Laps led and strong qualifying at the Sachsenring

The penultimate DTM round of the season at the Sachsenring (11 to 13 September) presented Land-Motorsport with several challenges. A disappointing Saturday was followed by a promising Sunday with a strong qualifying performance and a top 10 finish for Bastian Buus.

On Saturday, the Niederdreisbach-based team’s hopes of scoring points ended on the opening lap. Just a few corners after the start, the Porsche 911 GT3 R was sent into the gravel following a collision through no fault of Buus. Although he was able to rejoin the race, he was forced to retire the car shortly afterwards.

Things went significantly better in Sunday qualifying. “In the wet conditions, we were able to make up ground and secure fifth place on the grid,” explained the 23-year-old Danish driver. “It was really cool to finally have a qualifying session in the wet. It always makes things a little more difficult and mixes up the grid for the race. I really enjoyed it.”

With the circuit still damp, the start of the race in the afternoon was delayed, making the choice of tyres particularly difficult. Land-Motorsport opted for wet-weather tyres, taking a different approach to the rest of the field.

“Going with rain tyres was a brave decision, and it worked well for the first two laps,” said Buus. After a strong start, the Dane was able to take the lead within the first few corners. As the track continued to dry, however, the tyre strategy ultimately did not pay off. Nevertheless, the Porsche driver showed strong pace in the wet and was rewarded with ninth place and a further seven points.

“It was definitely a mixed weekend for us, but we didn’t let it get us down and made the best of the situation. We know that we are strong in the rain. Looking ahead to the next race weekend at Hockenheim, wet conditions would certainly play into our hands,” team principal Christian Land concluded.

The Hockenheimring will host the DTM season finale from 9 to 11 October. For Land-Motorsport, the aim in Baden-Württemberg will be to bring its second year in the highly competitive GT series to a close on a high.