SPIELBERG, Austria — Felix Hirsiger (27/CHE) and Finn Zulauf (21/Königstein im Taunus/both Liqui Moly Team Engstler Motorsport) secured victory in their Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 at the very last second.
A lap-long duel with the second-placed Ford Mustang GT3 of Niklas Kalus (20/Duisburg) and Kiano Blum (18/AUT/both Haupt Racing Team) ended with a difference of just 0.143 seconds. “I’ve never been so happy and I think that was the best final lap of my life. There were so many shouts of joy in the car, the onboard footage would be hilarious,” beamed Hirsiger after his first victory in the ADAC GT Masters and the first for the Liqui Moly Team Engstler Motorsport since 2011.
Teammate Zulauf added: “My heart rate was still at rest at first, but the last two laps were simply incredible. I’ve never experienced anything like it. We were shouting at least as much in the pits as Felix was in the car. Many thanks to the team, the car was amazing.” Max Cuccarese (19/ITA) and Alain Valente (29/CHE/both Haupt Racing Team) completed the podium in another Ford.
Under bright sunshine and 22 degrees Celsius, Zulauf started the race from pole position and initially held his position until he had to concede to the approaching Blum.
“I saw that I couldn’t match the Ford’s pace and let him pass. I knew our long-run pace was good and was counting on Felix to attack again at the end,” explained Zulauf. Rival and local hero Blum had started from third place, was already behind the Engstler Lamborghini after the first lap, and soon took the lead.
“I had a fantastic start and was able to maintain the gap well after the lead change,” said Blum. “My heart rate really picked up in the last two laps. It was exciting to watch. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but there’s always tomorrow.”
After Blum handed over to teammate Kalus, it initially seemed as if the Ford could hold its own at the front, although Hirsiger, who had taken over from Zulauf, remained within striking distance.
“The performance differences between the cars don’t make overtaking any easier. The Lamborghini is a bit stronger in the middle sector, the Ford in the other two,” explained Hirsiger. “I knew I had to manage my car properly to put on the pressure again at the end. That worked very well.” Kalus had maintained his lead at the front and was already breathing a sigh of relief when the tide turned again in the penultimate lap. “I saw that he was closing in. Suddenly he was right behind me and I had to defend. I had hoped to be able to pull away again, but he did it very well and I had no chance in the last corner.”
Kalus ran a little too wide and Hirsiger slipped past him on the inside for a spectacular last-minute victory at the Red Bull Ring.
In the slipstream of this thrilling duel, Valente and rookie Cuccarese finished third in another Ford. For the Italian Cuccarese, it was his first podium finish in his first ADAC GT Masters race. “I’m absolutely delighted with this fantastic result. Alain did a superb job during his stint and gained a lot of positions. I just had to bring this result home safely, and I managed to do that,” explained the Ford driver.
HGL Racing made a very strong debut in the ADAC GT3 junior series. Robin Rogalski (25/POL) and Simon Connor Primm (21/Großschirna) started the race from 13th on the grid in their Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2 and worked their way up to fourth place with a flawless performance. The top five was completed by the third Ford driven by Max Reis (19/Ramstein) and Emil Gjerdrum (19/NOR/both Haupt Racing Team).
Behind them, the best-placed BMW duo, Storm Gjerdrum (16/NOR) and Fabio Rauer (19/Stolberg/both FK Performance Motorsport), finished in sixth place.
Seventh place overall and victory in the Pro-Am Cup went to the guest starters from Baron Motorsport, with Ernst Kirchmayr (70/AUT) and Axcil Jefferies (34/ZWE) at the wheel of their Ferrari 296 GT3. Starting from the front row, newcomers Jamie Day (20/GBR) and Baudouin Detout (25/FRA) of Comtoyou Racing dropped back to eighth position in their Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Tim Zimmermann (29/Langenargen) and Leyton Fourie (20/ZAF/both FK Performance Motorsport) finished ninth in the second BMW.
The top 10 was completed by the Austrian team Razoon – more than Racing, who had a lot of bad luck. Mark Kastelic (18/SLO) and Pavel Lefterov (28/BGR) were spun early in the race but fought their way back to tenth place, while their teammates Leo Pichler (24/AUT) and Colin Bönighausen (21/Isernhagen) retired from fourth place due to a mechanical failure.
