The GT Summer Series has marked its official debut at Hockenheimring with a day full of intense emotions, characterized by unexpected incidents and risky decisions. Despite the organizers’ claims about the success of the event, the attending fans experienced a genuine roller coaster of emotions.
The competition began with a grid of 19 vehicles, including GT3, GT4, and varied specification cup cars. Despite the expectations, the weekend was complicated, starting with the withdrawal of the Aston Martin from Mucke Motorsport due to technical problems before the race.
Exciting Races in Adverse Conditions
The first race was dominated by Alexander Kroker, who, starting from pole in his Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, achieved a spectacular victory with a 24-second lead over the second-placed Thomas Westarp. This performance seemed to predict a calm day, but the second race took a dramatic turn.
Just before the second race, the weather changed and rain made its appearance. Ole Petersen, a Danish driver and Super GT champion, took advantage of the wet conditions to lead with his Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo, finishing with a resounding victory. However, the day became more complicated for some drivers, such as Hermann Speck, who opted for slick tires and collided with the safety barrier, forcing the race to be stopped.
Confusion in the Pits and Human Errors
The third race, marked by Petersen’s retirement due to a mechanical failure, turned out to be unexpected chaos. An error in the race control caused the ‘pit window opening’ message to be incorrectly disseminated, leading to confusion among teams rushing to make pit stops while following the safety car.
Westarp managed to stay calm and exited the pits with a significant lead that allowed him to control the race until victory, closely followed by Fabian Dybionka and Igor Klaja. Gregor Drasal, with his Lamborghini, attempted a risky maneuver to claim second place, but ended up spinning and had to settle for fourth position.
With three races and three different winners, the inaugural GT Summer Series has provided a memorable start. The next event will take place in Oschersleben from May 29 to 31, where drivers will aim to improve their performances and avoid past mistakes.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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