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Oliver Runschke
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Kay-Oliver Langendorff
Leiter Partnerschaften, Kooperationen & Sponsoring
Leiter Kommunikation Motorsport & Klassik
Tel.: +49 (0)89-7676 6936
Mobil: +49 (0)171-555 5936
E-Mail: kay.langendorff@adac.de
10.06.2013 - ADAC Formel Masters
Tales from the Sachsenring paddock
- Local driver Florian Herzog with his best performance of season
- Exam success, then race victory wraps up super weekend for Hendrik Grapp
- Extremely competitive field: Eight different drivers share podium honours
Hohenstein-Ernstthal – The third race weekend of the 2013 season (7th-9th June) brought the drivers of ADAC’s high-speed academy to Germany’s Sachsenring. 12,400 spectators were at the ADAC GT Masters and watched some exciting Formel ADAC racing produce three different winners. Local driver Florian Herzog secured his first points of the season on home turf.
Home advantage gives Herzog an extra boost: Florian Herzog enjoyed his most successful race weekend of the season at the Sachsenring, which is only 90 kilometres from his home in Dresden. The KUG Motorsport driver finished in the points three times in a row and was even on pole for the third race. “I’m very happy to have notched up my first points of the season, especially in front of my home crowd,” said a delighted Herzog. Herzog made the biggest charge up through the field in the first race, moving up seven places over 18 laps.
Exam success: Well done, Hendrik Grapp! As well as taking part in the Formel ADAC, the Mücke driver achieved excellent results in his end of school exams with an average score of 1.9. His best result was top marks in his favourite subject, physics. “I’m applying to study physics at university, as it’s a subject that I really enjoy,” said the Berlin-based driver. Grapp may also take a completely different career path though: “I love animals and am interested in medicine, so studying to be a vet might also be a possibility.” Whether Grapp becomes the next Albert Einstein, Dr Dolittle or maybe even follows in Michael Schumacher’s footsteps, the world is his oyster.
Herzog lends a hand: Whenever help is needed, Florian Herzog is ready. The KUG Motorsport driver lives in Dresden, one of the cities worst hit by flooding. For the junior driver, it was a matter of course to pitch in and help out in his home town. “When I saw people needing help, I wanted to do my bit,” said Herzog. He was highly delighted by the new found sense of community: “It was great to see young people rolling up their sleeves and working together.”
It’s a simulator, of course: Formula 1 driving simulators normally cost millions of euros, but Kim Alexander Giersiepen and Martin Gatz from Team KSW Motorsport have discovered another, more affordable way to gain driving experience. The two junior drivers stick their mobile phones to the steering wheels of their Formel ADAC open-wheel racing cars and use a game app on their phones to drive ‘virtually’ along the track. “The steering wheel’s feedback isn’t all that great, but it’s still a lot of fun,” said Giersiepen with a chuckle. “And it’s a good way to pass time when we’re not racing.” This shows that Formel ADAC youngsters are always keen to be out on track, foot down to the boards, and also shows ingenuity.
Intense competition: The third race weekend of the Formel ADAC saw drivers from three different countries taste victory at the historic Sachsenring track – Germany’s Hendrik Grapp, championship leader Alessio Picariello from Belgium and Dutch Red Bull junior Beitske Visser. This demonstrates how evenly matched the ADAC high-speed academy’s racers are in terms of performance. The nine podium places were divided up between eight drivers in total.
