Tales from the Slovakia Ring paddock

• Title favourite Mikkel Jensen does everything by twos in Slovakia
• Young lady puts in big effort at Mücke Motorsport
• Glimpse of the future: Demo laps with Formula 4 cars

Slovakia Ring: The Slovakia Ring hosted the fifth of eight Formel ADAC race weekends (8th - 10th August) being held in the context of the 2014 ADAC GT Masters season. Around 10,000 fans came through the gates to watch the three races contested by the young undergraduates of ADAC High Speed Academy.

Jensen to the power of two: With a double pole, two podiums and two fastest laps, Mikkel Jensen enjoyed a highly successful weekend at Slovakia Ring. A fifth victory and tenth podium finish of the season further consolidated the Danish youngster's championship lead over his main rival for the title, Maximilian Günther. Jensen tops the table after the 15th race of the current campaign on 54 points, having doubled his tally from before the start of the race weekend.

Looking to the future: In the run-up to the Slovakia Ring race weekend, the ADAC organised a demo drive for two Formula 4 cars. Formel ADAC is to be replaced by the ADAC Formula 4 series with effect from the start of the 2014 season. Chassis from two manufacturers - Mygale and Tatuus - went on display. Driving the two cars were reigning Formel ADAC champion Alessio Picariello and Neuhauser Racing Team principal Hannes Neuhauser.

Young talents causing a stir: In Race 3 at the Slovakia Ring, the first four drivers across the finish line were rookies. The delighted winner was Tim Zimmermann. The Neuhauser Racing junior claimed his maiden Formel ADAC victory after starting from ninth on the grid. Sharing the podium with the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé were Lotus youngsters Joel Eriksson and Dennis Marschall. The configuration also meant that all of the race-winning newcomers to this year's competition were united on a single platform. Fourth place went to Mücke Motorsport rookie Philip Hamprecht.

A rose amongst thorns: Motorsport is traditionally a male preserve, but more and more ambitious females are making a breakthrough into the world of racing. And also off the track, as Laura Rycer demonstrated. The 16-year-old schoolgirl made the trip to Slovakia with Mücke Motorsport and helped out actively with all the jobs that had to be done. From changing tyres to driver support, Laura joined in enthusiastically: "When I'm at home, I enjoy messing about with my moped anyway. It was a great experience working with a real racing team."

Highly competitive series: The three Formel ADAC races at the Slovakia Ring were a keenly contested affair, with the names of three different drivers going into the record books: Mikkel Jensen (Neuhauser Racing), Fabian Schiller (Schiller Motorsport) and Tim Zimmermann (Neuhauser Racing). The Top Five was also an evenly matched encounter, as places went to five different teams for the first time in the 2014 season. This was due in part to Igor Walilko and JBR Motorsport & Engineering achieving their best result of the campaign. The Polish youngster finished fifth in both of the first two races, securing the highest placing for his team since its entry into Formel ADAC.

Good omen for home race: After a fairly mediocre run, Fabian Schiller has staged an impressive return to form. The Schiller Motorsport youngster claimed his second win of the season at the Slovakia Ring. The Siegburg-based outfit is now feeling decidedly upbeat about its forthcoming home fixture at the Nürburgring (29th - 31st August 2014). Schiller junior is just eleven points adrift of third place in the championship. "This success at the Slovakia Ring is the perfect build-up to our home race," said Fabian. "We can go one better on this performance. Our stated aim at the Nürburgring is another victory."