Simon Reicher was not expecting his second ADAC GT Masters race weekend to end up unraveling the way it did. Things started well for the 19-year-old and his teammate, Maximilian Paul, from T3 Motorsport. Sixth position during Thursday’s rainy free practice on the Czech circuit Most was a promising start. “That was really great – the Audi’s set-up was perfect, particularly in the heavy rain”, reflects the Austrian.

The weekend took a turn soon, though. “We are a very young team and unfortunately still make minor careless mistakes, whereby I wouldn’t exclude myself, either. Nonetheless, I gave it my best”, reveals the T3 Motorsport talent. Saturday’s qualification saw Reicher finishing in 20^th on the grid. “During the first race, we were actually moving forward in the pack with a top-15 finish in sight. A drive-through penalty due to speeding in the pits by just one tenth of a second soured the race. Instead of taking the minimum 70 seconds between pit entry and exit, we took 69,9 seconds. As a result, we intermittently dropped back into last position”, reports a frustrated ninth-grader of the Felbertal High School. By race end, Simon did manage to gain another three positions, saving himself and the team from a total fiasco.

The second race on Sunday was even more of a disappointment. “We had a good start from 29^th on the grid and everything was looking fine. To my despair, a competitor hit me from behind, forcing me off the circuit and collecting a Styrofoam sign”, the rookie describes the unfortunate incident, which ultimately lead to a premature termination of the race. The Styrofoam sign, now in pieces all over the track and Simon’s car, clogged the radiator so much that the oil temperatures reached a critical level – Simon had no choice but to park the car.

“Certainly, it’s frustrating because I was confronted with lot’s of bad luck this weekend. I’m trying to keep my head up and am already fully focused on the next racing weekend”, explains the eager 19-year-old. Until then, the Kirchberg-native has some time to catch a breath. The next GT Masters event takes place June 7-9 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria – Simon’s home race in front of family, friends, and fellow countrymen!

Simon’s personal highlight last weekend was some good academic news, proving that working hard the previous weeks and months payed back. “When I received the message about passing my written Matura (Austrian high school diploma), I almost cried out of joy. Huge thank you to my girlfriend Natalie. She spent so many hours with me doing schoolwork. Next up is my oral exam and thereafter, motorsports will finally be my number one priority”, the young Austrian beams in a visibly moved manner.