Austrian Eastalent Racing Team Takes Second Place Twice

Hockenheimring / Baden-Württemberg: The third stop on the International GT Open calendar took place last weekend (June 6–8) at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg. After strong performances in the first two rounds in Portimão (Portugal) and Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), the GT3 team from Kirchberg near Mattighofen aimed to score more championship points under the leadership of team owner Peter Reicher.

The initial free practice sessions posed no major challenges. The Eastalent Audi consistently appeared at the top of the timing screens. However, the first qualifying session on Saturday revealed just how tricky the conditions could be. Simon Reicher placed the Eastalent Audi 13th on the grid. In the race, the team capitalized on chaos caused by rain and a safety car phase, allowing Christopher Haase to bring the car home in second place.

Team principal Peter Reicher was clear in his assessment: “We did the best we could under the circumstances. The Balance of Performance (BoP) imposed by the organizers currently doesn’t allow for more. Still, we showed that our Audi performs well in all weather conditions – and so do our drivers and the entire team. Once again this year, it’s clear: we are a dominant figure in the International GT Open Championship.”

Sunday’s weather initially brought more stable conditions, but things changed quickly. The track was wet, it rained, and rain tires were clearly the best choice to start in. Christopher Haase managed to qualify the Audi R8 LMS evo II in second place. He commented: “Sunday’s race was again a bit tricky. Simon was out on slicks and delivered a strong performance despite the rain starting. The conditions were very tough. Standing on the podium twice in second place is okay. Honestly, I think we did a good job, but we could have done better. We had to make a lot of changes to the car during the free practice sessions to improve – and that worked well. Our race pace was really strong. We just need to work a bit more on qualifying performance. We also know we need to go back and review our homework.”

Simon Reicher added: “From a championship perspective, the weekend went very well for us. Overall, everything worked. Still, despite what the results might suggest, I’m not entirely satisfied. We weren’t 100% prepared. That needs to change before the next race at the Hungaroring. We absolutely need to step up our game – even though we handled the mixed conditions at Hockenheim well. Now we need to get the car and tires working in harmony. The rest of the championship won’t get any easier.”

Preparations are already underway for round four of the championship, taking place July 4–6 at the Hungaroring.