Mercedes-Benz sets fastest time in ADAC GT Masters prelude

• Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG prepared by Polarweiss Racing quickest car on track
• Two days of testing at etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
• First public outing for newly developed Ford GT

The ADAC GT Masters is back from its winter break. On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the Super Sports Car League contestants are warming up for the new season at the etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The teams have brought along more than twenty supercars to the official pre-season sessions. Polarweiss Racing got off to the best possible start with their Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, dominating both the morning and the afternoon session. The drivers of the Gullwing are as yet unknown – the line-up will be announced in the course of the official press conference on Wednesday at the etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.

The second and third-fastest times on the first day of testing were set by the two Audi R8s prepared by the newly formed team Prosperia C Abt Racing directed by former DTM driver and 2009 ADAC GT Masters champion Christian Abt. René Rast (26, Frankfurt) and Christopher Mies (23, Heiligenhaus) were timesheet runners-up ahead of their teammates Christer Jöns (25, Ingelheim) and Chris Mamerow (28, Waltrop). “The car feels great, and with regard to the new generation of tyres from YOKOHAMA which we are testing here for the first time, they have made a very good impression,” said Mies, evidently well satisfied after the first day of testing.

The two Dutchman Jeroen den Boer (25) and Simon Knap (24 / DB Motorsport) in their BMW Z4 were fourth fastest on Tuesday ahead of the Porsche 911 driven by Robert Renauer (28, Jedenhofen) and René Bourdeaux (28, Munich / Tonino by Herberth Motorsport) .

Defending ADAC GT Masters champion Asch now with Audi

Sebastian Asch (26) went for a first test run in his new Audi on Tuesday. The reigning champion from Ammerbuch has switched from Mercedes-Benz to an Audi R8 entered by MS RACING as he sets out to defend his title. “It is our first real test with the new Audi here at Oschersleben,” said Asch. “We certainly need to learn a lot about the new car, but the first impression is very positive.”

Premiere for new Ford GT

Lambda Performance brought along the newly developed Ford GT for its ADAC GT Masters public debut. The team from Wiesbaden has developed a completely new and spectacular version of the American sports car icon for the 2013 ADAC GT Masters season and is using several drivers to test it out. But the new Ford GT is not the only car attracting special attention at Oschersleben; the Porsche and Audi teams have also turned up with strongly enhanced versions of the R8 and the 911.

Stefan Wendl and Frank Link chosen as team representatives

Also on the agenda for Tuesday evening was the election of the two team representatives who will uphold the interests of the teams on the ADAC GT Masters Committee. The team principals chose Stefan Wendl (Team Manager Schubert Motorsport) and Frank Link (Team Manager Prosperia C. Abt Racing) as their representatives. The ADAC GT Masters Committee is the official body that deals with sporting, technical and organisational aspects of the series. The ADAC GT Masters Committee is composed of members from the ADAC, the DMSB, the teams and the race organisers.

The ADAC GT Masters pre-season tests continue on Wednesday with a press conference.

Top Ten on Tuesday:

1. TBA/TBA (Polarweiss Racing-Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3), 01:27.510 mins
2. René Rast / Christopher Mies (Prosperia C. Abt Racing-Audi R8 LMS ultra) +0.608 sec
3. Chris Mamerow / Christer Jöns (Prosperia C. Abt Racing-Audi R8 LMS ultra) +0.879 sec
4. Jeroen den Boer / Simon Knap (DB Motorsport, BMW Z4 GT3), +0.896 sec
5. Robert Renauer / René Bourdeaux (Tonino by Herberth Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R), +1.109 sec
6. Claudia Hürtgen / Dominik Baumann (Schubert Motorsport, BMW Z4 GT3), +1.184 sec
7. Max Sandritter / Jörg Müller (Schubert Motorsport, BMW Z4 GT3), +1.191 sec
8. Christian Hohenadel / Andreas Wirth (Callaway Competition, Corvette Z06.R GT3), +1.217 sec
9. Mario Farnbacher / Philipp Frommenwiler (Farnbacher Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R), +1.277 sec
10. Christina Nielsen / Allan Simonsen (Farnbacher Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R), +1.298 sec