Saving the best until last is how BWT Mücke Motorsport would probably sum up the final weekend of the 2020 ADAC GT Masters season. Stefan Mücke and Ricardo Feller achieved their best result of the season in the BWT Audi R8 LMS #26 at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. They finished in the Top Ten twice and were the third-best Audi crew both times. Feller was on the top step of the podium on Saturday as the winner of the Junior classification. The only downside to their weekend was the fact that the BWT Audi R8 LMS #25 with Igor Walilko and Mike David Ortmann was still out of contention, because Walilko’s injury had not healed in time.
The weekend in facts and figures
Two good reasons to celebrate: Ricardo Feller and Stefan Mücke achieved their best result of the season in the first race with a P7 finish. 20-year-old Feller also celebrated victory in the Junior classification. He started the round on Saturday from seventh place. Although overtaking is difficult on the narrow track, Feller had fought his way up into fifth before pitting. He stayed out until the pit stop window was about to close, after which, Mücke brought the BWT Audi R8 LMS #26 safely home in seventh place. BWT Mücke Motorsport laid down a marker as the third-best Audi team.
Points in the finale: Once again, Mücke and Feller were the third-best Audi crew as they crossed the finish line in Sunday’s race, achieving another points-scoring result in the finale for tenth place. Starting in 16th, Mücke’s reactions had been tested to the full when several cars collided in front of him just as the race got underway. He avoided early retirement for the BWT Audi R8 LMS #26 by quickly taking evasive action. After the stoppage under the red flags, he began the race again in eleventh place. Mücke was tenth when he came into the pits to switch drivers, and Feller crossed the finish line in P10 after a superb pit stop and a problem-free stint.
Out in front twice: The first two sessions at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben took place on a wet track that was partly drying. Feller coped really well in these conditions. He set the fastest time in FP1 with all 30 supercars by a margin of four tenths. Feller was once again unbeatable in the session for Junior and Trophy drivers that followed, posting best time in the field of 18 vehicles. FP2 took place in dry conditions. Mücke and Feller were ranked 14th with a half-second deficit. 25 of the 30 cars were covered by just one second in this session.
Comments on the weekend
Stefan Mücke (BWT Audi R8 LMS #26): “We’ve had a very positive weekend and have seen an upward trend over the last three race weekends after undertaking some restructuring. The team were very pleased with seventh place and the Junior victory in Race 1. Qualifying on Sunday was tough with three stoppages. There was also a crash after the start of the race, so it was a turbulent weekend overall, but we kept away from all the chaos. We drove clean races and had a consistently fast car. That was the key to achieving our two positions in the Top Ten. Many thanks to the team and especially to Ricardo for successfully bringing about this turnaround.”
Ricardo Feller (BWT Audi R8 LMS #26): “It was a good final weekend. We’d already shown in practice that we have the potential to be top-ten contenders and I confirmed our pace in qualifying on Saturday. I was delighted with my win in the Junior stakes. Stefan had a good qualifying on Sunday. We brought the season to a satisfactory conclusion with tenth place in the race. After having had a tough start to the season, we’ve progressed in the right direction and have consistently improved. Many thanks to everyone for putting in so much time and effort in order to bring us back to the front of the field.”
Michael Weiss (Technical Director): “We ended the season on a high. We had some homework to do after the Sachsenring race weekend. We had our first good showing at Spielberg and then confirmed our form at the Lausitzring. We achieved our best results of the season in the finale, which shows the enormous progress we’ve made after a tough start to the season. I would like to say a big thank you to the entire team for all their amazing work! We now hope to be able to relax a little over the winter and look forward to further success in the 2021 season without any more hitches.”
Peter Mücke (Team Principal): “I am pleased with our results. We had a thoroughly successful weekend and we always had the pace to finish in the Top Ten. Ricardo’s victory in the Junior classification was a nice reward for all the team’s hard work. It is only thanks to the skill of our drivers and the fact that racing luck was on our side this time that we were not involved in any accidents. Every member of the team did a great job in the final round. Nothing was ever vague. Quite the reverse! It was at all times clear how we needed to proceed with setup and strategy, so many thanks to the team for ending our season in such a great way.”
Source. BWT Mücke Motorsport/Photo. Gruppe C Photography
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