ADAC GT Masters comeback in the Netherlands

• ADAC GT Masters to line up on Zandvoort track in the dunes
• First foreign leg of 2014 ADAC GT Masters season
• Flying Dutchmen fight for prestige on home turf

Sand, sea, wind and a strong field in the North Sea dunes with supercars that can pump out as much as 650bhp – the ADAC GT Masters is gearing up for its return to the Netherlands next weekend (May 9th-11th) after a spectacular season opener at the etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The Super Sports Car League returns to the challenging Zandvoort race track set among the dunes of the North Sea after a one-year break. The second race weekend of the season will take the ADAC GT Masters to the well established track north of Amsterdam for the first of three sets of races to be staged outside of Germany this year.

Key facts, Circuit Park Zandvoort / NL, Races 3 und 4

Track length: 4,320 metres
Layout: 13 turns, racing in clockwise direction
Winners 2012 Race 1: Diego Alessi/Daniel Keilwitz (Corvette Z06.R GT3)
Winners 2012 Race 2: Simon Knap/Jeroen den Boer (BMW Z4 GT3)
ADAC GT Masters from Zandvoort live on TV: Both races from Zandvoort will be broadcast live and in full on Saturday and Sunday by kabel eins in ran Racing magazine, beginning at 11:45 am.

Who will win this first ADAC GT Masters event to be held on foreign soil in 2014?

Corvette and BMW shared the spoils of victory as the ADAC GT Masters debuted at Zandvoort in 2012. Despite the BMW Z4’s excellent showing two years ago, Claudia Hürtgen (42, Germany / PIXUM Team Schubert), who is the most successful lady driver in the series, thinks that there are any number of favourites for the two races: “Our BMW Z4 was excellent in Zandvoort two years ago, but much has happened in the meantime and I’m dying to see how things ultimately turn out in Zandvoort.”

ADAC GT Masters title defender Diego Alessi (42 Italy / Callaway Competition) also has fond memories of the classic circuit. He secured a race win two years ago in the Netherlands and lines up this season in a Corvette with Patrick Assenheimer (22, Germany). “I really like Zandvoort. Fast, long drawn-out turns, old kerbstones, tarmac with plenty of grip, traditional pit buildings and small run-off areas to boot – that’s just how a race track ought to be. Since the circuit is just next to the North Sea, you must always keep an eye on the weather, because conditions by the sea can change in an instant, as everyone knows.”

Audi drivers René Rast (27, Germany / Prosperia C Abt Racing) and Kelvin van der Linde (17, South Africa) travel to the North Sea with a win to their names after the season opener. Rast is optimistic about their chances for the first foreign leg: “I’ve never driven in an ADAC GT Masters race at Zandvoort before, but I’m sure that the track will really suit our Audi.” Van der Linde, who achieved pole position and victory on his first ADAC GT Masters race weekend, is of the same opinion: “Zandvoort will certainly be a good track for our Audi R8, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have another good weekend, as in Oschersleben. Zandvoort is new to me, but learning new tracks has never been a problem in the past.”

Heinz-Harald Frentzen hoping for a good points haul by the sea

Ex-Formula 1 world championship runner-up Heinz-Harald Frentzen (46, Germany / HTP Motorsport) is returning to the ADAC GT Masters in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG after a one-year break and hopes to achieve a good result on the North Sea coast. Frentzen and his young team-mate Luca Stolz (18, Germany) placed seventh at the first race weekend in Oschersleben. The two Mercedes drivers intend to do even better in Zandvoort.

Who will be the quickest Dutchman in Zandvoort?

There will be four Dutch drivers in the Zandvoort field, all fighting for prestige on their home turf. Jaap van Lagen (37, Netherlands / GW IT Racing Team // Schütz Motorsport), lining up with Porsche Carrera Cup champion Kévin Estre (25, France) in Zandvoort, made an impressive debut in the Porsche 911, achieving two podiums at the Oschersleben season opener and intends to finish on the podium again in his home race.

Ex-DTM driver Jeroen Bleekemolen (32, Netherlands / Callaway Competition) grew up close to the circuit and knows the Zandvoort track better than anyone else. “There’s probably not another person on the planet who has posted as many laps at Zandvoort as I have,” he said. Partnered with Toni Seiler (56, Switzerland) in a Corvette, Bleekemolen aims to achieve much more than another win in the Gentlemen class in his home race. On the other hand, securing points in the Gentlemen category is paramount for Wolf Nathan (45, Netherlands / GW IT Racing Team // Schütz Motorsport) and Anton Wossos (48, Greece), lining up in a Porsche 911.

Peter Kox (50, Netherlands / Reiter Engineering) will have the engine in front of him and not behind in his home race. He will be switching from a mid-engine Lamborghini to the mighty, front-engine Chevrolet Camaro to line up with Albert von Thurn und Taxis (30, Germany) – so the two ADAC GT Masters champions from the 2010 season will be reunited as they share a car once again.

ADAC GT Masters from Zandvoort on TV:

kabel eins:
Sat, 10th May
11:45 – 12:00 LIVE – Warm-up
12:00 – 13:00 LIVE – Race 1
13:00 – 13:10 LIVE - Highlights
16:35 – 16:45 NEWS Highlights*

Sun, 11th May
11:45 – 12:00 LIVE – Warm-up
12:00 – 13:00 LIVE – Race 2
13:00 – 13:10 LIVE – Highlights
16:10 – 16:20 NEWS Highlights*

Mon, 12th May 02:15 – 02:30 ran Racing ADAC GT Masters Magazine
Wed, 14th May 02:05 – 02:21 ran Racing ADAC GT Masters Magazine
*the day’s highlights from the ADAC GT Masters will be broadcast following the news on kabel eins


SPORT1 / SPORT1+
Fri, 16th May 12:00 – 13:00 SPORT1 ADAC GT Masters Magazine (provisional)
Sat, 17th May 18:15 – 19:00 SPORT1+ ADAC GT Masters Magazine (provisional)

Motors TV
Mon, 19th May 01:00 – 02:00 Recorded footage (provisional)

ran.de
Sat, 10th May 11.45 – 13:10: ran Racing – Live stream at ran.de
Sun, 11th May 11:45 – 13:10: ran Racing – Live stream at ran.de

Tickets (including access to the paddock) start at €20.00.

Fans who prefer to experience the ADAC GT Masters live at the track can obtain tickets in advance starting at 20 euros (includes access to the paddock). Tickets are available online at www.adac.de/motorsport from all ADAC branch offices, online at www.eventim.de or from one of the more than 20,000 Eventim outlets in Europe.

All 16 races of the ADAC GT Masters will again be broadcast live and in full throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland on kabel eins during 2014.