ADAC GT Masters Weekend
Circuit Zolder, Belgium
June 10th - 12th, 2011
In the 2011 season the GT3 pilots competed for the second time since the ADAC GT Masters series was founded at the Circiut Zolder (Belgium). 23-year old Christopher Haase had every reason to be positive about the third round. Together with Andreas Simonsen (SWE) he won the second race at the Sachsenring in the Phoenix Racing Pole Promotion Audi R8 LMS.

The initial joy about the track shortly turned to frustration in the first free practice session. “Andreas had completed three laps and I had completed two laps before the power steering gave out. This car cannot be driven without power steering. The steering forces are just too high,” explains Christopher Haase.

The Audi stayed in the pit during the first practice session. The Phoenix Audi was ready for the second practice session and was optimised for the qualifying session and the race. “We managed very well despite the lack of time,” says Haase.

The GT Masters qualifying sessions took place in the rain. Andreas Simonsen secured P13 for the first race on Saturday. In Q2 Christopher Haase placed the Audi in P3 for the race on Sunday.

35 GT3 racing cars carved their way through the narrow turns of the 4km (2.5 miles) long Belgian track in race 1. Simonsen had brake issues and dropped to P16. The Swede came in for the mandatory pit stop in P9 and Christopher Haase took over the Audi R8. “I had a great pace and was therefore able to gain a few places.” After reaching P5 and slipping behind the Abt Audi (P3) and the Heico SLS (P4) “unfortunately there was not enough time left for an attack,” says Haase.

A crash and a safety car phase slowed the pilots down after the first lap of the second race. The sister car with Rast/Landmann in the cockpit was forced to retire through no fault of their own. Christopher Haase used the restart for an attack on the Engstler BMW (Lunardi/Mageritis) in P2 and slipped behind the leading Fach Porsche. “We had a phenomenal speed. I provoked the Porsche to make mistakes and benefited in a section in sector 2 where no one would think about overtaking.” Haase took the lead but was pressed by Lunardi.
The pit stop window opened. Haase came in late for the driver change, and then the faux pas happened. The team undercut the mandatory stay in the pit lane by 2 seconds, the penalty ruining all chances of a victory. Simonsen rejoined in the middle of the field and gained P9 after a few duels, scoring two championship points. After scoring 10 points in the weekend’s first race Haase/Simonsen are currently 9th and 10th in the ADAC GT Masters championship.     

Christopher Haase: “Our car was very fast. We had an absolutely perfect setup. Everything went great. The podium was within reach but then the mistake happened in the pit. We undercut the mandatory stop by 2 seconds and were given a stop and go penalty. Losing the victory in the pit is the highest penalty.”

Bernhard Demmer (GT3 Phoenix Racing Pole Promotion project leader): “We were able to push forward with the car despite the placement weight from the Sachsenring. Christopher showed a great performance in his stint. Even though the BMW was right behind us we were optimistic about winning the race. Unfortunately we made a mistake during the pit stop. There are very tight limits in the GT Masters. Everybody is watching for every second to push forward. Those two second cost us the victory which is very frustrating.”