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Everything to play for in Germany
By Lindsay Morle
Aug 29, 2005, 09:55
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Le Mans Endurance Series (Round 4)
2-4 September 2005
The Scuderia Ecosse team flies out to Germany this week for Round Four of the Le Mans Endurance Series at the Nürburgring. Currently lying in third place in the GT2 Championship, the team is hoping to get the results needed to move up the leader board prior to the final race of the year in Istanbul in early November.
NATHAN KINCH LOOKING FOR A GOOD RESULT
The last time Nathan Kinch raced at the Nürburgring was in 2001 when he won two Ferrari Challenge races.
“I’ve yet to race at the revised Nürburgring but it certainly looks good. The Ferrari is very good at pulling away from slow corners and is especially strong at tracks with lots of changes of direction so this should suit is well. We need a very strong result here to keep our Championship hopes alive; ideally our first LMES win! We need to have a trouble-free run and of course be ready for the notorious Nürburgring weather.”
ANDREW KIRKALDY HOPING FOR A DRAMA-FREE RACE
Kinch’s team-mate, Andrew Kirkaldy, is also hoping the results will go their way this weekend.
“Nathan and I really need a good result here. When there are only five races every single one counts so really we need a win to be in with a chance at the title. I raced at the Nürburgring back in 1998 in Formula Opel; the track has been changed a fair bit since then but that shouldn’t present us with any problems. What we need is a drama-free race as that is what the Championship-leaders keep managing to do and it seems to do the trick!”
SCUDERIA ECOSSE READY FOR THE ‘RING
Stewart Roden, Scuderia Ecosse Team Principal, knows a thing or two about the Nürburgring.
“We know this circuit quite well as we have done a few Ferrari days here. It’s a medium to high downforce track with a low grip surface and some slow turns and it will suit the Ferrari. We also know how unpredictable the weather can be in this region as we’ve seen rain come in fast from nowhere before with it being in the mountains. Having said that though we thought Silverstone in August would be sunny so maybe we’ll all come away from the Nürburgring with sunburn! In all seriousness though this is an important race for us as we need a good result to move us up the order. The scores are very tight at the top so there is everything to play for.”
ABOUT NÜRBURGRING
Situated in the Eifel region of Western Germany, the Nürburgring is nestled in the shadows of its predecessor, the Nordschleife, a 14-mile rollercoaster ride through the forests. The Nordschleife was closed for racing after Niki Lauda’s fiery crash in the 1976 German Grand Prix but re-opened in its current guise in 1984 for the European Grand Prix. It fell off the calendar a couple of years later but has been a firm fixture since the mid-90’s, mainly due to the success of one of the locals: a racing driver from nearby Kerpen by the name of Michael Schumacher!
The Nürburgring is a modern track with forgiving run-off areas and excellent facilities. The circuit was altered prior to the 2002 European Grand Prix to include a twisty complex of four corners at the start of the lap. Turn one is a narrow hairpin which should make an interesting proposition for 50 GT cars on lap one.
NÜRBURGRING LMES TIMETABLE
Friday 1330-1430 Free Practice
Friday 1645-1745 Free Practice
Saturday 1025-1125 Free Practice
Saturday 1330-1410 Qualifying
Sunday 0830-0850 Warm Up
Sunday 1145 RACE (1000km)
LMES CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (GT2)
DRIVERS:
1 Xavier Pompidou 20 points
= Marc Lieb 20
3 Franco Groppi 14
= Luigi Moccia 14
5 Andrew Kirkaldy 13
= Nathan Kinch 13
TEAMS:
1 Sebah Automotive 20 points
2 Autorlando Sport 14
3 Scuderia Ecosse 13
4 Seikel Motorsport 12
= Ice Pol Racing Team 12
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