26.10.15 October-Blues

Gloomy autumn for Wolfgang Kaufmann – the curse of the semi-finals strikes again A professional racer must be strong mentally as well as physically – Wolfgang Kaufmann was reminded of this fact in his latest races as the 2015 season slowly draws to a close. The penultimate round proved to be particularly tough.

The “curse” set in at the secret high point of the year: Kaufmann had the chance to compete in the legendary Historic 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, driving a no less legendary Ford GT40. He took over the Le Mans winning car for the difficult last stint of the race, and placed himself among the top 5. In spite of inclement weather on a gloomy day, things were going well, until two laps before the finish – when on a down-shift, the gearbox suddenly was stuck in “neutral”. With a broken shift finger, the GT40 came to a halt.

After rainy Belgium, the South of France was next on the agenda. At Paul Ricard, Wolfgang Kaufmann drove a Jaguar E-Type in the 60s Endurance, and a narrow-bodied Porsche 911 RSR in the Classic Endurance Racing series. The Jaguar gave its best impression of an English diva in qualifying: “The throttle stuck when I was in 2nd gear”, Kaufmann explained the problem, “and it had to happen at the one spot on the track where there is not much space.

I could only step on the clutch and try to save the car.” With the engine revving within an inch of its life for several seconds, the team thought it best to withdraw the E-Type. The Porsche's prospects for CER were more promising. After 2nd place in qualifying, and a good start into the race that brought the car into the lead, a victory an some important championship points seemed in order.

But again, the curse of the penultimate lap would rear its ugly head. A fuel pressure problem brought the 911 RSR to a halt on the start-finish straight.

In CER, the Le Mans rules applies and points are only awarded when the car crosses the finish line; this also ruined the team's hopes for the title or runner-up spot in the final standings. “It looks like a problem with the fuel pressure caused the DNF”, said a disconsolate Kaufmann.

From there, the only way was up. At least that was the idea! The Youngtimer Trophy held its final round at the Nürburgring, and Kaufmann put his ford Escort on pole position. At the start of the 1 hour race, the professional from the Westerwald did not let anyone get between himself and the lead of the race, as he began to pull clear of the pack. Until the driver change, he left the competition trailing in his wake, building almost a lap's advantage in the process. His team mate, and car owner Dieter Dörmann got behind the wheel of the Escort, only to be reined in by the Safety Car. A transgression during the Safety Car period saw the Ford Escort BDA taken out of the event with the black flag.

Following four races without any tangible result, Kaufmann was back in the Eifel for another stab at the VLN endurance series on the Nürburgring.

Driving the Kremer Porsche 997 KR in the SP-PRO class, he took the start of the 4 hour race, only to be dive-bombed by an Audi R8 from the SP8 class right at the beginning while the field was still on the Grand Prix track.

Then necessary change of a wheel cost the team a lot of time; after four hours of racing, Porsche Kremer Racing saw the chequered flag in 20th position overall.

Wolfgang Kaufmann had two more events left on his schedule for this year:

First he will be reunited with the Porsche 911 RSR at the final round of the Classic Endurance Series in Portugal; and at the end of October, the VLN will reach its conclusion on the Nordschleife.