Sachsenring GT4 race report

German GT4 at Sachsenring sees a dramatic weekend for Walkenhorst Motorsport

Saturday, race 1

Enzo Joulié got behind the wheel for Saturday’s qualifying. The Frenchman earned a 9th place on the grid. Starting alongside him would be the other Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW of Nico Hantke and Mex Jansen.

Joulié started the race strong, gaining two positions on the opening two laps. He was clearly buzzing, looking for overtakes left, right, and centre. That in turn netted the #35 Walkenhorst BMW a lot of screen time. But, after a while he switched to a more conservative, deliberate approach. After all, the coarse surface of Sachsenring was known to just shred tyres if one’s not careful. It worked, too; he earned two more positions before the mandatory pit stop, handing the car over to Sami-Matti Trogen from 5th place.

Trogen got up to speed fast, and as per usual, Walkenhorst Motorsport did their stop early. It had worked before, and it worked once again, netting them a position during the pit cycle. Trogen was fourth, right behind his teammate Mex Jansen.

For quite a while Sami-Matti settled behind the other Walkenhorst car, until Jansen suddenly started to drop heavily. Puncture! Game over for Hantke/Jansen, and disappointment on the pit wall. Meanwhile, Trogen got up to 3rd and onto a podium position, which would be their first since the season opener at Oschersleben.

All looked good until the cameras turned to the UniqAir branded BMW #35 of Trogen, limping into the pits with a burst tyre. Two flats in last 10 minutes, and two substantial points hauls turning to 0 in an instant.

The race was won by defending champions Mike David Ortmann and Hugo Sasse, driving a PROsport Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4.

SAMI-MATTI TROGEN:
”Race started really well, no real incidents early on. We got overtakes done one at a time. Pit stop was really good, we gained a couple of positions there. Then, with two laps to go, the front right tyre just exploded. We don’t know the exact reason yet, the track surface, on the other hand the kerbs, but also set up issues could have caused the problem. It’s really a shame.”

Results, race 1:
1) #1 Mike David Ortmann/Hugo Sasse – Prosport Racing – Aston Martin Vantage GT4
2) #31 David Jahn/Jannes Fittje – AVIA W&S Motorsport – Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
3) #5 Leon Wassertheurer/Tim Reiter – Bonk Motorsport – BMW M4 GT4
4) #2 Marat Khayrov/Gabriele Piana – Bonk Motorsport – BMW M4 GT4
5) #6 Alexander Hartvig/Nathan Schaap – Allied-Racing – Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
…
DNF #35 Enzo Joulié/Sami-Matti Trogen – Walkenhorst Motorsport – BMW M4 GT4

  

Sunday, race 2

Trogen drove Sunday’s qualifying. 11th grid spot didn’t quite meet expectations, but gaps around him were measured in mere hundredths of a second. More importantly for the driver, Sami-Matti did start three places ahead of the other Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW.

Trogen’s opening stint was spent in a fierce battle pack from 7th place onwards. Positions changed seemingly every lap, which made for exciting watching. Race was red-flagged before halfway, when Dominique Schaak of Eastside Motorsport crashed his Mercedes-AMG heavily. Thankfully, he was able to walk away.

Trogen pitted soon after the race resumed and window opened, allowing Enzo Joulié to take over. The Frenchman and inherited a car, which had been well looked after by Sami-Matti. A series of punctures reminded everyone of the track’s treacherous nature. In the end, Mike David Ortmann and Hugo Sasse claimed another win at Sachsenring, all but sealing the championship in the progress.

Walkenhorst Motorsport had a good day, with Hantke/Jansen finishing 3rd and claiming another podium. Enzo Joulié finished 5th, just 1/100 of a second behind Jan Phillipp Springob’s Mercedes-AMG. It equals the result in the previous race at Lausitzring and brings a welcome haul of points before the season finale in six weeks.

SAMI-MATTI TROGEN:
“I got unlucky in qualifying, the session was stopped just when I was on my best lap. In later attempts the optimal grip was gone. Race started okay, early on the car wasn’t quite in balance, but it got better as the race progressed. Tyre-wise the track was really difficult and looking after them was crucial. It was difficult for the teams to get the right setup, and it wasn’t easy for us drivers either. You’re under pressure and have to go fast, but at the same time you can’t really take any chances with the kerbs and such.”

Results, race 2:
1) #1 Mike David Ortmann/Hugo Sasse – Prosport Racing – Aston Martin Vantage GT4
2) #15 Mohan Ritson/Tom Wood – FK Performance Motorsport – BMW M4 GT4
3) #34 Nico Hantke/Mex Jansen – Walkenhorst Motorsport – BMW M4 GT4
4) #85 Jan Phillipp Springob/Simon Connor Primm – CV Performance Motorsport – Mercedes-AMG GT4
5) #35 Enzo Joulié/Sami-Matti Trogen – Walkenhorst Motorsport – BMW M4 GT4

  

German GT4 Series, points after 10/12 races:
1) #1 Sasse/Ortmann – PROsport Racing – 173 points
2) #85 Bulatov* – Eastside Motorsport – 130 p.
3) #4 Primm/Springob – CV Performance Group – 117 p.
4) #31 Jahn/Fittje – AVIA W&S Motorsport – 113 p.
5) #34 Hantke/Jansen – Walkenhorst Motorsport – 95 p.
…
10) Trogen/Joulié – Walkenhorst Motorsport – 61 p.

ADAC GT4 Germany continues with the two last races on 20.-22. October at Hockenheim.