Weekly Racing Roundup (7.8.19)

Rast Wins from the Back in Norisring Thriller

Audi driver Rene Rast staged a remarkable comeback from the rear of the field to claim his third DTM win of the season at the Norisring.

The series points leader qualified third on the grid for Race 1 but stalled his engine at the start and consequently tumbled down the order.

However, Rast used an early safety car period to his advantage by pitting at the first opportunity which thrust him up to ninth position and within sight of the podium.

When the leaders pitted later in the race under green flag conditions, Rast shot to the front and pulled away to win by 34.4 seconds – the biggest winning margin in the Norisring’s DTM history. 

Pole-sitter Nico Mueller finished second after the Audi driver got past Joel Eriksson’s BMW on the final lap, while Loic Duval finished fourth in his Audi.

In Race 2, Bruno Spengler brought a run of 38 winless races to an end with his first victory since the Norisring round in 2017.

The Canadian overtook three cars at the first-corner hairpin to take the lead and went on to consolidate his advantage through the pit sequence.

Spengler crossed the line 5.7 seconds ahead of Audi’s Jamie Green, while Mike Rockenfeller came through in third.

Rast, meanwhile, finished seventh after again recovering from the back of the field following a spin on the opening lap.

RESULTS: Race 1
RESULTS: Race 2

Sports Car Launches, Star Cars Among Goodwood Highlights

Porsche and Audi’s latest GT race models debuted alongside a wide spread of current and historic sports car machinery at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The new Porsche 911 RSR-19 was unveiled on Saturday before turning its wheels in public for the first time in the hands of Gianmaria Bruni and Joerg Bergmeister.

On Friday, Audi launched its new GT2 racer with support from nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, who took the R8 LMS GT2 up the 1.16-mile hill climb for its first public run.

The German manufacturer also demonstrated the Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo that recently won the Nürburgring 24, while the Le Mans-winning No. 8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid and FIA World Endurance GT Championship-winning No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR were present in a static capacity.

Modern GT3 machinery on display included the McLaren 720S, Bentley Continental, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Lexus RC F and Aston Martin Vantage in both previous-gen and current form.

Additionally, the No. 66 Ford GT completed its last public engagement with Stefan Muecke at the wheel before the car’s retirement at the end of its factory GTE program.

The Porsche 917 was celebrated with its own batch up the hill, while a host of significant Aston Martin and Bentley cars paraded to mark special anniversaries for the two marques.

Sports cars also featured in the competitive shootout element, which was won by the all-electric Volkswagen ID.R with Romain Dumas at the wheel.

News & Notes

***19-year-old Simon Reicher scored a victory and a second-place finish on the DMV GTC series’ third visit to Hockenheim this season. Reicher, driving an Audi R8 LMS GT3, held off Carrie Schreiner’s Audi to win the second race by 2.4 seconds. Uwe Alzen claimed Race 1 honors in another Audi to extend his championship lead.

***WEC GTE-Am driver Julien Andlauer claimed victory in the first Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland support race of the weekend at the Norisring. The Frenchman won by 2.7 seconds from Michael Ammermueller, who went on to take a narrow win from Leo Koehler and Andlauer in the second race.

***Hans Peter-Koller and Edoardo Liberati paired up to take victory in the first GT Cup Open Europe race at the Hungaroring. The Vincenzo Sospiri Racing duo, co-driving a Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo, then finished second in Race 2 to the Mercedes AMG GTR of Marcio Basso and Guillherme Salas.

***2016 Virgin Australia Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen will join the Australian GT field at The Bend Motorsport Park this weekend, driving a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 with Liam Talbot. Fellow Supercars stars Garth Tander and Jamie Whincup are also taking part.

***BMW junior and W Series race winner Beitske Visser is set to make her GT3 debut with Senkyr Motorsport, which has committed to the final four rounds of the International GT Open. Visser will share driving duties in a BMW M6 GT3 with 25-year-old Slovakian Richard Gonda.