15,000 fans turn out for an ADAC Masters Weekend programme boasting no fewer than twelve races New leaders in ADAC GT Masters: Keilwitz/Alessi go into final race weekend at Hockenheim (28th - 30th September) topping the table Three championship titles awarded on penultimate ADAC Masters Weekend: Formel ADAC team championship, ATS Formel-3-Cup Trophy and ADAC PROCAR Division 2 championship
The Nrburgring played host to the ADAC Masters Weekend over the weekend of 14th - 16th September. The penultimate event on the 2012 calendar pulled in 15,000 fans who enjoyed the spectacle provided by the ADAC GT Masters itself as well as its support series - Formel ADAC, ATS Formel-3-Cup, ADAC PROCAR and MINI TROPHY. ADAC GT Masters 18 points cover top four in championship table Callaway Competition take lead in both classifications
The situation at the top has hotted up once more on the penultimate ADAC GT Masters weekend. With Saturday's and Sunday's second place, Dino Lunardi and Maxime Martin have made an impressive return to the title chase in their BMW Alpina B6. Daniel Keilwitz and Diego Alessi achieved a similar feat in their Corvette, winning Sunday's race in the Eifel. So the two Callaway Competition drivers travel to the season finale at Hockenheim as the new leaders in the standings. With two podium finishes, Sebastian Asch and Maximilian Gtz are nine points off the lead in third place and still have a chance of securing the championship at Hockenheim in their Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The ADAC GT Masters remains exciting to the end; no fewer than three driver duos plus former championship leader Christian Engelhart are in with a chance of clinching the title. Only 18 points separate the top four in the standings. The same applies to the team competition, where Corvette, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and BMW ALPINA are all still in with a shout. Formel ADAC Kirchhfer and Malja running neck and neck in title chase Lotus clinch team title ahead of time
Going into the penultimate race weekend at the Nrburgring, second-placed Marvin Kirchhfer was contemplating a daunting 25-point deficit on championship leader Gustav Malja. After three races, however, he has trimmed the lead of his Swedish rival to just two points, which means that the destiny of the title will not now be decided until the grand finale at Hockenheim. Kirchhfer's weekend could not have gone more to plan - the ADAC Sports Foundation protg first claimed pole position for Races 1 and 2 before converting them into wins number five and six of the season. In the closing race on Sunday, he finished second behind Hendrik Grapp. Malja also secured two podium finishes, but in Race 3, he was demoted to seventh after incurring a time penalty. Kirchhfer's impeccable run of results was also a contributory factor in Lotus getting their hands on the team trophy with one weekend still to go. ATS Formel-3-Cup Blomqvist notches up two wins in the Eifel Erikkson just three points away from clinching championship
This was Tom Blomqvist's weekend. Victory in both the first and third race at the Nrburgring went to the British driver who celebrated his fifth win in his fifteenth race. The son of World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist is out of contention for the championship, however. After the penultimate race weekend of the season, championship leader Jimmy Eriksson, who was once again on the podium in the Eifel, is just three points away from his greatest triumph. With two second places, Lucas Auer, nephew of ex-Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger, left the door to his first title in the ATS Formel-3-Cup ajar ever so slightly. The winner in the Class Trophy has already been decided - with three races remaining until the end of the season, no-one can deprive German driver Andre Rudersdorf of the title. ADAC PROCAR Thierfelder celebrates early title win in Division 2 Returnees dominate races in Division 1
Guido Thierfelder has done it! The Peugeot driver wrapped up the Division 2 title ahead of time at the Nrburgring championship. His victory in the opening race was already enough to secure the trophy, so his win in the second race was merely the icing on the cake. Jens Weimann had already got his hands on the Division 1 trophy before the penultimate ADAC PROCAR race weekend. At the Nrburgring, fans had the novel experience of seeing other drivers take the honours in the two Super2000 race series: Peter Rikli making his season debut prevailed in Race 1 while last year's champion, Johannes Leidinger, also making his first appearance of 2012, triumphed in the second race. MINI TROPHY Championship goes to the wire MINI TROPHY as stepping stone to motor racing career
Jrgen Schmarl and Thomas Teekat are engaged in a close contest for the MINI TROPHY championship. After races eleven and twelve of the season at the Nrburgring, Schmarl has the upper hand with a 28-point margin. The overall leader came first in the second of the weekend's races after finishing third in the opener. Although title rival Teekat had the satisfaction of winning the first race, he finished the second out of the points, so overall the weekend represented a setback in his campaign. The competitiveness of the lifestyle brand trophy is apparent when we take a look at the drivers in the ADAC GT Masters paddock: Daniel Keilwitz, Johannes Stuck, Dominik Baumann, Harald Proczyk and Fredrik Lestrup are just five of the names currently contesting the Super Sports Car League who were formerly associated with the MINI TROPHY or its precursor series, the MINI CHALLENGE.
