24h @ Nürburgring today (05.23.03)

[itisme]

Yes today it`s racing day.. the 24h just started and its sponsert by quattro GmbH.. there are 3 RS6 PaceCars and the two Audi DTM TT-R are on the first 1-3 places, like thetwo Opel DTM Astra`s .. look forward for Pictures


both BMW M3 GTR broke-down in the first round, cause dry ice damaged the oil tubes and so the transmission died

also on one TT the breadth handlebar broke so he hardly came to the box..

both teams are working hard to get back their cars..

it`s a 24h race with very fsat andalso slow cars so everything is still open for the teams

stay tuned

[Erik]

2nd place in a DTM car is not bad. TT-R!!!

[krabu]

Audi survives acid test on the Nordschleife

24h Nürburgring: During the Nürburgring 24-Hour Race held in front of a record breaking crowd of 194,000, Team Abt Sportsline proved that the DTM championship winning car is also fit for endurance races. Of the 210 teams started, and after more than 3500 kilometres on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, the world's toughest race circuit, the Audi drivers Kris Nissen, Karl Wendlinger and Marco Werner finished second. "The car was simply perfect," enthused Werner following his debut in the Abt-Audi TT-R. "That I was so quick right from the word go, shows just how good the car is."

Team Abt Sportsline took up the challenge, with support from quattro GmbH and the Audi Sport Customer Sport Department, to tackle the long distance classic on the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife with modified DTM racecars. Courage pays: The number 8 Abt Audi TT-R took the lead for the first time after only one and a half hours. Kris Nissen, Karl Wendlinger and Marco Werner were engaged in a fascinating duel with the subsequent winners up till Sunday morning. The lead changed repeatedly, even in the early morning hours the two leading cars were separated by less than a tenth of a second, occasionally they raced side-by-side down the start and finish straight. "I think that there has hardly ever been such a thrilling battle on the Nordschleife than the one this weekend - I for one, couldn't sleep a single minute," Team Director Hans-Jürgen Abt was fascinated. "I am pleased that with quattro GmbH, we have a partner who shares our passion for the Nordschleife. That was a !
24-hour sprint and an acid test for our TT-R."

The moment of truth in the battle for victory during the 31st running of the long distance classic fell after an incredible 20 hours of racing: A faulty power supply caused gear-shifting problems in the Abt-Audi TT-R. The team decided to change the gearbox, which is identical in all DTM racecars. The number 8 Abt-Audi TT-R was back in the chase after only 40 minutes, salvaging second position as a result. "This result is a tremendous success for us," said a radiant Christian Abt, who shared the sister car with Mattias Ekström and three-time Le Mans winner Frank Biela. "Only a few people believed we could get a DTM car to finish on the Nordschleife - and on top of that at this incredible speed."

Abt/Biela/Ekström finished in 29th position after changing the servo pump and gearbox. "Nevertheless, my touring car comeback was a lot of fun," said Frank Biela.

Audi Motorsport in figures

Nürburgring 24-Hour Race (D), 31 May / 1 June
1. Reuter/Scheider/Tiemann/Strycek (Opel) 143 laps in 24h 7m 49.260s
2. Nissen/Wendlinger/Werner (Abt-Audi TT-R) - 5 laps
3. Luhr/Collard/Bernhard (Porsche) - 6 laps
4. Grohs/Scharmach/Fischer/Reisert (Porsche) - 8 laps
5. Zakowski/Lamy/Lechner (Dodge) - 9 laps

[Erik]

Very nice pictures from the race:

http://www.creativephotoart.nl/24hr2003.htm

[itisme]

Originally posted by Erik B
Very nice pictures from the race:

http://www.creativephotoart.nl/24hr2003.htm

some more:

[itisme]

and more:

[itisme]

and now some of the winner's car:

:bigeyes:








tha chase


for more click

[krabu]

Really nice pictures itisme. Thanks.

Two things i noticed / reflected upon.
- What's that for spikes the TT-R has on the fenders?
- Look on the picture of the Opel Coupé who's gone airborne - notice how short the traveling-distance on the springs are.