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phaeton
11-06-2007, 09:00 AM
The Volkswagen Golf has yet again impressively proved its exceptional qualities in one of the world’s most demanding races.

In the traditional 24-Hour Race at the Nürburgring the "R-Line" Golf fielded by Volkswagen Motorsport and driven by the Volkswagen Juniors René Rast (20/Steyerberg) and Jimmy Johansson (22/Sweden) as well as Florian Gruber (24/Aham) and Dieter Depping (Wedemark) captured the outstanding eighth place overall and victory in the class for vehicles with two-litre turbo engines. In addition, the 300-hp Golf fitted with Michelin tyres was the best-placed front-wheel drive vehicle among 200 touring cars. Only GT sports cars from Porsche, BMW, Aston Martin and Dodge were placed in front of the Golf.

Triumph of reliability – juniors impressed

"This is a sensational success. The Golf was running like clockwork. We only refuelled, changed tyres and brake linings – that’s all. All of the drivers and the entire team rendered a perfect performance, the showing of our juniors impressed me in particular," Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen summed up the result with satisfaction.

"A super team performance,” said Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board for the Development Division, praising the performance as well. "The Golf showed the potential it harbours yet again. And this 24-hour race with its extreme conditions was arguably exactly what you’d call a ’Green Hell’: demanding and in a class of its own."

About 200,000 spectators witnessed a high-calibre 24-hour race on the 25.378-kilometre combination of the Grand Prix circuit and the legendary Nordschleife that was marked by capricious weather. First, a thunderstorm with torrential rain on Saturday afternoon delayed the start by nearly two hours, then the race was interrupted for five and a half hours during the night on account of fog with visibility below 30 metres.

24h-victory only one week after exploits in the Rally Transibérico and Baja 500

"In this popular festival of racing the Golf definitely made new friends," commented Kris Nissen. The project was realised in an extremely short space of time, without impairing our main engagement with the Race Touareg in any way. A week ago, we won the Rally Transibérico with Carlos Sainz, and in the Baja 500 in Mexico we showed a strong performance with the Race Touareg as well, now it’s this excellent team performance with the Golf, and in parallel, we’re completing an endurance test with the Race Touareg in Tunisia – no doubt a tough week for Volkswagen Motorsport, but it also proves the performance capabilities of our entire squad, which fills me with great pride."

Pitting only to refuel, and to change the tyres and brake linings

"That was really a dream: The car, the team, the circuit, the atmosphere – everything was fantastic. I wouldn’t mind driving my next 24-hour race straight away," said an elated Jimmy Johansson, the current Champion in the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup, after his début in the 24h-classic in the Eifel region. "This event had it all, an incredible experience and a huge success," rejoiced René Rast, the 2005 Polo Cup Champion. "I’m satisfied through and through, the car was simply superb all the way to the last lap. My thanks to Volkswagen for this experience,” added Florian Gruber, who also originates from Volkswagen’s programme of promoting young talent. The multiple German Rally Champion Dieter Depping, who augmented the Juniors team, summed up the outcome, saying, "Everything had been prepared perfectly from the very beginning – it couldn’t have been topped.”

Indeed the number-111 Golf driven by Rast/Johansson/Gruber/Depping that finished eighth overall and won in class reeled off the total of 101 laps on the Nordschleife, which is notorious for the tough demands it makes on material, without a single unscheduled pit stop for technical reasons.

Thanks for a tremendous motorsport event

"My thanks not only go to our drivers and the entire squad, but also to Michelin for excellent tyres as well as to Volkswagen Individual, who made this fielding possible,” commented Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "In addition, I’d like to congratulate the winning team of Olaf Manthey and everyone who made it across the finish line. Special compliments to the ADAC Nordrhein for enabling this tremendous motorsport event." Kris Nissen added: "I’m confident that we’re going to return to this unique circuit with the Golf.”

source www.volkswagen-motorsport.com (http://www.volkswagen-motorsport.com)

DaveMack
11-06-2007, 10:28 AM
Great article, Ben. Do we EVER get film from these events in Aus? :mad: (Other than a 20 second clip on the news if an Aussie is involved.)

