News from the Red Bull Ring paddock

• Local favourite Thomas Jäger in two spectacular pursuits and one podium finish
• Gustav Malja dislodges Marvin Kirchhöfer as championship leader
• Three winners from different national backgrounds and teams in three races

Spielberg – The young talents of Formel ADAC lined up for the fifth race weekend (10th - 12th August) of the 2012 season at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. The second foreign excursion for the junior series this year was watched by 9,700 fans at the Red Bull Ring in the province of Styria. Drivers from three different countries and teams took pride of place on the podium: Roy Nissany (17, Israel, Mücke Motorsport), Alessio Picariello (18, Belgium, G&J / Schiller Motorsport) and Marvin Kirchhöfer (18, Leipzig, Lotus).

Deposed: For the first 13 races of the season, Marvin Kirchhöfer headed the Formel ADAC standings, but this weekend, he had to cede the leadership to Gustav Malja. While Kirchhöfer was having a torrid time at the Red Bull Ring, failing to finish in the first race and coming a lowly seventh in the second, his Swedish title rival was celebrating two podium appearances. Kirchhöfer may have come back strongly in Race 3 with a win, but Malja still emerges from the weekend as new leader with a two-point advantage. “It’s an incredible feeling that I’ve never experienced before,” said Malja. “Ideally, I would like to defend this lead through to the end of the season.”

Spectacular home race: Competing in front of your home fans is always a special thrill for any racing driver, as Thomas Jäger will certainly testify. The local lad had prepared thoroughly for the three races at the Red Bull Ring, but in qualifying, it all seemed to go wrong as he found himself starting from P17 and P15 in the first two races. But undeterred, the Neuhauser driver staged two furious pursuits to finish fifth and fourth, making up an impressive 33 places in the process. In the third race, Jäger at last secured a coveted podium finish in front of his family and friends.

Praised be Nissany: “This is the greatest day in the motor racing history of Israel,” said Boaz Korpel. The veteran Israeli TV journalist was elated on Saturday at the Red Bull Ring as first ATS Formel-3-Cup driver Alon Day finished in the Top Three and then Roy Nissany celebrated his maiden victory in the Formel ADAC series. Boaz was reporting for the Israeli Sports Channel which is beamed live to five million households.

First step on the ladder: Cora Schumacher, who was competing in the MINI TROPHY support series in the ADAC Masters Weekend at the Red Bull Ring, also took a lively interest in the young talents of Formel ADAC. “A long time ago, I had the opportunity to compete in single-seater racing,” said the wife of ex-Formula 1 and current DTM driver Ralf Schumacher. “This is an excellent way for young and motivated drivers to start out on their career.”

Getting in the mood: On the Wednesday before the race weekend, drivers from the ADAC GT Masters and Formel ADAC put in a guest appearance at the Arena am Waldfeld shopping centre in nearby Fohnsdorf. Not content with just signing autographs, local favourite Thomas Jäger performed some demo laps on a specially marked out track, whetting the appetite of the crowd for the forthcoming action at the Red Bull Ring.

Happy supporters: In their home race at the Red Bull Ring, Neuhauser Racing put in a great performance to secure three podium places. Team boss Hannes Neuhauser purchased tickets at his own expense for around 50 members of the Motorsportclub Aschau in nearby Zillertal, a gesture that was much appreciated. “They had a whale of a time,” said a delighted Neuhauser. And for good reason: “Our driver Gustav Malja arrived on Friday 20 points behind the championship leader. He left Spielberg on Sunday with a two-point advantage. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Racing line: Playing an important role this weekend were the white lines marking the track boundary which the drivers nonetheless repeatedly infringed. Anyone straying across them four times or more in a race was hit with a drive-through penalty. Mücke Motorsport had taken precautions. “We have a section on our pit board which shows the driver how many times he has gone off track,” revealed Jason Kremer. An idea that was copied by all teams this weekend.

Double luck: Nici Pohler surprised everyone at the season opener with his choice of a cuddly pig as a good luck charm. The KUG Motorsport driver has remained true to his companion as the second half of the season gets underway, albeit with a crafty substitution: the original porker stays in the team marquee during the race while Pohler drives with a fire-resistant version of the little animal in his cockpit.