Mercedes-Benz duo Götz & Buhk hold strongest hand in title chase

• Championship contenders Götz and Buhk on front row for both races
• Second pole position in succession for Frank Kechele in Ford GT
• Jeroen Bleekemolen to start from pole position in final race of season

The ADAC GT Masters title chase has got even more exciting after qualifying for the two deciding races at Hockenheim (Saturday and Sunday, live on kabel eins, coverage commencing at midday local time). Of the eleven drivers still in with a chance of being crowned champions on Sunday, Maximilian Buhk (20) and Maximilian Götz (27) sharing the cockpit of a Polarweiss Racing Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG now hold the strongest hand. Currently placed second in the standings, they will be starting from P2 in both races. Pole position for Saturday’s race went to Frank Kechele (27) in the Lambda Performance Ford GT. Dutch ace Jeroen Bleekemolen (31) in a Callaway Competition Corvette booked the best place in the starting line-up for the closing race of the 2013 ADAC GT Masters campaign.

Kechele secures second consecutive pole position

Kechele underscored his reputation as a champion in this discipline during the qualifying for the penultimate race of the season. Kechele drove to his second consecutive pole in the Ford GT and for the third time this season will be in the best possible starting position on Saturday. The Ford driver comfortably took top slot, beating his own best time yet again on the following lap. In the end, the Ford finished 0.358 seconds up on Götz in the Mercedes-Benz. “It feels very good to be on pole again at the end of the season,” said Kechele after achieving his eighth pole position in the ADAC GT Masters. “I hope that we can now translate our good qualifying result into a decent finish in the race. A podium is the minimum that we’re aiming for.”

René Rast (26, Germany/ Prosperia C Abt Racing) put his Audi R8 on the second row, while local driver David Jahn (22, Germany / Farnbacher Racing) qualified his Porsche 911 in P4 on the grid. Porsche driver Robert Renauer (28, Germany / Tonino powered by Herberth Motorsport), who, together with Buhk/Götz, is the main rival of championship leaders Diego Alessi (41, Italy) and Daniel Keilwitz (24, Germany / Callaway Competition), will start from fifth place on the grid.

Alessi/Keilwitz are in grid position ten on Saturday and have a chance of winning the title ahead of the final race. However, Alessi does not believe that will happen: “After today’s qualifying, I think that it will all hinge on Sunday’s race.”

Second start of the season and second pole for Bleekemolen

Bleekemolen had the best tactics in qualifying for the ADAC GT Masters finale on Sunday. The Dutchman went out on the circuit very early in his Corvette and benefited from an almost clear track. Bleekemolen, who had previously secured the best starting position at the Nürburgring, was himself a little surprised about his pole. “I was taking no chances and went out early. The best times are actually posted at the end of the session, but by then, the risk of being unlucky with a yellow flag period is always higher and you can’t improve your lap. Our car was not great in practice today. I had to fight the car a fair bit in qualifying and really didn’t expect this pole position.”

For the Dutchman, though, it was definitely very close. Buhk in the Mercedes-Benz had several attempts at pole but lost out ultimately by only 0.093 seconds. The second row went to Dominik Schwager (37, Germany / Lambda Performance) in the Ford GT and Keilwitz. The two Audi R8s of Christopher Mies (24, Germany) and Christopher Haase (26, Germany/ both Prosperia C Abt Racing) will start the race directly behind them. Martin Ragginger (25, Austria / Tonino powered by Herberth Motorsport), team-mate of title contender Renauer, will start from P11 on the grid on Sunday.

Championship leader Keilwitz was satisfied with qualifying: “It went very well for us. Grid position four in the finale is a good position. A Ford victory on Saturday would be brilliant as far as our championship ambitions are concerned, because they are not in the running.”

Placed fourth in the standings, Claudia Hürtgen (42, Germany) and Dominik Baumann (20, Austria / PIXUM Team Schubert) in the BMW Z4 will be in grid positions eight and seven.

Result: Qualifying 1 (Top Five)

1. Frank Kechele (Lambda Performance, Ford GT), 01:39.744 mins
2. Maximilian Götz (Polarweiss Racing, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3), +0.358 sec
3. René Rast (Prosperia C Abt Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra), +0.427 sec
4. David Jahn (Farnbacher Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R), +0.545 sec
5. Robert Renauer (Tonino powered by Herberth Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R), +0.598 sec

Result: Qualifying 2 (Top Five)

1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (Callaway Competition, Corvette Z06.R GT3), 01:39.806 mins
2. Maximilian Buhk (Polarweiss Racing, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3), +0.093 sec
3. Dominik Schwager (Lambda Performance, Ford GT), +0.106 sec
4. Daniel Keilwitz (Callaway Competition, Corvette Z06.R GT3), +0.323 sec
5. Christopher Mies (Prosperia C Abt Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra), +0.365 sec