It doesn’t get any better than this: Montaplast by Land-Motorsport is by far the most successful team in the 2021 German GT Championship and, as in 2016, completes the treble. The team not only won the Drivers’ Championship with Ricardo Feller (21/CH) and Christopher Mies (32/Düsseldorf) at the season finale at the Nürburgring, but also the Team title and, with Feller, the Pirelli Junior competition for young drivers. “It is difficult to put this weekend into words,” said team manager Christian Land. “I am incredibly proud of the whole crew. We were a well-oiled team that all pulled together all year. What we have achieved for the second time today is unbelievable. Thank you to everyone involved who made this possible.”
Land-Motorsport was founded in 1995 by former racing driver Wolfgang Land. For many years, the team primarily made its name in Porsche one-make cups and with outings on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. 2016 marked the start of a new era for Land: the team started to cooperate with Audi and enjoyed a sensational start to life in the ADAC GT Masters: as they have this season, the team won three titles – the Drivers’ Championship with Christopher Mies and Connor De Phillippi, the Team title and the Junior competition. Land was also one of the top teams in the racing series in the following years. In 2019, Sheldon and Kelvin van der Linde missed out on the Driver title by just one point. During this period, Land also lined up at many events on the international scene. For example, the team raced in the North American IMSA Series between 2017 and 2019, taking a class victory at the “Petit Le Mans” among other successes. Audi rewarded these performances with works-assisted outings, particularly in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, at which Land claimed overall victory in 2017. The team has now added to its list of achievements with a second treble in the ADAC GT Masters. Land drivers have climbed onto the top step of the podium in the German GT Championship on three occasions this season, and have also picked up a further two podium finishes.
Right from the outset, the promotion of talented youngsters has played an important role for Land in the ADAC GT Masters. This was reflected by this year’s squad: as well as the car for Mies and Feller, Land also ran a second Audi R8 LMS. Here too, the driving duo consisted of a talented youngster and an experienced Audi Sport driver. The car was driven by Luca-Sandro Trefz (19/Wüstenrot), who was making the step up from ADAC GT4, and former champion Christopher Haase (34/Kulmbach). “We want to develop young and fast drivers. That has always been an important factor for us,” said Christian Land. “I think we are doing a really good job there. It is important to us that they also have an understanding of the technical workings of a car. If they want to make it to the top, they need to have that knowledge.” Feller joins Connor De Phillippi (2016), Sheldon van der Linde (2018) and Max Hofer (2019) as the fourth Land driver to win the Pirelli Junior competition.
Roughly 25 employees are in action for the team from Niederdreisbach in the Westerwald region at each ADAC GT Masters weekend. For Christian Land, team spirit is crucial: “We want to work professionally, but the human touch cannot be forgotten. Everyone in the team must look forward to the racetrack and being with their colleagues. You could really notice that this year. Everyone values everyone else. They all stand up for each other when someone needs help. It is really great to see, and something that is quite rare in the paddock.”
Team principal Wolfgang Land was full of praise after the title win: “This success underlines the incredible team effort. Every single person in our crew – from catering personnel, mechanics and engineers to our partners – has played a big role in the success. I would like to express my most sincere gratitude for that.”
Source. ADAC GT Masters
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