Christian Engelhart wants to become the first driver to defend his title in the ADAC GT Masters racing series.
The Starnberger tries that with a new team.
Starnberg - Christian Engelhart tasted blood.
After several unsuccessful attempts, the 34-year-old racing professional from Starnberg won the ADAC GT Masters for the first time last year.
Before the season he switched to the newly founded Porsche team of the Munich racing team "SSR Performance", with whom he and his partner Michael Ammermüller won the drivers' and team championship titles straight away.
The new racing season begins in Oschersleben on May 16, and Engelhart has an ambitious goal: The Starnberg-based driver wants to defend the title.
“I would be the first driver to do that,” he says.
ADAC GT Masters: Christian Engelhart wants to defend his title - with a new team
So it seems a bit strange that Engelhart changed racing team in winter.
He left "SSR Performance" and joined the "KÜS Team75 Bernhard", which in the previous year was only ninth in the so-called league of super sports cars.
"It just happened like that," says Engelhart.
In winter he had a lot of conversations, "and then I had the opportunity to drive with Thomas Preining".
Taking on the mission to defend the title together with the Austrian Porsche professional “was the most attractive decision for me,” explains the 34-year-old.
ADAC GT Masters: New team, well-known car for Engelhart
Engelhart doesn’t have to make any major changes because, like last year, he’s in a Porsche 911 GT3 R. There have been almost no technical changes to the car, “and the Pirelli tires are the same as last season”.
Last week's test drives at the Hockenheimring were already promising.
"Everything has already worked perfectly, even if we then had to stop the tests because of snowfall," says Engelhart.
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New team partner: Christian Engelhart (left) rides together with the Austrian Thomas Preining.
© Private
The official test drives of the Masters, in which 30 GT vehicles from eight different manufacturers will be at the start, will take place on April 20 and 21 in Oschersleben.
Engelhart wants to use this to get to know his new team and, above all, his new partner Preining even better.
The GT World Challenge Europe is already on this weekend
Before that, however, the first race in the GT World Challenge Europe - the European championship of super sports cars, so to speak - is already on the program for the Starnberg man.
This Sunday, April 18th, he will contest the endurance race in Monza with his Italian team from Dinamic Motorsport.
Last year Engelhart and his two competitors Sven Müller and Matteo Cairoli took third place in the endurance classification.
This year he wants to "race for victory again" with Klaus Bachler and Cairoli.
In addition, he will take the entire Sprint Cup of the GT World Challenge Europe with him for the first time.
He shares the cockpit with Adrien de Leener (Belgium).
In addition to his sporting ambitions, Christian Engelhart especially wishes that the races can finally take place with spectators again soon.
"The hygiene measures due to Corona have already resulted in an enormous number of restrictions," he says.
Driving in front of full grandstands is a completely different feeling.
"And the atmosphere in the paddock is simply missing."
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Race dates
ADAC GT Masters
May 16: Oschersleben
June 13: Spielberg / Austria
July 11: Zandvoort / Netherlands
August 8: Nürburgring
September 12: Nürburgring
October 3: Sachsenring
October 24th: Hockenheim
All races will be broadcast live in full length on the TV broadcaster RTL Nitro.
GT-World-Challenge Europe, Endurance (long distance)
April 18th: 3 hours from Monza / Italy
May 30th: 1000 km Le Castellet / France
July 29th - August 1st: 24 hours from Spa / Belgium
September 5th: 3 hours from the Nürburgring
October 10: 3 hours from Barcelona / Spain
GT-World-Challenge Europe, sprint classification
May 9: Magny-Cours / France
June 20th: Zandvoort / Netherlands
July 4th: Misano / Italy
August 29th: Brands Hatch / Great Britain
September 26: Valencia / Spain