The impressive performance in the start phase was brought to an early end in the third lap when a tyre was damaged by debris on the track. As a result, the quartet Adams/Klasen/Moser/Riemer lost valuable time and their chance for a place in the Top 5. The McLaren rejoined the race three laps behind the leading car and the team used the remaining time to gain more experience with the car. However, there was an incident during the penultimate pit stop, when the fuel caught fire at the rear of the car during refuelling. The flash fire caused a stir in the pit lane. Even though there was no obvious damage to the car and no one was hurt, the team around Team Principal Rainer Dörr decided to retire the McLaren due to safety reasons.

Nevertheless, the team is pleased about the recent progress. Team Manager Uwe Isert said, “We improved the chassis set-up further in the last tests which became apparent in the qualifying session. We could also have done even better in our fastest lap which makes us confident for the next races”. Team Principal Rainer Dörr added, “Due to the recent modifications, we continue to close the gap to the top of the field. We expect another update from McLaren in time for the next event, which should take us another step further”.

Third Class Victory in a Row for the BMW Z4 M Coupe

Driving his second race in the BMW Z4, Arne Hoffmeister set the virtually expected best time for Dörr Motorsport in the class of the modified cars with a cylinder capacity of up to 3.5 litres in the qualifying session. The trio Aust/Hoffmeister/Weishaupt took the 26th start position in the overall standings with a lap time of 8:45.598min.

Driving the Z4 in the first part of the four-hour race, Hoffmeister pushed forward to P9 within eight laps before he handed the Coupé over to Stefan Aust. Aust and the last driver, Andreas Weishaupt, defended the lead without problems or incidents, securing the third class victory in a row two laps ahead of the competition. The trio took an impressive twelfth place in the overall standings.

Technical Failure Prevents Podium Place for the BMW M3 GT4

Uwe Ebertz set the best time in the qualifying in the class of the GT4 cars (SP10) with a lap time of 9:03.586min. As a result, his team mate Stefan Kenntemich started the four-hour race from the 37th start position in the overall standings. After Stefan Müller had taken over the car from Wettenberger, he was forced to pit due to a damaged wheel bolt at the end of his stint in P3. The team lost valuable time and positions due to the repair and in the end, the last driver, Uwe Ebertz, secured the sixth place in the class of the GT4 cars. The trio took the 49th place in the overall standings.

“The class victory is a great success for the team and everybody involved. A Top 3 place in their class would have been fantastic for the drivers of the M3, too bad that the wheel bolt got damaged. The performance of the McLaren makes us confident for the next events. We are closing the gap to the top a little bit more with every race”, said Team Principal Rainer Dörr.

Source : Dörr Motorsport