MUNICH — Excitement awaits the finale of the ADAC GT Masters at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg.
From October 3-5, the final two races of the season will take place at the historic Baden circuit as part of the DTM. The new 2025 ADAC GT Masters champions will be decided in two 60-minute sprint races in the classic Ford versus BMW racing series.
The decisions in the Pro-AM Cup, the “Road-to-DTM”, the team classification, and the Silver Cup are also still pending.
For the 13th time in the history of the ADAC GT Masters, the finale will take place in Hockenheim, and fans can prepare for a thrilling duel. In the drivers’ standings, Salman Owega (20, Cologne) and Finn Wiebelhaus (19, Obertshausen, both Haupt Racing Team) lead the Ford Mustang GT3 with 180 points.
Their rivals, Leyton Fourie (20, RSA) and Tim Zimmermann (29, Langenargen) of FK Performance Motorsport, follow with 140 points in their BMW M4 GT3 Evo. For his closest rival, Zimmermann, his focus is clear at his home race, despite the numerous guests: “I have to try to distance myself a bit; after all, we’re fighting for the championship. I’m not putting any pressure on myself; I’m just driving and seeing where we end up. It’s not over until it’s over.”
Teammate Fourie is also taking this approach. He calls Hockenheim his second home track because he’s completed more laps there than at almost any other circuit.
“Starting the final weekend as second in the championship is definitely motivating for me. Finn and Salman are first and have something to lose. Our job is to put them under pressure,” explained the ADAC GT Masters rookie.
“My qualifying sessions there are usually very good. I’ve always enjoyed the laps, especially sector three. BMW has always been good at Hockenheim, although there are obviously many variables. But from a driving perspective, I feel very strong.”
Meanwhile, the hunted are trying not to let themselves get carried away. For Owega, it would be his second ADAC GT Masters championship after 2023, while Wiebelhaus would be crowned champion for the first time – at his home race just 100 km from his home in Obertshausen.
“There’s no pressure on me. We’re at the front, we just have to react to what the others are doing. They have to take more risks to overtake us. So I’m relaxed, and Salman is too,” Wiebelhaus said.:”I love the atmosphere at the Hockenheimring and am always impressed by how many fans come out to support us.”
In the team standings, the duel is also between Haupt Racing Team and FK Performance Motorsport. HRT currently leads with its Ford Mustang GT3 with 299 points, followed by the BMW team from Bremen with 237 points. The two best-placed cars from each team contribute to the points tally.
In the Pro-AM Cup, for pairings of up-and-coming young drivers and ambitious amateurs, there’s a battle at Hockenheim between the reigning champions Fach Auto Tech and the challenger Liqui Moly Team Engstler by GRT. Alexander Schwarzer (36/DEU) and Alexander Fach (23/CHE) lead the way in the Porsche 911 GT3 R with six class wins. Jonas Karklys (36/LIT) and Emil Gjerdrum (18/NOR) follow 32 points behind in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 with four wins.
“I’m approaching the races as usual and not thinking about the title, but I’m better prepared physically and mentally,” explained defending champion Schwarzer. “We want to give it our all, deliver another strong performance with the team, and finish both races so we can enjoy Sunday afternoon.”
