SPIELBERG, Austria — The Austrian festival of the ADAC GT Masters continues seamlessly.
Just a few days after the race weekend at the Salzburgring, the ADAC GT3 junior league moves on to the Red Bull Ring.
Two sprint races as part of the DTM are scheduled there from September 12-14.
The 4.318 km long Red Bull Ring, with its long straights and high-speed sections, could be the scene of another intensification in the ADAC GT Masters title battle.
Salman Owega (20, Cologne) and Finn Wiebelhaus (19, Obertshausen) of the Haupt Racing Team are currently in the lead. However, the lead held by the two drivers in their Ford Mustang GT3s is extremely small.
Only eight points separate them from Tim Zimmermann (29, Langenargen) and Leyton Fourie (19, RSA, both FK Performance Motorsport) in the BMW M4 GT3 Evo.
“We travel to the Red Bull Ring with an eight-point lead and will definitely try to increase the gap to our pursuers there to have a buffer for the finale,” explained Wiebelhaus, who celebrated his first ADAC GT Masters victory at the Red Bull Ring last year.
Teammate Owega has also already finished on the podium at the Austrian track – both still in the Mercedes-AMG GT3, though.
Their rivals also boast impressive stats.
“I won the BMW M2 Cup championship at this track and finished on the podium in the ADAC GT4 Germany last year,” said BMW driver Fourie. “I have many fond memories of the Red Bull Ring. The track has been kind to me in the past, and I hope it will be the same this time. But I know it will be a tough and close battle.”
The Austrian team Razoon – more than Racing also wants to get back into this fight. The team from Eggersdorf near Graz joined the ADAC GT Masters this year and has already secured two victories with their Porsche 911 GT3 R. Drivers Leo Pichler (23/AT) and Simon Birch (18/DNK) are third in the championship, 31 points behind, and hope that with two strong results at their home race, they will not only delight the numerous fans traveling to the event, but also be able to get back into the title fight.
“I’m really looking forward to my home race because so many people from home will be there. I’ve done by far the most racing at the Red Bull Ring in my career, including my very first race,” beamed Pichler from Weiz, Austria. “It’s important that we don’t put any more pressure on ourselves than usual and aim to achieve a particularly good result. We’re trying to approach it like a normal race weekend and not change anything.”
Austrian Tim Hütter is also looking forward to the support of his home fans. The 18-year-old from Gallneukirchen is making his debut season in GT3 racing and will be driving a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 for the Liqui Moly Team Engstler by GRT.
Three guest starters with Ferrari, BMW and Lamborghini at the Red Bull Ring
A total of three teams will make a guest appearance in the ADAC GT Masters at the Red Bull Ring, strengthening the strong field.
Among them is Baron Motorsport, which will field two Ferrari 296 GT3s. Two familiar faces will be at the wheel of the first Ferrari: Ernst Kirchmayr (69/AUT) and Fabrizio Crestani (37/ITA). The duo also made guest appearances in a Ferrari at the Red Bull Ring last year, back then with a different team.
Masoud Jaberian (33/IRN) and Edoardo Bacci (32/ITA) will share the seat in the second Ferrari. Baron Motorsport, a Ferrari specialist from Vienna, has been part of international GT racing for years and brings several successes and a wealth of experience, especially at the Red Bull Ring. Expectations for the guest appearance are correspondingly high.
“We definitely expect to be capable of winning,” stated team principal Philipp Baron confidently. “We’re looking forward to a well-organized and exciting event with plenty of spectators in front of a home crowd.”
