28.07.14 Perfect weekend in the Ardennes for Wolfgang Kaufmann

The Escort driver dominated the Youngtimer Trophy race at Spa-Francorchamps.

You always meet twice - this saying applied for Wolfgang Kaufmann on this past weekend. For the second time this season, Kaufmann travelled to Spa in Belgium, and for the second time a race in the Youngtimer Trophy was on the agenda.

At first, though, things did not go well. Technical trouble meant the historic Ford Escort RS1600 stayed in the garage during the first practice session, for safety reasons; therefore Kaufmann only stepped into action in the second session. It turned out to be a lucky break, as Kaufmann was step into action on a dry track on Sunday morning, and he put the Ford Escort BDA prepared by Scuderia M66 on pole position.

At the start of the race over 17 laps, he made a clean getaway and led a three car train of Ford Escorts around the 7 kilometers of the Ardennes rollercoaster until the Safety Car took to the track and bunched the field back up. Kaufmann then got a perfect restart and pulled away from his pursuers. The team did perfect work at the mandatory pit stop, and so the driver from Molsberg did not only maintain, but extend his advantage.

At the line, the clock showed a margin of 49.5 seconds over the second placed finisher which amounted to an unchallenged second win in the Youngtimer Trophy for Wolfgang Kaufmann. The fastest lap of the day was a bonus on a perfect weekend!