Germany
Who | t.b.a. |
What | ADAC GT Masters Round 6 |
Where | Zandvoort, Holland |
When | 20-21 August 2016 |
Good pace, but results evade Pepper
Bentley Boys, South African Jordan Pepper and German teammate Daniel Abt showed great pace in the yellow #7 Deutsche Post Bentley Continental GT3, but results evaded the duo in the weekend's ADAC GT Masters races at the classic Dutch seaside Zandvoort circuit.
"Overall it was just one of those weekends where luck just wasn't on our side," Jordan reflected. "It started well on Saturday when I had a really good qualifying to put our car sixth on the grid, but one of the Mercs had a moment at the start I lost a position trying to avoid it. "From there I had really good pace, but I wasn't able to overtake.
"So I waited for the pit window to open and pushed like hell for two laps once cars started pitting, which gave us the opportunity to jump a few cars through the stops. "Unfortunately the passenger door failed to shut, which ultimately cost us valuable track position while it flapped about - we were looking good for fifth, so tenth in the end wasn't quite what we deserved.'"
Sunday's qualifying in the rain didn't go well for teammate Abt as he just lacked the traction to improve on 23rd on the grid, before Daniel was hit hard from behind on the first lap, slamming him into the car ahead and damaging the Bentley's front spoiler and splitter.
"What a crazy day," Jordan explained. "We started 23rd and then Daniel got banged about - I knew we were in for a tough race from the back, but when I was in 10th I thought I could make something happen. "Sadly the damage to the spoiler deteriorated as the race went on and before long the vibrations were too much - the car just wasn't possible to drive anymore and I was forced to retire. "That was really disappointing - we were back up into a good points position, but it just wasn't our day.
"Still, I'm really looking forward to the Hockenheim finale and to end the season off with a good result," Jordan concluded. The Hockenheim races happen over the weekend of 1 October
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Who | t.b.a. |
What | ADAC German Formula 4 Round 7 |
Where | Zandvoort, Holland |
When | 20-21 August 2016 |
Two top 10s, first F4 podium for Jono
South Africa's German ADAC Formula 4 rookie Jonathan Aberdein enjoyed a brilliant outing in Holland, scoring a triple top-ten over the Zandvoort race weekend as he climbed onto the podium for the first time with a brilliant second in the shortened second race.
"I am delighted and frustrated all at the same time," Jonathan admitted. "Second is my best result and my first ADAC German F4 podium, but I was in with a real chance to win today, a pity the race was shortened," The final race was called to a premature close when chaos broke out behind Aberdein and a multiple pile-up blocked the track. "I was very quick in the rain, but second is good though."
The Final was however only the cherry on top of a great weekend for young Aberdein, who delivered a terrific drive in race 1. "I started 11th finished seventh even if it's very difficult to pass here." Jonathan's progress was typified by an incredible move around the outside of the daunting Tarzan hairpin to move into that seventh position.
The second race was a little more difficult with Jono ending up on the wrong end of a tenth of a second gap that covered most of the top 20, but he drove an inspiring race to move up to 10th from 14th on the grid to set up his first triple-top-ten weekend of the year. "Today was a good day with two top tens. "Bring on tomorrow."
Sunday dawned wet, which meant that Aberdein was unable to use the best tyres he had saved for the Final, but he still drove a brilliant race that was red flagged twice. "Conditions were tough in the pouring rain, but I nailed Drokovic on the outside between turn 3 and 4 and I was biding my time when they stopped the race for good even though there were 12 laps left to run."
"Still I am delighted - we are getting it right at the end of my rookie year," Jonathan concluded. The weekend's results saw Jonathan scaling well up both the rookie and overall championship tables with one race left to run. "Now I have my podium, let's try get that first win at the last race of the season at Hockenheim 30 September - 1 October."
