Ivan Peklin and Konstantin Gutsul have worked hard for this: in their first race weekend in the Audi R8 LMS GT3, the two drivers from Ukraine made it onto the podium. This podium success in the GTC Race at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben is an important milestone in their training with Land-Motorsport.
“Entering GT3 racing requires a good preparation,” says team manager Christian Land. “Ivan and Konstantin are therefore going through an extensive program that should prepare them for their first races with a car that is new to them. The races in Oschersleben showed what the guys have learned so far.”
Testing beforehand and extensive collaboration with the engineers at Land-Motorsport helped to prepare for the challenges up ahead. “I am very happy with the progress I have made in this phase. But now, after the first race weekend, I also know in which areas I still need to improve,” summarises Ivan Peklin. The 22-year-old previously drove a GT4 and will be completing his first GT3 season in 2024.
Both Peklin and his teammate Konstantin Gutsul have a lot to learn this year. “Almost everything is new to me,” says Gutsul. “It starts with the car and goes all the way to the start procedure. But the team has invested a lot of time and the analysis of the data helps to improve in the right places. That’s how you gain the needed confidence in the car.”
A look at the results shows that the extensive training is paying off: in all three races at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, they came home in third place. Racing continues for the duo at the Nürburgring at the end of June.