Interview Championship leader Engelhart: It is going to be incredibly close

• Final push in the ADAC GT Masters with four races in two weeks
• Porsche driver Engelhart leads championship by 25 points

An almost perfect Indian summer for Christian Engelhart (25, Kösching): Three wins in four races with co-driver Nick Tandy (27, GB) in the Porsche 911 prepared by Team Geyer & Weinig IT / Schütz Motorsport took the ADAC GT Masters newcomers to the top of the table. It's the final sprint to the end of the season and, with only four races remaining, Engelhart has a 25-point lead on Mercedes-Benz pair Sebastian Asch (26, Amerbuch) / Maximilian Götz (26, Uffenheim / kfzteile24 MS RACING Team). Engelhart talks about his title chances in the run-up to the 'semi-final' in the League of Super Sports Cars at the Nürburgring (14th to 16th September).

Do you think you've got the title in the bag with four races to go before the end of the season, or is it still just a dream for the future?

"Of course, from my current position, I think I'm in with an excellent chance of securing the title since I've got quite a good lead at the top of the standings. Nobody expected this season to turn out so well for us. Now we need to see that we bring home the bacon and the title in the next four races. One thing is for sure: It will be an incredibly close-run thing."

This year is your first full season in the ADAC GT Masters, have you now more than achieved your personal goals?

"We wanted to establish ourselves as a new team in the series and win races, which we have done. You're always on a learning curve with a new team. But to be this successful in our first season is simply sensational. We are a small team with very limited resources which we utilise to the maximum, thanks in no small way to our team partners, IT consultancy firm Geyer & Weinig. As IT and consulting professionals, Geyer & Weinig give us an added impetus to succeed in motor racing and help us optimise our processes."

Did you not think that you were taking a big risk in entering a new team in the ADAC GT Masters just before the start of the season?

"There's always a risk involved, but this was as good a year as any to make a start in the ADAC GT Masters. Competitors in the ADAC GT Masters are using Yokohama tyres for the first time this season, which meant that everyone competing in the series was on new rubber at the beginning of the season. The decision to join the line-up in the ADAC GT Masters was made very late in my case, and things finally fell into place just one week before the start of the season. Nevertheless, the timing was ideal, because all participants were in the same boat, at least as far as tyres were concerned, and choice of rubber is a major factor."

The Porsche 911 was the car to beat in the previous races, winning four races in a row. What makes Porsche so strong at the moment?

"The circuits are certainly a factor. The Red Bull Ring is tailor-made for the Porsche as is the Lausitzring, where you exit from two sharp turns onto two long straights, providing an ideal opportunity to fully exploit the 911's superb traction from its rear-mounted engine. In addition, unlike in previous years, plenty of excellent drivers are running Porsches. A lot of expert drivers from the Porsche Cups are now contesting the ADAC GT Masters. Porsche has a special position in this respect, because, as a result of the numerous Porsche series, there is a large pool of brilliant drivers who are incredibly quick in a 911. Another point that is extremely important: Our Porsche has been very reliable."

Your team-mate Nick Tandy had to miss the Nürburgring race, which means he's behind you in the table and in any case, as your team-mate, he has no chance of taking the title. How do you both deal with this particular situation?

"It's a pity that we have no chance of securing the title jointly, but we see ourselves as a team. If it all works out for me with the title, then in my eyes and also as regards the team, Nick has clearly secured a moral victory."

The next race at the Nürburgring will be very testing as regards the title fight. What do you expect in the Eifel?

"The two races at the Nürburgring should be very exciting. I think that the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMGs will be the cars to beat, led chiefly by Sebastian Asch and Maximilian Götz, with whom we have already had some terrific scraps this season. You must not forget either that Asch and Götz secured pole position in both races at the Nürburgring this July. The title fight will come to a head at the Nürburgring."