The Red Bull Ring is the venue for a motorsport spectacle from 20th to 22nd May. The alpine circuit in the Styria region of Austria hosts the second round of this season’s ADAC GT Masters, which features a first: The McLaren 720S GT3 is making its debut in the German GT Championship, with former Formula 1 driver Christian Klien (39/A) at the wheel. The high-class field now includes three former Grand Prix drivers. The Austrian round of the ADAC GT Masters will be a GT summit, with the super sports cars of the Fanatec GT2 European Series, in which the 734-hp Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series will also be making its debut, ADAC GT4 Germany and the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, with a field of more than 30 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.
Key facts, Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, races 3 and 4 of 14
Circuit length: 4,318 metres
Layout: 10 corners (seven right, three left), driven clockwise
2021 winners, race 1: Michael Ammermüller/Mathieu Jaminet (SSR Performance, Porsche 911 GT3 R)
2021 winners, race 2: Jeffrey Schmidt/Marvin Kirchhöfer (Callaway Competition, Corvette C7 GT3-R)
The battle for the lead
Jusuf Owega (20/Cologne) in the #29 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II is the championship leader heading into round two of the ADAC GT Masters. The young driver from the Montaplast by Land-Motorsport team, who shares the cockpit with Dries Vanthoor (24/B) in Spielberg, took victory at the season-opener in Oschersleben, securing win number 49 in the ADAC GT Masters for Audi in the process, and is now looking to add victory number 50 at the Red Bull Ring. However, the statistics do not make happy reading for the most successful manufacturer in the German GT Championship. Never before has an Audi finished on the top step of the podium at the alpine circuit. Mercedes-AMG is also waiting for its first ADAC GT Masters success in Spielberg. Second-placed Jonathan Aberdein (24/ZA) and Raffaele Marciello (27/I) could end this barren run with victory for the “Mamba” at the fastest circuit on the calendar. Recently, BMW has been the dominant manufacturer at the Red Bull Ring, with three wins in the past three years. The Schubert Motorsport team is looking to add to this success with the new BMW M4 GT3.
The alpine quintet
Five local favourites line up at their home event in Spielberg, where they will be keen to put on a good show for the home fans against the magnificent alpine backdrop. Mick Wishofer (22/Wien), Klaus Bachler (30/Unzmarkt), Norbert Siedler (39/Wildschönau) and Simon Reicher (22/Kirchberg bei Mattighofen) will receive impressive reinforcement for the weekend. Former Formula 1 driver Christian Klien (39/A) completes the alpine quintet. The Austrian’s first appearance in the German GT Championship is a guest start for JP Motorsport. Klien’s debut will be in a cult car, as the Austrian shares the cockpit of a McLaren 720S GT3 with Dennis Lind (29/DK).
Strong support programme
Fans can look forward to the premiere of the Fanatec GT2 European Series at the Austrian round of the ADAC GT Masters. Furthermore, the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland will now line up at every ADAC GT Masters race weekend. ADAC GT4 Germany and ADAC TCR Germany complete the extensive support programme. Fans will also be able to take a look behind the scenes on a pit walk, from 10:00 on Saturday and 10:20 on Sunday, while autograph hunters should make a note of the “Meet the Drivers” sessions at 12:00 and 15:00 on Saturday at the event stage in the paddock.
Source. ADAC GT Masters
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