Both the ADAC GT Masters and GT4 Germany Series race out their 2024 seasons this weekend at Hockenheim
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
With the Walkenhorst Motorsport team entering a pair of their new 2024 AMR Vantage GT3’s into the series for the first time since Prosport Racings 2019 ill-fated effort with the then 16A variant, hopes were high of something good as last season’s GT4 Germany Champion Mike David Ortmann paired up with Denis Bulatov within the #34 car whilst American racer Chandler Hull paired up with another ex GT4 Germany racer in Nico Hantke.
Starting their season at Oschersleben way back in late April, there were two lowly finishes apiece at the end of that weekend before the #34 crew found both consistency and the podium next time out in Zandvoort before it became role reversals with their sister #35 car (with a double podium) at the Nurburgring.
It was then a quick trip across the Belgian border to Spa Francorchamps where the two Walkenhorst cars were joined by two from the Prosport Racing team (as a one-off event only) where both the #34 and #35 cars again visited the podium. Last time out at the Red bull Ring however at the end of September saw both cars again relegated to the rear of the pack with a P7 finish the best that either could offer by the end of that race weekend.
It was then a quick trip across the Belgian border to Spa Francorchamps where the two Walkenhorst cars were joined by two from the Prosport Racing team (as a one-off event only) where both the #34 and #35 cars again visited the podium. Last time out at the Red bull Ring however at the end of September saw both cars again relegated to the rear of the pack with a P7 finish the best that either could offer by the end of that race weekend.
They have now reached the end of the season with a final double header event at the former home of the German Grand Prix with nothing more than pride and their sponsors to race for.
Joining this series at the circuit will again be the ADAC GT4 Germany Series where we have seen only one Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 entry from the literal handful that competed within that series last season.
Like their AMR Vantage GT3 powered peers, the #55 Zakspeed with Eastside Motorsport crew of Philipp Gogollok and Jan Marschalkowski have endured a similar season of torment with their new car which apparently had a serious problem with braking through the season.
A constant stream of either a lowly finish or even a DNF haunted the team until the Red Bull Ring last time out finally saw the young pairing take both race pole position in race one (before something broke on the car on the opening lap) before taking the race win at the end of the second race.
The team arrive at the Hockenheimring with absolutely nothing to lose and hopefully they can build upon what was finally seen in Austria, but they won’t be alone this time, as the other half of Prosport Racing’s ADAC GT4 Germany championship winning crew of Hugo Sasse will be racing alongside his 2024 GT4 European co-driver in Raphael Rennhofer at this weekend’s event having skipped the last round of that season earlier in September.
Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
