Masters: Andreas Wirth's 2010 season summary

Last weekend marked the season finale of the 2010 ADAC GT Masters Series ^a the finale of Andreas Wirth & ALPINA's first full season of competition in the series.

Returning to Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, the track where it all began this year, Wirth and his team unfortunately saw the return of their mechanical woes. Tied for third place in the standings going into the weekend, frustration mounted quickly as their hopes for the championship were dashed.

Commenting on the weekend, a disappointed Wirth related, "We really thought things had turned around, but our bad luck was back with a vengeance last weekend. Everything went wrong for us early very early on. It's hard to know what to say. We've had more than our share of problems this year and we've had to work really really hard for our results. Unfortunately, we had mechanical problems again this weekend - my team-mate had a big crash on Friday that left our crew with a lot of work rebuilding the car through the night and into the morning. Our guys did everything they could, but our BMW-ALPINA B6 just wasn't right. So, even though we had a good start for our first race, it didn't matter we still had problems and the best we could manage was fourteenth. Sunday, things only got worse, and we wound up the season with one more DNF thanks to engine trouble. It was just a really bad weekend."

While some would think the duo of Wirth & Matzke should, all things considered, be happy with sixth place in the overall standings, a quick review of their season and it's easy to understand why they are extremely disappointed. Seeing more mechanical woes and unfortunate racing incidents than they care to recall, in the end, the pair only took the chequered flag in half of their races! Despite their staggering rate of DNF's, skill and determination proved Andreas Wirth to be a solid competitor amidst a field of talented drivers and experienced teams. "We know that we came out with a really good result considering we only finished half of our events," began Wirth, "but it's impossible not to think about where we should be right now. It's so disappointing because we know we've got what it takes - we know we could have taken the championship this year! I feel really bad for our guys, it's no one's fault - they all worked really hard, and I want to thank the whole crew for everything. It was a rough year, right down to our last week, but we're all out there doing what we love, and despite the disappointments this is what we do, and we can be proud of what we accomplished this year."

When asked what 2011 will bring for him, Wirth said, "At this point I really don't know. I've really enjoyed working with BMW-ALPINA over the past two years, and we're that much further ahead now having put in a full season in this series. This is a great group of people to work with and I'd be honoured to have the chance to come back again and finish what we've started. I think I've really proven myself this year - I'm here racing to win, and I hope I'll have the opportunity next year to prove I can do just that."

-source: andreas wirth