemen class on ADAC GT Masters debut

Paul Green (20) of the Vita4One Racing Team has cause for satisfaction after his first outing in the Super Sports Car League. After securing a podium finish in the Gentlemen class on Saturday, Green claimed the winner’s trophy in Sunday’s Race 2. The BMW driver overtook Christina Nielsen (21, Denmark, Farnbacher Racing) on the last lap to relegate her to the runner-up spot. Corvette man Toni Seiler (55, Switzerland, Callaway Competition) completed the podium party.