In a few days, the young Austrian Simon Reicher will begin his second season in the ADAC TCR Germany. The upcoming ADAC GT Masters weekend finally marks the end of a long waiting period. “It’s the same thing every winter. The season is over way too fast and the winter is simply way too long”, remarks the 18-year-old.

Nonetheless, the youngster had a busy agenda throughout the winter months. Last fall, Simon Reicher joined YACO Racing Team, led by Uwe Geipel, a team principal who has made motorsport history. GDR rally champion, Wartburg factory driver, and member of the national team are just a few stations of his passionate motorsport career. But first and foremost, Uwe Geipel’s team from Saxony has a lot of experience with front-wheel drive cars. The motorsport legend participated in countless World and European touring car championships with notable drivers such as Rahel Frey, Marc Basseng, his sons Charlie and Philip Geipel, as well as DTM and F1 driver Markus Winkelhock. “Having my name now on this list is amazing. At the same time, I’ve now made a big step closer to my dream of driving a 600hp GT car in one of the endurance classics someday. But first, I must focus on my upcoming races”, explains the eighth-grade student of the Felbertal High School. The first joint testing days last fall at Hockenheim Ring were already highly promising. “That was quite special”, Simon reflects. “I had just finished the 2017 season at Hockenheimring and returned just a few weeks later to hardly recognize my car again. My Audi RS3 had gone straight into Uwe Geipel’s garage, where the car was prepared for testing. Before going back on to the track, I was explained the technique needed to handle a front-wheel drive. And that was it! The Audi was nothing like it was before – the pace and drivability were incredible.” The beginning of a joint 2018 season stood no longer in question. Thereafter, the Audi was completely taken apart and reassembled at YACO Racing’s headquarters. 10 days ago, it was finally time for the first rollout with the newly configured Audi RS3 LMS. The official testing days of the ADAC GT Masters took place at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. “I’m thrilled about the excellent work my engineer Thomas Gassert and my mechanics Tony, Carsten, and Matte delivered. We completed a very focused and professional testing weekend. And, considering the free practice environment and conditions, the lap times were fantastic”, reports Simon Reicher.

The 2018 season will traditionally kick off at the 3,696-meter-long Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, April 13 to 15. The ADAC TCR Germany has its first free practice session at 09:30 AM. All races will be broadcast live on Sport 1 and on the Internet at sport1.de.