NURBURG, Germany — Salman Owega (20, Cologne) and Finn Wiebelhaus (19, Obertshausen, both Haupt Racing Team) won the second race of the ADAC Truck GP, securing the first victory for the Ford Mustang GT3 in the ADAC GT Masters.
The two Haupt Racing Team drivers finished the 80-minute endurance race 0.412 seconds ahead of their teammates Max Reis (18, Ramstein) and David Schumacher (23, Germany).
“It’s incredible to be a part of this success. The first Ford victory in the ADAC GT Masters, plus my pole position – a perfect day,” said a delighted Finn Wiebelhaus, who also won the “Road to DTM” classification at the Nürburgring. “David made a small mistake on the penultimate lap, and I knew it was now or never. There had been opportunities before, but I definitely didn’t want to risk a one-two finish for the team.”
His teammate Owega added: “I couldn’t be happier. I’m very grateful to the team and Ford for making this success possible. When Finn came out on track behind David, I knew it would be very close towards the end. Finn did a great job in this duel, but I can’t remember the last time I was so tense.”
The previous day’s winners Alexander Fach (23/CHE) and Alexander Schwarzer (36/DEU/both Fach Auto Tech) completed the podium in the Porsche 911 GT3 R and thus also celebrated victory in the Pro-AM Cup.
A total of 134,000 fans flocked to the Nürburgring for the ADAC Truck GP this weekend and also watched the ADAC GT Masters races.
Polesitter Wiebelhaus took the lead immediately after the start, and even after switching to Owega, the Ford duo remained clearly in front, while their teammates Schumacher and Reis lost some ground due to a penalty for a pit stop that was too short.
However, Wiebelhaus and Owega’s pit stop didn’t go smoothly either, and so they rejoined the track behind their teammates after the final stop. A lap-long duel between Wiebelhaus and Schumacher ensued, which Wiebelhaus ultimately won with a strong maneuver in turn two shortly before the finish.
“I’m very happy with how the weekend went. Without the penalty, we would have even taken first place,” said a delighted Schumacher. “The battle up to the last lap wasn’t bad, especially since I was on older tires than Finn.”
Fach and Schwarzer in the Porsche, who had started only 14th, demonstrated the race’s recovery.
Strong lap times, a few incidents with other cars, and two pit stops shorter than required by Pro-Am teams, even put the duo in the lead after the final stop. Schwarzer, with older tires, battled against the two approaching Fords, but ultimately had to settle for third place. “Third place today feels like a win. We deserved this podium finish, especially since we were riding on the back of our winning streak from yesterday,” beamed Fach. “Tire degradation was quite high in the middle stint, and I thought it might be difficult for Alexander, but he handled it brilliantly. An incredible weekend for us.”
Tim Zimmermann (28, GER) and Leyton Fourie (19, GER/FK Performance Motorsport) delivered a spectacular battle and returned to the track in fourth place after the second pit stop.
Zimmermann didn’t let up in the BMW M4 GT3 Evo, closing in on Schwarzer second by second, but ultimately crossed the finish line in fourth place, 0.169 seconds behind.
Nico Hantke (21, GER) and Denis Bulatov (26, both Scherer Sport PHX) completed the top five in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2. BMW drivers Eduardo Coseteng (21, GER) and Julian Hanses (27, GER/FK Performance Motorsport) finished sixth, ahead of Finn Zulauf (20, GER) and Simon Connor Primm (20, GER/Paul Motorsport) in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2. Following behind were Jannes Fittje (25, Langenhain) and Moritz Wiskirchen (22, Euskirchen/SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm) in the Mercedes-AMG GT3, as well as the third Ford with Dennis Fetzer (24, Gießen) and Jonathan Cecotto (25, Venafro/Haupt Racing Team).
