The ADAC GT Masters Championship stopped at Lausitz, Germany for round 11 of the 16 round 2011 Championship season. Seven brands were represented on the thirty-eight car grid. This included Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi, Viper and BMW. Four Callaway Competition Corvettes were entered. Diego Alessi qualified eighth .671 seconds behind the pole winning Ferrari in his #28 Callaway Competition Corvette Z06 GT3!
Diego Alessi battles with...
Diego Alessi battles with the fourth place Mercedes AMG SLS during the opening part of the race. Notice how tight the competition is among these top brands. The +15 indicated fifteen Kilo of penalty weight imposed on the Corvette or thirty-three extra pounds of ballast.
Three other Callaway Corvettes were well down the order including the one driven by amateur Olympic ski champion Sven Hannawald. Sven qualified 19th and was 1.5 seconds slower than the pole position! This just shows how close the ADAC competition is. Sven is competing for the amateur championship and is currently fourth. Diego had a strong start and was fourth at the end of lap one. Diego continued to move forward and was third when he turned the car over to co-driver Daniel Keliwitz. The 2010 FIA GT3 Driver Champion had a fierce battle with the second place 458 Italia Ferrari and made a spectacular pass near the end of the race and to capture second place. The other three Corvettes finished well down in the order. The ADAC GT Masters provides some of the closest GT competition on record.
Most of Europe's top drivers compete in this series. It amazing that a private tuner like Callaway Competition with no GM support is so competitive. It reminds us of the days when GM provided no racing support for Corvette teams and they still beat the competition. Bowling Green just builds great cars! It is a great story that gets no attention from GM, strange.
Mercedes has built numerous...
Mercedes has built numerous examples of their SLS supercar for the FIA GT3 series. It is amazing to witness a five-year old resurrected crashed Corvette compete with this top sports car.
The 2010 FIA GT3 Drivers champion...
The 2010 FIA GT3 Drivers champion Daniel Keliwitz pulled off the move of the race when he passed the 458 Ferrari Italia to capture second position. Well done Daniel!
Twenty-one year old Daniel...
Twenty-one year old Daniel Keliwitz (right) shares the podium glory with co-driver Diego Alessi.