Mies/Zimmermann claim 50th win for Audi after thrilling race

Excitement, drama, emotions – race ten of this season’s ADAC GT Masters at the DEKRA Lausitzring had everything that makes motorsport so attractive. After 43 laps of racing, Tim Zimmermann (25/Langenargen) won a remarkable race in the #1 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. In doing so, he presented Audi with its 50th victory in the ADAC GT Masters. His visibly moved partner Christopher Mies (33/Düsseldorf): “This first win of the season was overdue for Tim and me. Our car has been fantastic in recent weeks, but we were unable to convert that into a win. We have finally been rewarded,” said the reigning German GT champion. In contrast, the mood at Schubert Motorsport was a sober one. Pole-sitter Nicky Catsburg (34/NL) came in too late for his mandatory pit stop, whilst leading in the #20 BMW M4 GT3, and was consequently handed a penalty. That dashed any hopes of victory. “The pit radio suddenly went dead. Up until then, everything was working, then all of a sudden there was nothing,” said a bewildered team principal Torsten Schubert. Spectators were treated to fantastic entertainment on Sunday and through the entire race weekend at the DEKRA Family & Friends Festival. The weekend total of 21,500 spectators was a new crowd record for an ADAC GT Masters event at the Lausitzring.

Key facts, Lausitzring, Klettwitz, race 10 of 14

• Circuit length: 3,478 metres
• Weather: 22 degrees, heavily overcast
• Pole position: Nicky Catsburg (Schubert Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3 #20), 1:31.569 minutes
• Winners: Mies/Zimmermann (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #1)
• Fastest lap: Dennis Marschall (Rutronik Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #27), 1:23.217.

Right from the start, Sunday’s race at the Lausitzring developed into a heated battle for position at the front of the field. Pole-sitter Nicky Catsburg was repeatedly put under pressure from Sven Müller (30/Bingen) in the #22 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Allied-Racing. Christopher Mies and Jack Aitken (26/GB) in the #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo of Emil Frey Racing were also embroiled in some fierce battles for third and fourth place. The race then calmed down, while the drama was just beginning for Schubert Motorsport. By the time all the drivers had come in for their mandatory pit stop between the 25th and 35th minute of the race, start driver Nicky Catsburg was still out on the track. He was penalised for this misdemeanour with a 49-second penalty. That was all the opportunity that Tim Zimmermann needed in the #1 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. The 25-year-old took the lead and defended it successfully to claim his maiden victory in the ADAC GT Masters. The combination of Jack Aitken (26/GB) and Albert Costa Balboa (32/E) in the #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo were rewarded for their consistent performance with second place, and climb to third place in the overall standings. Shortly before the finish, it all got a bit turbulent. Fabian Schiller from Drago Racing Team ZVO in the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo caused a collision between Patric Niederhauser (30/CH) in the #15 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II and Joel Sturm (20/Brühl) in the #22 Porsche 911 GT3 R, who dropped several places as a result. Championship leader Raffaele Marciello took advantage of this opportunity to climb a total of ten places and clinch the third spot on the podium in the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo for Mann-Filter Team Landgraf. Behind him, his closest rivals, the pairing of Christian Engelhart (35/Starnberg) and Ayhancan Güven (24/TR) in the #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Team Joos Sportwagentechnik, came home fourth. 

Fifth place initially went to Fabian Schiller (25/Troisdorf) and Jules Gounon (27/F) in the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Drago Racing Team ZVO. However, they were subsequently handed a ten-second penalty for the collision they caused shortly before the end of the race, and were consequently relegated to tenth. That saw local favourite Maximilian Paul (22/Dresden) and his partner Marco Mapelli (35/I) promoted to fifth place in the #71 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo of Paul Motorsport. The youngster from Dresden also won the Pirelli Junior competition, as he had also done on Saturday. The fastest lap of the race came courtesy of Dennis Marschall (26/Eggenstein) with a time of 1:23.217 minutes. He and partner Kim-Luis Schramm (25/Meuspath) finished sixth for Rutronik Racing in the #27 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. Fellow Audi driver Patric Niederhauser (30/CH) followed in seventh place in the #15 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. Marvin Dienst (25/Lampertheim), returning to the series, and Jan Marschalkowski (19/Inning) in the #8 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #8 of Mercedes-AMG Team ZVO made up eleven positions to finish eighth. Schubert Motorsport youngsters Niklas Krütten (19/Trier) and Ben Green (24/GB) came home ninth to score seven points in the #10 BMW M4 GT3.

Tim Zimmermann: “I am really happy with this win. We worked incredibly hard and have had the potential for a long time. In the race, I had no idea that we were leading, as the BMW was still ahead of us before the pit stop. Only three laps later was I informed over the radio that I was first. The tyres on the rear axle started to wear a bit on the final three laps, but I was able to get the job done.”

Christopher Mies: “We have worked hard all year and finally made the breakthrough today. I looked after the tyres a bit, although I could have driven a little faster. However, it is incredibly difficult to overtake, as everyone has the same pace and I wanted to look after the tyres a bit for Tim. It is a great win for our team.”