A new team is getting ready to attract attention in the VLN endurance racing championship 2012 at the Nürburgring and at the ADAC Zurich 24h Race. ‘Timbuli Racing’, however, stands for more than the mere battle for positions as explains team manager Volker Wolf: “We combine motor sport with a serious subject as, with our race participations, we will this year collect donations for the children’s and youth hospice Balthasar through the association Timbuli e.V.”
True to the motto ‘Timbuli & Friends’, the team will start with two Porsche 911 GT3 which will constitute a highlight on the grid with the cheerful mascot Timbuli and his friend Eddi, the character of the make Prescolaris from the house Brockhaus, and with the car’s striking yellow colour. The composition of the drivers’ team, too, will be very interesting. It is made up of Marc Hennerici (Mayen/ Germany), Marco Seefried (Wemding/ Germany), Norbert Siedler (Austria), Dennis and Marc Busch (both from Bensheim/ Germany) as well as Egon Allgäuer (Switzerland). The first race on the calendar is scheduled for 31st March. This first round of the endurance racing series will be the baptism of fire for the new team. The week before, drivers and cars will take part in the VLN test and set-up session and for the first time complete their laps on the 24.369 kilometres long combination of the Nürburgring Grand Prix Circuit and the Nordschleife.
“I am proud that we were able to contract famous and equally quick drivers for our project”, says Wolf. “We can thus bring two top cars to the start which are able to perform on equal level as the top teams in the championship.”
Amongst the ‘Timbuli Racing’ drivers, Hennerici has the greatest experience at the Nürburgring Nordschleife and has thus already scored five victories in the endurance racing championship. In 2006, the currently 26 years old race driver won the title in the VLN Junior Trophy. The year before, he finished first in the World Touring Car Championship classification for private drivers. Other highlights in the career of the graduate economist, who is today working as Head of the department Sport&Event of the ADAC district Mittelrhein, are a victory at the 2009 24 Hour Race in Spa-Franchorchamps and a third place in the GT1 World Championship 201. Other successes of Hennerici include one third position at the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race in 2007 and one fourth in 2011.
In the past years, Marco Seefried used to be a strong competitor of Hennerici. In 2010, he finished second overall at the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race and in 2011 he achieved a victory in the endurance racing championship. He started his career in 1990 in karting and after a few years in formula race sports, he joined the sports car family where he became well known in the ADAC GT Masters, the Ferrari Challenge, the GT3 European Championship, the GT-Open, in the Porsche Carrera Cup and in the Le Mans Series. The 36 years old race driver’s profession is instructor and since 2011 he is under contract of Porsche as test driver for race cars.
The make Porsche plays an important role in the life of Norbert Siedler, too. The current vice-champion of the Porsche Supercup has been competing in the fast Cup race cars from the Zuffenhausen factory since 2008 and he knows the 911 like the back of his hands. In 2005, the Austrian won the title in the Formula 3000 Pro Series. Testing in Formula 1 and in the American Champ Car Series are further highlights in the sporting career of the 29 years old driver.
Egon Allgäuer is a true career changer in endurance racing. The Austrian who lives in Switzerland had competed in the Truck Racing European Championship between 2000 and 2011 and thereby scored one title as European Champion and became vice-champion three times. Last year, 52 years old Allgäuer made his debut at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in the VLN endurance racing championship.
The 24 years old Busch twins from Bensheim in the German state of Hesse are amongst the strongest youngsters in racing and have made their mark at the Nordschleife during the past years. They have been competing together in the endurance racing championship since 2007 and celebrated their personal highlight at the sixth round in 2011 when they finished third overall. Before they started to compete in the ‘Green Hell’, they participated in the Toyota Yaris Cup. Both gained first experiences in motor sport in karting (1996 until 2002).
Marc Hennerici: “I am very much looking forward to doing a complete season at the Nordschleife again after 2007. The project ‘Timbuli Racing’ is very interesting and with Volker Wolf and Michele Rinaldi, we have two real enthusiasts behind the team. In this constellation, we are of course newcomers and should not expect too much. A special highlight will be the 24 Hour Race in which I will compete for the tenth time in 2012 with my management Mo-We-Ko.”
Marco Seefried: “As a team, we have to ensure that we get well used to each other and that all the gear wheels are perfectly interlocking. The competition in the endurance racing championship is on an extremely high level. Furthermore, we have to wait and see the classification of our Porsche following the ‘Balance of Performance’. Porsche and Rinaldi-Racing are in any case a top combination and the driver trio is very promising. I don’t know Marc personally yet but I appreciate very much his performances at the Nordschleife. Norbert and I have been good friends since more than 20 years. Altogether, I think that we will all fit together very well.”
Norbert Siedler: “I am very grateful that we can start the season in this constellation and with this strong drivers’ team. I am also convinced that we may well go the pace of the top field. The Nordschleife is my favourite circuit, even though I gained my first experience there last year only. I am looking forward to exciting races as we will definitely never get bored at this outstanding track.”
