After a weekend which provided not only excellent racing, but also a variety of unexpected turnarounds, Kelvin van der Linde and C Abt Racing find themselves fighting at the front of the grid again as they did in 2014 when they won the Gt Master Championship.

Kelvin scored his season best Result (3rd) on Saturday in tricky conditions. He and Stefan Wackerbauer charged through the field from 13th on the grid to 3rd, overtaking 2 cars in dramatic fashion on the last lap. The youngest driver pairing on the 2015 grid lost out early on in the race when they were forced to pit under green while 90% of the field made their mandatory pit stop under Safety Car. However, C Abt racing was able to change strategy and put Kelvin onto slicks whilst the track was drying at a rapid rate. Sim mid-stint rain brought Kelvin’s charge to a temporary halt. However, the rain stopped again and with 3 minutes to go in the race, Kelvin was able to charge from P9 to P5. Eventually when it seemed like nothing else could shake up the race, 2 cars ahead were given 30 second penalties for overtaking under Safety Car, promoting Kelvin van der Linde and Stefan Wackerbauer to 3rd in the standings, a much needed result for the drivers and the team.

“I am so proud of the team for a fantastic turn around after the summer break. We have shown that we are ready to fight for victories again and for sure, the next 3 races will be very exciting!” -Kelvin van der Linde

The Sunday race proved to be frustrating for Kelvin. In turn 2 on the opening lap, he was hit from behind, spinning him into the middle of the field and was hit again from another car. The car was destroyed and Kelvin was forced to retire the car.

“It was very unfortunate as I believe another podium position would have been possible for us. Anyway, the fantastic safety features in our Audi R8 helped me escape any serious injury despite the high speed of the crash.”

Some impressions from the weekend: pic.twitter.com/HUFFS3FgK5

— Kelvin van der Linde (@KelvinvdLinde) August 17, 2015

Round 3 of the ADAC GT Masters Championship will take place at Spa-Francorchamps from 19-21 June. The race weekend will prove to be sepcial for many different reasons according to Kelvin:

It has been my dream for as long as I can remember to one day climb through Eau Rouge completely on the limit of what the car is possible of. This year a big dream comes true for me, to finally add one of the world’s greatest circuits to the list of tracks that I have raced at!

I also celebrate my 19th birthday this weekend on the Saturday, and my family if flying over from South Africa for some support, so I hope it will bring us some good fortune! I am extremely excited for a truly incredible weekend and whatever the outcome, I will truly feel blessed with the opportunity to experience so many cool things at a young age.

As always, you can always follow the race weekends on all my social media platforms. I’m quite into Instagram at the moment, so be sure to check that out: https://instagram.com/kelvinvanderlinde_com/

It was my dream as a 6 y/o boy to climb through Eau Rouge. This year it comes true for me. #MakeImpossiblePossible pic.twitter.com/CbQO5SGToo

— Kelvin van der Linde (@KelvinvdLinde) June 16, 2015

Track Details:

2014 Winners: Race 1 – M. Götz + M. Buhk

Race 2 – K. van der Linde + R. Rast

Kelvin’s Perspective:

‘Oschersleben is always a great event. There are always many enthusiastic spectators at the race track and hence makes for a fitting opening race of the season. The track is my personal favorite, so I believe if we put everything together on race day, we can look forward to some rewarding results.’