The rollout at the Belgian circuit of Zolder was a success and TAM-Racing is now ready to start the VLN endurance racing championship season at the Nürburgring. In the year 2016, the team wishes to demonstrate its performance in all of the ten VLN races in Group H in which vehicles built up to the year 2008 instead of 2005 as previously applicable are now eligible since the beginning of this year. Ralf Schall and Christopher Gerhard intend to deliver successful results in this category with a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup. “We were really delighted to hear that the VLN has decided to keep the series open for Group H in the next years, too”, says Gerhard. “We have therefore purchased a Cup vehicle from the year 2008 which we have modified throughout the winter break so that it now complies with the Group H regulations and is eligible to start in the VLN.”
The thus modified Porsche underwent extensive tests in Zolder and the team is very optimistic regarding the results they have collected. The 997 will, however, no longer be able to keep up with the performance of the heavily upgraded GT3 vehicles in class SP7, according to the team’s assessment it will for example loose about ten seconds per lap compared to the 991 models. TAM-Racing, however, sees the chances of victory in class H, last but not least because Gerhard and Schall are extremely experienced drivers in the VLN. Both drivers together have already gained 102 class wins, 20 of which were scored by Gerhard whereas Schall, together with Heinz-Otto Fritzsche, is leading in the all-time VLN table with 82 victories. Even though the two drivers will for the first time share the cockpit in one and the same team, further class wins shall be added in 2016. Gerhard: “In the past, it had been possible to exercise motorsport successfully in the VLN with the 977 GT3 Cup. We hope that this will not be different in the coming season and we are already very much looking forward to the start of the season.”