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Who | t.b.a. |
What | ADAC German Formula 4 Round 6 |
Where | Zandvoort, Holland |
When | 20-21 August 2016 |
Jonathan chasing a good end of season
South Africa's German ADAC Formula 4 rookie Jonathan Aberdein is looking forward to the Dutch round of the championship at the Zandvoort circuit on Holland's coast on the weekend of 20-21 August.
Aberdein, who has progressed well through his first year racing cars overseas, is relishing racing on the former grand prix track as he heads toward the end of his maiden season. "I'm looking forward to driving on such a prestigious track." Jonathan admitted.
"Zandvoort has fast flowing corners that rise and dip through the beach dunes and that should suit me very well. "I'm keen to snatch some good points this weekend so I can move up into the top end of the Junior championship, where things are very close with just two rounds and six heats left to race." Aberdein admitted.
Jonathan is also looking for his first ADAC Formula 4 podium, having come very close on several recent occasions. You can follow young Aberdein's Formula 4 progress at Zandvoort live via streaming and live timing at www.adac-motorsport.de/adac-formel-4.
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Who | t.b.a. |
What | ADAC GT Masters Round 6 |
Where | Zandvoort, Holland |
When | 20-21 August 2016 |
Jordan relishing Zandvoort challenge
South Africa's Bentley Boy, Jordan Pepper is relishing racing on the classic Dutch Zandvoort seaside circuit in the sixth and penultimate round of the 2016 German ADAC GT Masters over the weekend of 20-21 August.
Pepper aims to continue his recent good form at the Austria's pre-Alpine Red Bull Ring and the Nurburgring in Germany's Eiffel Mountains over the past two races in the great the yellow #7 Deutsche Post Continental GT3 he shares with German co-driver Daniel Abt.
"Zandvoort is definitely one of the trickiest circuits on the calendar," Jordan explained. "It has tight and twisty sections running up and down through the sand dunes and it's also very narrow and old school, which makes it quite technical. "That also makes it one of the best and most enjoyable tracks to drive in our championship.
"A key feature to this track is however tyre wear, so the objective is to get the best out of qualifying so we can start as far up the grid as possible. "We will focus on coming to a set-up that works well in qualifying while also enabling us to manage the rubber properly through the hour-long races.
"Zandvoort should suit our Bentley very well - maybe not quite as well as Red Bull Ring did, but we should be right on it in Holland, although the Audis are also quick there. "I want to keep our recent momentum going - we were delighted to end up second in Austria and while the Nurburgring last time was not quite what we wanted, I was happy to take the best we could out of that situation.
"We'd like to score strong points in Holland - a podium would really be good, but realistically a strong finish will do us just fine. "Daniel and I make a good team, the car is now well sorted and we are we are all set to make more good progress as the season comes to an end. 'it would be fantastic to climb into the title top ten by the time it is all over, so we need to make the most of it."
"I'm really looking forward to this one - it should be very good!" Follow Jordan Pepper's progress through the Zandvoort ADAC GT Masters weekend through live streaming and live timing at http://www.adac-gt-masters.de/uk/, where you can also find the race program.
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Who | t.b.a. |
What | ADAC German Formula 4 Round 6 |
Where | Nurburgring, Germany |
When | 6-7 August 2016 |
Nurburgring a challenge for Aberdein
South Africa's German Formula 4 rookie Jonathan Aberdein endured a tough weekend's racing at the sixth round of the ADAC championship at Nurburgring over the weekend, although the Cape Town driver scored a top-ten finish in the middle of the three races of a hectic meeting.
"It's a bit difficult to say something positive about the weekend that we had," Jonathan admitted. "But ninth was good in the second race and race 3 was absolutely crazy."
"In all we have not had too bad a season, but the Nurburgring never quite delivered what we expected it to. "I qualified 13th and ended 14th in the first race, but Race 2 was better - I was 11th on the grid and ended up in the top ten again in the race. "I was 14th on the grid for Race 3, but it was a wild ride so I suppose I can be happy to have finished at all in fifteenth."
