ADAC GT Masters 2012 Round 2 - Zandvoort(+Photos)

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ADAC GT Masters 2012 Round 2 - Zandvoort(+Photos)

Post by neil » Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:55 pm

ADAC GT Masters goes dune bashing by the North Sea

Premiere for ADAC GT Masters at Zandvoort
Record starting field with more than 40 super sports cars from 13 manufacturers
Former Formula 1 track promises to deliver spectacular racing


Wind, waves, sand and more than 40 super sports cars bearing 13 different marques - the ADAC GT Masters is gearing up for a spectacular beach party in Zandvoort (Netherlands), the first of two excursions in 2012 outside Germany's borders. After a frenetic start to the season in early April, the Super Sports Car League makes its Zandvoort debut over the weekend of 4th/6th May on the former Formula 1 track next to the North Sea coast.


ALPINA duo Lunardi/Martin face strong competition

Races 3 and 4 of the 2012 ADAC GT Masters promise to be high-octane affairs. The early championship leaders Dino Lunardi (33, F) / Maxime Martin (26, B) in their BMW ALPINA B6 are just two points ahead of Porsche duo Nick Tandy (27, GB) and Christian Engelhart (25, Kösching / Team Geyer & Weinig / Schütz Motorsport). "Zandvoort is a very narrow track with some sharp turns, so it's not ideal for our BMW ALPINA," says reigning champion Lunardi. "But I hope that we can play to our advantages on the many fast corners."


After a strong start to the season, Claudia Hürtgen (40, Aachen), the only woman driver to have won an ADAC GT Masters race, and Dominik Schwager (35, Eisenhofen / Schubert Motorsport) in their BMW Z4 will be among the favourites for the Zandvoort weekend. The pairing of Sebastian Asch (25, Ammerbuch), son of touring car legend Roland Asch, with Maximilian Götz (26 Uffenheim / kfzteile24 MS Racing Club) in their black Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will also be a combination to be reckoned with.



Frentzen and von Thurn und Taxis aiming to score first points

There will be several other prominent contestants aiming to get off the mark in the Netherlands after a shaky start to the campaign, including Albert von Thurn und Taxis (29, Regensburg / Reiter Engineering-Lamborghini Gallardo), winner of the 2010 title: "The track should suit us, so I'm very much hoping that things work out better for us at Zandvoort and that we can finish among the points." The young aristocrat went home empty-handed from the season opener, a disappointment also experienced by ex-Formula 1 and DTM driver Heinz Harald Frentzen (44, Neuss) and team-mate Andreas Wirth (28, Heidelberg / Callaway Competition) in their Corvette Z06, and by the dynamic duo of Christopher Mies (22, Heiligenhaus) / Christer Jöns (24, Ingelheim) in their Prosperia uhc speed Audi R8. Defending champion Alexandros Margarits (28, Cologne), together with Lance David Arnold (26, Duisburg / SCHÖNER WOHNEN Polarweiss Team HEICO) in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will also be keen to open their account in the Netherlands.


Ex-Formula 1 driver Tomas Enge to line up alongside Saudi prince

Making their debut in the Super Sports Car League are former F1 driver Tomas Enge (35, CZ / GRT Grasser Racing) in a Lamborghini Gallardo and Abdulaziz Al Faisal (28, KSA / Schubert Motorsport), a member the Saudi Arabian royal family, in his BMW Z4. The starting line-up also includes David Sigacev (23, RUS) / David Jahn (21, Speyer / Lambda Performance) in a Ford GT.


