Best places for a Mercedes-AMG Motorsport in Zandvoort

Zandvoort/Netherlands. For the first time, ADAC GT Masters debuted on the new circuit variant of the Zandvoort circuit, which was modified last year. After the two races over the weekend, there were two second places and several top 10 results for the Mercedes-AMG GT3. Maro Engel and Luca Stolz (both from GER) of the Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT, who finished second with No. 22, achieved their best result on Saturday. In Sunday’s race, the MANN-FILTER LANDGRAF HTP/WWR team with Raffaele Marciello (ITA) and Maximilian Buhk (GER) finished second from the Mercedes-AMG GT3. Jules Junon (France) and Igor Walelko (Poland) were happy with the top 10 results in both races with starting number 13 from Zackspeed Mobile Krankenkasi Racing. The support program saw the Mercedes-AMG GT4 celebrate racing victories: Team Zakspeed (#13) took first place in both ADAC GT4 Germany Championship races.

• Race 1: Mercedes-AMG GT3 #22 runner-up from the Mercedes-AMG Toksport WRT
• Race 2: second place Mercedes-AMG GT3 #70 from the MANN-FILTER LANDGRAF HTP/WWR Team
• Race victories for the Mercedes-AMG GT4 at ADAC GT4 Germany

In the third race weekend of the year, four Mercedes-AMG GT3s are once again found in a field of 27 ADAC GT Masters. The Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT (#22) achieved the best pole position in the first race over 60 minutes on Saturday, which started from third place led by Maro Engel and Luca Stolz. With good track conditions, rookie driver Engel held onto third place on the stunning dune course in a turbulent initial stage. Maximilian Buhk at starting number 70 from the MANN-FILTER LANDGRAF team – HTP / WWR led the heavy traffic in the initial phase from 11 on the network to seven. The #13 Mercedes-AMG GT3 from Zakspeed Mobil Krankenkasse Racing also took five spots with Igor Walilko (starting position 13) before the safety car had to deploy for the first time after the first lap.

After the restart, the teams maintained their positions, after a second safety car stage, number 13 only lost a place before the ten-minute stop window opened. Buhk was one of the first to hand over the #70 Mercedes-AMG GT3 to Raffaele Marciello. Shortly thereafter, Team Zakspeed (#13) also switched drivers, with Jules Gounon battling the second half of the race. The third-placed owners took the opportunity of late to switch to the Pride, which turned out to be an opportune time. While Mercedes-AMG’s Toksport WRT #22 was still third after a driver change, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #13 and #70 came in ninth and tenth. As a result, all three vehicles improved by one position due to the main opponent’s driving penalty, even the checkered flag after 36 laps there should be no more position changes after the second half of the race. With second place, Engel and Stolz secured second success on the podium for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 this year. The duo Walilko/Gounon (#13) and Buhk/Marciello (#70) finished eighth and ninth at the 4.3km circuit. Zakspeed Mobil Krankenkasse Racing’s fourth Mercedes-AMG GT3 (#20) with Constantin Schröll (AUT) and Hendrik Still (GER) finished the first half in 20th place.

The MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF HTP / WWR finished second in the second race
On the Dutch North Sea coast, it was Bohke and Marcelo (#70) who started the race as the best with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 after qualifying in the morning from fourth place. Engel and Stolz (#22) finished 13th in the playoffs, and Zaxspeed Mobil Crankenkasi went from 6th (Walco/Jonon, #13) and 24th (Scholl/Steel, #20) respectively.

Marcello had an excellent start to the race. In the first corner of the total of 14 corners, he already occupied 2 places. Until the driver change, he led the Italian to the lead lap after lap and handed the starting number 70 to his teammate Buhk, nearly two seconds behind in second. Immediately after coming off the pit he was under a lot of pressure, but he held up admirably and after 37 laps he drove safely to second place. Thanks to the strong result, Bohke and Marcelo moved up the championship standings and are now second after six races.

The Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 had a lot of bad luck: rookie driver Stolz finished three places in his period and finished 10th. Engel put himself in seventh place after a good timing change and three very fast first laps and was now sixth after another successful overtaking maneuver. However, at the end of the race, he had to have technical problems, and on the last lap he went off the track after touching the opponent and lost several positions.

Gounon and Walilko once again showed consistently good performances in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #13. The duo from Zakspeed Mobil Krankenkasse Racing made no major mistakes in 60 minutes and, as in the first round, secured a place in the top ten – it was fifth on Sunday. His teammates Scholl improved by nine places and with fifteenth place they are still collecting points for the championship.

Mercedes-AMG GT4 dominant weekend at ADAC GT4 Germany
A triple victory was recorded for the Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the first race of the ADAC GT4 Germany, which is part of the support programme. There was no passing Jan Marschalkowski (Germany) and Theo Nouette (France) of Team Zaxspeed (No. 13) at the end. The sister car No. 20, which was driven by Robert Hope (USA) and Gabriela Gelkova (CZ), took second place. The podium was completed by Marc de Fulgencio (Spain) and Robin Falkenbach (Germany), who put the Mercedes-AMG GT4 from Liebert Motorsport in third place.

Zaxspeed’s starting number 13 was also the measure of all things in this year’s sixth championship. In an exciting race final on Sunday, Marshalkowski and Noett once again triumphed over the competition. The No. 20 sister car contributed another top-10 result with Hope and Gelkova in sixth place. The driver duo is now second and third in the overall standings.

Luca Stolz, Mercedes-AMG Toksport WRT Team (#22): “First of all, thanks to our team, who have done an excellent job with the busy racing calendar over the past few weeks. Of course, we were a bit lucky in the first race when we were able to win a place with a captain’s penalty. Now it’s all about gaining more ground over our opponents in the Championship”.

Maru Engel, Mercedes-AMG Talksport WRT (No. 22): “We are very happy to win the first race. The team once again put together a very good Mercedes-AMG GT3, thank you very much for that! Towards the end it got tighter up front, unfortunately there was no other chance to attack the first place.”

Rafael Marcelo, Mann-Filter Landgraf Team – HTP WWR (#70): “I got off to a very good start on Sunday and immediately tried to put pressure on the top. However, it is very difficult to overtake on this track. In the end, second place is a very good result for us.”

Maximilian Buhk, MANN-FILTER Team Landgraf – HTP WWR (#70): “Immediately after switching to the car, I got into a close duel with one of the opponents. Fortunately, things went well and I was able to hold our position. Unfortunately, that was not enough for the place in front on Sunday. With that, I am very happy with the result and points. Championship. At the Nürburgring in four weeks, of course, we want to build on the result.”

Race result 1, ADAC GT Masters, Zandvoort¹:

¹ Subject to confirmation by the organizer

Race result 2, ADAC GT Masters, Zandvoort¹:

¹ Subject to confirmation by the organizer