Suspense to the end: Taylor Barnard (18/GBR/PHM Racing) came out on top just ahead of his team-mate Nikita Bedrin (ITA) in a thrilling ADAC Formula 4 race on Sunday.
Behind them, Valentin Kluss (15, DEU, PHM Racing) only secured third place in the final meters of the DEKRA Lausitzring and thus his first podium.
“It’s unbelievable that I was still able to get the win from eighth place on the grid. In my rearview mirror I saw that the advantage over Nikita was getting smaller and smaller. The last laps were definitely not for the faint of heart, but I was able to save first place at the finish line”, said the double winner of the fifth weekend of the season. The Berlin racing team PHM Racing celebrated a triple success at their home game in Lower Lusatia. Victory went to Barnard in the morning, Kacper Sztuka (16, POL, US Racing) took second place ahead of 16-year-old Bedrin.
Visitors to the Family & Friends Festival as part of the ADAC GT Masters saw how Barnard used his pole position in the 14th round of the season on Sunday morning and built up an advantage in the first laps on the 3.478-kilometre circuit. However, under a cloudy sky and temperatures of 19 degrees Celsius, a safety car phase slowed down the pole setter and neutralized the field.
But at the restart in the ninth lap, Barnard was not surprised and then brought his victory to the finish line. Sztuka and Bedrin battled it out for second place over the entire 30-minute race distance. Sztuka overtook Bedrin on the final lap to finish second ahead of Saturday’s winner. In fourth place, Kluss was delighted with the trophy for first place in the rookie classification. Another driver from Germany, Jonas Ried (17, PHM Racing), completed the top five.
Joutsimies initially takes the lead
Zachary David (US Racing) started the 15th race of the season from pole position due to the reverse grid rule. The 15-year-old was the first driver from the Philippines to start in the ADAC talent factory. However, the Finn Rasmus Joutsimies (19, GER) took the lead in sunshine and temperatures of 23 degrees Celsius at the end of the first lap. The rushing Barnard started the maneuver that decided the race after catching up in the eighth lap.
The four-time winner of the season initially extended his lead, but had to defend it in an exciting final against second-placed Bedrin. “I gave everything and tried to get past Taylor. It wasn’t quite enough in the end, but I’m happy with this result,” said Bedrin.
Things got dramatic behind the PHM duo: in the final phase, Joutsimies had to hold their own against Kluss and the decision was only made on the home stretch. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé crossed the finish line just three thousandths of a second ahead of Joutsimies and celebrated not only the podium success but also first place in the rookie classification. “It’s a dream come true for me, because I’m on the podium in the ADAC Formula 4. I couldn’t imagine that after my rather difficult start, but I never gave up. That’s a great success for me,” explained Kluss.
Joutsimies finished fourth, while David achieved his best result on the debut weekend in the ADAC Highspeed School with fifth place. Ried from Ehingen in Baden-Württemberg finished seventh behind Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi (16, GER/Jenzer Motorsport) from Thailand. Sztuka, Michael Sauter (17, SUI/Sauter Engineering + Design) and Ruiqi Liu (16, CHN/US Racing) also finished in the top ten.