High-Speed Academy ready for 24-hr race highlight
- First visit to ADAC TOTAL 24-Hour race for ADAC Formula 4
- No time to relax: Race meeting at Nürburgring set to kick off early on Thursday
- Seppänen is right behind championship leader Edgar
No time to relax for the stars of tomorrow, as they will be facing the next big challenge in the ADAC Formula 4 just four days after the round at the Hockenheimring. For the first time ever, trainees from the ADAC High-Speed Academy will be lining up within the context of the ADAC TOTAL 24-hour race at the Nürburgring and take part in the first practice sessions and qualifying early on Thursday. Races 10, 11 and 12 will then follow on Friday and Saturday, and fans at the track will be allowed to spectate. SPORT1 and SPORT1+ will broadcast the races on TV. Live streams will also be available at adac.de/motorsport, SPORT1.de, YouTube.com/ADAC and on the ADAC Formula 4 Facebook page.
This will be a major highlight of the year for the juniors from the ADAC High-Speed Academy. In 2018 and 2019, the ADAC Formula 4 competed at the Hockenheimring as support to Formula 1, and now for the first time, drivers will be part of the show and spectacle of an ADAC TOTAL 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. Racing will take place on a special 24-hour race circuit that does not include the Mercedes Arena and is slightly longer than the version, with which the High-Speed Academy is already familiar. Red Bull Junior Jonny Edgar (16, Great Britain, Van Amersfoort Racing) will be heading to the track in the Eifel as championship leader and has some fond memories of the Nürburgring, since this is where he clinched a win and a second place during the second ADAC Formula 4 race weekend - but Edgar is on high alert. His lead on his rivals is somewhat diminished after Hockenheim, and he is now only twelve points up on Elias Seppänen (16, Finland, US Racing). Unlike Edgar, the young Finn has only won one race but in an unflustered manner, has steadily amassed points and impressed with his consistency.
"The title fight is going to be great and will be very close," forecast Seppänen and added: "I'm already looking forward to the Nürburgring races." That should come as no big surprise. After all, he took P3, P2 and P4 previously at the meeting there. If Seppänen gets his way, then he'll secure at least one victory. Of course, that would also be something really special for his team, US Racing team. The event at the Nürburgring has always been a home fixture for the Kerpen-based outfit managed by ex-Formula 1 and DTM driver Ralf Schumacher and Gerhard Ungar.
What is more, US Racing also have a very fast rookie in the line-up, 15-year-old Tim Tramnitz from Germany, who leads the Rookie classification after the first nine races and is among the front runners in the overall standings; ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Tramnitz is in fifth place, 45 points behind Edgar.
In a departure from the norm, racing will commence on Thursday and the schedule will be tight with FP1 at 9.15 CEST, closely followed by FP2 at 10.00 CEST. Qualifying will be at 11.35 CEST while the second session is on Friday morning at 8.10 CEST. The three races will then take place on Friday (15.05 CEST) and Saturday (8.25 and 13.10 CEST).