First poles for ADAC Sports Foundation protege Maximilian Gnther Small margins in qualifying: The stage ist set for three thrilling races in the Eifel Gunther: "What an incredible feeling - I've now got my sights on my first win."

Full steam ahead after the summer break: the fourth race weekend of the 2013 Formel ADAC season is currently being staged at the Nurburgring. In qualifying on Friday afternoon, the 19 young drivers needed to set themselves up well for the rest of the weekend. Maximilian Gunther (16, Germany, Mucke Motorsport) was quickest. The ADAC Sports Foundation protg achieved a 1:28.952 minutes to secure fastest time on the 3.618km short version of the Nurburgring. Newcomer to the series Gunther will also be in pole position for Sunday's second race in which the grid positions are determined by the second fastest lap times in qualifying. "Of course, my goal is to maintain position and to achieve my first win in the Formel ADAC," said the Mucke driver after achieving his first two pole positions in the ADAC's high-speed academy. This is the first time this season that a rookie has been successful in qualifying against more experienced drivers. A hard-fought qualifying Gunther had to fight hard for the qualifying best time in temperatures of around 33 degrees. His team-mate Alessio Picariello (19, Belgium, Mucke Motorsport) headed the time sheets for quite a long time, but Gunther took P1 from the championship leader with only three minutes left on the clock. Gnther was the only driver to crack 1:29, finishing 0.297 seconds up on Picariello. Nicolas Beer (17, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing) came home in third place behind the Mucke Motorsport duo with a personal best time of 1:29.404 minutes. Red Bull junior Beitske Visser (18, Netherlands, Lotus) completes the second row in the first of three races this weekend. Local driver Kremer on third row Local driver Jason Kremer (18, Germany, Schiller Motorsport) secured fifth place, lapping the Nrburgring sprint circuit in 1:29.744 minutes. He had a deficit of barely eight tenths of a second on fellow ADAC Sports Foundation protege, Gunther. Ralph Boschung (15, Switzerland, KUG Motorsport) set the sixth fastest lap time, which is proof of the extremely intense nature of the competition in Formel ADAC. In qualifying, drivers from five different teams finished in the top six. Mikkel Jensen (18, Denmark, Lotus) and Hendrik Grapp (19, Germany, Mcke Motorsport) completed the top eight. Pole-setter Gnther and his eight-placed team-mate Grapp were only eight tenths of a second apart. The ADAC is once again providing a live stream for fans unable to be at the Nurburgring this weekend to watch the three races live. This free service is available from the ADAC's official website at www.adac.de/motorsport. Maximilian Gunther (16, Germany, Mucke Motorsport), Pole Race 1 and 2:"It's an incredible feeling to be on pole twice this weekend. That was a really brilliant qualifying and my laps were really good. We had expected slower lap times in view of the hot conditions, but I felt very comfortable on the track and my fears were unfounded. A big thank you to my team, the car ran really great. Of course, my goal is to maintain position and to secure my first win in the Formel ADAC."