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RAVENOL partner Senkyr Motorsport had a difficult start to the ADAC GT Masters last weekend.
Training session 1 was already finished when Lennart Marioneck lost control of his BMW Z4 GT3 on the track. His team worked hard to return the vehicle to a roadworthy condition.
The car was then in superb condition at the start of Qualifying but then Jakub Knoll abandoned the BMW in the pits after only one lap. Further secondary accident damage was diagnosed and had to be repaired.
After the racing management granted his restart application, Jakub Knoll began his first ADAC GT Masters race right at the back. After constant good lap times he handed the vehicle over to Lennart Marioneck who drove the second stint, and was also able to finish with consistently good lap times with the car in one piece.
The race became tense during the last 10 minutes when it started to rain. After two vehicles had an accident, the Safety Car was sent onto the track and the race finished behind it. Ending in 14th place overall, and 3rd place in the Gentleman's Competition, was a very good result for the team following the bad start on Friday.
Robert Senkyr: "Today I am exceedingly happy with this result. After the poor start to the race weekend, it was good teamwork as well as the great performances from the drivers which guaranteed an excellent 3rd place in the Gentleman's Competition for the team.“
Lennart Marioneck: "Congratulations and thanks to the team which managed to get the car back together so well that it was ready to compete.
The priority was to get the vehicle over the finish line in one piece so that we could rack up the miles and get some experience in our first race. The fact that we were up there on the podium at the end of it all was incredible.“
Race 2: Through good times and bad times
After their 3rd place in the Gentleman's Competition, the team confidently prepared for Race 2. Lacking a qualifying time and therefore having to start again from the position right at the back, Lennart Marioneck sat behind the Camaro but couldn't overtake it as its top speed is higher than that of the Z4 GT3. The only chance that Lenny had was to pass it on a corner. The lap times he was registering would have sufficed for a mid-field placing. Then, after about 30 minutes, he took the Camaro, overtaking it on the inside curve. Lennart was almost past it when Oliver Gavin struck him a blow on his back wheel and the BMW Z4 GT3 spun off the track and hit the barrier with considerable force. This ended the race for the newcomer team from the Czech Republic; hopefully their vehicle will be raceworthy for the next event in the Red Bull Ring from the 5th to the 7th of June.