Lechner Racing wins 12 Hours of Hungary with Audi R8 LMS

Lechner Racing wins 12 Hours of Hungary with Audi R8 LMS

Link to oneighturbo.com

Lechner Racing wins 12 Hours of Hungary with Audi R8 LMS

Posted: 12 Oct 2010 04:49 PM PDT

Lechner Racing, Audi R8 LMS, 12 Hours of Hungary

The Austrian Lechner Racing team couldn’t had hoped for a better race debut of their brand-new Audi R8 LMS: with the Audi customer sports car to GT3 regulations, Philip König, Niki Mayr-Melnhof, Thomas Gruber and Walter Lechner jr. won the 12H of Hungary, the twelve-hour race for GTs, touring cars and 24h specials, organised by Dutch agency, CREVENTIC. The four drivers completed a total of 355 laps at the 4.381 kilometres long Grand Prix circuit near the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

In the overall results, the Hungarian team Bovi Motorsport ended up second with the Brokernet Silversting and the driver line-up of Kalman Bodis, István Rácz, Wolfgang Kaufmann, Attila Barta and Tom Nastasi. Third place went to the Finnish Westend Racing Porsche team with Jorma Vanhanen, Erik Behrens and Valle Mäkelä.

The battle for the overall lead between the Lechner Racing-Audi R8 LMS and the Westcoast Racing-BMW Z4 GT3 (Richard Göransson/Stanley Dickens/Lars Sturgeno/Magnus Ohman) went on for the first two hours after the halfway mark, but during the ninth hour, a broken alternator mount put an end to Westcoast Racing’s hope of winning this race. The car was brought back into the pits, but repair turned out to be unfeasible and the team officially retired.

Lechner Racing, Audi R8 LMS, 12 Hours of Hungary

That handed the lead to the Lechner Racing-Audi with a comfortable margin of eight laps over the Brokernet Silversting, that had moved ahead of the Westend Racing-Porsche slightly earlier. The Silversting was followed by a pair of Porsches with the Westend Racing and Auto Racing Club Bratislava entries.

Eventually, the first four teams crossed the finish line in that order, allowing the Lechner Racing team to celebrate a great victory after its first-ever race with the new Audi R8 LMS. “Driving the last stint was incredible. I drove as cautiously as I could and there are just no words to describe my feelings at the moment when I crossed the finish line”, said Niki Mayr-Melnhof, who took the final turn behind the wheel. Team-mate Walter Lechner jr. was equally delighted: “A fantastic success for us! At the end of the race, the car was still just as good as at the start!” Team principal Robert Lechner gave out the instruction for the rest of the evening: “Now, it is time to celebrate!”

Lechner Racing, Audi R8 LMS, 12 Hours of Hungary

The diesel class saw the BMW Team Hungary leading all race long with their BMW 120D (Lászlo Csuti/Tanás Kovács/János Vida/Gábor Wéber) and the team safely drove victory home, finishing a fine fifth in the overall results.

The Monlau Competicion-SEAT Leon Supercopa (Francisco Carvalho/Pepe Oriola Vila/David Cebrain Arosa) joined the competition for the top honours in A3T, which was initially mainly fought out between the Jordans.nl-Saker (Henk Thijsen/Ton Verkoelen/Monny Krant) and the Povey Motorsport-BMW M3 (Guy Povey/Graham Coombes/Geoff Kimber-Smith). Eventually, the Spanish SEAT-team secured the class win in sixth place overall. The Saker became runner-up in its class.

Lechner Racing, Audi R8 LMS, 12 Hours of Hungary

The battle for class victory in SP2 between the VDS Racing Adventures-Ford Mustang (Raphael Van Der Straten/José Close) and the Red Camel Racing-Audi CR-8 (Ivo Breukers/Wolf Nathan/Bas Koeten) remained exciting for the best part of the first ten hours of the race, the two cars being on the same lap almost all the time. Then, however, the Ford Mustang had to be pulled into the pits with a damaged right front suspension and the repair cost the team over half an hour, handing the class lead and eventually victory to the Red Camel Racing-Audi CR-8 team in seventh place overall. The long repair for the VDS team meant that German outfit Gmaxx Racing still was classified second in class with its Corvette (“Ed Nicelife”/Boleslav Waszek/Arno Klasen).

