Martin Öhlin continues to set top times during the TTA weekend at Gelleråsen. After having posted the second fastest time in both practice sessions yesterday, Martin fought with championship leader Fredrik Ekblom for pole position in todays qualifying for the race later this afternoon. In the end only a tenth seperated them when qualifying was redflagged with one minute to go. Martin was pleased with his first front row start in TTA.
”Finally! Now it worked as it’s supposed to do and I didn’t even feel like I had to push very hard to get the time. We definetly have the speed this weekend and pole was possible today but I’m happy with second place on the grid. We are on the outside line in the start and as it looks right now that’s the dry line but we’ll have to wait and see. I look forward to the race and I’m very pleased,” Martin said.

His team mates endured a worse qualifying session. Richard Göransson, winner of the last round, qualified a dissapointed 12th after getting caought out by the red flag when he was yet to do his qualifying lap on slicks.
”We just didn’t get the timing right. I had a lap to do on slicks when it was red flagged and we were not on it when it dried up. It sucks to be honest,” he said.

Fredrik Larsson struggled with brake problems during his qualifying and no matter what he did, the brake balance changed and he was dissapointed ending up 13th.
”The brakes just didn’t work properly, a problem we had yesterday that got even worse today. It disrupts the driving and you get lose the rythm and can’t do a good time. We must find a solution for this for the race, right now it’s not very fun,” Fredrik said about his qualifying.

Andreas Ebbesson was just as puzzled after having had problems all weekend. He qualified 15th.
”It’s a disaster. It just doesn’t work for us this weekend and I don’t know why. This will be a tough race.”

The race starts 15:15.

Result, top 10, Qualifying TTA Gelleråsen:
1: Fredrik Ekblom 1:04.388
2: Martin Öhlin + 0,123
3: Linus Ohlsson + 0,151
4: Robin Rudholm + 0,199
5: Thed Björk + 0,306
6: Daniel Haglöf + 0,352
7: Alx Danielsson + 0,356
8: Stefan Söderberg + 0,455
9: Mattias Andersson + 0,500
10: Robert Dahlgren + 0,528

12: Richard Göransson + 0,622
13: Fredrik Larsson + 0,731
15: Andreas Ebbesson + 0,962

A quick pit stop and a couple of laps free from traffick. That’s how WestCoast Racing could climb from 30th on the grid to 16th place at the finish. The weekend at Red Bull Ring didn’t yield any points as the BMW-teams struggled to get competitive on this track.

WestCoast Racing did however managed to build on the speed from Saturday and could climb 14 places in the second race on Sunday. The key to this was one of the fastest pit stops of the race as soon as the pit window was open.

Fredrik Lestrup started the race but got caught in traffic behind cars faster in a straight line preventing any overtaking. When the pit window was opened the team chosed to bring him in early for the mandatory driver change and give Martin Öhlin a few laps clear of traffic. This gained him several places.

Towards the end of his stint and the race Martin Öhlin also got caught behind slower cars with a straighline advantage and when the race eventually was finished behind the safety car he was prevented to climb any further. Fredrik Lestrup and Martin Öhlin finished 16th overall.

”I’m pretty pleased with my stint,” Martin said. ”We did a very good pit stop and I managed to get a few clear laps and could set competitive lap times. Unfortunately I got stuck behind a Camaro for a few too many laps before I managed to get pass. The car worked really well today and the tyres held up great. But this was a track where our car just wasn’t competitive and the overall result is not soemthing to be to pleased with. We got out most of the car in the end but it wasn’t enough. It was a fun weekend though and a good build up for me before my next race weekend in Sweden and TTA already in five days. I already look forward to my second GT Masters weekend in two weeks time at Lausitzring.”

”I had a very messy first stint and I’m not so pleased,” Fredrik Lestrup said afterwards. ”The start was chaotic and I had to go off track to avoid spinning cars in front of me and this cost me a few positions. After that I was stuck in traffic and it was the right decision to bring me in early and get Martin out in clean air. This was a tough weekend for us where our car didn’t suit this track. Unfortunately we know that Lausitzring will be tough for us as well but we’ll take the positives from this weekend and recharge for Lausitzring.”

Results, Race 2 Red Bull Ring

WestCoast Racing didn’t manage to finish the first ADAC GT Masters race of the weekend at Red Bull Ring. But despite that there were positives to bring into Sunday’s race at a track which has proven to be difficult for the BMW’s.

Martin Öhlin and Fredrik Lestrup drove equal lap times in qualifying in their respective qualifying sessions. The time set by Martin Öhlin was enough for 17th place in the grid while the same time set by Fredrik Lestrup only was only good enough for 29th place in the grid for the Sunday race in a faster second qualifying session.