Local heroes hoping to please home crowd

There are also six Dutch contestants in the field, all intent on cracking open the champagne in front of their home fans. Local hero Christiaan Frankenhout (30, NL) from nearby Amsterdam partnered with Kenneth Heyer (32 Wegberg / HEICO Motorsport) in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has promised his supporters to post a respectable result. Equally intent on not letting their fans down are the only 100% Dutch outfit on the grid, DB Motorsport with a BMW Z4 driven by Jeroen den Boer (24, NL) and Simon Knap (23, NL). Making a guest appearance is sports car ace Jeroen Bleekemolen (30, Monaco) who grew up just a couple of miles away from the circuit. Bleekemolen will be sharing the Frogreen CO2 neutral 911 with Robert Renauer (27, Jedenhofen). Driving the new McLaren MP4-12C for MRS GT Racing, Patrick Huisman (46, NL) will be hoping for a good result in his home race. Meanwhile, Lamborghini driver Peter Kox (48, NL) has really knuckled down to some intensive work with his team-mate; the 2010 champion is sharing the cockpit of a Gallardo with current amateur champion Marc A Hayek (41, CH / Reiter Engineering) and is aiming to help the Swiss driver defend his title.


Aston Martin driver Poulsen leads amateur standings

The man they all have to catch in the amateur classification is Kristian Poulsen (36, DK / Young Driver AMR) in his Aston Martin. Hot on the heels of the Dane are Swen Dolenc (44, Maulbronn / FACH AUTO TECH) in the Porsche 911, supported by Martin Ragginger (24, A), and Carsten Tilke (28, Munich / Prosperia uhc speed) who shares an Audi R8 with former champion Christian Abt (44, Kempten).
Last edited by neil on Thu May 17, 2012 2:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by neil » Thu May 03, 2012 11:43 am

ALPINA Press release ahead of this weekends racing:

ALPINA wants defend championship-lead at Zandvoort

ALPINA heads with tailwind to the second round of the ADAC GT Masters in Zandvoort/The Netherlands (4th to 6th May). After an almost perfect start into the season, with a victory in the first race, reigning champion Dino Lunardi (33, F) and Maxime Martin (26, B) travel as first 2012 ADAC GT Masters championship leader with their BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 to the Netherlands, as ALPINA leads the team championship.

ALPINA has great memories to the former Formula 1-track at the North Sea coast. Back in 1977, ALPINA won the Dutch round of the European Touring Car Championship at Zandvoort with Dieter Quester/Toine Hezemans in a BMW 3.0 CSL. Almost 35 years later, Lunardi/Martin wants to add another chapter to the rich ALPINA-success story in Zandvoort at the first start of the BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 on the famous Dutch track. But after the successful season opener, Lunardi/Martin will have a 20 kg success penalty on board their BMW ALPINA, which is added to an already existing weight handicap of 60kg that the rulebook imposes for the high-profile driver paring Lunardi/Martin. Thus, the BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 has to carry 80 kg ballast around Zandvoort, that is similar to a Co-Driver onboard the B6 GT3.

“The two races in the Netherlands will not be easy for us,” Lunardi says. “The track is not perfectly suited for your car, but the key for a good performance will be a perfect set-up for a constant run in both races. If we find the right set-up, we will be able to score two good results and maintain our championship lead.“

„Zandvoort will be thrilling,” predicts Maxime Martin, who has also been successful in the FIA GT1 World Championship and the European Endurance Series in recent weeks. „The track is very challenging for the tires and Zandvoort is a new track for the BMW ALPINA B6 GT3. There are a few quick corners, where we can take advantage of the good aerodynamics of the BMW ALPINA B6 GT3.

“We travel optimistic to the Netherlands, as the season opener showed that our BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 is quick and well-prepared,” ALPINA´s Andreas Bovensiepen says. „We used the break since the first round to improve the performance of the car on the 2012 tires. At Zandvoort, we expect the competition to be even stronger then at the first round. Some of our competitors will be better prepared and there have been also changes to the “balance of performance“, which equals the performance of the various cars entered. In Oschersleben, for example, Sebastian Asch/Maxi Götz in Mercedes AMG and former Formula 1-racer Heinz-Harald Frentzen and former ALPINA driver Andreas Wirth have been very rapid. We expect them to be quick at Zandvoort as well.”

