The Opel Astra OPC Cup 2013 did not leave any wish unanswered in terms of sporting competition. On the average, 20 of these about 300 HP strong race cars had been on the grid to enter into exciting fights in the VLN endurance racing championship at the Nürburgring and they were so well received by the crowd around the legendary Nordschleife. The decision about the title was open until the very last race and the championship finally went to the experienced driver Mario Merten. A good starting position for the persons in charge of the Cup to proceed to a number of improvements during the winter month before the beginning of the second season.
Amongst others, the race car was improved in several areas. \”We have looked into the experience gained in the last season in order to further improve the cost-efficiency for our customer teams. This can primarily be achieved in increasing the durability of single components\”, explains Astra OPC Cup manager Stefan Kissling. Special attention in terms of technical modifications was turned on the gearbox. The gear wheels are now made up of a specific and stronger material, a newly installed gearbox oil cooling shall reduce temperatures and wear. To get an easier gear shift, the shifting travel was furthermore reduced. All the steps to improve the durability have been offered in an optional update package.
A new turbo charger was added, also with the aim to improve durability. In combination with an adjusted engine control, this turbo shall also have a positive influence on the performance of the Astra OPC Cup vehicles. The new charger which will be supplied by Opel Motorsport for all the Cup customers will be compulsory pursuant to the 2014 Regulations. The newly developed front brake discs for the Opel Astra OPC Cup will finally contribute to optimize the brake disc wear and thus to also reduce costs. \”We are convinced that these steps will provide an enhanced performance and help to achieve lower competition budgets likewise\”, informs Kissling.
One of the basic principles for the second season in the Opel Astra OPC Cup once again is that the participating racing teams can rely upon a comprehensive support. In addition to the service in the Cup\’s own hospitality and the media support by the Opel Motorsport communication department, technical staff of Kissling Motorsport will be on duty to answer all questions and to help solving all kind of problems. A service truck on-site at each race weekend can provide the complete range of spare parts for the Cup vehicles and thus eliminates the necessity of high storage costs and the management of an extensive spare parts inventory.
The financial frame conditions in the Opel Astra OPC Cup are quite impressive. The registration fee of 2,500 Euro inclusive of VAT, which include the team clothing and the tickets for catering, the annual entrance and the prizegiving, stands vis-à-vis a prize money amount of 130,000 Euro and the support at the amount of up to 3,000 euro in participating in the complete VLN season as well as another 3,000 euro for the highlight of the season at the ADAC Zurich 24h Race Nürburgring from 19 to 22 June 2014. The price for a new Opel Astra OPC ready to race in Cup configuration is 48,900 euro.
\”The Astra OPC Cup has last year turned out to be a true highlight in the VLN endurance racing championship. The encouragement both from participants and fans demonstrates this in an impressive way\”, says Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott. \”I am convinced that we have laid the foundation for an exciting and attractive second season with the recently undertaken optimizations whilst nonetheless retaining the high-quality package at the same time!\” The opening round of the Astra OPC Cup 2014 will take place on 29 March with the ADAC Westfalenfahrt. The official set-up sessions on the previous weekend (21/22 March) will offer the possibility for all VLN teams to proceed to the final fine-tuning of themselves and of their cars.
