27.06.14 Strong performance without reward

Wolfgang Kaufmann clinched pole position in the SP7 class at the 24 hour race on the Nürburgring, and took on the German classic twice around the clock with two cars.

Wolfgang Kaufmann

Mazda Sports Team Jota MX5

Kremer Porsche 997 GT3 KR

The professional sportscar racer from Germany had two assignments for the 42nd edition of the Nürburgring 24 hours. This brought him the special opportunity to examine the 165 car field for the 24 hour classic from different sides of the grid. In the V3 class for stock production cars up to 2000ccm, the man from Molsberg in the Westerwald drove the #195 Mazda MX-5 entered by Mazda Sports Team Jota. „Right hand drive, classic H-pattern shifter, not a lot of power – we were among the slowest cars on the track, and weh ad to watch our mirrors a lot“, says Kaufmann. The other extreme was the #71 Kremer Porsche 997 GT3 KR, among the fastest cars on the whole field with its sequential gearbox, plenty of power and a refined aerodynamics package.

Kaufmann's long week in the Eifel got off to a promising start. In three practice sessions on the 25.4 kilometer track, he was able to put the Kremer Racing Porsche on pole position in the fiercely contested SP7 class, with a lap time of 8:41.030 minutes. The factory Mazda MX-5 also ran well. In spite of its modest 160bhp, the car took the start from position 4 in the V3 class field. Kaufmann had the Kremer Racing Porsche available for his start into the long 24 hours. He defended the lead position in his class for 2.5 hours, and worked his way up among the SP9 GT3 cars in the overall standings. Kaufmann kept well clear of the many incidents that were brought about by an unusually rough style of driving among the lead group, and returned the GT3 KR to the pits without damage for the driver change. During the course of the race, the Porsche was unfortunately slowed down by gearbox problems and a water leak, so fighting for the class lead was out of the question.

His run with Mazda Sports Team Jota took a turn for the worse as well. Already damaged from two hits by other cars, the car was sent into the barrier at the Ex-Mühle section during the night hours when a Mercedes SLS hit the MX-5's right rear quarter at unabated speed. The damaged car was returned to the pits, and the professional team quickly executed its repair work. The car was able to take to the track again, but another crash at Wehrseifen meant an early end for the team's race.

Kaufmann's next race is already around the corner: A return to Le Mans on July 04-06 after an absence of three years. On the traditional Circuit de la Sarthe, he will give his debut at the Le Mans Classic where he will drive a historic Jaguar e-Type in the GT class.