A second BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 will be entered in Zandvoort by ALPINA customer team LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler for Johannes Leidinger and Florian Spengler.

ADAC GT Masters on TV: All races are shown live in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on kabel eins. The pan-European Motorsport Channel broadcasts both races from Zandvoort on a delayed base on May 9th, starting 20:45 hours with several repetitions the following days.

About ADAC GT Masters: Featuring more than 40 cars of 13 different brands including Mercedes AMG, Ferrari, Aston Martin, McLaren. Lamborghini, Porsche and Audi, the ADAC GT Masters is the most competitive GT-series in Europe. On each of eight race weekends, two races of 60 minutes are held. Two drivers share one car, with a mandatory driver change halfway through the race. ALPINA won the championship in 2011, the BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 is among the three most successful cars in series history.

For the latest standings in the ADAC GT Master's race please click

http://www.thealpinaregister.com/racing/2012/adac

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Post by DonFlintoni » Thu May 03, 2012 1:30 pm

A good read.

I feel the weight penaties are a bit harsh though.

I might suggest to the team that if they have to increase the weight penatly to 90kg, I sit in the back :)
Former Alpina owner. Having a break.

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Post by neil » Fri May 04, 2012 1:27 pm

Results from free Practice 1

1st ALPINA (car 1) 1:40.792

28th Team Liqui Mobile (car 2) 1:45.103

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Post by neil » Fri May 04, 2012 1:48 pm

Results from free practice 2

5th ALPINA (car 1) 1:40.358

28th Team Liqui Mobile (car 2) 1:42.564

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Post by neil » Fri May 04, 2012 1:50 pm

It will be on UK TV on Wednesday (8th May)

Motors TV

21:15 ADAC GT MASTERS RD 2 : ZANDVOORT more info: ADAC GT Masters

Full race replay of Germany’s burgeoning GT championship, which boasts a grid stuffed with big name competitors. Round two comes from Zandvoort.

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Post by neil » Fri May 04, 2012 10:35 pm

Result from 1st qualifying

4th ALPINA (car 1) 1:39.882 (+0.618) - Lunardi

21st Team Liqui Mobile (car 2) 1:43.308 (+4.044)

Result from 2nd qualifying

4th ALPINA (car 1) 1:39.158 (+0.413) - Martin

29th Team Liqui Mobile (car2) 1:41.065 (+2.320)

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Post by neil » Fri May 04, 2012 10:43 pm

Here's the official ADAC press release following qualifying:

Double pole for DB Motorsport in home race at Zandvoort

Dutch duo Knap and den Boer to start from P1 in both races
Pole position for sole Dutch outfit in ADAC GT Masters
First ADAC GT Masters pole for the BMW Z4


The DB Motorsport partnership of Simon Knap (23, NL) and Jeroen den Boer (24, NL) in their BMW Z4 demonstrated convincingly that, on the demanding circuit at Zandvoort, there is no substitute for familiarity with the venue. The youngsters driving for the only Dutch team contesting the Super Sports Car League will start from pole position in a double bill of home races on Saturday and Sunday. "It really doesn't get any better than this," said a delighted Jeroen den Boer after claiming his first pole position in the ADAC GT Masters.


Keyfacts, Circuit Park Zandvoort/Netherlands

Streckenlänge:
4.307 km
Weather:
cloudy, 13 degrees Celsius
Pole Race 1:
Diego Alessi (40, I), Callaway Competition-Corvette Z06, 01:39.264 minutes
Pole Race 2:
Jeroen den Boer (24, NL) DB Motorsport-BMW Z4, 01:38.745 minutes



