Michele Beretta showed that he absolutely had no problems for the long stop. Come back on the demanding track of the Nürburgring for the 4 Hours Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy that opened the season, Michele signed a formidable best lap in the qualifying, coming with his Audi R8 LMS GT3 so close to the pole position.

Michele took on more than 22 kilometres of the Nordschleife with enormous dedication, leading the qualifying almost to the end, with a fantastic 7’59”728. Only in the final lap Engel (Mercedes AMG-GT3) was able to beat the italian.

During the race Michele confirmed to play a leading role together with his team mate Kim Luis Schramm and the Phonex Racing team, constantly taking up a place on the podium.

The fantastic result was ruined at the end by the clunky move of a lapped driver that closed the trajectory too late, damaging Michele’s R8 suspension. Because of this contact, Michele lost a deserved second place, but not the great sensation to be competitive for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring that will take place on September.

Michele said at the end of the race weekend: “The Phoenix team showed to feel at home at the Nordschleife. We arrived with a fantastic set-up after the tests and we only gave the finishing touch, concentrating ourselves on the new Michelin tires that we will use this year. The car immediately showed to be competitive and I had no problem to find the rhythm after a long stop period. I was able to sign the best lap in the qualifying touching almost the pole position. It’s a great satisfaction being so competitive on a such demanding track and it is an excellent calling card for the racing season. We also kept getting better and better in the race, managing well the traffic, that is very important here. Unfortunately, during the last lap, when we were so close to the second place I had a misunderstanding with a lapped driver that kicked us out. Anyway, the balance is positive because my team mate and I were competitive, the team is strong and well organized and we are confident for the 24 Hours of September.”

This weekend Michele will be at the Nordschleife for the NLS championship (VLN) for round 2 and 3. In this weekend Michele will share the wheel with Kim Louis Schramm and Mike Rockenfeller, driver with a lot of experience and already member of the Audi official team since long ago.

The aim is to carry on the training in view of the legendary  24 Hours of September.