In A2, there was a 1-2 for Renault Clio teams, Team Sally Racing (Martin Sally/Peter Obel/Miro Hornak/Andrens Schoder) eventually winning from the Monlau Competicion-Clio (Javier Hernández Rosado/Jaime Manuel/Pepus Alonso Prieto).

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Volkswagen Racing Cup: Steve Chaplin heads to Donington Park as Champion favorite

Posted: 12 Oct 2010 03:09 PM PDT

Volkswagen Racing Cup start

This weekend Donington Park will host the final two rounds of the Volkswagen Racing Cup series in 2010. New Beetle RSI racer and Championship points leader, Steve Chaplin, has a strong 44pt margin over second pace Paul Taylor.

Beetle racer Steve Chaplin heads for next weekend’s (16/17 Oct) concluding rounds of the Volkswagen Racing Cup with Fuchs Lubricants with a healthy points lead and one hand on the champion’s crown. A top-three finish in the first of the two races at Donington Park will be enough to secure the title for the 45-year-old from Gloucestershire.

Chaplin has three rivals for the coveted championship title: Hertfordshire’s Paul Taylor, who was champion in 2006; and two drivers for whom Donington is home track: Derby’s Peter Felix and Nottinghamshire pilot James Walker.

Golf R32 driver Taylor is the closest on points currently to Chaplin, 44 points behind – in other words, one race win – but, like Steve, has already played his points-doubling Joker card and has a worst score of 20 points he must discard. Both Walker and Felix have bigger deficits to make up but have saved their Joker cards for Donington; judicious playing of their Joker by either of the Golf GTI drivers could tip the scales for them. Felix already has more race wins under his belt than any other driver, with four victories so far.

Volkswagen Racing Cup, Steve-Chaplin

“To reach the final meeting of the season with four drivers bidding for victory is fantastically exciting,” said Melissa Wright, of championship promoter RacingLine. “Steve Chaplin is looking like the favourite, but I can’t help thinking back to 2007, when the title slipped from Joe Fulbrook’s clutches at the last. It’s never over till it’s over…”

  Provisional championship positions after Round 12 26/9/2010
       
Pos
Driver Car Points
1
Steve CHAPLIN Beetle 460 J
2
Paul TAYLOR Golf 404 J
3
James WALKER Golf 370
4
Peter FELIX Golf 360
5
Didge DZIURZYNSKI Golf 304 J
6
Aaron MASON Golf 302 J
7
Tim SNAYLAM Golf 292 J
8
Michael KURTON Scirocco 290
9
Sam EDWARDS Golf 262
10
Daniel WALKER Golf 238 J
      J denotes Joker played

Fulbrook was denied the championship that season but went on to clinch it in 2008 and ’09. The Berkshire Bora driver has spent most of the 2010 season fettling his machine but returned to the series in triumphant style last month, winning both Brands Hatch rounds to underline his continued competitiveness.

There are plenty more drivers who will be looking to get in on the Donington action, including Golf-driving race winners from earlier in the season Didge Dziurzynski and Aaron Mason, and several others fighting for a top-10 slot, like Scirocco pilots Mike Kurton and Kieran Griffin and Golf men Tim Snaylam, Daniel Walker and Martyn Walsh.

Volkswagen Racing Cup, Zanvoort, Steve Chaplin

The championship’s youngest competitor, 16-year-old Zoe Wenham, is planning to end her season on a high note at the wheel of a RacingLine-prepared Golf GTI. The oldest driver on the books, Paul Taylor’s 64-year-old father, Tony, will be in action also in his Golf VR6.

After missing the Brands Hatch rounds, Europcar-backed Michael McInerney returns with his Jetta Sport, with RacingLine also fielding the Caddy Van Racer entry of Simon Elliott and Peter Wyhinny’s SEAT Leon Cupra.

