20.01.13 Fuel crisis in Dubai

The eighth edition of the 24 Hours of Dubai marked Wolfgang Kaufmann's sixth appearance in the Middle Eastern endurance classic.

24h Dubai BESAPLAST Audi TT RS

24h Dubai Wolfgang Kaufmann & Sheiks

24h Dubai Wolfgang Kaufmann

Kaufmann's weapon of choice for 2013 was unusual, given the GT professional's history with racecars built by Porsche; he shared a front wheel driven Audi TT RS of Team Besaplast Racing with with Roland Asch, Franjo Kovac, Fredrik Lestrup und Martin Tschornia. A stable crew of drivers, and a remarkable car: “In terms of its handling, the TT RS really is a very good racecar”, says Kaufmann, “our cornering speeds were among the very best!” Still it was tough going against the armada of powerful GT3 entries: “On the three long straights of the Dubai Autodrome, we did run out of steam somewhat…”

In the practice sessions, the team paced itself and preserved its car for a race that subsequently more than met all expectations: It was a battle of material with many “DNFs” due to technical failures and also accident damage. The Besaplast Audi took the start from pole position in its class, which translated into position 25 on the 82 strong grid. An hour into the race, the fuel system began causing trouble; a fuel pump had already had to be swapped during the practice session. The mechanics jumped into action; Kaufmann has nothing but praise for his pit crew: “the mechanics of Team Besaplast Racing have put in a tremendous effort. The technicians of Audi Sport were on the case as well.” The factory's racing engineers were also determined to get to find the reason for the recurring malfunction, but even with a joint effort the malfunction could not be remedied. This “fuel crisis” became the recurring theme of the weekend for the Besaplast team which during the course of 239 laps swapped every part of the car's fuel system – “every part except the engine!”, says Kaufmann.

For the first time in six appearances at the Dubai Autodrome, returned to his home in Molsberg empty-handed. “I am a little disappointed as I have always had a trophy in my luggage when I left Dubai. Still, my thanks go to Team Besaplast Racing and the technicians of Audi Sport for their tireless effort throughout the weekend.”