Knap claims first BMW pole in ADAC GT Masters

In the first qualifying session, Corvette driver Diego Alessi (41, ITA / Callaway) was involved in a thrilling three-way battle with Sebastian Asch (25, Ammerbuch / kfzteile24 MS Racing Team) in the Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS and Simon Knap in the BMW Z4. Alessi posted the fastest time, but the Italian was hit with a ten-place grid penalty for an incident in free practice. The main beneficiaries were Knap, who now finds himself in pride of position for Saturday's race, and Sebastian Asch who joins him on the front row. "A perfect way to start our home race," enthused Knap. "My fastest lap wasn't even perfect; I could have gone a bit faster." Starting from the second row are defending champion Dino Lunardi (33, F / ALPINA) in his BMW ALPINA B6 and current championship leader Andreas Wirth (27, Heidelberg / Callaway Competition) who shares his Corvette with former Formula 1 and DTM driver Heinz Harald Frentzen (44, Neuss).


Den Boer comes out on top in exciting three-way battle for pole

There was also a hard-fought contest for pole in Race 2 on Sunday. Local hero Jeroen den Boer went straight to the top of the timesheets in qualifying before being usurped, first by fellow BMW driver Dominik Schwager (35, Eisenhofen / Schubert Motorsport) and then by Corvette driver Frank Kechele (25, Ulm / Callaway Competition). But the Dutchman hit back and reclaimed the lead. "After the strong performance from my team-mate Simon Knap in the first qualifying session, I knew that I should also be capable of getting a good result," said den Boer after qualifying. "Because in fact, we are well matched in terms of speed. I hadn't been expecting pole position, though. To start your home race from pole on both days is just incredible." Schwager in P2 makes it a front row lock-out for BMW. Kechele lines up third on Row 2 alongside Maxime Martin (26, B / ALPINA) in the BMW ALPINA B6.


Sorrow for Heinz-Harald Frentzen, joy for Bleekemolen

Heinz-Harald Frentzen was far from satisfied with his qualifying result. Together with team-mate Andreas Wirth, the ex-Formula 1 World Championship runner-up will be starting from fourth and from 19th. "On my first hot lap, I was unfortunately blocked by another driver, and on the second attempt, I pushed a bit too hard," said a disappointed Frentzen. Having more luck on the day was ex-DTM driver Jeroen Bleekemolen (30, NL / FROGREEN CO2 neutral) in his Porsche 911 The local fans' favourite was held up during qualifying after his team-mate Robert Renauer (27, Jedenhofen) spun off track, but despite the delay was able to qualify seventh for Race 2 on Sunday.

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Post by olli » Sat May 05, 2012 1:04 pm

Just watching it on Kabel1, then straight over to the DTM qualifying (German tele again)

Tight group of 4 at the front with Lunardi in the Alpina being in second at the moment

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Post by neil » Sat May 05, 2012 11:54 pm

Looks like they finished in 5th

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Post by neil » Sun May 06, 2012 10:52 pm

Finshed 27th in race 2


Here's some insight into the result:

BMW ALPINA B6 driven by Martin/Lunardi dominates for most of race

The Dutch fans watched a BMW trio lead the field until to six laps from the end. But instead of the clean lines of the Z4, the front-runner was the more solidly built BMW ALPINA B6. Reigning champion Dino Lunardi (33, F), whose co-driver Maxime Martin (26, B / ALPINA) had snatched the lead from pole-sitter den Boer on Lap 2, was being harried by Simon Knap. Claudia Hürtgen was the third member of the BMW shootout in P3. But just seven minutes before the end, Lunardi ground to a halt at the side of the track with engine failure.

Knap assumed the lead to seal a victory for the only Dutch outfit in the ADAC GT Masters and the first ever win for BMW in the 'Super Sports Car League'. "The BMW ALPINA was looking very strong," said Knap. "I don't think I could have got past under my own steam. I kept getting close, but I just couldn't overtake. In the end, though, we had a stroke of luck."

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Post by ALPB1033 » Mon May 07, 2012 2:17 pm

Oh dear! Bad luck :( .