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Scirocco R-Cup: Captivating final showdown between three rivals

Posted: 12 Oct 2010 07:00 AM PDT

Start of the Scirocco-R Cup at Oschersleben

The Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup is in for a fiery finale at the Hockenheimring on 15 and 16 October.

To be decided at the event: the champion of the inaugural season of the world’s most eco-conscious one-make cup. The three candidates: Kris Heidorn (Germany, 296 points), Jann-Hendrik Ubben (Germany, 277) and the 2009 Polo Cup winner, Maciek Steinhof (Poland, 276). Just 20 points separate the contenders for the title before the last of nine races of the season – 60 points will be awarded for victory. Their aim: to go down in history as the first champion of the new bio natural gas one-make cup. The final showdown will receive an additional element of suspense by the innovative push-to-pass system that allows each driver to activate a 10-second 50-hp power boost 15 times during the race.

“The Scirocco R-Cup has delivered as many as eight extremely captivating races with more overtaking manoeuvres and nerve-racking duels this season than any other series,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “The grand finale at Hockenheim will be the pinnacle. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a dramatic fight for the title by three contenders. And the way in which the legends and guest entrants will stir up the field in the process is another attractive feature. Speaking as a motorsport fan to other motorsport fans let me tell you: this is an event not to be missed – either from a place in the grandstands at the venue or at home watching the live TV broadcast.”

Heidorn, Ubben or Steinhof? This sporting question will be answered on Saturday. As usual, the three title candidates will use racing material that is identical down to the last nut and bolt, the near-202 kW (275 hp) Cup Scirocco. The decision will be made on the basis of driving skills and clever tactical use of the available resources such as the Dunlop slicks, which are limited to six per race weekend by the regulations.

Heidorn, who made his touring car debut in the 2009 Polo Cup, and Ubben, who entered the 2010 Scirocco R-Cup as a ProTalent, will not only be fighting for overall victory but also for the title in the Junior Cup for drivers between the ages of 17 and 24.

World Rally Champion meets TV chef – legends and guest entrants on the grid

Besides motorsport legends like the four-time World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen (Finland), Formula 1 Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert (Great Britain) and “Dakar” winner Giniel de Villiers (South Africa) other guest entrants will enrich the field. They include TV chef Mario Kotaska, who has racing experience under his belt, and ex-DTM driver Daniel la Rosa plus 19-year-old JD Mobley, the champion of the Jetta TDI Cup in the USA, and Osamu Hatakenaka from the Japanese Golf GTI Cup.

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FIA GT3: Prospeed Competition and Belgian Audi Club excluded from results

Posted: 12 Oct 2010 06:18 AM PDT

PAUL VAN SPLUNTEREN (NDL) - MARCO HOLZER (DEU) / PORSCHE 911 GT3 R N61 TEAM PROSPEED COMPETITION

The appeals of both teams are still to be heard, but as it stands both have given zero points for the final round at Zolder. Each had parts that didn’t comply with the homologation form. This is huge as it changes the Team Championship outcome and gives the win to Callaway Competition.

A race win for Paul van Splunteren and Marco Holzer in the final round of the 2010 FIA GT3 European Championship seemed to have secured the Team Championship for Prospeed Competition but post race checks found that the rear disks of the Porsche were under the homologated weight and they were excluded from the results.

Second place in the race went to the Hexis AMR Aston Martin DBRS9 of Frederic Makowiecki and Manuel Rodrigues, the second podium of the season for the 2009 Team Champions, which has provisionally become a race win with the exclusion of the nr61 Porsche. The Belgian Audi Club Audi R8 of Enzo Ide and Greg Franchi clinched the final podium position in what was only the seventh competitive car race for Ide. However the Audi also failed post race technical checks for having master cylinders and disks that didn’t comply with the homologation form and was also excluded from the result.

With cars 61 and 27 excluded from the result the nr77 Need for Speed by Schubert Motorsport BMW Z4 of Claudia Huertgen and Csaba Walter is classified in second place behind the nr1 Hexis AMR Aston Martin of Rodrigues and Makowiecki, with the nr60 Prospeed Competition Porsche of Petri Lappalainen and Markus Palttala in third. The result of round 12 and championship positions remain provisional subject to the outstanding appeals, lodged by Prospeed Competition and Belgian Audi Club, being heard by the International Court of Appeal (ICA).

