At a press conference on 8 December, the ADAC announced far-reaching changes to the German motorsport landscape. Following the takeover of the trademark rights to the DTM, ADAC Masters is to be renamed DTM Endurance, merged with the Prototype Cup and act as a support series to the DTM. Christian Land, who has represented the interests of the ADAC GT Masters teams since 2019, is strongly critical of the plans.
“For me, this new concept is a disappointment. It’s an affront to us and a backward step for German motorsport. The ADAC GT Masters was a professional top series, which has now been relegated to the status of a support series. The restructuring is particularly drastic for all the teams that have focused their motorsport activities on the ADAC GT Masters over the years. Many aspects are now coming together here that could threaten their existence,” he explains.
According to Land, additional costs will be incurred by purchasing tents, pit wall equipment and pitlane trolleys. “This is necessary because we are now a support series, we will have to move from the pits to the paddock,” said the Land-Motorsport team manager. “Along with this, the marketing basis is lost. Among other things, this has to do with the fact that GT3 and LMP3 cars are to start in one race in future. The prototypes have a performance advantage and will be fighting for the race victories, as the GT3 cars won’t be able to keep up. On the one hand, this has a negative effect on the TV time of the GT teams, and on the other hand on the search for drivers and financing. We teams are deprived of the arguments that still speak for a cockpit in a GT3 car. If you want to fight for the overall victory, you can do it for less money in an LMP3 car.”
Land is also very critical of plans to classify drivers according to FIA driver ratings. “Our concept in the ADAC GT Masters has always been based on young drivers sharing the car with an experienced pro driver and thus learning a lot. That’s going to be a lot more difficult now. In preparation for the season, this means that many teams will have to reorient themselves. Contracts that have been concluded with drivers up to now, for example, may no longer be valid.”
