Four races, four winners: Keithley and Hasse win at the Red Bull Ring

• Jack Keithley and Florian Hasse triumph in Austria
• Photo finish between Dörr Esports drivers Hasse and Löhner
• Win number two of the season for Emre Cihan in the ADAC GT4 eSports Championship

Munich. The Red Bull Ring kept its promise and produced some action-packed racing and a plethora of overtaking manoeuvres in the ADAC GT Masters eSport Championship powered by EnBW mobility+. Jack Keithley (Williams Esports) claimed his first win of the season in the sprint race, while Florian Hasse (Dörr Esports) won the main race to become the fourth winner in four races. Two-time champion Moritz Löhner (Dörr Esports) finished on the podium in the main race to extend his overall lead in the championship.

Keithley got off to a great start in the sprint race, immediately taking the lead. His Williams team-mate Nikodem Wisniewski slotted in behind him. In contrast, it was a race to forget for pole-setter Marko Pejic (Mahle Racing Team): he first dropped back to sixth place at the start, before ending up at the back of the field following a spin. While the two Williams Esports drivers battled it out at the head of the field, Löhner closed in on the two rivals. A little later, he climbed into second place and proceeded to put pressure on leader Keithley. However, the defending champion slipped up whilst attempting to overtake and left the door open for the cars behind him. Löhner suddenly found himself down in fifth place and was unable to recover any positions before the end of the race. Instead, Tim Jarschel (MRS Esports) and Jeffrey Rietveld (Team Redline) claimed the final two spots on the podium. “That was a crazy race, I am soaked in sweat,” said a relieved Keithley after the race. “I just thought: ‘Is this never going to end?’ I never thought I would be able to hold on to first place.” Marc Gassner (MRS Esports) finished tenth, securing pole position for the main race in the process.

Photo finish in the main race

It initially looked as though Gassner was slow out of the blocks in the 40-minute main race, but the former ADAC GT Masters driver still managed to slot into second place behind Hasse. The two Audi drivers were followed by a squadron of Bentleys, with Löhner in their midst in his Porsche. The Dörr Esports driver opted to come in for his pit stop as early as possible, so as to have a clear track ahead of him. The tactic paid dividends and Löhner found himself third behind team-mates Hasse and Gassner at the end of the pit stop window. From there, he launched his attack on the lead: a little later, Löhner took advantage of a mistake by Gassner to take second place behind his team-mate Hasse. The two Dörr Esports drivers were able to open up a bit of a gap, before producing a thrilling battle for the win, with Hasse eventually coming out on top following a photo finish. “That was a strenuous and exciting race,” said the winner. “Moritz and I, we first managed to pull clear a little, and then it was all-out attack for the final two laps.” Gassner also had to fight hard to defend his third place against Rietveld. “It was a good race,” said Gassner. “If I had been more aggressive, maybe there could have been more in it for me. On the other hand, if you attack too much, the cars behind you can catch up. As such, I am happy.”

In the Pirelli Pole Position Award, the points have so far gone to Löhner (Oschersleben) and Pejic (Red Bull Ring). A surprise prize is in store for the driver with the most pole positions in the 2021 season.

Win number two of the season for Cihan in GT4

The race in the ADAC GT4 eSports Championship followed on from last week’s season-opener in Oschersleben and provided a feast of racing for the fans. Right from the start, Adam Pinczes (Arnage Competition), Emre Cihan (Team Fordzilla) and Alessandro Ottaviani (Virtualdrivers By TX3) were battling it out for the win. Cihan took the lead on lap two and held on to that position through to the finish. In doing so, the Turk secured his second win of the season, ahead of Pinczes and Ottaviani. That trio, together with Ilia Drovossekov (Ballas Esports) and Jonas Wanner (T3 eSports), have now qualified for the next race in Zandvoort.

The ADAC GT Masters sim racers now have a chance to recover from the first two races of the season. Next up is Zandvoort (Netherlands) in four weeks, on 6th July 2021.