The Austrian Simon Reicher had been waiting with great excitement and anticipation for last weekend’s (October 5-6) GT-3 race at the Hockenheimring, his first race in this category in his very young motorsport career. The 18-year-old competed for his team YACO Racing in the famous 585-hp Audi R8 LMS. Visibly impressed, the Kirchberg-native told us: “A few weeks ago, I received the awesome opportunity from Schubert Motorsport to test their GT-3 Honda in Oschersleben. Already then, I noticed how sensitive a GT-3 car is. This weekend confirmed my first impression: I was very impressed with the precision of the car and how it reacts to the smallest changes in the setup. In comparison, my Audi RS3 is more like a horse carriage. In fact, you cannot really compare the two cars, as their driving characteristics are so different.”

For Simon and his YACO Racing Team, this venture was exciting from the first minute onward. Just two weeks earlier, the ADAC GT Masters had taken place at the same circuit. The data and results were still present in everyone’s minds. “First and foremost, I have to thank my engineer Thomas Gassert. Right off the bat, he made me feel very comfortable in the Audi R8 LMS. He was the key to my improvements from lap to lap, resulting in a successful weekend for the entire team and myself,” reports Simon Reicher, adding: „It was important to us to be in full compliance with the FIA regulations, which are the same specifications in the ADAC GT Masters. This did mean, though, that we would have an inferior car at this event, where the regulations do not fully apply.” The Audi R8 LMS was missing 15 km / h on the straights compared to the competition. “Eventually, this car will be used in the ADAC GT Masters. My goal for 2019 is to secure one of the highly coveted driver seats in the series. It would not make much sense for us to rebuild the car for this one race. For example, this weekend was driven on Dunlop tires while the ADAC GT Masters uses Pirelli, making the tires our first unknown variable that we needed to handle. For me personally it was not a major challenge, as it was my first race anyway. Therefore, I didn’t know what either tire would be like,” laughed the youngster.

When the #54 Audi was listed fifth on the timing board after the qualifying session, everyone was clearly enthused. “I just focused completely on the driving – trust me, I had my hands full – when a really fast lap time showed up on my display. I could€n’t believe it. That I wouldn’t keep with ex-Formula 1, DTM, and GT Masters driver Markus Winkelhock, was clear to me, but that I’d be so close behind him?” Simon Reicher was positively baffled.

The sympathetic Austrian delivered a flawless performance during the first race on Saturday, moving into fourth place early on and later securing third position to the finish line. “It was unbelievable. That was so much fun. I am very, very happy that my team entrusted me with their Audi R8 LMS. Thanks to my team principal Uwe Geipel for his trust.” Reicher’s second race on Saturday was a similar success, starting and finishing in fifth position. 

Simon Reicher’s concluded his successful GT-3 premiere as such: “This weekend was like a switch from a propeller plane to a fighter jet, and it was simply awesome! This has been my dream for so many years. We will now analyze the season in every detail, explore our options, and see how we will proceed for the coming season. Until then, the gym will see me more frequently than during the tightly scheduled season.”