After races at the end of March and the beginning of April, this weekend marked the end of the preparations for the season’s highlight. With DTM star Kelvin van der Linde and the two Lamborghini factory drivers Marco Mapelli and Jordan Pepper, ABT Sportsline is relying on three strong drivers, who already raced for the team on the Nordschleife last year. The ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, which was immediately one of the fastest cars on its Nordschleife debut last year, is also a well-known factor.

For the ABT Sportsline GT team, two DTM races in Oschersleben and at the Lausitzring are still on the calendar before the action at the Nordschleife begins with the first practice sessions in the last week of May.

Martin Tomczyk, ABT Motorsport Director: “We are very happy with this weekend and also with the whole preparation for the big race in June. Our car is running reliably and well, the drivers are all happy with the set-up – these are good conditions before a 24-hour race. It was also important for our team to get used to the car and the Nordschleife again after the long winter break. With these two races we have completed our preparation on the track. Now we will put our car through its paces again at home in Kempten and prepare it perfectly for the 24 Hours at the Ring.”

Kelvin van der Linde (South Africa, #27): “We learned a lot this weekend that will help us in the 24-hour race. Most of it worked very well, but we also identified some areas that we need to further analyze and improve. We are happy with the car and all three of us are happy with the set-up, which is the most important thing. Now it will be an intensive few weeks for the team and me, including the DTM season opener, then the focus will be on the Nordschleife.”
 
Marco Mapelli (Italy, #27): “Position doesn’t matter this weekend. We worked on the car, got to know the tyres from our partner Michelin and focused on the challenges of the race with the team. In terms of pure performance, we certainly still have some work to do – but everyone knows what needs to be done and will do their best.”

Jordan Pepper (South Africa, #27): “After the two races this weekend I feel much better prepared than a year ago. Of course, eighth place doesn’t sound great, but more importantly we’ve managed to find a good set-up and work together on many other aspects. We have achieved a lot, but we still have a lot of homework to do in the coming weeks.”