Martin Öhlin took the start stint in todays race and got his stint divided by two periods of safety car after incidents in the early laps. The team chosed to keep Martin out for a bit longer and he went into the pits with 28 minutes remaining of the race to hand over to Fredrik Lestrup. In the pitstop the adjustment arm for the seat broke and the seat was stuck in the rearward position. This delayed the pitstop with an extra 38 seconds and thus ending all hopes of scoring a point. Despite this Fredrik Lestrup managed to keep a strong pace and managed to be faster in the race than the best BMW-time set in qualifying. With four minutes remaining he lost all drive in the BMW and was forced to retire in the pits.

”I didn’t get so many real race laps in my first GT Masters race unfortunately with several laps spent behind the safety car,” Martin said afterwards. ”It’s disapointing we had to retire but the car worked much better today which is promising for tomorrow. We will start even further back then but these races are usually eventful so anything is possible.”

”This track has proven not to suit the BMW but our car felt really good in the race today,” Fredrik said. ”Unfortunately we had to retire when something happened with the gearbox or the clutch and I lost all drive. On top of that the adjustment to the seat got broken in the pitstop so it was a bit challenging. The positives are that we got the feeling back in the car and had a better laptime in the race than set by a BMW in any other session this weekend. Hopefully we can use that in the race tomorrow despite starting a long way back.”

Results, race 1 Red Bull Ring

The second half of the ADAC GT Masters season starts this weekend for WestCoast Racing and the team makes a drivers change for the coming two weekends. The team’s Swedish TTA-driver Martin Öhlin will step in and share the car with Fredrik Lestrup at Red Bull Ring this weekend and Lausitzring two weeks later. He will replace Martin Matzke for these two rounds.
”Earlier this year we, together with our partners, planned to have Martin Öhlin drive two races for us in ADAC GT Masters,” team manager Dick Jönsson Wigroth explains. ”Martin will drive the coming two races together with Fredrik Lestrup. We want to take this opportunity to thank Martin Matzke for his efforts in the first four race weekends with us and we’ll keep all doors open for the last two race weekends.”

Martin Öhlin drives his third season for WestCoast Racing and competes in the newly formed TTA championship in Sweden this season. He has also driven a race for the team in the Z4 in the Swedish GT-league and now looks forward to face the competition in ADAC GT Masters.
”It will be a lot of fun to make my first start in GT Masters and drive the BMW Z4 again,” Martin says. I expect a tough but fun weekend at Red Bull Ring which looks like an exciting track. I look forward to drive a Z4 for a Swedish team in Europe and share the car with Fredrik. We work very well together and our goal is of course to do our best.”

Fredrik Lestrup looks forward to restart the season again and compete at Red Bull Ring, a track he hasn’t raced at before.
”I look forward to have Martin Öhlin as a team mate for the coming two races,” Fredrik says. ”We have a good cooperation and I hope we can have a smooth weekend. Red Bull Ring looks like a fun track but it’s hard to say how well it will suit our car. There are parts of the track which looks like them plays to the advantage of our car but there are also two long straights. Overtaking might be tricky here so qualifying will be very important this weekend. I look forward to a good race weekend at a fantastic venue.”

The ADAC GT Masters weekend at Nürburgring was difficult for WestCoast Racing and the team didn’t score any points in the two races. Fredrik Lestrup and Martin Matzke finished 16th in the Saturday race and in the Sunday race they finished in where they started in 19th position. Just as on Saturday the second race was also run under mixed conditions with a heavy shower of rain shortly before the start making it a wet race. The rain came and went during the race and and during the second half of the race the track dried up as the rain stopped.

As in the previous race WestCoast Racing struggled for pace in the wet conditions and Fredrik Lestrup who drove the first stint struggled for grip throughout the stint.
”This is of course not a result we are happy with and this weekend we struggled for pace here. My first stint today was very difficult to drive in the wet. We struggled for grip and I had to fight very hard just to avoid losing too many positions. We never found the pace in the car when the track was wet. As it dried up the pace came to us and Martin did a good stint and could recover some positions. We did at least finish both races with the car in one piece. I now look forward to the next round at Red Bull Ring, a track I’ve never been too and should be fun to race the BMW Z4 on,” Fredrik said.

Martin Matzke stayed on the rain tyres as he went out in the second stint to finish the race. The pace picked up as the track dried up and he could recover some positions and take the car home in 19th position.
”We are not happy with the result but this is all we had this time. Both Fredrik and I did two good clean stints, the team did a good pitstop and we made no mistakes. The car was good in the dry but just as yesterday we struggled when it was wet. We couldn’t do more today,” Martin said.

The next race weekend for WestCoast Racing in ADAC GT Masters is the Austrian round at Red Bull Ring August 10th-12th.

Results, race 2 ADAC GT Masters Nürburgring