Leader of the standings Christian Abt will literally have to handle a ‘heavy load’: The Audi R8 LMS, which the former DTM star shares with youngster Jan Seyffarth, has a dry weight of 1,460 kilograms which makes it the heaviest car in the whole field. 24 vehicles will contest both races – meaning that spectators will get to see the most varied and – arguably strongest – field of contenders of the season so far.
‘This much is clear: It will be a very tough weekend for us,’ says Christian Abt, who – despite his difficult starting base – is far from trying to understate the situation. ‘We are fighters and of course that means our goal remains to clinch a place on the podium at the Nürburgring too. Jan and I in the cockpit as well as the whole squad will give all we’ve got to achieve this.’
Prior to the fifth of a total of seven race weekends of the ADAC GT Masters Christian Abt heads the standings with 48 points, followed with a two-point gap by his team colleague Jan Seyffarth.
Florian Gruber will experience his racing debut with Team ABT Sportsline at the Nürburgring. The 26-year-old driver will share the ‘sister car’ of the leader of the standings with Peter Terting starting this weekend. ‘I’m looking forward to the team, the Audi R8 and the new challenge,’ says Gruber. His enthusiasm is being reciprocated: ‘I’ve known Florian since the Volkswagen Lupo Cup many years ago and am sure that he’ll get the hang of it quickly. He’s a nice guy and knows the ropes from the FIA European GT3 Championship,’ says Peter Terting.
Gruber will have his first encounter with the 500-hp Audi R8 LMS on a test day, on Wednesday before the race. While Christian Abt and Jan Seyffarth are completing a testing programme at the Hockenheimring to be even better prepared for the final spurt in the title fight, Florian Gruber can get used to his new racing vehicle.
Team ABT Sportsline in the ADAC GT Masters:
#6 Audi R8 LMS: Christian Abt (D), Jan Seyffarth (D)
#7 Audi R8 LMS: Peter Terting (D), Florian Gruber (D)
The races at the Nürburgring will be held on Saturday (1:40 p.m.) and Sunday (10:00 a.m.), each lasting approximately 60 minutes.
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