Arkivet
Foto: Motorsportbild.de
WestCoast Racing chosed the safe option in the first race of the season in ADAC GT Masters. A rain soaked track just before start but with sun on the horizon made the tyre choice tricky. WestCoast Racing went with the majority of the field and started on rain tyres, a choice that paid off at the start of the race but later became an disadvantage as the track quickly dried. After having been as high up as fourth place the team dropped back with a tyre change and finished the race in 14th position with Fredrik Lestrup and Martin Matzke driving.
Fredrik Lestrup took the first stint and from tenth place on the grid he managed to sneak through the first corner chaos and exit in fifth place. A lap later he had climbed to fourth place and started gaining on the leaders. But about eight minutes into the race he was forced to enter the pits and change to slick tyres. That dropped him back out of top 20 but he could climb back up through the field. When he entered the pits for the second time, now for the mandatory driver change, he had with a combination of overtaking and others having made pitstops climbed to a 12th place.
”I’m reasonably happy with my stint,” Fredrik said afterwards. ”This was a typical weather affected race and we took the safe choice and started on rain tyres. Before the tyre change I was among the fastest on the track and the car was working really well. The team had found a good set-up and the car was very well balanced and felt quick. Unfortunately I was turned around by a Porsche after my first stop and that cost us a lot of time. But the important thing is that we now have a race under our belt and are ready for tomorrow. I’m very happy with Martins stint, we both drove well throughout our stints and I believe we will be strong together going forward.”
Midway into the race Martin Matzke took over the steering wheel and he quickly established himself in 15th place. He drove on a pace matching the leaders out in the front and showed the BMW works well over a race distance. Towards the end he, like many others, fought with worn tyres but he still managed to keep a quick pace and could finish the race in 14th place.
”It was a nice race overall,” Martin said. ”It was a difficult decision which tyres to start on and with hindsight we should have started on slicks but this was the safe choice. I’m impressed by Fredrik’s stint and he drove a really good race. The track was ok during my stint but the rain had made it very dirty and difficult to drive on. Nevertheless, the car felt really good, I felt confident with it and we had a good set-up and very good tyre wear. Overall I’m happy, we finished which was the main goal and if we have a dry race tomorrow I think we will be good.”
The theme of the day was to finish the race and team manager Dick Jönsson Wigroth is happy to have fulfilled that target. The team showed that the BMW has a competitive pace and works well over a race distance.
”We finished the race and that was the main thing today. Now we have gotten this weekend off to a start and we have a first race under our belt. We went for safety today and chosed rain tyres for the start. It’s easy to know better with hindsight but this was a safe decision I’m happy we took. Now we are on our way and Fredrik and Martin both drove a good race without making any mistakes. This feels good for the race tomorrow, now we are ready to move on and take the next step,” he summarized.
Results from race 1 in ADAC GT Masters will be uploaded here during the afternoon as soon as these results are final.
