14.09.12 No luck at the 24h Zolder

This past weekend was a groundbreaking experience for Wolfgang Kaufmann, in two ways. For the first time the racer from Molsberg took part in the 24 h race at Zolder in Belgium, and for the first time he was behind the wheel of a CN sports prototype.

Guess Racing Europe Wolf GB 08

Guess Racing Europe Wolf GB 08

Wolfgang Kaufmann

For the Belgian team Guess Racing Europe, Kaufmann drove a Wolf GB 08 that weighs only 540 kgs. “Driving the Wolf GB 08 was an interesting experience: a modern carbon fiber chassis with a Honda engine that develops around 255 hp, with plenty of downforce and good sized steel brakes. Before this, I had only known the LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes from the Le Mans series. The Wolf CN really is a terrific racecar”, Kaufmann sums up his first impressions of the machine.

In qualifying, Kaufmann was able to put the sports prototype on position 5 on the grid. “We did not seriously go after a grid position during the third qualifying session at night, and we didn't use any new tyres on chasing fast times. So we were demoted to 7th place in the end. We only did the minimum required laps. Unfortunately, our race did not go quite so well. We had a good start, and I put us in front of the CN category. We were in fifth spot overall when small technical problems set us back. Over the course of the race, we then were able to fight our way back up the order again.”

Sadly, Guess Racing Europe's perfectly prepared Wolf GB 08 came to a halt some four hours before the end of the event, with a defective gearbox oil pump; and the race was over earlier than expected for Kaufmann and his team mates.

“I was particularly sorry for the very hard working Guess Racing crew. The boys gave their all to get the Wolf sportscar in perfect shape for the 24 hour distance.”

Back in 2009, Kaufmann raced for the Belgian team with a Porsche 996 turbo at the 24h of Spa-Francorchamps, his team mates I n the 24hrs of Zolder shared a car with him for the first time. ”We were a mixture of professionals, experienced drivers, and young drivers, and this can work very well in such an endurance race if everyone shows the right dedication.”