A podium finish and points for the MANN-FILTER Mamba during the ADAC GT Masters season opener

Ludwigsburg, April 26, 2022 – The MANN-FILTER Motorsport season began last weekend like a dream: Fans from all over the world flocked to the ADAC GT Masters season, with a total of 28,000 visitors breaking the attendance record for the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF was particularly thrilled to see young and old Mamba supporters in their yellow-green caps, and thanks for these special fans was not long in coming. 

First points for the MANN-FILTER Mamba on Saturday

With spring in the air and temperatures of around 15 degrees, the first qualifying session of the season began and was soon taken over by the ADAC GT Masters newcomer, Jonathan Aberdein (24, South Africa). Despite it being his first GT3 appearance, the former DTM driver kept his cool, achieving the solid starting position of fourth on the grid for the first race of the season. After a long winter break, Saturday afternoon could not come quickly enough: The 2022 racing season was heralded by the start of the first race in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben and the well-known words "Drivers, start your engines!" MANN-FILTER driver Jonathan Aberdein was impressive with his clean start to the race and his professional racing behavior, staying out of the initial turmoil.

However, the pitfalls of the 3.667-kilometer race course quickly became apparent: The 14 tight corners leave very few opportunities for overtaking and, without taking any unnecessary risks, the South African handed over halfway through the race to his teammate Raffaele Marciello (27, Italy), who kept his position in fourth place and maneuvered the MANN-FILTER Mercedes across the finish line. With a deficit of only one second, the duo narrowly missed their first podium result.

Former DTM driver Jonathan Aberdein sums up his GT3 debut: "I am very pleased with qualifying in fourth place. It has put us in a strong position. My stint of the race was very difficult and completely different from previous tests. I don't think that we got the absolute most out of it, but we scored points straight away, which for me is a good start to the championship.“

Podium success brings MANN-FILTER the first bronze trophy of the season

After a successful first day of racing, we were highly motivated at the start of the second race on Sunday afternoon. Mercedes AMG works driver Raffaele Marciello, who set the lap record during qualifying last year, lapped the track in just 01:22:538 minutes. While the Italian even undercut his lap time from the previous year, he still had to come to terms with third place on the grid – just two tenths of a second behind the pole sitter.

During the famous flying start, the field quicky sorted itself out, with Marciello hardly giving his competitors a chance. He also valiantly defended his third position in a dual. He summarized the first half of the race saying, "My stint was not particularly exciting." "Overtaking was difficult, so I preferred to keep my position and save my tires." 

On course for the podium, he handed over the steering wheel to his MANN-FILTER Mercedes AMG GT3 teammate Aberdein, who ultimately crossed the finish line in third place. The MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF happily celebrated their first podium finish and bronze trophy in front of a crowd of fans. It leaves you wanting more!

MANN-FILTER fans set the mood in the paddock

It was a successful opening weekend in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben: Crowds of spectators strolled through the paddock and enjoyed the pit walk, where the ADAC GT Masters drivers posed for photos and gave autographs. The yellow-green caps of the Mamba fans were particularly striking. "It was super nice and a little crazy with all the people," reports "Lello" about the contact drivers had with fans over the weekend, something which MANN-FILTER newcomer Jonathan Aberdein was particularly surprised by: "The fans were amazing! I never expected so many people. The MANN-FILTER caps can be seen all over – in the paddock, on the pit walk, everywhere. It was cool!“

First race, first podium finish: After two consistent races and collecting many points, the two Mamba magicians placed second in the ADAC GT Masters driver ranking. With 29 points, the MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF landed fourth place in the team ranking.

After this successful first race weekend, the MANN-FILTER team is feeling positive. Two consistent point finishes and a third place promise a successful racing season.

MANN-FILTER fans only need to sit tight for about four more weeks until the next race weekend – the first one of the season abroad: In May (05/20-22/2022), the ADAC GT Masters is heading to the Red Bull Ring in Austria. It will be a real rollercoaster ride for the MANN-FILTER Mamba, which is sure to cause a real sensation!