08.07.2010

Remaining cool in the heat

Seventh class win for the BMW Z4 M-Coupé, with position five best result for the Porsche GT3 Cup: Everything was running perfectly at the fifth round of the endurance racing series for the team race&event which is based in Radevormwald/ Germany. All of the four drivers kept cool and calm despite the high summer temperatures. “A big compliment to everybody involved. Once again, the cars were perfectly prepared and I must take my hat off to our drivers”, said team manager Martin Mohr after the race. “Well done!”

Double starter Christoph Koslowski was forced to perform really hard work. The 41 years old race driver took over the middle stint and finally brought the BMW to the finish. “The change from the 911 to the BMW was quite a challenge, mechanical layouts can hardly differ more”, said the man from Wuppertal. „It thus took me some corners to get used back to the BMW. I had to fight with the head insofar as we had forgotten to switch on the water pump for the cooling vest in the Porsche.”

At the steering wheel of the BMW, Koslowski then had bad luck with the drinking hose. “It came off the helmet so that I nothing to drink. I had only 20 minutes time between the two stints and with such a small time to relax, I almost died of thirst in the BMW. Unfortunately, I could not set the same top times in the BMW, yellow flags and traffic always spoiled my fast laps but we would anyhow not have been able to do better with permanent times around 08:50.”

Stephan Rösler (Lichtenfels/ Germany) achieved pole position in the class of the specials up to 3500 cc cubic capacity (SP6) and he also started the race in the BMW. “It was really great fun as the Dunlop tyres were performing so constantly well from the first up to the last lap, I could set fast laps and was meanwhile able to move up until sixth overall position”, said Rösler. “The car was superb and I must repeat: The grip of our Dunlop tyres in the heat was really outstanding.”

Heinz Schmersal from Wuppertal/ Germany took over the steering wheel after nine laps. “I had a lot of traffic in my first two laps, thereafter I was able to set lap times of just above nine minutes. I could have gone faster but our advance was sufficient.” The 64 years old race driver was happy with his cooling vest as this was one of the hardest races he had ever experienced, as he informed. “I am very proud of today’s team result. And I am very happy for Ecki who is getting stronger and stronger!”

Indeed, Eckard Geulen handles the Porsche GT3 Cup better and better. As start and finish driver, the man from Bonn completed the greatest portion of the work in the cockpit of the race car from Zuffenhausen. The duo of Geulen/ Koslowski finally finished into a remarkable fifth position out of eleven starters in the Cup class. “The day already started very well as due to the new exhaust system, we have more push now”, said the happy Geulen after the practice.

In the race, they were then able to move up considerably: “Starting from position 37, I was able to catch my competitors one by one and changed to Chris into 21st position and he was then catching up further. The unbelievable 16th overall place at the finish after my second stint was the reward for a hard and constant work in this hot battle.”

Hinweis: Der Text ist eine Mitteilung von "race&event". Der Inhalt spiegelt nicht die Meinung der Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring wieder.