ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport kept the lead at the team rankings at the GT1 World 11.06.2012: – Marc Basseng/Markus Winkelhock third on the podium on the Slovakia Course Kept the lead at the team rankings and the 5th time a top three position – the German

 – Marc Basseng/Markus Winkelhock third on the podium on the Slovakia Course
 



Kept the lead at the team rankings and the 5th time a top three position – the German Team ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport from Friedersdorf could gather a lot of points with their two Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 at the fourth season event of the FIA GT1 World Championship last weekend (8th to 10th of June) on the Slovakia Course.


Marc Basseng (Neusalza-Spremberg) and Markus Winkelhock (Berglen-Steinach) in the #38 were on third position for the third time at podium this season in the one hour Championship Race on Sunday (10th of June) on the 5,922 Kilometre long track and they are now on third position at the drivers ranking as well. Earlier, at the season opening in Nogaro they have been on third position and in Navarra on second position in the Championship Race.
 

Their team colleagues of the racing stable from Saxony, Nicky Pastorelli (Italy/Netherlands) and Thomas Jäger (Munich) in the sister car #37, had a few technical problems and finished on position eight at the Qualifying Race on Saturday (9th of June) – four positions behind Basseng/Winkelhock – and the next day they finished on position ten.


Before, they were second in Zolder (Qualifying Race) and third in Navarra (Championship Race). In the driver’s championship they fell back to position six coming from second position, but with only 23 points behind the leader. Basseng/Winkelhock are 13 points behind the leader.
 

„We could secure the lead at the team rankings as we hoped for. All of us are happy about the podium placing of Marc and Markus“, team principal René Münnich said. „Too bad for Nicky and Thomas, they unfortunately had problems.“ The crew of ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport still has to figure out, what kind of problems that have been.


 „We will investigate that now, to find the reasons and the mistakes in that“, Marc Basseng said, who is the team manager same time. „Generally the speed of our cars is not enough, because of the Balance of Performance, to win self-propelling. We can just realize that with a great team work.“
 

And this team work was shown again on Sunday, when the racing stable from Saxony had the fastest pit stop of the whole field with the #38. That was the kick for the podium placing finally. After Markus Winkelhock (after a great start he has been on position two temporary) came to the pit on position four, Marc Basseng came on track again on position three and he was able to keep that position until the end of the race.


„It was very nice to be on the podium again. But this has been a tough job as well. We had to drive highly concentrated the whole time and there was no space for any mistakes“, Markus Winkelhock and Marc Basseng agreed.
 

In the Qualifying Race on Saturday with a partly wet rack, both Münnich-Mercedes could make up a few positions after the start. Basseng/Winkelhock started from position 10 into the seventh season run and Pastorelli/Jäger started from position 12. At the end of the one hour race they finished on fourth and eighth position.


Winners on the Slovakia Course have been Filip Salaquarda (Czech Republic)/Toni Vilander (Finland) in the Ferrari 458 Italia on Saturday and Yelmer Buurman (Netherlands)/Michael Bartels (Germany) in the BMW Z4 on Sunday. The fifth season event of the GT1 World is scheduled from 6th to 8 th of July on the Algarve race track in Portugal.


 „We will look forward now and of course we will fight for a lot of points and podium placings in Portimao again“, team manager Marc Basseng said.
 

 
Roland Hanke, photo Markus Berns SRO