KLETTWITZ, Germany — Leo Pichler (23/AT) and Simon Birch (18/DNK/each Razoon – greater than racing) have gained once more on the Dekra Lausitzring.
The 2 rookies within the Porsche 911 GT3 R braved the heavy rain within the second spherical of the ADAC GT Masters and crossed the end line with a lead of 8.699 seconds.
“It was an absolute dream weekend. We did all the pieces proper and are actually heading residence with full factors because the championship chief,” beamed Birch, who additionally gained the Highway to DTM. “I completely didn’t count on issues to go this effectively. I knew we had been effectively positioned for the season, however I by no means would have anticipated two wins in two races,” added Pichler, who additionally gained the Silver Cup with Birch.
The highest 3 had been accomplished by Nico Hantke (21/Hürth)/Denis Bulatov (26/each Scherer Sport PHX) within the Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2 and Jannes Fittje (25/Langenhain)/Moritz Wiskirchen (22/Euskirchen/each SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm) within the Mercedes-AMG GT3.Simply in time for the beginning grid, the heavens opened, inflicting most drivers to go straight out on rain tires.
Benefiting from the chaos firstly, Fittje took the lead. Simon Connor Primm (20, Großschirma, Paul Motorsport) slid off the monitor in his Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 after contact and misplaced fluid on his return, leading to a redundancy within the race.
After the restart, Fittje retained the lead forward of Birch and Jonathan Cecotto (25, VEN, Haupt Racing Group) within the Ford Mustang GT3, whereas Bulatov labored his approach as much as fourth place.
Through the first pit cease part, Razoon opted for a protracted cease with a tire change, whereas his rivals solely refueled, so Hantke rejoined the monitor instantly behind Wiskirchen. A slip-up by the Mercedes driver allowed Hantke to take the lead and prolong it, however he nonetheless needed to make a protracted cease together with a tire change.
Pichler, who had in the meantime labored his approach again as much as second place, was confronted with the shorter of the 2 scheduled pit stops, which meant he emerged from the pits aspect by aspect with Bulatov. An exhilarating battle for victory was solely determined by a mistake from the Audi driver.
“I stayed calm all through and was in a position to convey it residence safely in the long run. The circumstances had been actually enjoyable,” defined Birch. Rival Bulatov added: “The rain helped us, and with out the purple flag, it may need even been sufficient for the win. When the Porsche got here out of the pits after the cease, I knew I solely had one likelihood. Sadly, I made a mistake, however fortunately nothing occurred, and we completed second.”
The third-place finishers within the race had been additionally pleased to be on the rostrum after troublesome circumstances. “The factors are vital for the championship,” stated Wiskirchen. “I struggled after the cease and sadly slid into the gravel entice twice, which price us the lead. Typically, I actually just like the endurance format. It provides pleasure and permits extra scope for technique.”Salman Owega (20, Cologne) and Finn Wiebelhaus (19, Obertshausen, each Haupt Racing Group) completed fourth. Their teammates, Dennis Fetzer (23, Gießen) and Cecotto, completed fifth of their Ford Mustang GT3 after a protracted battle with Eduardo Coseteng (21, PHL) and Julian Hanses (27, Hilden, each FK Efficiency Motorsport). Carrie Schreiner (26, Völklingen) and Alain Valente (28, CHE, Land-Motorsport) of their Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2 completed seventh, forward of the FK Efficiency Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 Evos of Tim Zimmermann (28, Langenargen) and Leyton Fourie (19, RSA), and the Holzem twins Sandro and Juliano (20, Polch, each Schubert Motorsport). The highest 10 had been accomplished by Alexander Schwarzer (36/DEU)/Alexander Fach (22/CHE/each Fach Auto Tech), who additionally gained the Professional-Am classification.