Dave

phaeton
11-06-2007, 11:49 AM
RPM usually shows the odd stuff thats happening overseas ;)

WEDEL.1
11-06-2007, 07:01 PM
Great pics....if you click on the larger pic in the LHS pane, you get a wallpaper size pic.

Maris

Eddy
11-06-2007, 07:31 PM
Hoyhoy.
I want one or may-be two of these little beasts.
P.S. Really would.

blackgti1.8
12-06-2007, 10:18 PM
Hmm, checkout the list of cars that finished in front of it...
I might conceivably dream about acquiring one of these R line Golfs - I certainly wouldn't contemplate any of the others;)

Guy_H
13-06-2007, 09:02 AM
Just Checking out some pics:

Polo GTI

http://adac.24h-rennen.de/typo3temp/pics/af035da241.jpg

Oettinger RSR

http://adac.24h-rennen.de/typo3temp/pics/5f3f52a619.jpg

gtimk5
13-06-2007, 09:09 AM
Hey Guy, they are different front guards on the Oettinger Golf?:? Looks the goods as well.
Cheers, Andrew :)

DubSteve
13-06-2007, 11:46 AM
Yeah your right Andrew looks like the R-line one has a kit or front lip?

shaneth
13-06-2007, 12:05 PM
Steve he is talking about the Guard mate. See the difference. Just above and behind the front wheel.

http://www.vwmotorsport.com//Mk5GTIRing2007/images/vw-070608-0509.jpg

gtimk5
13-06-2007, 01:23 PM
Geez they look great! How can anyone not like the look of the Mk5s??? :?
Very tough and obviously good performers in probably the toughest by far race for touring cars.
Cheers, Andrew :)

shaneth
13-06-2007, 01:31 PM
Yep mk5's are definitely hot looking. Would also like to know more about that Polo GTI.

DubSteve
13-06-2007, 01:34 PM
Very nice do the job well, Thanks Shaneth they also look like the flares are out more or is it just me?

phaeton
13-06-2007, 03:42 PM
Yep mk5's are definitely hot looking. Would also like to know more about that Polo GTI.

http://adac.24h-rennen.de/en/race-2007/teams/team-database.html

Goto Volkswagen then Team Christian Gorke.

BTW it was a Natural Gas powered Polo ;)


Merged threads ;)

Guy_H
13-06-2007, 03:45 PM
Hey Guy, they are different front guards on the Oettinger Golf?:? Looks the goods as well.
Cheers, Andrew :)

Good question! - there was talk of a widebody conversion at oettinger - don't know any other details at this stage!

DaveMack
15-06-2007, 09:14 AM
http://adac.24h-rennen.de/en/race-2007/teams/team-database/team.html?tx_stinno24hteamdb_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=3630&cHash=5d93bc792a

Read the engine specs. :o (5.4 litre 6 cylinder R32)

Dave

DubSteve
15-06-2007, 09:27 AM
LOL I know of V8's with smaller engines lol :D

TassieGTi
15-06-2007, 11:22 AM
That car was a MkV R32 HGP Turbo entry, hence the capacity of 5.4L
(3.2 x 1.7) ;)

DaveMack
15-06-2007, 11:25 AM
That car was a MkV R32 HGP Turbo entry, hence the capacity of 5.4L
(3.2 x 1.7) ;)

Ahh ... that explains it. Thanks, Tassie. (Had this mental image of bore so wide that the block glowed when it was running hot.) :D

Cheers,
Dave

DubSteve
15-06-2007, 11:36 AM
Ahh ... that explains it. Thanks, Tassie. (Had this mental image of bore so wide that the block glowed when it was running hot.) :D

Cheers,
Dave

LOL thats what I was thiking Dave, I thought jeese those germans are good how's they do that :D