Big point in the title fight: Benjamin Mazatis takes two important podium places at the Slovakiaring
- Reiter Engineering pilot has best weekend in GT4 Central European Cup 2018
- Championship within reach: Mazatis just two points behind the leaders heading into the final
It feels like the momentum has now shifted in our favour.
Two hot races in the GT4 Central European Cup were on the programme for Benjamin Mazatis last weekend. The Reiter Engineering driver entered the penultimate round of the tight championship battle at the Slovakiaring. In addition to two podium finishes, Mazatis and his KTM X-Bow GT4 also managed to strike a decisive blow against title rival Marilyn Niederhauser at just the right moment.
In the second race on Sunday, the driver from Bruckmühl overtook the Swiss rider on the penultimate corner of the last lap. With this last-minute manoeuvre for second place, he reduced the gap in the Pro-AM Cup to just two points. At the same time, he secured his second podium finish in the overall standings this weekend. This meant second place again in the Pro-AM Cup.
Mazatis and his team-mate Ilmari Korpivaara already put in a great performance on Saturday. At the start, the German initially lost a few positions to more powerful cars. But as his stint progressed, Mazatis fought his way back through the field. The man from Bruckmühl shone when overtaking: the precise manoeuvres hardly cost any time, so that he handed the car over to his team-mate in fourth place. The duo impressed and crossed the finish line in second place in the Pro-AM Cup. As a result, the pair reduced the gap to the championship lead by 21 points.
Mazatis therefore has every chance of winning the Pro-AM Cup at the finale of the GT4 Central European Cup from 6 to 7 October 2018 in Zandvoort. The signs are good for the 20-year-old: last year, he finished on the podium twice on the dune rollercoaster in the GT4 European Series Northern Cup on his strongest race weekend.
Three questions for Benjamin Mazatis
The Slovakiaring put you right back in the title race. What is your verdict?
We are really over the moon with this weekend. Of course, we had our sights set on taking the first win, but the two second places in the Pro-AM Cup are incredibly valuable. It was a fantastic weekend that started off a bit complicated. We didn't do much in the practice sessions due to a defect, which meant we lost time for setup work. The qualifying sessions were not perfect with sixth and eighth places. But in the end, only the races that score points count - and that's where we shone. It was our most successful weekend.
Your overtaking manoeuvre in the second race could be decisive for the title fight in the end...
The race on Sunday was a real challenge. After taking over the car from my team-mate, I made up over 20 seconds on our championship rival and only overtook on the outside of the penultimate corner. That was an important big point for our championship ambitions and it feels like the momentum has now swung in our favour.
The final will take place in Zandvoort. What is your attitude going into the final round of the title fight?
I'm already looking forward to Zandvoort. It's the track where I've had the most success so far, because I've finished on the podium in every one of my races here. I would like to continue writing this story by adding another chapter with this championship. But anything can happen in the final. It will be tough, everyone will suffer a little and it will certainly be very emotional. It will be the ultimate showdown and I couldn't think of a better track for it. I am ready. But we have to concentrate on ourselves and do our job. Then we'll see what comes out of it.