100th ADAC GT MASTERS RACE – 100 MONTHS WITH 100 LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO GT3 ENGINEERED BY REITER
Reiter Engineering celebrates, alongside the ADAC anniversary, its own extraordinary success story with the in-house developed and extremely successful Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 engineered by Reiter Engineering.
GT3 motorsport is currently dominated by the figure 100:
- 100th ADAC GT Masters race at the Slovakia Ring
- 100 months since the green light was given in July 2005 for the first Reiter Gallardo GT3
- 100th Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 engineered by Reiter Engineering sold in July 2013
A welcome opportunity to take a look down memory lane and to take stock of the innumerable victories recorded by this exceptional race car the Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 engineered by Reiter Engineering.
ADAC GT MASTERS marks the beginning of the Reiter Engineering success story
The Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 engineered by Reiter Engineering, which increased the number of valuable premium brands to the GT3 motorsport scene, was still viewed as a rarity when it made its debut in the ADAC GT Masters.
Nobody at that time expected the race car and its team of expert mechanics and technicians to evolve into such formidable opponents. The Gallardo GT3 produced by Reiter Engineering is long since an integral part of the GT3 landscape – in addition to the chassis, only the basic engine from the Lamborghini road car is used, all the other components are designed and developed by Reiter Engineering. In the opening race of the new ADAC GT Masters series, formed around the many super sports cars, the in-house developed race car from Reiter Engineering demonstrated its class by winning the first race and, in doing so, established the foundation for its global success.
Throughout the rest of the season, the Reiter Engineering team from Kirchanschöring, Bavaria, ensured that this victory would not be labelled 'beginners luck'. The team went on to win the Championship in its debut year. In year number 2, 2008, the company demonstrated its development and racing prowess by defending its title with aplomb.
After securing driver titles for Albert von Thurn und Taxis and Peter Kox in 2010, another team title followed in 2011 and the Pro/Am Championship for Marc Hayek and Peter Kox.
Reiter Engineering is the most successful team to date in the ADAC GT Masters claiming:
- 21 race wins
- 3 team titles
- 2 drivers' championship titles
- 3 drivers' championship runner-up titles
- 1 Pro/Am Championship
Lamborghini is the most successful brand
Lamborghini is the most successful brand in the ADAC GT Masters. The Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 has won 21 races so far. These victories for the Lamborghini brand and the race car are 100 per cent attributable to the meticulous development work and efficiency of Reiter Engineering: only the bare chassis and the base engine of the Lamborghini race car are carried over from the Lamborghini road car. All other components found in the Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 are bespoke motorsport components developed by Reiter Engineering.
Renowned Formula 1 drivers at the wheel in the ADAC GT Masters
Eleven former Formula 1 drivers have fought for points and prizes in the ADAC GT Masters so far: Michael Bleekemolen, Andrea Chiesa, Tomas Enge, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Loris Kessel, Jan Lammers, Gianni Morbidelli, Mika Salo, Karl Wendlinger, Markus Winkelhock and Sakon Yamamoto.
The driver with the most race wins in the championship is Christopher Haase. In 2007 and 2008, he triumphed in a Reiter Engineering Lamborghini, in 2009 to 2013 with the Audi R8. The German can lay claim to eleven race wins so far.
Most successful driver also with the most pole positions
The most ADAC GT Masters pole positions to date have been claimed by Christopher Haase (Reiter Lamborghini and Audi R8), Peter Kox (Reiter Lamborghini) and Frank Kechele (Reiter Gallardo 2011). The three drivers started six times from the best grid position.
A quarter of all pole positions went to a Lamborghini. A Gallardo driver has recorded the fastest time in qualifying 27 times so far.
Peter Kox and Albert von Thurn und Taxis form the most successful driver duo. The 2010 ADAC GT Masters Champions won nine races – everyone in a Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 engineered by Reiter Engineering.
Furthermore, Thurn und Taxis was championship runner-up in 2007 and 2008. The duo Kox and von Thurn und Taxis also formed the first driver pairing to win the ADAC GT Masters title together in 2010. Beforehand, the title always went to 'lone fighters', who shared their cockpits with different team mates throughout the season.
Sweeping success also on the international stage
The 10-cylinder was not only successful in Germany. The race car developed and manufactured in-house by Reiter Engineering is in action around the world on all five continents in national and international championships. Reiter Engineering and its customer teams have given the Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 over 200 wins. The most successful GT3 customer team comes from Italy. The MIK CORSE team has contributed 3 drivers' titles in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and 36 race victories to the success of the GT3 developed by Reiter Engineering.
"First and foremost, we have our loyal customers and drivers to thank for our great success," says Hans Reiter, Managing Director and owner of Reiter Engineering, which is based in Kirchanschöring and is worldwide exclusive manufacturer of Lamborghini race cars. "Nico Pronk has driven for us for 4 years, Marc Hayek for 5 years, Albert von Thurn und Taxis for 8 years and Peter Kox for 14 years, which feels like an eternity. Our most loyal customer is Isao Noritake and his JLOC Team (Japanese Lamborghini Owners Club), which has relied on GT1 and GT3 race cars from Reiter Engineering in the Japanese GT Championship since 2003."
100 GT3 from Reiter Engineering are now racing worldwide
After eight successful years, the 100th Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 engineered by Reiter Engineering with its striking combination of carbon and celebratory white paintwork was sold to China.
"Not bad at all," says Reiter Engineering Managing Director Hans Reiter of his company's 'anniversary'. From this conservative statement it is obvious that he is rarely satisfied no matter how positive the results. In spite of this extraordinary success story, the qualified automotive engineer does not allow himself to get carried away and rest on his laurels, but this times he admonishes himself: "At the beginning I dreamt of selling a maximum of 30 cars. I'm absolutely delighted that the sales figures have since reached 3 digits. This shows that we were correct with our GT3 concept. I always have to remind myself just who it is we compete against: the race departments of the automobile manufacturers like Porsche, Audi, Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes or Aston Martin. On paper they appear way superior. However, we have beaten them time and again with our Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 engineered by Reiter Engineering ..."
And what are the immediate goals?
The Reiter Engineering team continues to refine the Reiter Gallardo GT3: "Our target is to extract the absolute maximum from the race car. Our technicians are currently working on an even more efficient aerodynamic configuration and a new engine specification. As a result, we can expect the lap times to fall and the average speeds to increase," says Managing Director and owner Hans Reiter.
The success story continues – watch this space!
