ADAC GT Masters·10.4.2024

Great performance from Swiss teams at pre-season testing in Hockenheim

Alexander Fach produces the fastest lap. Teams completed plenty of test kilometres to prepare for the season. Strong showing from David Schumacher and defending champion Salman Owega.

Alexander Fach recorded the best time in the final session © Photo: ADAC

Preparations completed: official pre-season testing for the ADAC GT Masters at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg saw teams take the opportunity to get themselves perfectly set up for the season-opener in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (26 to 28 April). Conditions were dry on both days, allowing drivers to chalk up plenty of test kilometres on the 4.574-kilometre circuit. A total of six teams, from six different manufacturers, were taking part. The two returning Swiss teams were particularly successful, with Fach Auto Tech and Emil Frey Racing recording the two fastest times on Wednesday.

Swiss driver Alexander Fach went round in 1:37.842 minutes to record the best time of the entire test session. He will be racing in a Porsche 911 GT3 R for the Fach Auto Tech team with his team-mate Alexander Schwarzer (D). “The test was very important for us. It was primarily about getting to know the car better and optimise the workflows. By the end, I felt really good in the car and I was delivering great times. We will adjust a few more things by the start of the season, so that we can go on the attack in Oschersleben,” said a visibly pleased Fach.

Emil Frey Racing claimed the second-fastest time © Photo: ADAC

Jean-Luc D´Auria and Alain Valente (Emil Frey Racing) put the Ferrari 296 GT3 in second place with a time of 1:38.407 minutes. The Swiss duo had shown what good form they are in on Tuesday, pushing their way up to the top of the leaderboard. The top 3 was completed by the Jannes Fittje (Langenhain) and Finn Wiebelhaus (Obertshausen) from the Haupt Racing Team, with a lap time of 1:38.461 minutes.

Great test for David Schumacher and defending champion Salman Omega © Photo: ADAC

In the Mercedes-AMG GT3 from the Haupt Racing Team, David Schumacher (Salzburg) produced an impressive performance on his first appearance in the ADAC GT Masters. In tandem with defending champion Salman Owega (Cologne), he posted the second-fastest lap in the second and third sessions. “We did a lot of work with the tyres over the two days and tested various setups. We aim to be challenging right away at the first race weekend in Oschersleben, to lay the foundation for a successful season,” reported Schumacher.

The new season in the ADAC GT Masters begins in the Magdeburger Börde region on the final weekend in April. The opener in Oschersleben is the first of four events in the popular GT3 series that will take place as part of the DTM programme. SPORT1 will broadcast all ADAC GT Masters races live on free TV in Germany. You can also follow the championship races with a livestream on SPORT1 and at adac.de/motorsport and the @adacmotorsports YouTube channel.