News

Last weekend’s outing at the Sachsenring (1st ‑ 3rd October) proved to be a big effort for Schubert Motorsport in many ways. The 3.71km circuit near Hohenstein-Ernstthal, with its steep climbs and descents, was hosting both the ADAC GT Masters and the ADAC GT4 Germany. In the International GT Championship, Jesse Krohn and Nick Yelloly in the BMW M6 GT3 scored another Top Ten result on Saturday. In the second race, the BMW factory drivers again made progress through the field of 27 GT3 cars but failed to reap any reward due to a subsequent disqualification.

The best of the action came in the ADAC GT4 Germany, where Schubert Motorsport were making only their fourth appearance in the high-calibre GT4 series. Marcel Lenerz was this time sharing the cockpit of the BMW M4 GT4 with Christopher Dreyspring. The duo delivered a maiden podium for the team on Sunday, crossing the finish line in third place after a hard-fought race against their 24 opponents. The result lifted the team to sixth overall.

BMW works drivers Nick Yelloly and Jesse Krohn in the ADAC GT Masters points again

After Schubert Motorsport salvaged points at the Lausitzring from two races which they had seemed destined to lose, their agenda for rounds nine and ten of the ADAC GT Masters was clear. The Sachsenring is a track that is traditionally less than favourable to the BMW M6 GT3, but the Oschersleben-based outfit were nonetheless determined to continue the points-scoring run from the previous weekends. On Saturday, Yelloly and Krohn drove a tactically brilliant race from 14th on the grid up to eighth position. In the closing stages, however, Krohn was caught a glancing blow by an opponent which cost him two places. But with a seventh points-paying result in nine races, the objective was still met.

In the second qualifying session, Krohn booked an even more promising twelfth position on the grid. As the lights went out on the gantry, however, he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time as a collision in front of him blocked the track and impeded his progress. In the course of the first stint, he used his strong pace to close the gap on the Top Ten. The team then made the canny decision to bring the 31-year-old right at the start of the pit stop window to allow Yelloly a run in clean air. The Brit exploited the tactics to perfection and eventually crossed the finish line in seventh place. The joy was to be only temporary, however, as a few hours later, the car was disqualified due to an engine irregularity.

Nick Yelloly: “We almost got the maximum available from Saturday’s race with tenth place. The annoying aspect of it was the way Jesse got pushed out. In the second race, he was doing everything right at the start when chaos erupted in front of him. We made good progress after that, and I had a couple of very good laps at the start of my stint, which made all the difference. We were very happy with seventh place, but unfortunately, we didn’t get to keep the result. That’s disappointing, especially as the weekend was a tough one for me anyway. I had an infection in my eye and was still in hospital on Saturday night. Things can only get better at Hockenheim.”

Jesse Krohn: “It was a solid weekend. Finishing in the Top Ten was certainly everything we could have hoped for. We expected our car to be a bit more competitive at the Sachsenring. But in some sections of the track, we were at a significant disadvantage. We obviously want to be competing for victories, but with the Balance of Performance, that just wasn’t going to be possible. Considering the circumstances, we got the maximum out of both races. The result on Sunday would have been our eighth points finish. Consistency is very important in the ADAC GT Masters, and we’re always there or thereabouts. So it’s all the more disappointing that we lost seventh place after the race.”

Marcel Lenerz and Christopher Dreyspring secure first series podium for the BMW M4 GT4

The races in the ADAC GT4 Germany furnished further evidence of Schubert Motorsport’s steep learning trajectory with the BMW M4 GT4. After a three-month break, Marcel Lenerz went into action at the Sachsenring partnered by Christopher Dreyspring. The 23-year-old from Nuremberg, who was standing in for Michael von Zabiensky, made full use of his experience in the GT4 category. The driver pairing continued the team’s points-scoring streak on Saturday, following up a P10 in the quali with the same position in the race itself.

Sunday began with a continuation of this pattern, as Dreyspring booked yet another P10 on the grid in his quali. The second of the weekend’s two races over the 60-minute distance then brought a welcome change after the hat-trick of tenth places. Dreyspring launched into a furious starting lap and moved up to sixth position. The correct choice of strategy in the pit stop phase brought a further gain in position. In the second stint, Lenerz put up a spirited fight for the podium. In a thrilling finish, the 24-year-old took third place, seeing the chequered flag just two seconds behind the winner.

Marcel Lenerz: “It was a superb feeling to finally be up there. That was the reward for the team’s hard work in the first half of the season. The start to the weekend wasn’t easy because we didn’t have the opportunity to do any testing in the run-up to the event. We worked a lot on the setup and tried something new before the second qualifying session, which was a big step forward. Christopher did everything right at the start and managed the first stint superbly. The tactics were spot on, and the car ran perfectly in the second half of the race. I would have liked to attack the leader, but the lapped cars were getting in our way. Still, it was a super race and I’m very happy about the podium.”

Christopher Dreyspring: “Sunday was really fantastic. The whole weekend was really good, the team was really on the ball, and I’m really happy with how things went. My start was already half the battle for a top result in the second race. I then tried to conserve the tyres so that Marcel still had plenty in reserve for an attack in the second stint. In the first race, we’d learned the importance of tyre management. He did a great job in the closing stages, and with our pace, we could have finished even further ahead. But we’re all immensely happy with third place. Many thanks to Schubert Motorsport for this great weekend.”

Team manager Marcel Schmidt: “As expected, the weekend at the Sachsenring was a tough one. We knew that it would be very difficult to finish in the Top Ten of the ADAC GT Masters. On the race track, we did everything absolutely right on both days. Nick and Jesse did an excellent job in the races and got the maximum out of them. We were very happy with the results, except of course for the disqualification in the second race, which came as a big disappointment for all of us. We should not be making casual errors of this kind. It was pure carelessness that allowed the engine’s boost pressure to briefly exceed the permitted upper limit. On the other hand, of course, we had plenty of reason to be happy with what happened in the ADAC GT4 Germany. It was great to see Marcel and Christopher on the podium. The two of them put in a great performance, and the crew did an excellent job in setting up the BMW M4 GT4. To be making a podium appearance in our debut season is a great achievement and something to be proud of.”