21 races held at well-known race tracks The ADAC has intentionally trained single-seater stars of tomorrow since 1991. Ralf Schumacher, Timo Glock, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Adrian Sutil, Nico Hülkenberg and Christian Klien from Austria and the Swiss Sébastien Buemi number among the successful graduates to emerge from the horse-power schools of Europe’s largest automobile club. They all managed to make Formula 1. The talent school bears the name ADAC Formel Masters since 2008. During the first two years a total of 42 talents representing twelve nations improved their driving skills at the wheel of the Formel ADAC powered by Volkswagen and, in doing so, staked their claim for future drives. High-calibre racing at moderate cost – this is one of the main strengths of the ADAC Formel Masters. The calendar also contributes to this: A staggering 21 races will be held at a mere seven ADAC Masters Weekends in 2010. More than in any other comparable series. Compressing the programme to form a two day event (Saturday/Sunday), which is implemented at almost every ADAC Masters Weekend, also spares the budget and prevents possible overlaps with profession or training. ADAC Sports President Hermann Tomczyk campaigned personally for this concept: "This tight calendar is certainly in the interests of the teams and drivers. It allows significant cost savings but still enables the young talents to gather plenty of race experience.” The 21 races are held at renowned tracks such as the Sachsenring, Nürburgring, Hockenheimring, the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben and the traditional TT circuit Assen in the Netherlands. High-calibre racing at moderate cost – the ADAC Formel Masters technical concept, which is tailored specifically for young drivers, also allows this. Every driver competes with the Formel ADAC powered by Volkswagen car. Race ready the car costs only 49,900 Euro plus VAT. The chassis developed and built by Dallara meets the high safety demands of Formula 3. The power plant is a reliable, torquey 1.6 litre normally aspirated Volkswagen engine producing 145 hp thanks to state-of-the-art gasoline direct injection. The tyres from exclusive supplier Dunlop are mounted on MoTec aluminium rims. The standard equipment used by the young protagonists guarantees a high-level of performance parity. Nevertheless, the regulations leave sufficient scope in the suspension and aerodynamic areas to allow the young race drivers to blossom and develop their set-up skills.
Another basic principle of the ADAC Formel Masters is: Performance is rewarded. Wins and high finishing positions bring drivers and teams not only points – they are also rewarded financially. Prize money of 100,000 Euro per season is available for this purpose. The most successful drivers are supported beyond their ADAC Formel Masters careers. An appropriate cooperation with Volkswagen Motorsport and the ATS Formula 3 Cup was agreed for this purpose. Germany’s strongest "star of tomorrow” series is therefore the perfect stepping stone for drivers on the way up. At the end of the 2010 season the top-three drivers in the championship receive the opportunity to test an ATS Formula 3 Cup car for free. The Formula 3 Association provides sufficient test days for this. Furthermore, the ADAC Formel Masters champion is supported financially by ADAC and Volkswagen Motorsport in the ATS Formula 3 Cup during the 2011 season. Provisional calendar ADAC Masters Weekend 201016–18/04/10 Motorsport Arena Oschersleben07–09/05/10 Sachsenring04–06/06/10 Hockenheimring16–18/07/10 Assen (NL)13–15/08/10 EuroSpeedway Lausitz27–29/08/10 Nürburgring24–26/09/10 Motorsport Arena Oschersleben