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Post by neil » Mon May 07, 2012 8:16 pm

Here's the race debrief from ALPINA

Quicker then expected, less points then possible – this was the bittersweet balance ALPINA took after the second round of the ADAC GT Masters at Zandvoort/Netherlands. Reigning champion Dino Lunardi (F) and Maxime Martin (B) showed a strong performance in their BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 during both races, but weren’t rewarded with the expected amount of points. In the first race, Lunardi/Martin finished in a good fifth position, while in Sunday’s second race, Lunardi retired from the lead.

That ALPINA would be strong on the demanding track in the North Sea dunes at Zandvoort, was obvious after qualifying, when Lunardi/Martin both qualified fourth for the two races. After a Corvette-driver in front of Lunardi was penalised, the Frenchman even started third, but lost a position at the start and another to the eventually race-winning Corvette. Lunardi handed the ALPINA to Martin in fifth position, the Belgian maintained this position until the end of the race. “After the driver change, Martin returned to the track behind some slower cars and lost much time”, explained ALPINA´s Andreas Bovensiepen. “Due to a later pit stop, Jeroen Bleekemolen in a Porsche re-entered the track just in front of Martin and on the very narrow Zandvoort-track, it was impossible to overtake the Porsche, even on the long straight. So we finished fifth.”

Sunday’s second heat started more promising for ALPINA, when Martin took second place in the starting lap and overtook a BMW Z4 in lap two for the lead. The BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 led the race until the final minutes, despite a close following BMW Z4. With only six laps to go, suddenly Lunardi slowed and stopped on track. A broken throttle body adjuster cost a possible podium finish. Today’s racing cars don’t have a throttle cable any more and use an electronic engine, which adjusts the throttle. If this engine breaks, the throttle doesn’t open any more, when the driver steps on the gas-pedal.

„In motorsport, everything can happen, like we saw today“, a deeply disappointed Dino Lunardi said after the race. „Our first race wasn’t trouble free, but o.k.. Sunday we really had bad luck. But the championship is still long and gives us many opportunities to get the points back, that we lost today. For the next race, this means to work even harder, especially on the reliability of the car.”

„Our Qualifying result was quite good, as one have to consider, that we also had a 20kg success ballast on board from the first round“, Martin analysed the weekend. „In the first race, we had again some issues with tire performance and also problems with traffic, so fifth was a decent result. But in general we got less points then we hoped for. Luckily most of our pursuers in this championship didn’t score good point either.“

„Murphy’s law of motor sports says, that when something breaks on the car, it’s always when you running at the front and not at the back“, ALPINA´s Andreas Bovensiepen said. „Luckily we are still second in the championship with only a one point gap. I can’t say if we would have won the race today, as at the end the second placed BMW Z4 was very strong. As expected, the competition was stronger then at the first round. Due to our retirement, the championship now gets even more thrilling. The BMW Z4 is in a very good shape and we can expect a lot from former Formula 1 racer Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Andreas Wirth, once they have a trouble free race with their Corvette. We would like to congratulate BMW for their first victory in ADAC GT Masters and for their first victory in the DTM since 20 years.”

After two rounds, Lunardi/Martin are now second in the championship, only one point behind the championship leading Corvette of Alessi/Keilwitz. ALPINA is third in the team standing with a tow point gap.

A second BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 was entered in Zandvoort by the ALPINA customer team LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler for Florian Spengler and Johannes Leidinger. In the first race, the two Engstler-boys were pushed by an Aston Martin, which caused damage to the BMW ALPINA. In the second race, Spengler/Leidinger finished 20th out of 40 cars.

The third round of the ADAC GT Masters take place from June 8th to 10th at the Sachsenring near Chemnitz in the eastern part of Germany.

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Post by neil » Thu May 17, 2012 2:11 pm

Slideshow of Photos from Zandvoort http://www.thealpinaregister.com/slide/ ... /zandvoort

Image

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