SPIELBERG, Australia — A mammoth task and a sensational performance for Scherer Sport PHX at the Red Bull Ring.
Nico Hantke (21, GER) and Denis Bulatov (26) won Saturday’s ADAC GT Masters race in their Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2 – the first victory in the series for the team, which was originally formed from Phoenix Racing, and also the first Audi victory in the ADAC GT3 junior league since 2022.
A top-class performance, as the team had completely rebuilt the car from the bodyshell after an accident the previous week.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be at the top for the first time. I’m so happy for the whole team that their hard work, all night long, is paying off,” beamed Hantke. “Our goal was to be here, and we already realized on Thursday that it was possible.”
His teammate Bulatov added, beaming: “This victory goes to our team, because without them, this success wouldn’t have been possible. I’m very happy that it finally worked out. Nico gave me a good lead, but towards the end, we had some issues with the tires. I just hoped that the safety car wouldn’t come out and the laps wouldn’t be counted.”
The other podium finishes were shared among the Haupt Racing Team drivers. Championship leaders Salman Owega (20, Cologne) and Finn Wiebelhaus (19, Obertshausen) finished second in the Ford Mustang GT3, followed by their teammates Max Reis (18, Ramstein) and Niklas Kalus (20, Duisburg).
From the start, polesitter Hantke left no doubt about Scherer Sport PHX’s ambitions for victory. Lap after lap, he pulled further and further away from the field, at one point leading by almost ten seconds. The Audi squad finally crossed the finish line with a lead of 5.481 seconds.
Behind them, Kalus and Owega initially battled for third place, with Kalus ultimately prevailing. After the driver change, the tide turned, and Wiebelhaus attacked the sister car with Reis.
The two fought a tough battle for the podium, which ultimately ended positively for Wiebelhaus. The two then opened the hunt for the twins Sandro and Juliano Holzem (21/Polch/Schubert Motorsport), who were in second place at the time. Wiebelhaus initially found his way past Juliano Holzem and secured second place.
“Salman had some trouble with the tire pressure at the beginning, but gave me tires that were still in good condition for my stint,” explained Wiebelhaus. “I knew I’d have to fight for positions right out of the pits. Our car was handling great, I was able to show good pace and some great overtaking maneuvers. I’m very happy with this result, also with regard to the championship.”
Teammate Reis beamed with joy at the podium finish, having also overtaken Holzem in a thrilling duel to take third place.
“I’m very happy. Of course I want to win, but the last few laps were really tough,” explained the Mustang driver. “I was struggling with the car, but I managed to stay calm and keep the car under control.”
The Holzem twins ultimately had to settle for fourth place in their BMW M4 GT3 Evo. Fifth place and victory in the Pro-AM Cup went to Jonas Karklys (36/LIT)/Emil Gjerdrum (18/NOR/Liqui Moly Team Engstler by GRT) in their Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2, ahead of their fellow Lamborghini drivers Finn Zulauf (20/Königsstein)/Simon Connor Primm (20/Großschirma/Paul Motorsport). Local favorites Leo Pichler (23/AT)/Simon Birch (18/DNK/Razoon – more than racing) finished seventh in their Porsche 911 GT3 R, ahead of guest drivers Ernst Kirchmayr (69/AUT)/Fabrizio Crestani (37/ITA/Baron Motorsport) in their Ferrari 296 GT3.
The top 10 were completed by the BMW drivers Eduardo Coseteng (21/PHL)/Julian Hanses (28/Hilden/FK Performance Motorsport) and the Porsche duo Alexander Schwarzer (36/DEU)/Alexander Fach (23/CHE/Fach Auto Tech).