Series rookie Aberdein lies seventh in the ADAC Formula 4 Junior championship with two races still to run. "Fifth in the rookie championship is still a possibility and I can end up third if luck runs our way for once," Jonathan explained. "So we have to be on top of it in Holland in two weeks time if I want to leapfrog the guys ahead of me there." ADAC Formula 4 heads to the classic Dutch Zandvoort racetrack for its penultimate round in two weeks.
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Who | t.b.a. |
What | ADAC GT Masters Round 5 |
Where | Nurburgring, Germany |
When | 6-7 August 2016 |
Another German GT podium for Pepper
South Africa's Bentley Boy Jordan Pepper continued his recent top German ADAC GT Masters form with another Junior class podium before a brilliant charge through the field to end up 11th in the second race of Nurburgring's fifth championship round on Sunday.
Pepper, who qualified the big yellow Deutsche Post Bentley Continental GT3 fifth for the first heat before he and German teammate Daniel Abt drove the car to fourth overall, was delighted with the second Junior Class podium that success brought with it on the trot, following a second overall in Austria two weeks prior.
"I am beyond happy about today," the driver from Edenvale, Johannesburg who lives in Germany through the race season admitted. "We lost a bit of track time on Friday, so fifth in qualifying in a car that is not all that well suited to certain aspects of the Nurburgring is a huge result for us. "This circuit has very little grip and that caused us to struggle to put the traction down.
"And fourth in the race with a Junior Podium on Saturday? "I'll take that - especially against the Porsches, which really were quick on the day. "The car felt great in the race and I''m happy about that," Jordan admitted. "On Sunday morning however, I honestly do not know what went wrong. "The whole grid was mixed up, which is really weird because all the other cars that were in the front on Saturday were also struggling on Sunday morning."
Jordan however took the car over form teammate Abt, who had qualified it in 8th, in 21st position at mid-distance and by the time the pitstops had panned out, he was up to 15th overall in Sunday's second race. Pepper then charged hard to put the yellow Bentley into 11th by the time the chequered flag flew, albeit a little frustrated not to haul another significant points score.
"Overall I'd say the weekend was good for me," Jordan concluded. "The second race could have been better, but now we go to Zandvoort even more motivated in two weeks time." The Dutch round is the penultimate in the 2016 ADAC GT Masters championship, with Jordan sitting 8th in the Junior title race in spite of a difficult first half of the season, although a podium finish is certainly not out of his reach in that class.
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Who | Jonathan Aberdein |
What | ADAC German Formula 4 Round 6 |
Where | Nurburgring, Germany |
When | 6-7 August 2016 |
Aberdein keen to open his Nurburgring account with a podium
South Africa's Formula 4 rookie Jonathan Aberdein heads to the Nurburgring for the sixth round of the German ADAC championship keen to deliver his first podium in the series on his maiden run at the famous grand prix circuit 9-10 August.
"We have made steady progress through my rookie year and my pace is now as good as the frontrunners when we get it all together," the Cape Town driver explained. "We have been a little unlucky when it counted most though, so this weekend I hope to string it all together to bring us our first podium and the Nurburgring would be the ideal place to do that.
"We had a fourth place in the race before last and we're now regularly in the top ten in the race results, but my times are good for the top six. "The trick is to be quick when it counts most, which is in qualifying - I need to get into the top 20 shootout and then put in laps that will see me on the sharp end of the grid every time. "We have had good results every time we have qualified well so good grid positions are our main objective this weekend.
"I am also looking forward to racing on the Nurburgring," Jono admitted. "This is one of the world's most important racetracks and I am keen to open my CV here with the best possible results." Find the weekend program and follow Jono's progress live via streaming and live timing at www.adac-motorsport.de/adac-formel-4/en.
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Who | Kelvin van der Linde |
What | ADAC GT Masters Round 5 |
Where | Nurburgring Germany |
When | 9-10 August 2016 |
Van der Linde keen on Nurburgring charge
South Africa's 2014 ADAC GT Masters champion Kelvin van der Linde heads to the Nurburgring's fifth round of the ADAC German GT season 9-10 August looking to keep on improving his Car Collection Audi R8.
