In one, all the drivers after night training on Thursday evening agreed: The decision for the best starting places for the 37th Edition of the ADAC Zurich 24h-race is only the second time training on Friday. Too fickle were the first blows, the weather conditions.
At least provisionally, on the pole position after four hours night training Emmanuel Collard, Wolf Henzler, Richard Lietz and Dirk Werner of the Manthey Racing used Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S. Emmanuel Collard caught the optimum time for a quick round – as opposed to sister vehicle to the starting one. The favorites to narrow circle counting Porsche came about eight non-space beyond.
“When the track was half dry, we stood in the box,” said overall winner of the Four Marcel Tiemann training result. More luck than last year’s winner was also from the Phoenix Racing Audi R8 used LMS. With 10.992 seconds behind the Audi occupied with the starting 99 Total rank two. George Weiss, Peter-Paul Pietsch, Michael Jacobs and Martin Ragginger completed training in the “Weekly Mirror” Porsche at the third rank. “Martin has Ragginger our car to third place by what a great starting position for the race would be”, said George Weiss – but also dampened expectations. “When 24-hour race, it is similar to golf: because the decision only on 18 Hole. “But not only the third made for a surprise: Behind the Stars DTM Timo Scheider and Mattias Ekström, together with Marco Werner Audi R8 LMS 100 starting with the piloting, the private person benefited Herbert Steiner, and Stefan Rülke also the changeable weather. Together with Michael Funke drove the trio in the BMW M3 GTR E92 to fifth overall. Despite the weather conditions remained the top teams of incidents largely spared. Only the Audi R8 the race with LMS 100 went down two times Shortly after 20 the clock collided GT3 sports car used the North Loop with a powerful brand companions. In the final minutes rolled the vehicle in line with section Brünnchen from a technical defect. The engine suddenly refused and his service was no longer start.
Quotes after the first time Training:
# 1 Bernhard / Lieb / Dumas / Tiemann (Porsche 911 GT3-RSR): Marcel Tiemann: “When the track was half dry, we stood in the box. Therefore now rewinds each driver rounds from his duty, so tomorrow we are free to choose what we do. In the second qualifying we will see what happens. It will definitely be exciting. ”
# 2 Collard / Henzler / Lietz / Werner (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S): Wolf Henzler: “Emmanuel Collard is our fastest laps. He has caught a good window, as the racing line was quite dry. I’m sure tomorrow will be dry faster times. ”
# 5 White / Pietsch / Jacobs / Ragginger (Porsche 911 GT3): George White: “We must wait and see what happens tomorrow in qualifying. Martin Ragginger has our car to third place by what a great starting position for the race would be. It’s been great, a factory driver in the car. But with his performance and want, we can not compare. ”
# 6 Jürgen Alzen / Menzel / brother / Fricke (Porsche 911 GT3): Christian Menzel: “That was the beginning of the qualifying is not easy because even if not much water on the runway was to spray huge. The view was sometimes zero. We take everything easy today, tomorrow, we then. A place in the Top 5 is there. ”
# 18 Uwe Alzen / Bert / Arnold / Mies (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup): Uwe Alzen: “I spent the last six weeks through to my own team in their task. As I said earlier in training outdoors for the first time on the route I went, it was a great feeling and the whole load with a time of fallen to me. Our goal is to provide the training in the Top 20 to go. We would have preferred more rain. Take our duty rounds still wait and see what happens. “Lance David Arnold:” The times are there tomorrow. Today is my first question of my duty to go round and me to get used to the car. The mixing conditions are no problem, I immediately had to cope well. ”
# 19 Mamerow / Bergmeister / Franchitti / Mamerow (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S): Chris Mamerow: “We would certainly further ahead, when the dry period would have better used. But we stood in the box, as the track was dry. If tomorrow better conditions prevail, then jumbled the times. During the race we want to make Audi a bit annoyed that accompany Pace and distance remain in shock, in the event of a case directly respond to them. ”
# 40 Tilke / Adorf / Hennerici / Mutsch (Ford GT): team boss Niki Raeder: “We are first of all happy with our GT to be able to be there. Alone of the spare parts since we can not afford more than necessary to drive. Therefore, we protect our cars. We need to show anybody anything. At the starting line-up, I see us between positions seven o’clock-twelve o’clock. ”
# 60 Mueller / Priaulx / defamation / Schurig (GT4 BMW M3): Jörg Müller: “Who in the conditions at the right time was outside, which is now far ahead. The same is true for us, because our ranking is certainly better than the car was expected. ”
# 77 Hürtgen / Farfus / Sørlie / Müller (BMW Z4 M Coupé): Claudia Hürtgen: “From tomorrow it will be dry and the 24-hour race as well. And that we are focusing now. Currently, we prepare for the night ride and test the lights. ”
# 98 Stuck / Biela / Pierro / Fässler (Audi R8 LMS): Hans-Joachim Stuck: “I was just on the track as it really has geschüttet. The car was very easy to control – the mid-engine R8 comes our very accommodating us. In mixed conditions, we will not look bad, also because we are on all four cars have a strong driver combinations. The route was generally rather slow and had low levels of grip – even in dry conditions. I expect that tomorrow in qualifying a 8:40 ride. About the distance, we must then look at what’s inside. Most components have already been over long distances on the test, but that is precisely not the North Loop. We are delighted with the R8 or no large distances driven. “
