In 2017, mathilda racing sends a wide range of race cars to the Nürburgring Nordschleife: In addition to the common Seat Leon TCR, the team from Cologne will enter two new VW Golf GTI TCR in the new TCR class of the VLN endurance championship.
The spearhead in the team is the VW Golf GTI TCR with the new driver duo Benjamin Leuchter and Andy Gülden. “I realized very quickly that this may represent a package to fight for the title”, says Leuchter delightedly. “From the sporting point of view, this was extremely important for me.” In 2016 already, the 29 years old competed with a VW Golf in the ADAC TCR Germany and in the 24h Race, so he can rely on a broad wealth of experience with this car.
Andy Gülden knows the Nordschleife better than almost anyone else; as chief instructor of the Nürburgring Driving Academy, Gülden has completed countless laps at the Eifel track. In 2016 already, Gülden and Leuchter have competed in two VLN races for Mathilda racing. “This year, we intend to turn the new TCR class a little bid upside down and we hope that we will end up with one or another class win”, says mathilda Team Director Michael Paatz optimistically. “With Benjamin and Andy, we have indeed a very strong team.”
The second VW Golf GTI TCR will be driven by Paatz himself and Lutz Marc Rühl will support him in the chase for points. The crew in the Seat Leon TCR will be made up of Dennis Wüsthoff and Constantin Kletzer, the latter also has already competed for mathilda racing in the past and will now have his comeback to the Cologne racing team. In each of these two cars, one driver seat remains to be confirmed.
Apart from the races of the VLN endurance championship Nürburgring, mathilda racing has moreover the 24h Race on their calendar. The team of Benjamin Leuchter and Andy Gülden in the VW Golf GTI TCR will hereby be completed by Dennis Wüsthoff. The driver squad in the second car remains to be seed for the moment.
