Audi TT and Porsche GT2 win at Zolder
With a victory and a second place at the Zolder Super Prix Robert Wallenborn was able to consolidate his top position on the leaderboard of the rhino's GT Series.
However, Elmar Grimm was the first winner of the rhino's weekend in Belgium. The red Audi TT left polesitter Robert Wallenborn behind already at the start. "I went full throttle, but the light did not want to turn green. When the race was started, I had no turbo pressure any more and had to let the Audi get by.", said the Porsche pilot after the race. Grimm controlled the competition without any problem up to the finish line. Wallenborn crossed the line in second place before the Duindistel Porsche Team of Menno Kuus/Luc Gabriel.
Chaouki Chikhani gave away his third place making his compulsary pitstop much too early. The fast Libanese with the Porsche 993 GT2 was penalized and moved back to fourth place in the final ranking of the race. Pierre von Mentlen was unluky once more, his V8SuperSTAR stranded along the track after only a few laps with a faulty differential. The Swiss was quite frustrated: "I am getting sick of this messing about. There is almost no race without trouble." Hard luck kept him away from the track for the rest of this Sunday.
Also his Swissracing team mate did not reach the finish due to a technical defect. "It most probably was a drive shaft. Suddenly I lost my drive when I was in the chicane", reported a disappointed Kurt Thiim, who lost his leading position in Class EGT2 early in the race. After the withdrawal of the V8STARs the road was free for Charles Brugman, who pushed his Porsche over the finish line before the Marcel Norbart/Arjan van der Zwaan duo (Porsche). Jeroen van den Heuvel started with his red Marcos Mantis from the pitlane, sliced through the field, and came home in a phantastic third place.
Cor Euser, who shared his cockpit with the Spanish driver Gose Castro, and Peter van der Kolk had to put their Marcos Mantis cars to the side due to technical problems. Also Ricky Cole und Peter le Bas, who had come over from Great Britain with their Corvette, had to give up. The Dutch teams of Cor and Peter had to head for home, but the Cole/le Bas Xero Competiton Corvette could be repared for the second race.
Robert Wallenborn did not make any mistake at the start of the second race in the afternoon, took the lead, and kept firmly in position up to the end of the race. Chaouki Chikhani tried to pass him a couple of times at the beginning of the race, but had to give up after a short journey off the track and a malfunctioning Porsche. After 26 laps the Cole/le Bas Corvette was the second car which saw the chequered flag. Kuus and Gabriel (Porsche) climbed the third place on the podium.
"At the end of the race I had strong understeer and wanted to protect my position until the finish", explained the winner in the black Porsche, who allowed the V8STAR of Kurt Thiim to come as close as a couple seconds distance.
In EGT2-Klasse it was Kurt Thiim who was allowed to collect the big trophy from series organiser Anja Hartman. The Dane had more than a minute lead on second man Charles Brugman and the third placed Norbart/van der Zwaan couple. "I am happy that I can achieve a result for Swissracing. I am still annoyed about it that I could not finish the race this morning, but I look forward to the next race at EuroSpeedway Lausitz. There Pierre and I will take up the fight again," cheerfully explained the 1986 DTM champion after the champagne shower.
rhino's GT Series on VOX TV
In only two weeks time on July 21 to 23 the rhino’s GT cars are on the road again and are one of the support races at the Belcar event at EuroSpeedway Lausitz. The fans do not need to do without the rhino’s in the mean time. On July 16 commentator Peter Stützer will spend his entire programme on the GT cars. Watch Magazin Auto, Motor und Sport TV on VOX TV at 1700 hrs.
