After a strong maiden season with the new Corvette C7, Callaway Competition are aiming to build on last year’s success in 2017. Daniel Keilwitz (27, DEU) and Jules Gounon (22, F) intend to cause a stir again with their sensational American muscle car in the Super Sports Car League and be championship contenders. The outfit, managed by Ernst Wöhr and Giovanni Ciccone, will field a Corvette C7 and work closely with customer team RWT on the deployment of another C7. The ADAC GT Masters will kick off the 2017 season on the weekend of 28th – 30th April in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. SPORT1 will broadcast all races live and in full.
No team has remained as faithful to the ADAC GT Masters as Callaway Competition, and hardly any outfit has been more successful. Their tally so far: 24 race wins – the most in the ADAC GT Masters – one drivers’ title and one team title. Once again last year, Callaway Competition fought for the driver’s crown with Keilwitz and Gounon right up until the season finale in Hockenheim. It was their first season with the new Corvette C7, specially developed in-house by the team led by Ernst Wöhr and Giovanni Ciccone at Leingarten to the north of Stuttgart. After taking three race wins last year, the two drivers ultimately placed third overall.
Callaway Competition will again rely on the services of their successful driver pairing in 2017. Daniel Keilwitz won the ADAC GT Masters back in 2013 and is the driver with the most wins in the series with 17 top rankings. His French team-mate, Jules Gounon, had a strong season last year despite being new to GT3: “It was incredible to be so successful with the new car in 2016 straight out of the box. We intend to be championship contenders again this year. We’re much better prepared than we were last year. We collected a lot of data last season, from which we can now benefit. We now know how the car functions.”
Callaway Competition Team Principal, Giovanni Ciccone: “Our goal is clear. We aim to fight for the title again this year. This year’s ADAC GT Masters will probably be more hard-fought than ever before, but we’ve done our homework and have a strong, proven pair of drivers. Daniel has been one of the fastest drivers in the series for many years now, and Jules has amazed us with the way he’s developed since making his debut last year.”
Gounon can hardly wait for the season opener in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (28th – 30th April): “I’m really looking forward to the start of next season. I now know all the circuits and am therefore much better equipped. I think we’ll do especially well at the tracks with fast corners like the Sachsenring and the Red Bull Ring where the Corvette is really excellent.”