Walkenhorst Motorsport finished both races on the podium in the Pro-Am class at the ADAC GT Masters at the Nürburgring and scored important points.
Halfway through the ADAC GT Masters season: The third of six race weekends took place at the Nürburgring. The racing series also utilised a new race format for the first time, with an 80-minute endurance race and a 40-minute sprint. Following an adjustment to the regulations, Chandler Hull and Nico Hantke competed in the Pro-Am class for the first time in the Eifel – Denis Bulatov and Mike David Ortmann took the wheel of the second Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
“The classification in the Pro-Am class is a great benefit for Chandler and Nico, as they can now hold their own in their class, which they proved directly at the Nürburgring,” explains Managing Director Jörg Breuer. “In addition, we now have shorter minimum pit stop times for this car, so we also have the chance of better individual results in the overall standings.”
In the two races at the Nürburgring, US-American Hull and GT4 newcomer Hantke immediately showed their potential in the Pro-Am class and finished both races in second place in the class. With positions twelve and eleven in the two races, the drivers of the car with start number #35 in the Eifel also established themselves in the midfield of the traditional GT3 racing series – Sunday’s race was the 250th race in the history of the championship.
Denis Bulatov and Mike David Ortmann were highly motivated going into the race weekend, having finished in the Top 3 of the ADAC GT Masters together for the first time at Zandvoort. At the Nürburgring, the fast drivers scored important points in both races, finishing ninth. The two drivers now occupy eighth position in the championship. Walkenhorst Motorsport is fifth in the team standings.
“We think that the new race format is a win for the series! The tyre changes and refuelling have added important tactical components to the endurance race, which makes it more diverse for us teams and more exciting for the fans. In addition, the ADAC GT Masters distinguishes itself more clearly from the DTM, which is also an important point. After the premiere, there are obviously still a few small adjustments to be made, but we rate the premiere as positive,” says Niclas Königbauer, Managing Director Walkenhorst Motorsport, about the new ADAC GT Masters racing format.
The “League of the Supersportcars” continues from 30 August to 1 September at Spa-Francorchamps. The series will stage another “endurance” race on the world-famous Ardennes rollercoaster. Prior to this, Walkenhorst Motorsport will be competing in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup and in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.