Van der Zande to stand in for championship leader Keilwitz at ADAC GT Masters in Zandvoort 12.07.2017: • Keilwitz has to miss the meeting after breaking a leg • Ex-DTM driver van

•    Keilwitz has to miss the meeting after breaking a leg


•    Ex-DTM driver van der Zande has already lined up twice previously in the ADAC GT Masters



A flying Dutchman will step in for ADAC GT Masters championship leader Daniel Keilwitz during the fourth race weekend at Zandvoort (21st - 23rd July).



Former DTM driver Renger van der Zande (31) will line up with Jules Gounon (22, F) in the Corvette C7 GT3 prepared by Callaway Competition for the two races on the North Sea coast. Keilwitz must miss the race in the Netherlands to recover from a fracture to the lower leg that he sustained during testing at Spa in June.
 


"I wish Daniel a speedy recovery. Of course, I would prefer to be returning to the ADAC GT Masters in different circumstances. As a Dutchman, it's great to be able to line up on your doorstep - I live in Amsterdam after all," said van der Zande, who lined up as a guest starter in the ADAC GT Masters at the Nürburgring in 2014 and again in 2015, securing a podium.



"I'll be driving the Corvette for the first time at Zandvoort, so I'm very excited. The car certainly looks very impressive. My goal for the weekend is simple. I intend to do a good job and help Jules Gounon defend his lead in the standings."
 


Daniel Keilwitz will also be at the circuit in Zandvoort to support the Callaway Competition team. The 2013 ADAC GT Masters champion has helped to develop the Corvette C7 which is in its second year of racing and has won four races with the US sports car, aided by Gounon. "My leg op went well, and I'm making progress every day," said Keilwitz.



"The goal is for me to return to the cockpit at the Nürburgring in early August. The team have found an excellent replacement in Renger van der Zande. He has a lot of experience, driving a huge variety of different racing cars and should, therefore, be able to adjust very quickly to the Corvette. And as a local driver, he knows Zandvoort very well."
 


Gounon and Keilwitz have taken one win and two more podium finishes from the first six races of the season in the Super Sports Car League and lead the overall standings. With a total of 80 championship points, they have a 19-point lead on their closest rivals, BMW drivers Ricky Collard (20, GB) and Philipp Eng (27, A, both BMW Team Schnitzer).
 
 


2017 ADAC GT Masters Calendar


 
28/04/17 - 30/04/17          Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
19/05/17 - 21/05/17          Lausitzring (with DTM)
09/06/17 - 11/06/17          Red Bull Ring, Austria
21/07/17 - 23/07/17          Circuit Zandvoort, Netherlands
04/08/17 - 06/08/17          Nürburgring
15/09/17 - 17/09/17          Sachsenring
22/09/17 - 24/09/17          Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg
     
    
 
Oliver Runschke, photos ADAC