"Nurburgring was our happy hunting ground last year," Kelvin pointed out. "That's where we turned our season around and when the results started getting better, so hopefully we can repeat that. "We were also on the podium for the first time there last year so with a little luck we can repeat that as I really enjoy driving at the 'Ring.
"We have been struggling a bit of late - we do not have the budget to test as often as we would like, but we are working hard with the Audi Sport engineers to get all the help we can get our car up front. "Nurburgring is not too technical a track to set the car up for, so that will also help us versus the big budget teams that have an advantage through better infrastructure, more testing and the like, so let's see what happens this weekend."
Race fans can follow Kelvin and Spanish teammate Isaac Tutumlu's progress through the Nurburgring weekend through live streaming via the ADAC GT Masters website www.adac-gt-masters.de/uk, where the weekend program and live timing can also be found.
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Who | Jordan Pepper |
What | ADAC GT Masters Round 5 |
Where | Nurburgring, Germany |
When | 9-10 August 2016 |
Jordan wants another Nurburgring win
South African Bentley star Jordan Pepper is looking to go one better when he heads to the Nurburgring for the fifth round of the 2016 German ADAC GT Masters 9-10 August following his fine showing at the red Bull Ring last time out. Pepper, who moved across to the yellow #7 Deutsche Post Continental GT3 alongside Daniel Abt following a reshuffle in his ABT squad, rewarded the team with pole position and a second place in Austria and he's now determined to go all the way next time out.
"Nurburgring is definitely a special place on the motorsport calendar, so I always look forward to going there every year," Jordan admitted. "What makes it even better is that I scored my first international win there back in 2013, then I won again at the 'Ring to wrap up the 2014 Scirocco Cup championship and then of course last year, where we took a dominant 18-second win in the rain only to be docked a 30 second penalty for a safety car infringement.
"So I definitely want to keep that cycle going and take my first race win of the season this weekend. "It will be a tough ask though - the Nurburgring's tight and twisty first sector doesn't suit the Bentley all that well, but I think we will have enough pace over the rest of the track to make amends. "Coming away from Red Bull Ring with my first GT racing pole position and a hard fought second, I think we can keep the momentum going.
"I am super eager to get back on track in my Bentley and go to battle - this will definitely be an exciting weekend for the fans at the track and those of you watching the racing elsewhere." The Nurburgring ADAC GT Masters races will be live streamed via the ADAC GT website where you can also find live timing and the race program to follow Jordan throughout the weekend.
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Who | Jonathan Aberdein |
What | German ADAC Formula 4 |
Where | Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria |
When | 23-24 July 2016 |
Tough weekend for Aberdein
South Africa's Jonathan Aberdein endured a tough weekend of ADAC German Formula 4 racing at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria over the weekend - all the more difficult considering that the Cape Town driver was promisingly fast in practice. But a troubled qualifying saw Jonathan starting well down the grid for the first of the weekend's three races on Saturday morning.
"Qualifying never quite went as planned," Aberdein rued. "And things never went much better in the race - Red Bull Ring has been tough going - it was inevitable having qualified so far down, but I got caught up in a mid pack-incident in turn one and damaged the suspension, which became impossible to drive and I stopped before the end of the race. "But tomorrow is another day and we keep pushing - never give up."
Sunday dawned well for Jonathan, who had a better second race. "I started 16th but had a poor start and lost a few positions," Jonathan explained. "But I had a great comeback drive from around 20th to finish 9th." The third race was a tougher prospect as Jonathan started at the back, but he drove another solid race to end up 21st.
"That was a tough weekend - it never went quite as we'd expected, but the second race was good," Jonathan concluded. "I also managed some great lap times and I am now only a tenth or two off the guys in front - now all we need is a little good luck, so let's hope that comes right at the Nurburgring in two weeks time."
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