Championship leader extends the lead

There were plenty of actions when Round 7 of ADAC GT Masters was run in the Netherlands.

Callaway Competition Corvette #77 started on Pole Position ahead of Aust Motorsport Audi #3, Mercedes-AMG Team Zakspeed #21 and GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini #19. That made it four different brands in the first four places, in the 27 cars big field in Zandvoort.

There was drama on the formation lap, when Land Motorsport Audi #2 stopped, giving the race an extra formation lap, to get the Audi removed. That reduced the race distance to 57 minutes.

Shortly into the race there was a contact between BWT Mücke Motorsport Audi #24 and YACO Racing Audi #50 and both had to retire.

Jules Gounon in #77 was under hard pressure from Luca Stolz in #21, who had passed Marcus Pommer in #3 on the first lap. No further position changes happened between them, before the mandatory pitstop.

BWT Mücke Motorsport Audi #26 got a slight spin after Nikolaj Rogivue in Mercedes-AMG Team Zakspeed #20 touched the rear panel of the car. There was an investigation of the incident, but no further action was decided.

Callaway Competition #77
Photo: Gruppe C Photography

GRT Grasser Racing Team #19 was the first of the leading cars to go to the pits.

Zakspeed #20 grabbed more attention from the race officials, when they were 0,1 of a second too fast in their mandatory pitstop. So that gave them a drive-through penalty, taking them out of any potentially good result. One lap later their teammates in #21 went to the pits too – and made the exact same error! Drive-through penalty for both cars – that is very bad team management, not only making a mistake, but also repeating it.

#08 got a drive-through penalty for being too fast in the pits when the Audi Sport racing academy driver Ricardo Feller handed the car over to Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky.

Callaway Competition #77 kept the lead after the pitstop, ahead of GRT Grasser Racing Team #19, who had jumped ahead of Aust Motorsport #3 during the pitstop sequence. With Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport #48 in fourth, we still had four brands in top four of the race.

Attempto Racing Lamborghini #66 and MRS GT-Racing Nissan #22 collided with a bit more than 20 minutes left of the race. That gave so much damage to the Lambo with Emil Lindholm, that it had to retire, while Marc Gassner could continue.

HB Racing WDS Bau #7 got a puncture with just 14 minutes left of the race.

BWT Mücke Motorsport #26
Photo: Gruppe C Photography

With 10 minutes of the race there was a huge drama, when the GRT Grasser Racing #19 got a tire explosion at high speed. That send Mirko Bortolotti into the gravel, and put the Safety Car on the track. The was so much debris on the track, and it was most likely one of those that made his rear tire explode. 

The clean up work too so long, that there was only two minutes left of the race, when the race was going green again. Instantly Luca Ludwig in #20 past Philipp Eng in #42 in the battle for fifth position.

Sven Müller in Precote Herberth Motorsport Porsche #99 tried to make a last lap overtaking, but missed his braking point and had to go through the gravel, not to hit the cars ahead.

Callaway Competition #77 won the race ahead of Aust Motorsport #3 and Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport #48. That made it two Dutch drivers on the podium in first and third, with Renger van der Zande and Indy Dontje. Van der Zande replaced Daniel Keilwitz in #77, who had to miss this race due to a broken leg – read more here.

Round 8 of ADAC GT Masters will be run on Sunday.

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