With one victory and one top ten result, AMG-Team Zakspeed enjoys a successful second round of the 2016 ADAC GT Masters: at the Sachsenring, Sebastian Asch (GER) and Luca Ludwig (GER) managed to win the event-opening race on Saturday with their #1 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and added another success with eighth place on Sunday. The team’s second Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Nikolaj Rogivue (CHE) and Nicolai Sylvest (DNK) finished 25th and 18th in the two races.
Following their victory in the curtain-raiser of the 2016 ADAC GT Masters season at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Sebastian Asch and Luca Ludwig also presented themselves in excellent shape at the undulating Sachsenring circuit. In fine weather conditions throughout the event, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with starting number #1 was among the fastest cars in the field of the super sports cars from the very beginning. At the end of the weekend, Sebastian Asch and Luca Ludwig underlined their ambitions of defending their title with a victory and one eighth place. In the current drivers’ standings, they are in second place with 54 points. With its results achieved over the weekend, AMG-Team ZAKSPEED its leading position in the teams’ standings.
Race 1: Saturday, 30 April, 2016
The first race of the weekend on Saturday started with a setback for the defending champions: having started from second place on the grid, Sebastian Asch lost three positions in the opening stages of the race and dropped back to fifth place. Until the halfway point, however, the #1 Mercedes-AMG GT3 caught up again. The positions in the field again having been taken after the mandatory pit stops and a safety car intervention halfway through the race, Asch’s team-mate Luca Ludwig was in the lead and managed to defend his position until the finish. After 41 laps, the maiden ADAC GT Masters race win at the Sachsenring for the AMG-Team Zakspeed was in the books. Driving the sister car with starting number #21, Nikolaj Rogivue and Nicolai Sylvest had to start from the back of the grid following bad luck in qualifying. In the course of the one-hour race, they also managed to make up positions and crossed the finish line in 25th place.
Race 2: Sunday, 1 May, 2016
In qualifying for the race on Sunday, Luca Ludwig established a new ADAC GT Masters qualifying record at the Sachsenring. However, having started from pole position, he lost the lead in the opening stages of the race and handed over to Sebastian Asch while running in third place. After the pit stop window, a safety car phase brought the field together again, resulting into Asch getting under pressure in the final segment. In the entertaining battles for third place, he lost positions and crossed the finish line in eighth place. With the #21 Mercedes-AMG GT3, Nikolaj Rogivue initially managed to hold on to his fifth starting grid position. In the second half of the race, however, the duo lost positions. At the end of his stint, Nicolai Sylvest brought the car home in 18th place.
Sebastian Asch, AMG-Team ZAKSPEED:
“Victory on Saturday was simply amazing. After several good results, I finally came good at the Sachsenring. On Sunday, we looked on course for another podium finish for a long time. Once again, I tried everything to attack, but then I had bad luck and was unable to maintain my position.”
Luca Ludwig, AMG-Team ZAKSPEED:
“We came to the Sachsenring with the intention of mounting a challenge for the points’ lead. We were well on course with our victory, but on Sunday, things weren’t going perfectly for us. Nevertheless, we will continue to attack. After all, the season is still long.”
Jochen Bitzer, head of AMG Customer Sports:
“Congratulations to the AMG-Team Zakspeed for the second victory of the season and for the lead in the teams’ standings. This was a great achievement here at the Sachsenring and we are looking forward to the next races.”