Mercedes-Benz duo of Buhk and Götz win season opener in photo finish

• Mercedes-Benz and Audi in thrilling tussle for victory
• Former DTM star Maro Engel finishes fifth on his ADAC GT Masters debut
• Toni Seiler wins Round 1 of the Gentlemen trophy

In glorious sunshine, the H.T.P. pairing of Maximilian Buhk (21) and Maximilian Götz (28) in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG got their ADAC GT Masters campaign off to a perfect start at the etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. In a photo finish watched by reigning World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier, the Mercedes-Benz duo crossed the line just 0.3 seconds ahead of South Africa’s Kelvin van Linde (17) and René Rast (27) in a Prosperia C Abt Racing Audi R8. Christian Engelhart (27) and Dutchman Jaap van Lagen in a GW IT Racing Team // Schütz Motorsport Porsche 911 completed the podium party. “It’s absolutely mega to start the season with a win,” said a delighted Götz after claiming a third winner’s trophy in the ADAC GT Masters. “We had a bit of a score to settle here at Oschersleben after taking two pole positions last year and coming away with only one point. Well, we’ve done that now.”

Maximilian Buhk forges ahead on Turn 1

Buhk laid down the cornerstone for the win right at the start. From third on the grid, the 21-year-old from Hamburg surged into the lead ahead of Florian Stoll (32) in a kfzteile24 APR Motorsport Audi R8 and Porsche man Christian Engelhart, while pole-sitter Kelvin van der Linde was slow off the mark and slipped back to fifth. Buhk was comfortably widening the gap on the pursuing Stoll and kept a cool head for the first 30 minutes despite two safety car deployments. At the mandatory pit stop, Buhk handed over the lead to team-mate Götz for the second stint. The 2012 ADAC GT Masters champion then came under pressure from Jaap van Lagen’s Porsche and from René Rast who had relieved van der Linde in the cockpit of the Audi. Rast, who won at Oschersleben last year, overtook the Porsche 15 minutes before the end of the one-hour race and then mounted a determined attack on race leader Götz. A further safety car period ten minutes before the end caused by Heinz-Harald Frentzen (46) spinning off track in his H.T.P. Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG nullified Götz’s margin and ensured a tense showdown. Götz came under sustained attack by Rast over a number of laps, but the Mercedes-Benz driver clung on to his lead through to the chequered flag.

“Over those last few laps, I was looking behind rather than ahead most of the time, because I knew that René Rast is faster at certain points on this track,” said a relieved Götz. “It was a tough battle, but a fair one. That’s how racing should be – the fans and the drivers like it that way. Maxi and I have already had one win this week – that was on Easter Monday in France. You don’t often get two victories in six days and I’m savouring the sensation.”

“If I have to watch many more close finishes like that, my hair will start to turn grey,” said 21-year-old Buhk with a laugh. “The battle for the win was great to watch, but frankly it would have suited me if it hadn’t been quite so exciting. I got off to a good start, and I was hoping that my opponents wouldn’t be so quick off the mark. And that’s the way it turned out. After that, I was able to build up a decent lead, but then the two safety car periods disrupted my rhythm.”

ROWE RACING in P5 on ADAC GT Masters debut

Engelhart and van Lagen concluded their first joint outing in third place, while Florian Stoll and Daniel Dobitsch in their Audi R8 crossed the line in fourth. Mercedes-Benz outfit ROWE RACING have cause for satisfaction with their ADAC GT Masters debut: Jan Seyffarth (27) and former DTM star Maro Engel (28) finished fifth ahead of the PIXUM Team Schubert BMW Z4 driven by Claudia Hürtgen (42) and Dominik Baumann (21). The TONINO Team Herberth pairing of Robert Renauer (29) and Norbert Siedler (31) put in a Herc ulean effort after their Porsche 911 failed to pass scrutiny and they were demoted to last place on the grid. Despite this, they battled their way through the field of 26 supercars to finish seventh. RWT RacingTeam’s David Jahn (23) and Sven Barth (33) were the best placed of the Corvettes, finishing in eighth ahead of the YACO Racing Audi R8 driven by former DTM favourite Rahel Frey (28) and Philip Geipel (27) in ninth.

Toni Seiler wins Gentlemen classification in a Corvette

The Callaway Competition pairing of Toni Seiler (56) and Jeroen Bleekemolen (32, NL) have double cause for celebration after claiming one championship point for their tenth-place finish and a win in the Gentlemen stakes. Dutchman Bleekemolen helped his Swiss co-driver Seiler to victory in the Gentlemen classification ahead of 43-year-old Marc A Hayek (winner of the Amateurs trophy in the 2011 season) and Peter Kox (50) in their Blancpain Racing Lamborghini Gallardo. This was race number 99 for Seiler who is the longest-serving driver in the series. Newcomer Herbert Handlos (31) supported by TONINO Team Herberth partner Alfred Renauer (29) in a Porsche 911 completed the podium party on his ADAC GT Masters debut.

Second chance for Kelvin van der Linde and René Rast on Sunday

Race 2 on Sunday (live from 11.45 onwards on kabel eins) presents Kelvin van der Linde and René Rast with a second opportunity for victory. As on Saturday, the Audi duo will again be starting from pole position. Peter Kox in his Lamborghini will be starting alongside Rast’s Audi on the front row. Denmark’s Nicki Thiim (25), who unluckily had to retire on Saturday, will be starting from third in a Prosperia C Abt Racing Audi R8 ahead of Dominik Baumann in a BMW.

Result: Race 1

1. Maximilian Buhk / Maximilian Götz (H.T.P. Motorsport, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3) 37 laps
2. Kelvin van der Linde / René Rast (Prosperia C Abt Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra), +0.307 sec
3. Christian Engelhart / Jaap van Lagen (GW IT Racing Team // Schütz Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R), +3.549 sec
4. Florian Stoll / Daniel Dobitsch (kfzteile24 APR Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS ultra), +4.627 sec
5. Jan Seyffarth / Maro Engel (ROWE RACING, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3), +5.946 sec
6. Claudia Hürtgen / Dominik Baumann (PIXUM Team Schubert, BMW Z4 GT3), 6.595 sec
7. Robert Renauer / Norbert Siedler (TONINO Team Herberth, Porsche 911 GT3), +6.853 sec
8. David Jahn / Sven Barth (RWT RacingTeam, Corvette Z06.R GT3), +9.380 sec