Renauer, Jaminet Win GT Masters Title

Robert Renauer and Mathieu Jaminet have been crowned ADAC GT Masters champions after finishing fifth in the Hockenheim season finale.

The Precote Herberth Motorsport pair clinched the title by a single point after rivals Kelvin and Sheldon van der Linde won Sunday’s 60-minute race in their Montaplast by Land-Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3.

Sheldon van der Linde overtook Rolf Ineichen at the turn eight left-hander with two minutes to go, meaning Renauer had to keep Timo Bernhard’s Porsche at bay to secure the championship.

Land Motorsport needed to overturn a 16-point deficit to beat the Herberth crew, but it could only take out 15 in the final race of the year.

The champions survived an opening-lap scramble that saw title rivals Maximilian Goetz and Markus Pommer eliminated from contention.

Goetz, who started from pole in the No. 47 HTP Motorsport Mercedes AMG GT3, was turned around by Dries Vanthoor’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 at the first corner and collected by Klaus Bachler’s Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Jaminet, however, managed to avoid the carnage to lift his Porsche up from 10th into the top five, while Kelvin van der Linde slotted into second behind the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 of Ineichen and Christian Engelhart.

Ineichen assumed Engelhart’s lead after the mid-race driver swaps but was caught up by Van der Linde in the closing stages.

The Swiss driver managed to hold on to second at the end from Indy Dontje in the sole surviving HTP Mercedes, while Mikkel Jensen took fourth for BMW Team Schnitzer.

Seventh wasn’t enough for title contenders Daniel Keilwitz and Marvin Kirchhoefer to take the title in their Callaway Competition Corvette C7 GT3-R.

The race one winners produced a thrilling comeback having started outside the top 20 to secure six points, but that was only enough to put them third in the points table.

RESULTS: Race 2