There were changes aplenty at the top of ADAC GT Masters, when the third race weekend was held at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Prior to the weekend, Precote Herberth Motorsport #99 with Sven Müller and Robert Renauer was leading the Championship, but they were in for a tough weekend.
In the Saturday qualifying session we saw Callaway Competition #77 with Jules Gounon and Daniel Keilwitz take Pole Position in their blue and white Corvette C6R GT3, with BWT Mücke Motorsport Mercedes-AMG #26 with Lucas Auer and Sebastian Asch in second ahead of Precote Herberth Motorsport #99.
Nobody could keep up with Callaway Competition #77, who led from lights to flag, but RWT Racing #13 in another Corvette C6R GT3 driven by Sven Barth and Maximilian Hackländer finished second followed by BMW Team Schnitzer #42 with Ricky Collard and Philipp Eng.
Precote Herberth Motorsport was on their way to a good finish, but a too short pitstop at the mandatory drive change, gave them a drive-through penalty, resulting them in only finishing 12th.
The race had to be red-flagged for 15 minutes when Alex Macdowall in Schütz Motorsport Porsche #36 hit the wall at high speed, after a collision with Montaplast by Land Motorsport Audi #2. The rest of the weekend was with Macdowall and teammate Klaus Bachler on the sideline, because they Porsche 911 GT3 R had received too much damage and was impossible to repair for Sunday.
Sunday was a brand new day, and another qualifying session. Just like at Lausitzring, at the previous round, GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini #63 was fastest of all. Christian Engelhart put down the fastest lap while teammate Rolf Ineichen could look on from the pits. Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport #84 with Patrick Assenheimer and Maximilian Götz started second and Mercedes-AMG Team Zakspeed #21 with Luca Stolz and Luca Ludwig in third. Yesterday’s winners Callaway Competition #77 only qualified 8th.
GRT Grasser Racing Team #63 jumped away at the front of the field, and was leading by 10 seconds, before the engine started to misfire. That gave the team some nervous moments, but finally Rolf Ineichen was able to bring it home with three and a half seconds gab to Lucas Auer and Sebastian Asch in BWT Mücke Motorsport Mercedes-AMG #26 followed by Callaway Competition #77.
Photo: Gruppe C Photography
It was Callway Competition #77 drivers Gounon and Keilwitz who could leave the Red Bull Ring with the biggest smile on their faces, since they are now leading the ADAC GT Masters Drivers Championship, with quite a big margin to Philipp Eng and Ricky Collard in BMW Team Schnitzer #42, while Precote Herberth Motorsport #99 drivers Sven Müller and Robert Renauer are still third.
In the Teams Championship we have Callaway Competition leading ahead of GRT Grasser Racing Team and BMW Team Schnitzer.
The next round of ADAC GT Masters will be held at Zandvoort on July 21st-23rd.
