VLN: 6h race duration: 50 percent more motor sport

6h race duration: 50 percent more motor sport

The 42nd Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy race is the first of two races in the VLN endurance racing championship at the Nürburgring which will cover not only the traditional 4 hours distance on 14th May. The race programme includes six hours exciting racing action at the most beautiful race track of the world. The organising MSC Adenau expects more then 200 participants for its home game. The start of the race will already be given at 11:30hrs. On the one hand, this shall provide the possibility for tourists to still drive at the Nordschleife after the 6 hour race and on the other hand, the prizegiving ceremony can be organised in due time after the race instead of in the late evening hours. The spectators may look forward to an event of a special kind as, due to the 6 hours race distance, they will enjoy 50% more racing action at highest level. As an exception, the timed practice session will take place between 08:05 and 09:35hrs. A 30 minutes summary of the opening round will be broadcasted in channel Sport1 on 21st May at 12:45hrs. The event will include the Formula Renault NEC on Friday and on Saturday as supporting races. More than 20 rookies, including Carlos Sainz, the son of the Dakar winner with the same name, will take part in these supporting races.

The Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus will come back for the third race of the year. The Italian team has for the second time entered the N.Technology P4/5 Competizione. Whilst the super sports car based on the Ferrari race car was still suffering some teething troubles at the opening round of the season, Mika Salo (Finland), Luca Cappellari, Nicola Larini and Fabrizio Giovanardi (all from Italy) will now attack again. The winners of the second race, Chris Mamerow (Castrop-Rauxel/ German) and Armin Hahne (Wimbach/ Germany) will be supported in their Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 race car for the Adenauer Rundstrecken-Trophy by sports car specialist Pierre Kaffer (Switzerland) to join the team in the gullwing race car entered by Mamerow-Racing as third driver. The Audi colours will be represented by Audi race experience. Florian Gruber (Aham/ Germany) will compete in both of the two cars entered. In the car with number 17, he will be assisted by Le-Mans winner Marco Werner (Switzerland), Chris Vogler (Neckarsulm/ Germany) and motoring journalist Holger Eckhardt (Erkrath/ Germany) and in car with number 18 by Josef Haider, Wilfried Wiedner (both from Austria) and Harald Büttner (Bernsheim/ Germany). “Back to the roots” is the motto of Manthey Racing. The team which is based in Meuspath near the Nürburgring has entered their Porsche 911 GT3 built in 2008 and well advance in years in class SP7 and the two Porsche factory drivers Marc Lieb (Ludwigsburg/ Germany) and Timo Bernhard (Dittweiler/ Germany) as well as Arno Klasen (Karlshausen/ Germany).

At the third championship round, three BMW Z4 GT3 of the team Need for Speed Schubert will make their debut at the Nordschleife. For the team which is based at Oschersleben, this will be the first participation of the updated Munich sports coupé which will amongst others be driven by the Nordschleifen experts Marko Hartung (Wallroda/ Germany), Jörg Viebahn (Engelskirchen/ Germany), Claudia Hürtgen (Aachen/ Germany) and Stian Sorlie (Norway). The GT3 race car of the team Dörr-Motorsport had already been entered for the second round in April. The team did not have any significant problems with the 2011 upgrade and finally finished into 19th position overall. At the last scheduled competition of the two M3 GT of BMW Motorsport before the ADAC Zurich 24h Race in June the race cars will be driven by Jörg Müller (Monaco), Augusto Farfus (Brazil) and Pedro Lamy (Portugal) as well as Andy Priaulx (Great Britain), Dirk Müller (Switzerland) and Dirk Adorf (Michelbach/ Germany).

Several classes have the potential as champions’ classes
On the main characteristic features of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring is the variety in the field. Due to the high numbers of competitors in several classes, these categories have the potential as champions classes because the number of points allocated depend on the number of participants in the corresponding classes. In the first place this refers to the Renault Clio Cup class Cup 3 where the about 25 French compact sports cars are fighting for the victory, followed by the classes SP3T (VLN Specials up to 2.000 cc cylinder capacity with turbo), SP7 (VLN Specials up to 4.000 cc cylinder capacity) and SP9 (GT3 vehicles) with about 20 participants each. After two of ten races, the championship leaders are Maik Rosenberg (Attendorn/ Germany) and Peter Terting (Börwang/ Germany). The duo in the Volkswagen Scirocco entered by LMS Engineering has scored two successes in class SP3T so far..

Rookies in the supporting races: Formula Renault NEC
Since its debut in the year 2006, the Formula Renault NEC has quickly developed to become one of the most renowned driving schools for ambitious rookies from all over the world. The series thus seamlessly follows up the long tradition of the Formula Renault which has since decades proved to be a stepping stone for a later career in Formula 1. The current Grand Prix stars such as world champion Sebastian Vettel and Lotus Renault GP driver Vitaly Petrov as well as Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen who has now moved to rally sports have attracted initial attention at the steering wheel of the Formula Renault race cars. As supporting event of the 42nd Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy, the rookies will participate in two races, one on Friday and one on Saturday, at the short version of the Grand Prix Circuit.

Timetable 42nd Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy
Friday, 13 May
Formula Renault Free Practice 08:00 - 08:45 hrs
Formula Renault Qualifying 1+2 10:45 - 11:20 hrs
Formula Renault Race 1 13:55 - 14:25 hrs

Saturday, 14 May
VLN Timed Practice 08.05 - 09:35 hrs
Formula Renault Race 2 09:55 - 10:20 hrs
VLN Starting Grid 10:50 hrs
VLN Race Start 11:30 hrs
VLN Finish 17:30 hrs
Common prizegiving ceremony in the Media Center at 19:00 hrs

INFO and Foto: VLN.de