Exciting feelings after a dramatic season final: A third place at the Nürburgring was sufficient for Elmar Jurek and Jannik Olivo to win the title in the New Renault Clio Cup. Solo driver Karl Brinker succeeded again in stepping onto the winners’ podium as class winner, the vice Champion won the New Renault Clio Cup classification and class SP3 of the final BFGoodrich Langstreckenmeisterschaft round. Into second position of the Clio drivers’ classification finished the crew of Henry Walkenhorst and Michael Schrey.
During the final round of the BFGoodrich Langstreckenmeisterschaft in which almost 180 cars started the competitors in the New Renault Clio Cup were fighting neck-to-neck until the finish line. Right after the start, there was first of all a very close battle in the leading group amongst Axel Linther, Karl Brinker and Elmar Jurek. Michael Schrey and Knut Wolf, too, got more and more involved in the fight about positions, whereas the duo of Axel Linther and Sebastian Erkes had to retire with technical problems.
After a perfect race at the season final, which they finished into third place, Elmar Jurek and Jannik Olivo were celebrated as the Champions in the New Renault Clio Cup. Solo driver Karl Brinker scored his fourth victory of the season in the special Renault classification and won the highly competitive class SP3 in the BFGoodrich Langstreckenmeisterschaft also for the fourth time. “That was really great fun”, said the Ring-Racing driver with a big grin on his face. The fresh vice Champion kept the excitement in the team of the championship leaders Elmar Jerek and Jannik Olivo entered by the TKS team of Mario Hebler alive until the very last metres. “Our main target was to finish safely, so I had slowed down a little in the first laps”, explained Elmar Jurek. “It is of course especially nice to win with a car which is unmodified in contrary to some other Clio race cars“, added Jurek. His partner Olivo, too, reported happily: “’No risk’ was our strategy today, but it turned out to be a very exciting race until the finish.”
An exciting race, too, for Henry Walkenhorst and Michael Schrey, who picked up more and more speed in the ‘green hell’ of the Nürburgring. After many close fights and changes of positions, they finally finished second in the New Renault Clio Cup and third in class SP3. In the championship classification of the New Renault Clio Cup they became fourth. “We are happy, it was a great race”, said Schrey and Walkenhorst later. “A pleasant end of a stressful season. We are already looking forward to next year”, added Walkenhorst.
The eyes of Marc Beckord and Knut Wolf, who finished the 34th DMV-Münsterlandpokal race fourth in the Renault classification and fifth in class SP3, were also sparkling with joy. They had focused onto finishing the race not to put their third championship position into danger and they also succeeded. “Due to some problems in practice we did not achieve the prefect grid position, but we had a very good race. I am really happy with my personal performance”, was the summary of Knut Wolf.
Thumbs up also in the team of Uwe Kleen and Klaus Völker of the team Ring-Racing: They achieved fifth place, followed by their team mates Jacques Meyer and Elöd Szarka. The latter was not completely happy with his own performance in the race. “I could have been quicker”, was his self-critical comment.
Michael Trick, team manager of the racing team drive-a-racecar, was enthusiastic about this great season final which he commented: “Everything was running brilliantly. Perfect!” Trick had started in a team with Werner Gloyna, Ralf Völkel and Gunther Gühne. Despite several drivers’ changes, they achieved an excellent seventh place in the Clio II. They were followed by Markus Lüscher and Hanspeter Muster as well as the duo of Peter Utsch and Frank-Dieter Lohmann. The drivers of the Schlaug team were meanwhile slowed down due to a broken exhaust manifold but were able to rejoin the race after a pit stop for repair.
Bad luck for the fastest in practice Sebastian Erkes and Axel Linther who were fighting in the leading group for quite a long time: First of all, they had some misfirings before regrettably they finally had to stop the race with generator failure as they were into second position of the Clio Cup classification at that time. “This is simply bad luck”, was the brave comment of Robert Erkes who this time had joined the team of Erkes car engineering as mechanic.
For the New Renault Clio drivers, the awarding of cups and a great thank you were in the focus of the big celebration after the season final in the Eifelstadl at the Nürburgring where Renault MotorSport Co-ordinator Bernd Hütter, spare part co-ordinator Michael Hub and Michelin Race Director Josef Schneider said goodbye to the drivers after a successful season and before the winter break.
