Leo Pichler came out on top in a qualifying session dominated by tyre choice – the championship leaders got it wrong and will have to start from the back of the grid
Leo Pichler (Razoon – More than Racing) has secured pole position in the first qualifying session for the ADAC GT Masters final at Hockenheim. The Austrian clocked a time of 1:49.164 minutes to claim his maiden pole in the ADAC’s GT3 junior series. In damp conditions and with a track temperature of just 11 degrees, the Porsche driver – who shares the car with Colin Bönighausen – opted for wet tyres.
“It’s absolutely brilliant! After several race wins, securing pole position was still a goal I’d been aiming for. I felt good right from the start and knew that if I got the lap right, I’d be right up there at the front. We did one lap on wet tyres first and then came back into the pits. But it soon became clear to me that there wouldn’t be enough time left for the track to dry out enough for slicks. It was the right decision, even though the competitors got very close again towards the end,” he said happily.
With temperatures of just twelve degrees and overcast skies, qualifying began as a “wet session”. Although the sky cleared slightly as the session progressed and the track dried out, the fastest times were set by drivers on wet tyres. Behind Pichler, Mark Kastelic completed the front row for Razoon.
The Slovenian set the first fastest time early on and was repeatedly at the top of the timesheets, but ultimately had to concede defeat to his team-mate, finishing 0.126 seconds behind. Simon Connor Primm (HGL Racing) set the third-fastest time in his Audi, 0.152 seconds off the pace.
Title contenders far apart
Fourth place was secured by the championship runner-up, Felix Hirsiger (Team Engstler), in a Lamborghini Huracan GT3, 0.347 seconds off the pace. Ahead of the two final races, he and his team-mate Finn Zulauf (22/Königstein im Taunus) trail the championship leader by five points. Right behind him, the third potential title contender, Kiano Blum (Haupt Racing Team), will line up in his Ford Mustang. He was 0.773 seconds off the pace on his fastest lap.
The team had taken a gamble and stayed in the pits for a long time in the hope of setting a really fast time at the end, but Blum was unable to do so due to traffic on the track. The Austrian and his team-mate Niklas Kalus are 48 points off the top spot.
It was a difficult qualifying session for the championship leaders from FK Performance Motorsport. Halfway through the session, Tim Zimmermann and the team opted for slick tyres. His lap times improved steadily, but he stood no chance against the cars on wet tyres. He will start the race from eleventh on the grid alongside Leyton Fourie.
The first race of the weekend takes place on Saturday at 3.05 pm. All the live action will be streamed on Joyn, ServusTV On and at youtube.com/ADACMotorsports.