Kirchhöfer first winner of the 2012 Formel ADAC season

• Marvin Kirchhöfer wins first race of the season from fourth place on the grid at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
• Kirchhöfer: “My first win – I'm just lost for words!”
• Two Lotus drivers on the podium at the team's home race in Oschersleben
• Jason Kremer moves seven places up the field to finish second

Motorsport Arena Oschersleben – Race 1
Date: 31 March 2012
Race: 1/24
Weather: Showers, 7°C Streckenlänge: 3.696 km
Pole position: Jeffrey Schmidt
Laps: 15
Winner: Marvin Kirchhöfer
Fastest Lap: Marvin Kirchhöfer (1:30.358)

Oschersleben – Marvin Kirchhöfer (17, Leipzig, Lotus) is the first winner in the 2012 Formel ADAC season. At the first race in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, the junior driver, who is supported by the ADAC Sports Foundation, moved up three positions from fourth place to secure 25 points in his debut race in the junior series and the lead in the championship. “My first win in the Formel ADAC – I'm simply lost for words,” said a delighted Kirchhöfer. “Things went really well for me right from the start.”

At the Magdeburg circuit, Jason Kremer (17, Bonn, Mücke Motorsport) crossed the finish line in second place ahead of pole setter Jeffrey Schmidt (18, Switzerland, Lotus). Team Lotus, based in Oschersleben, enjoyed a successful debut in the new season with two podium finishes. Florian Herzog (18, Dresden, Mücke Motorsport) made a strong start. The rookie finished the first race in fourth position from eleventh place on the grid.

The field was given a thorough sorting-out during the first lap: Kirchhöfer quickly moved up two positions from fourth place and overtook race leader Schmidt on the opening lap. On subsequent laps, the Lotus driver secured the lead from Kremer and Beitske Visser (17, NL, Lotus), who had also moved up two places from her fifth grid position at the start but was given a 30-second time penalty after the race for failing to sit out a drive-through penalty in the pits. She was consigned to ninth position as a result.

Rain began to fall for the first time during the race on the seventh lap, which also served to make things tricky for the young drivers at the season opener. Shortly after, Roy Nissany and Clemente Picariello collided after an exciting scrap. Israeli driver Nissany’s race came to an early end. His opponent, Picariello, dropped back a few positions and was given a drive-through penalty for the incident. Like Nissany, Sebastian Balthasar and Kim Alexander Giersiepen also failed to make the chequered flag after exiting onto the gravel.

The next race for the young drivers contesting the Formel ADAC is on Sunday at 11:20CET.

Comments from the Top 3 drivers

Marvin Kirchhöfer, Winner:
„My first win in the Formel ADAC – I'm just lost for words. Everything went really well right from the start. I must admit that I was a bit on edge before the start of the race: all those lights and traffic lights, as a rookie, it was all most unusual. After the start, though, everything went like clockwork and now I'm just very happy.“

Jason Kremer, Second:
„We had a few problems in qualifying, so I had to start the first race from ninth place on the grid. I can be really satisfied with my second place. The start went really great for me and I moved up a few positions going into the first turn. From then on, things just got better. I was able to maintain my position as it began to rain in the later stages, taking a comfortable second place.“

Jeffrey Schmidt, Third:
„It’s unfortunate that I didn’t turn my pole position into my first win in the Formel ADAC. I had hoped for a race in the wet, but it was dry initially. I had some problems after the start and needed a while to get used to the conditions. Although I closed on the race leaders, I left it too late to go on a charge. Third place in Race 1, however, is OK.“