The second ADAC GT Masters race event took place at the legendary Norisring as part of the DTM. Racing on the DTM platform is the perfect opportunity for young up-and-coming drivers like Finn Gehrsitz in the ADAC GT Masters to draw attention to themselves in front of a large audience and under the eyes of the DTM teams. After all, the ADAC GT Masters uses the same cars, tires and BoP as the DTM.
Finn Gehrsitz was responsible for qualifying on Saturday. In qualifying for the first race, the 18-year-old was able to steadily improve and ultimately achieve a very good fifth place on the grid in midsummer conditions. The youngster also completed the flying start itself – only the second in his GT career – with aplomb and was even able to make up a place. He subsequently maintained contact with the front runners and handed the car over to his experienced partner Sven Müller in the middle of the race. The Porsche driver then made up another position and crossed the finish line in third place. This not only put the driver duo on the podium, but Finn Gehrsitz also secured a podium place in the junior classification in third place.
Porsche driver Sven Müller climbed into the cockpit of the Porsche 911 GT3 R for qualifying on Sunday and was able to secure a very good second place on the grid. In the race, a group of three, including Müller, battled for the lead for a long time. Thanks to a clever pit strategy by the Joos by RACEmotion team, Finn Gehrsitz was able to take the lead after the driver changeover, but had a brake failure halfway through his stint, which cost him a place. Finn was then able to catch up with the leader again with significantly faster lap times, but overtaking without danger is virtually impossible at the Norisring, so he drove home in second place. He also took second place in the junior classification.
The Gehrsitz/Müller duo are now just one point behind in second place in the overall standings. Next up are the two races at the Nürburgring. The ADAC GT Masters will enter its third round there next weekend as part of the Truck GP.
Finn Gehrsitz: “It was my first time here at the Norisring. I did a lot of testing in the simulator beforehand in order to be perfectly prepared. I also learned a lot from Sven over the weekend and we were able to improve the car. Qualifying on Saturday was ok, but there was certainly room for improvement on my part. The race was then pretty strong with third place, although we still had the 20 kilograms of success ballast from Hockenheim in the car. On Sunday, we topped that again – also thanks to Sven’s great grid position – and second place is extremely important for the championship.”
Photo: Axel Weichert
