13.07.15 3rd place for Kaufmann on the Nürburgring

Group H podium finish in VLN – but the good result is overshadowed by worries about recent developments in competition on the Nürburgring.

As far as on-track competition went at the fourth round of the VLN endurance series on the Nürburgring, Wolfgang Kaufmann's story is quickly told. In qualifying practice, he put Ralf Weiner's GTW Porsche 996 on pole position in the Group H category, with a time of 8.41,747mins. In the race itself, things initially went well until a dashboard malfunction. The biggest worry about this was the fact that the Porsche's speed was no longer correctly displayed – the worrying part being the speed limits which have been in place on certain sections of the Nordschleife since the second VLN race. And this proved to be the downfall for Weiner/Kaufmann, at least as far as victory in class went. In a „Code 60“ zone, where only a speed of 60kph is allowed, Kaufmann's speed was measured at 72kph. A time penalty of 45 seconds was the result. At the end of the four hours of racing, the duo scored 3rd place in Group H.

But the German racer was not necessarily concerned with the result as such. „the measures taken after the accident at the first VLN round, and the consequences that have arisen from them, are making a mockery of motorsport“, Kaufmann commented after the race, „the introduction of speed limits on a race track (!) is hard to comprehend, and they do not affect every competitor in the same way.

For the big works teams, things are easy. Their GT3 machines feature the latest technology, they are chock-full with electronics, you can simply re-program the speed limiter. But what about the many smaller teams, those who still haven't given up on VLN already. Some cars have no speed limiter; in a lot of cases, their dash displays are quite small. Add to this t#he various types of tyres that might be used, slicks or rain tyres, different dimensions and thus, different speeds.“

One part of the regulations Kaufmann took particular note of on this past weekend: „Why is it that with an H4 Porsche, we have to line up in the last starting group? We are by far the fastest care on that grid, we can turn laps that match those of SP7 and SP8 cars which are part of the first starting group. But while they have a relatively easy time out in front, we first have to work our way through the whole field. I have no quarrel with the smaller cars and their drivers; without them, there wouldn't be a VLN. But this start procedure slows us down. We can't we takethe start in group 1 as well?“, asks the man from Molsberg.

Kaufmann points out that aside from the purely technical question, this current system creates added risk: „At some sections of the track, while I am possibly involved in a fight for position, I am supposed to keep an eye not only on my opponent but also on faster and slower cars and the speedometer as well. This is madness, and it is very dangerous!“ In particular, this applies to the sections of the Nordschleife with permanent speed limits, such as the Döttinger Höhe or the Flugplatz; but it also goes for the temporary „Code 60“ zones. „These slow zones still aren't handled very well“, Kaufmann gives his assessment from experience, „double waved yellow flags mesn you have to slow down to 60kph because of a danger area. But often, any early warning with single yellows is missing altogether; or if it is there, it is dramatically misunderstood by some drivers. Some of them will jump on the brakes hard, for no reason, and slow down to 60kph – even though at this point, it isn't necessary yet. In the recent races, I have been in such situations more than once, and often avoided a crash only with plenty of luck.“

His summary about the state of play at the Nürburgring: „I have been a professional racer for many years but I have never had such a sense of danger as I am feeling on the Nordschleife in VLN at the moment. These temporary rules, that were introduced on grounds of safety, only make things worse.“

But the track itself is not the only place where things happen that Kaufmann finds hard to comprehend. „In a knee-jerk reaction, the German motorsport authority DMSB has created a special license for the VLN and the Nürburgring 24 Hours; it is called „DMSB Nordschleife Grade A / B“ and of course, it comes at extra cost. The basic idea behind this license, which is to have 'Ring novices not jump into the fastest cars right away on this most beautiful and most challenging track inb the world, is perfectly sensible. But the criteria for grading drivers are „a bit“ over the top! How can it be that experienced Nordschleife veterans need to go through an expensive training course, even though they demonstrably have more experience on the Nordschleife than some of their instructors? There are plenty of reasons for why someone cannot enter in a race for two years; but that doesn't mean they'll forget their ten or more years of experience they have gathered before. It is absurd.“

All this is beginning to have its consequences on the grids in VLN, Kaufmann points out: „For the third and fourth round this year, only a little over 130 cars lined up; for the 24 Hours, it was around 150. Many teams and drivers don't want to enter anymore, for the aforementioned reasons; they move to other championships, or they quit racing altogether. The new regulations make racing more expensive. Add to this the ever more aggressive driving we see on the Nordschleife which also makes things more incalculable for teams and drivers. Nobody is prepared to spend money on a greater likelihood of crashes, on speed limits and the like, and take all this added risk.“

fields of 170 to 200 cars were the average for VLN ans the 24 Hours in recent years; but at the moment, there is a downward trend. „It will certainly be a worry for the clubs that promote the individual races as well“, Kaufmann gives his own assessment of the situation, „at some point, the clubs will reach their pain threshold, where promoting the event is no longer financially feasible. And that may quickly lead to the end of motor racing on the Nordschleife.“