MUNICH, Germany — A three-way battle for the ADAC GT Masters championship.
Ahead of the finale at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (October 9-11), only five points separate the championship leaders from their challengers – the closest title fight in years.
Leading the standings with 184 points are BMW drivers Leyton Fourie (20/ZAF) and Tim Zimmermann (29/Langenargen/both FK Performance Motorsport). Felix Hirsiger (28/CHE) and Finn Zulauf (22/Königstein im Taunus/both Liqui Moly Team Engstler Motorsport) follow in second place with 179 points in their Lamborghini.
Mathematically, Kiano Blum (19/AUT) and Niklas Kalus (21/Duisburg/both Haupt Racing Team) in their Ford Mustang can still challenge for the trophy. They trail by 48 points, and 56 points are still up for grabs at Hockenheim.
Five points, the difference between first and second place – both in the championship and the points standings. Anything is possible in the remaining two ADAC GT Masters races. Throughout the season, the championship lead has repeatedly changed hands between Fourie/Zimmermann and Hirsiger/Zulauf. Will the BMW drivers stay in front until the end, or will the Lamborghini duo mount another comeback?
The statistics clearly favor Lamborghini at the Hockenheimring, with six wins to two. Zimmermann, who celebrated his first ADAC GT Masters podium there in 2020 and won in 2023, wants to change that.
“I’ve had many attempts and I’m grateful to be in this position now,” he explains. “It would be a huge highlight. Winning the title would fulfill a major goal and a dream.” South African Fourie has been following the successes of the Van der Linde brothers and Jordan Pepper for years and wants to emulate his compatriots: “Since childhood, I’ve dreamed of winning a GT3 championship. Sheldon and Jordan, in particular, have supported me a lot over the years, and it would be great to follow in their footsteps.”
Zulauf knows what it feels like to celebrate in Hockenheim. He won the ADAC GT4 Germany title there in 2024 and is sending a clear message to the competition.
“We’re going into the weekend expecting to become champions,” said Zulauf. “We’ve fought for this for so long. Finishing second would feel like a defeat.”
Teammate Hirsiger comes into the final as a two-time champion in other series and has a clear goal: “That would be my third title in a row, and that’s my main motivation. It would mean a lot to me and would, of course, be extremely important for the future.”
With a 48-point deficit, Kalus and Blum in their Ford Mustang GT3 are considered long shots. However, the duo isn’t discouraged and is starting the final race highly motivated. “We’d like to get another win,” says Kalus. “Winning the championship will be very difficult, but we’ll give it our all and focus on ourselves.”
Teammate Blum is equally optimistic. “Hockenheim has always been one of my favorite tracks. I dare say that I’m personally fastest there because I’ve already logged so many kilometers. Therefore, I’m confident that we’ll finish strong.”
