17.06.15 Exciting racing and a podium finish in Dijon

Success in two historic racing series for Wolfgang Kaufmann

At the Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or at the former Formula 1 track in Dijon, Wolfgang Kaufmann gave another display of his talent in two vastly different historic racecars. In the 60s Endurance Series for sportscars up to 1965, he had Siamak Sassi's well-known Jaguar E-Type Coupe at his disposal. They started the 2 hour race from 6th position on the grid, with Siassi driving the initial stint; he was not quite to completely match the pacer at the front of the field.

At the pit stop some 45 minutes into the race, Kaufmann took the wheel of the E-Type and then moved the car up the order. In front of a good crowd of spectators at this popular historic racing event, Kaufmann fought many spectacular battles with several competitors. Only a Safety Car deployment toward the end of the race managed to slow the „Fighter“ down. Nevertheless, Siassi/Kaufmann were ultimately classified in 6th place of the 63 teams that competed in the 60s Endurance race. In class, this was 5th place, as the second-fastest Jaguar.

The Classic Endurance Series race, where Kaufmann and Afschin Fatemi shared a Porsche 911, also had a duration of 60 minutes. With their narrow-bodied car and only a 2.8 liter engine, the duo had to contend with „big bangers“ such as the wide-track 3.0 liter Porsche RSR, Ford GT40, or De Tomaso Pantera. „Compared to the opposition, we simply lack in performance“, Kaufmann explained the difference, „also, our car doesn't have much downforce. That helps on the main straight but sadly not on the rest of the track.“

However, and in contrast with the previous races at Vallelunga and Spa, the Porsche's setup for the Dijon circuit was perfect. „Scuderia M66 has done sterling work overcoming our suspension problem“, Kaufmann praised the team. It enabled the least powerful car of the whole field to happily establish itself among the Top 5 in the GT category. A slight setback came in qualifying, courtesy of hte officials who scratched the team's fastest qualifying lap. „Unfortunately, the rules don't apply equally to all teams which made the whole thing somewhat unpredictable“, an angry Kaufmann said.

He also took the start of the race and was able to forge his way to the head of the field with a spirited drive. Between his Porsche and one of the wide RSRs, the class lead changed hands several times. Kaufmann was in the lead when he handed the car over to Afschin Fatemi who then crossed the finish line in a remarkable 2nd place.

Wolfgang Kaufmann only had a short stop-over at home after the Dijon races; on the following Monday, he headed for Le Mans where he will drive the Jaguar E-Type in the „Le Mans Legends“ support race for the 24 Hours. The 60 minute race on the legendary circuit will be televised live by Eurosport on Saturday, May 13 from 0945 CET.