Motorsport: The goal is (always) the goal

The incredible capricious weather at the Nürburgring, which led to the race being interrupted for almost four hours before the end of the first hour, put paid to the success of many teams. Some retired during this turbulent phase, others had to carry out repairs during the neutralization. This was also the case for Team racing one GmbH, in which Fabian Danz from Bern and three German colleagues drove a VW Golf GTI TCR.

The last 18 hours went without a hitch
After a crash in the Aremberg area, the car was repaired and was even able to line up in the first race group in P27 for the restart - lucky, so anything was still possible. But the dream of a top result, which had been hoped for after the best time in class in practice, was shattered on the formation lap. It was possible that the engine had been damaged by the crash into the crash barriers and stopped working as a result. "Our team reacted quickly and installed a new engine, which we sourced from the ETCC warehouse," says the speedy Managing Director of Danz Autofinish AG in Studen. "This allowed us to resume the race for the remaining 18 hours and finish without any problems."

Early end for more than a third of all participants
In the overall classification, this resulted in 91st place out of 158 teams that started and only 101 that finished. This still resulted in second place in the class, 25 laps behind a Seat Leon TCR. The third and final competitor did not finish. "The incident was a real shame, as we would probably have finished somewhere around 25th overall," says Fabian Danz, quiet disappointment mingling with the joy of crossing the finish line. But then again: Woulda and woulda don't count in a 24-hour race - only those who come through without any problems or damage can turn the subjunctive into a superlative.

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Photo: racing one GmbH