Race 2 Result
Pos Car Class Drivers Car Time Laps Gap Avg
speed
1 1 GT3 Rodrigues/Makowiecki Aston Martin DBRS9 1:00:13.043 37 0 0
2 77 GT3 Walter/Hürtgen BMW Z4 1:00:17.095 37 4.052 0
3 60 GT3 Lappalainen/Palttala Porsche 911 GT3 R 1:00:18.111 37 5.068 0
4 76 GT3 Söderlund/Sandström BMW Z4 1:00:21.070 37 8.027 0
5 14 GT3 Eskelinen/Nygaard Ford GT 1:00:27.442 37 14.399 0
6 11 GT3 Vannelet/Narac Porsche 911 GT3 R 1:00:40.625 37 27.582 0
7 23 GT3 Brown/Bell Audi R8 LMS 1:00:54.464 37 41.421 0
8 5 GT3 Hirschi/Guilvert Audi R8 LMS 1:01:09.208 37 56.165 0
9 22 GT3 Patterson/Guasch Audi R8 LMS 1:01:15.804 37 01:02.761 0
10 16 GT3 Lambotte/Parisy Corvette Z06R GT3 1:01:24.758 37 01:11.715 0
11 2 GT3 Paillard/Accary Aston Martin DBRS9 1:01:31.880 37 01:18.837 0
12 17 GT3 Vincent/Peyroles Corvette Z06R GT3 1:01:48.605 37 01:35.562 0
13 30 GT3 Teregulov/Romanov Ascari KZ1R GT3 1:00:20.874 36 1 lap 1
14 6 GT3 Demay/Lorgere-Roux Audi R8 LMS 0:57:36.229 35 2 laps 2
15 101 GT3 Hohenadel/Keilwitz Corvette Z06R GT3 0:51:41.231 31 6 laps 6
16 98 GT3 Beche/De Doncker Ford GT 0:46:35.437 28 9 laps 9
17 12 GT3 Thiry/Fumal Porsche 911 GT3 R 0:44:30.107 27 10 laps 10
18 99 GT3 Lesoudier/Martin Ford GT 0:50:21.775 27 10 laps 10
19 100 GT3 Ritskes/van Oranje Corvette Z06R GT3 0:48:49.236 26 11 laps 11
20 3 GT3 Lemeret/Heyer Audi R8 LMS 0:38:10.861 8 18 laps 29
21 87 GT3 Dockerill/Ferrier Ferrari 430 Scuderia 0:02:34.077 1 36 laps 36
Session Notes
Weather Sunny
Track conditions Dry
Stewards Decisions following the stewards decision no. 15 30s penalty for the car no. 16
Notes Exclusion of cars n° 61 and n° 27, subject to the results of the appeal to the ICA

2010 FIA GT3 Teams Championship

Rounds
Pos Name Nat. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total
1 CALLAWAY COMPETITION 25 18 15 18 12 26 27 18 29 4 192
2 NEED FOR SPEED BY SCHUBERT MOTORSPORT 12 14 4 4 31 22 12 10 8 37 30 184
3 PROSPEED COMPETITION 8 1 18 10 26 8 21 27 20 26 15 180
4 GRAFF RACING 37 25 2 2 18 18 6 2 110
5 ARGO RACING 28 12 16 24 6 10 96
6 HEXIS AMR 26 18 12 10 26 92
7 MUEHLNER MOTORSPORT 16 10 15 8 8 6 10 10 83
8 TEAM ROSBERG 4 33 4 15 56
9 SAINTELOC-PHOENIX RACING 8 6 2 2 15 1 12 1 6 53
10 TRACKSPEED 25 15 1 41
11 UNITED AUTOSPORTS 1 1 4 15 2 12 35
12 CHAD RACING 4 21 7 32
13 BLACK FALCON 2 6 12 4 2 4 30
14 MARC VDS RACING TEAM 13 15 28

- FIA GT3

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