Formula 1 dress rehearsal: ADAC GT Masters at Red Bull Ring

• First race at new Red Bull Ring
• ADAC GT Masters lines up in Austria, just two weeks before Formula 1
• Eight Austrians in home race

The ADAC GT Masters is very pleased to take on the task of acting as the dress rehearsal for Formula 1's return to Austria with the two Super Sports Car League races that are to be held at Austria's Red Bull Ring (June 6th-8th). After an eleven-year absence, Formula 1 returns to the Red Bull Ring in late June and the ADAC GT Masters will be the first motor racing series to be staged at the newly updated Red Bull Ring. The second leg in the ADAC GT Masters to be held outside of Germany also marks the end of the first half of the season, but who will be crowned 'half-time champion' after the weekend's two races (Saturday and Sunday live on kabel eins at 11:45 am).

Second ADAC GT Masters weekend for ex-Formula 1 driver Alguersuari

Three ex-Formula 1 drivers will also join the ADAC GT Masters line-up in the Formula 1 dress rehearsal. Two of them, Jaime Alguersuari (24, Spain / ROWE RACING) and Heinz-Harald Frentzen (47, Germany / HTP Motorsport), know the Red Bull Ring from their time in Formula 1. "I've already posted some demo laps in the Toro Rosso down at the Red Bull Ring," said Alguersuari, who will be tackling his second ADAC GT Masters weekend in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG along with Nico Bastian (24, Germany). "The Red Bull Ring is a nice track and should suit our Mercedes-Benz." Frentzen likewise hopes that will be the case. He too will be at the wheel of a gullwing Mercedes and aims to finish in the points with team-mate Luca Stolz (18, Germany) after a tough weekend last time out at the Lausitzring. Tomas Enge (37, Czech Republic / Reiter Engineering) has also had some Formula 1 experience; he and former champion Albert von Thurn und Taxis (30, Germany) in the mighty 650bhp Chevrolet Camaro achieved the best result so far this season for the American muscle car at the Lausitzring.

Van Lagen aims to become 'half-time champion' in ADAC GT Masters

The ADAC GT Masters brings an exciting season first-half to a close at the Red Bull Ring. Super sport cars from four different brands were victorious in the first six races, among them Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche and BMW. Jaap van Lagen (37, Netherlands / GW IT Racing Team Schütz Motorsport) has the best chance of clinching the title in the interim at the end of this first-half to the season, having previously secured two victories in the Porsche 911 during the season and achieving podiums in five of six races. Van Lagen can be optimistic about the races in Austria, because Porsche is the most successful manufacturer on the fastest track on the ADAC GT calendar as far as lap averages are concerned. Victory has gone to a 911 in three of the six races held so far at the Red Bull Ring. "Everything has been great for us so far, and I've always done very well at the Red Bull Ring. I've won races there in the past," said van Lagen optimistically. After missing two races, the Dutchman is lining up again in Austria together with Christian Engelhart (25, Germany), who has also already won two races at the Red Bull Ring.

Hot on van Lagen's heels are Kelvin van der Linde (17, South Africa / Prosperia C Abt Racing) and René Rast (27, Germany) in the Audi R8, plus the winners from the Lausitzring race, local driver Dominik Baumann ( 21, Austria / PIXUM Team Schubert ) from Tyrol and Claudia Hürtgen (42 , Germany) in the BMW Z4. Baumann is being careful in the run-up to his home race. "I'm looking forward to my home race, but arriving at the Red Bull Ring with a victory under our belts, as was the case last year, does not in any way simplify our initial start position." Van der Linde's main intention is also to secure points in Austria: "Audi have not been all that strong at the Red Bull Ring in recent years. We hope that we can take a good haul of points from Austria because the tracks that actually suit us are still to come in the second half of the season." Maximilian Buhk (21, Germany/ HTP Motorsport) and Maximilian Götz (28, Germany), who have already achieved two victories, produced a strong performance last year at the Red Bull Ring in the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG and are intent on chasing their third win of the season.

ADAC GT Masters defending champion Daniel Keilwitz (24, Germany / Callaway Competition) is favourite to win the two races. He shares a Corvette with Oliver Gavin (41, Great Britain) and it was his double victory last year at the Red Bull Ring that put him in title contention. "The pressure is naturally high because everyone expects an excellent result at the Red Bull Ring. It's time for the Corvette's first win of the season and I've every confidence that we'll be among the front runners."

Home race for eight Austrians in Austria

Lining up in the Porsche 911 with Robert Renauer (29, Germany), Tyrolean Norbert Siedler (31, Austrian / TONINO Team Herberth) is also determined to achieve a good result in his home race. "Our start to the season did not go as planned," said Siedler. "We had good pace in the first race but had some bad luck. We now need to achieve good results individually."

Siedler and Baumann are not the only Austrians in the field: Daniel Dobitsch (29, Austria / kfzteile24 APR Motorsport) will be at the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS with Florian Stoll (32, Germany) and has so far enjoyed a great start to the season. Porsche driver Herbert Handlos (31, Austria / TONINO Team Herberth) is the most successful Austrian driver this year. Handlos has dominated the Gentlemen standings in the Porsche 911, having won five of six races.

The gang of four Austrians in the ADAC GT Masters will actually be twice as large at the Red Bull Ring. Grasser Racing from Knittelfeld will line up on home turf at the Red Bull Ring with a brace of Lamborghini Gallardos and can boast two proper local drivers: Hari Proczyk (38) from St. Margarethen near Knittelfeld and Gerhard Tweraser (25) from Spielberg itself will share a Gallardo, while Sascha Halek (25) from Vienna and Sandro Bickel (23) from Bludesch will partner up in the second Lamborghini.