Mixing a 19-car grid of GT3s, GT4s, and various spec cup cars is always a recipe for action. Gedlich Racing’s brand-new GT Summer Series made its official competitive debut at the Hockenheimring as part of the Preis der Stadt Stuttgart event. But while the organisers predictably spoke of a successful debut, the fans trackside witnessed an absolute rollercoaster of emotions.
Even before the green flag waved, the grid began to shrink. Thilo Goos’ Mucke Motorsport Aston Martin was withdrawn on Friday due to technical issues. Qualifying dealt another heavy blow, when PTT Racing’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, driven by Przemyslaw Bienkowski, suffered a terminal engine failure.
Race 1: Kroker in a league of his own
At least the weather gods played ball for the opening 30-minute sprint. Alexander Kroker started from pole position in his Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II and simply checked out. While the rest of the field sorted out tyre temperatures and braking zones, Kroker pulled away with peerless pace. By the time the chequered flag waved, he was a massive 24 seconds clear of second-placed Thomas Westarp (also in an Audi). Hermann Speck rounded out the podium in his Porsche 991.2 GT3 R. It was a dominant display — but it proved to be the calm before the storm.
Race 2: The disastrous slick tyre gamble
Right on cue for the second sprint, the heavens opened over Hockenheim. Wet asphalt and heavy spray set the stage for the brave. Thomas Westarp led early on, but was hunted down and passed on lap three by Danish Super GT champion Ole Petersen in the OP Motorsport Lamborghini Huracsn Super Trofeo. Petersen looked untouchable in the wet conditions, pulling away to secure a well-deserved victory.
Always in the thick of it: Gregor Drasal’s pink Leipert Lamborghini GT3 was a magnet for action all weekend, fighting through spins and door-to-door clashes.
Photo by: Gedlich Racing
Behind him, however, pure overambition caused carnage. Porsche pilot Speck gambled heavily, lining up as the only driver on slick tires. It was a recipe for disaster. After spinning at the very first corner, he lost complete control of his 911 at the high-speed Parabolika on a subsequent lap and slammed head-on into the Armco barrier. Thankfully, Speck walked away unharmed, but his car was destroyed and the race was red-flagged.
Race 3: Human error causes pit lane confusion
Anyone expecting a quiet finale in race three was proved wrong. This time, the chaos wasn’t caused by the weather, but by race control itself.
After Petersen retired early with a mechanical failure, Westarp controlled the pace from the front. Behind him, however, Gregor Drasal took centre stage. The driver of the pink Leipert Lamborghini was the undisputed action magnet of the weekend: After a brake failure on the formation lap of race one and a spin in the wet second race, he found himself in a fierce wheel-to-wheel battle with Pierre Lemmerz.
The clash ended with Lemmerz spinning out with wheel damage, which triggered a safety car period. In Gedlich Racing events, the mandatory pit window is typically delayed if a safety car is on track to avoid unfair advantages.
Three races, three winners: The inaugural weekend delivered maximum drama but ended with big celebrations.
Photo by: Gedlich Racing
But due to a human error at race control, the official “pit window open” message was blasted across the timing screens regardless.
A wave of panic hit the paddock. Teams scrambled to pit their cars while driving behind the safety car, completely shuffling the running order. Westarp kept his head amidst the chaos, emerged from the stops with a massive 30-second lead, and cruised to victory ahead of the Cup 2 Porsche of Fabian Dybionka and Igor Klaja. Action-magnet Drasal, meanwhile, attempted a late dive for second place, spun out, and ultimately had to settle for fourth overall.
Three races, three different winners – and plenty of talking points as the grid now heads to Oschersleben on May 29-31.
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