At the ADAC GT Masters in Zandvoort, Walkenhorst Motorsport and Aston Martin secured the first podium of their joint collaboration.
The beach party of the 2024 ADAC GT Masters season is behind Walkenhorst Motorsport. The second race weekend in the traditional GT3 racing series took place in the Dutch North Sea resort of Zandvoort. The team from Melle entered two Aston Martin Vantage GT3s on the world-famous dune circuit, driven by Denis Bulatov and Mike David Ortmann as well as Chandler Hull and Nico Hantke.
“We are delighted to have taken a big step in the right direction this weekend,” said Managing Director Jörg Breuer. “This makes us very optimistic that we are developing in the right direction. We hope that the collaboration with Aston Martin Racing will bring us many more podium results in the future.”
Bulatov and Ortmann started Saturday’s race from fifth on the grid. In a competitive race, the drivers at the wheel of the #34 car did a flawless job and the Walkenhorst Motorsport team also excelled with a good strategy. After one hour of racing, two-time ADAC GT4 Germany champion Ortmann saw the chequered flag in third position, less than 0.2 seconds ahead of his nearest rival! For Walkenhorst Motorsport, this is the first podium result in co-operation with the British manufacturer and also the first podium result in the third race in the ADAC GT Masters.
Chandler Hull had to park the sister car a few laps before the end of the race.
“It’s an indescribable feeling. Our goal from the start was to finish in the top three. To finish there in just the second event is great,” said a delighted Bulatov from the Rhineland after the end of the race in Zandvoort.
Sunday’s race developed chaotically on the Grand Prix circuit in the dunes, which was characterised by many collisions, duels and multiple battles as well as neutralisations. Ortmann started the race from third on the grid, but while the competitors around him were penalised for mistakes, last year’s winner of the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy took the lead for a while thanks to a zero mistake job, before having to let the eventual winner pass him shortly before the driver changeover.
His partner was also initially able to defend his position before he had problems picking up speed after a full course yellow phase and was passed by several competitors. In the end, the GT4 newcomer finished the race in fifth position, scoring further important points for Walkenhorst Motorsport.
Nico Hantke and Chandler Hull collected further points in 13th position.
“The first podium result together with Aston Martin Racing is a milestone in our team’s history,” said a delighted Walkenhorst Motorsport Managing Director Niclas Königbauer. “A big compliment to our team for their hard work over the past few weeks. The result motivates us all the more to continue our work and keep improving! We are already looking forward to the upcoming races.”
Mike David Ortmann and Denis Bulatov are in seventh place in the overall standings of the ADAC GT Masters after four of twelve races. Nico Hantke and Chandler Hull have positioned themselves in twelfth place. In the team standings, the Aston Martin team from Lower Saxony moved up to fourth place thanks to a strong performance at Zandvoort.
The ADAC GT Masters continues from 12th to 14th July. The championship will be contested at the Nürburgring in front of well over 100,000 spectators at the legendary Truck GP. For the first time in the 18-year history of the racing series, a special “endurance” race format will be used there.