Eastalent Racing Kicks Off New Season with a Trophy

Portimão/Portugal: For the Austrian team from Kirchberg, led by team principal Peter Reicher, it was the long-awaited weekend following the winter break. From April 25 to 27, the International GT Open kicked off its season at the Portuguese Autódromo do Algarve. “As reigning champions of 2023 and 2024, we can’t wait to compete against our rivals,” said team boss Peter Reicher.

Winter is the time for preparation — but that’s true for every racing team. So where exactly do the Austrians stand? Peter Reicher commented: “It’s flattering when our competitors make it their mission to beat us this season. But we’re not holding back either. We made full use of the winter break to prepare ourselves for a potential triple championship win in the International GT Open.”

From the very first free practice sessions, the groundwork was laid for fine-tuning the Audi R8 LMS evo II. Both Simon Reicher and Christopher Haase agreed: “This season will demand a lot from us. Still, we’re confident we’ve done our homework properly. That was already evident this weekend. Our Audi felt perfect. The confidence in the setup was there right from the start. Christopher and I could push from the very first lap,” said Simon Reicher.

Although the first free practice session on Saturday, with a twelfth-place finish, didn’t fully reflect the team’s potential, the brilliant pit stop strategy from the engineers turned the tide. Right during a safety car phase, as the field bunched up again, the window for the driver change opened. Simon Reicher, running in fourth place, immediately handed over the wheel of the Audi R8 LMS evo II to teammate Christopher Haase. “A little bit of luck is always part of it. Still, our engineers did a perfect job. Success is only possible as a team,” Simon Reicher remarked.

Christopher Haase showcased his class in the second half of Saturday’s race, putting in some spectacular overtakes and bringing the Eastalent Audi home in second place. “To find ourselves on the podium is incredible. Our competitors certainly aren’t making it easy,” said Peter Reicher.

Sunday’s race began with qualifying, where Christopher Haase, in his usual commanding style, aimed for pole position. This time, the driver from Kulmbach had to settle for fourth. Early in the race, Haase advanced to third place, which he maintained until the end of his stint. Simon Reicher took over and held third for a long time during his half of the race. However, when he attempted to overtake the car ahead, the Eastalent Audi was touched – and two other competitors took advantage of the situation to pass Reicher.

“Even if we only finished fifth in the end, I’m very satisfied with both drivers and the entire team. After all, we’re heading home with 18 points in the championship — a number we didn’t manage to collect at last year’s season opener,” reported Peter Reicher.

In three weeks, from May 16 to 18, the action continues with the classic race in Belgium. The 500-kilometer race at Spa-Francorchamps awaits the team from Kirchberg. “This will be a very important race for us. There’s only one race, but double championship points are at stake. A DNF would be hard to recover from in the title race,” said Peter Reicher.