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One fourth and two sixth places: it was with these results that “PIXUM Team Schubert” powered by Jochen Schweizer ended the ADAC GT Masters season at the Hockenheimring (DE). Jens Klingmann (DE) and Max Sandritter (DE) finished fourth in Saturday’s race at the wheel of the number 20 BMW Z4 GT3, while Dominik Baumann (AT) and Claudia Hürtgen (DE) came home sixth in both races. With ten minutes remaining of Sunday’s race, it looked as if they may actually end the season with a podium, until two late safety phases resulted in the number 19 BMW Z4 GT3 dropping from second to sixth. The number 20 car finished 17th on Sunday after a difficult race. 

The title race in the Team competition went right down to the final laps of Sunday’s race, and “PIXUM Team Schubert” powered by Jochen Schweizer was still in with a shout for much of the race. The team from Oschersleben (DE) ultimately finished third overall with 215 points. In the Drivers’ Championship, Baumann, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Sunday, and Hürtgen ended the season in fourth place with 175 points, while Klingmann and Sandritter were ninth. 

Stefan Wendl (Team Manager Schubert Motorsport): “That is an extremely disappointing end to the season, although we actually performed well. The way we were dealt with at the restarts after the safety car phases was, in my opinion, out of order. Some of our rivals clearly crossed the line during the skirmishes. In terms of performance, I am very happy with our team. Second place in Sunday’s race would have been a nice way to end the season with our heads held high.” 

Claudia Hürtgen (BMW Z4 GT3, car number 19): “I am very disappointed with the outcome of Sunday’s race. It was frustrating that the safety car came out at all for the first phase. I had to swerve onto the grass when the Corvette spun, and picked up a lot of grass in the process. That resulted in the water temperature in the engine rising quickly, which obviously disadvantaged me at the restart. On top of that, my opponents also dealt with me rather roughly. A podium would have been a nice way to end the season. I also feel very sorry for the team, that we were not able to win the Team competition. They would have deserved that title.” 

Jens Klingmann (BMW Z4 GT3, car number 20): “Saturday’s race was very positive for us. Max got off to a super start, which allowed us to climb into fourth. This track does not particularly suit the BMW Z4 GT3, so it was always going to be hard to do any better. Unfortunately I was spun by an Audi on Sunday. That caused strong vibrations in the car, which ultimately led to the second spin and probably the puncture too. Despite this we still managed to finish the race. We owed that to the fans. It is a shame that we just missed out on the Team title. We tried our hardest, but unfortunately it just wasn’t to be.”