Callaway Competition is racing again in ADAC GT Masters for 2021 and was able to win driver Marvin Kirchhöfer back for the upcoming season. The six-time race winner from Leipzig forms the new Corvette driving duo with Swiss racer, Jeffrey Schmidt.

HERE WE GO: Callaway Competition has brought back Marvin Kirchhöfer (27 / Leipzig) for their 15th season in the ADAC GT Masters. The six-time Corvette race winner is returning to the Leingarten racing team after a year and will form a new Corvette C7 GT3-R team together with the Swiss Jeffrey Schmidt (27 / Liestal).

“We’re very happy that the current circumstances made it possible for another opportunity to get Marvin back. We reached an agreement quickly and getting a teammate like him for Jeffrey was not easy. We were only able to deal with the financial demands thanks to all of our sponsors”, emphasizes team founder and managing director Ernst Wöhr, who will be sending the Corvette to the starting line with a new design.

The last time Marvin Kirchhöfer was behind the wheel of the Callaway Corvette, he fell victim to the 2019 crash-fest in the penultimate round of the ADAC GT Masters at the Hockenheimring. Not only were the team’s title dreams put to rest prematurely, despite three race wins at the start of the season, but so was the finale at the Sachsenring.

The 27-year-old was able to achieve six victories in two seasons for the Corvette team and twice fought for the series championship crown. The twin victories in 2018 at the Red Bull Ring, in which he and Daniel Keilwitz won both races on one race weekend, will not be forgotten. In his first year at Callaway Competition, he was already fighting for the championship title of the top-class GT championship, which he finished in third place.

The returning Kirchhöfer not only brings back a lot of experience, but also his cautious optimism as he strives for repeated successes with the Corvette racing team. “I'm happy to be returning to Callaway and being back in the ADAC GT Masters in 2021. Naturally, I'm looking forward to the upcoming season, how it will go after a year off. The Team is very well-prepared though and has always done a good job in both of my seasons. The Team and the car have always been competitive and have been good for podium finishes, which will also be our goal this year,” says Kirchhöfer happily.

“Marvin is a fast and very professional driver. I’m very happy that we can work together again in the ADAC GT Masters and that we can present a strong driver pairing together with Jeffrey”, team boss Mike Gramke confirms the comeback of the Leipzig driver.

Driver Jeffrey Schmidt, who raced with Markus Pommer who switched to LMP2 last season, is also enthusiastic about his old and new team-mate. “Marvin and I were teammates in the ADAC Formula Masters 2012 and we’ve known each other since karting. We got along very well off the racetrack too, which makes our work a lot easier. He's a quick team-mate and we can push each other well. I think we are a very strong driver pairing too and my goals are consequently high. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet the high expectations last year. So I'm all the more pleased that we have found a good overall package. I want to get back on the podium, and not just once.”

DOUBLE COMEBACK

In addition to Marvin Kirchhöfer, Giovanni Ciccone and Ernst Wöhr's team is happy to welcome another returnee. Valvoline and Oiltech are once again standing at the side of the longest-serving and most successful racing team in the ADAC GT Masters series.

The premium motor oil manufacturer Valvoline, together with sales and logistics partner Oiltech, was a close partner of the Corvette racing team from 2016 to 2018. Together, they not only won the drivers' title with Jules Gounon in 2017, but also the junior and team standings in the ADAC GT Masters.

“The ADAC GT Masters and the Callaway Competition Team offer us the best platform to present our premium products. The two brands Callaway Corvette and Valvoline have shown in the past that they belong together and can lead to success by using our product offering under the high demands of Motorsports." Dipl.-Betr.-Wirt Klaus Huber, Managing Director - Oiltech Lubes GmbH & Co. KG

“We’re very happy that we have reunited with the Callaway Team and that we’re starting a new season together. In the upcoming 2021 season, we’ll keep our fingers crossed to build on the success of 2017." Marco Troczynski, Head of Sales and Marketing - Oiltech Lubes GmbH & Co. KG

Also instrumental in bringing all parties together again was partner and sponsor Peter Kramm (Managing Director, Autohaus Kramm Berlin), whose logo has graced the rear wing of the #77 Corvette since 2016. “Over the years, as an official Callaway Corvette dealer, we have grown together with the Team and a real friendship has developed. For us, it goes without saying that in difficult times we’ve moved even closer together and we’ll provide support wherever we can,” explains the official Callaway dealer Peter Kramm. Daughter Franziska also decided with the ADAC Partner Team Schnell to make an important contribution as a new partner.

Text: A. Dannenberg / Motorsport-Karriere.de

English Translation: M. Vendetto / vendetto-marketing.com

Photo: SiegerDesigns