In a superb performance in front of packed stands in Oschersleben after a dominant display, reigning champion Ricardo Feller and his new driving partner Jusuf Owega took the win at the opening round of the 2022 ADAC GT Masters in the #29 Montaplast by Land Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.
In perfect, sunny conditions, Lamborghini works drivers Franck Perera and Arthur Rougier from Emil Frey Racing finished behind them in second place. Joel Sturm and Sven Müller from Allied-Racing claimed the third position in the #22 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Jusuf Owega celebrated his first ADAC GT Masters win and also topped the Pirelli Junior standings: “The team provide me with a rocket. All I had to do was get in and put my foot down.”
Owega had started Saturday’s race from second place but was unable to prevent pole setter Franck Perera from pulling away in the lead, setting a new lap record of 1:24.091 minutes in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.
The latest pit stop made by any team proved to be the key to success. This cut the gap to the leading Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #19 from four seconds to just one. Having taken over in the cockpit, Ricardo Feller overtook Rougier on lap 33, before taking the chequered flag with a lead of 4.032 seconds after 43 laps.
The Emil Frey Racing team though celebrated a superb debut, adding a second-place finish to the pole position. Allied-Racing too had a stellar ADAC GT Masters debut in third position.
Jonathan Aberdein and Raffaele Marciello from Mann-Filter Team Landgraf finished fourth with their #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, missing out on a podium by just one second.
The top five was completed by Robert Renauer and Klaus Bachler in their ID Racing with Herberth team in the #44 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Christian Engelhart and Ayhancan Güven brought their #91 Joos Sportwagentechnik Porsche 911 GT3 R home in sixth spot, while Konsta Lappalainen and Mick Wishofer secured seventh for the #14 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo from Emil Frey Racing.
Jesse Krohn and Nicky Catsburg, making his ADAC GT Masters for the local favourites from Schubert Motorsport, followed in eighth place in the BMW M4 GT3.
Kim-Luis Schramm and Dennis Marschall from Rutronik Racing produced a fantastic chasing performance as they battled up from 18th to finish ninth with the #27 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #27. The final spot in the top ten was claimed by their team-mates Patric Niederhauser and Luca Engstler in the #15 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.
Jusuf Owega: “I was tense before the race, but I know what I can do and what I have to do. Everything is so tight in the ADAC GT Masters, small things make a big difference. I am delighted with my first win.”
Ricardo Feller: “Jusuf produced a top performance, even going easy on the tyres. I was ready for a long fight with the Lamborghini, but I was able to overtake him pretty quickly and then bring the result home from the front. That was a great start and hopefully it will continue tomorrow.”
