4th round of the Le Mans Series, Nürburgring (15th bis 17th August 2008)
The weekend (15th to 17th August 2008) of the fourth round of the Le Mans Series started perfectly. Pierre Ehret and his Team Farnbacher Racing managed the pole position in the GT2 category at the 1.000km Nürburgring. Unfortunately one was not lucky in the race…
„It started really good, but ended disappointing", Ehret stated on sunday evening after the six hours race, in which one was able to keep the lap times at the top, but finally dropped back due to several longer repair stops.
And indeed everything went according to plan in the beginning for the trio in their Ferrari F430 GTC. Pierre Ehret, Pierre Kaffer and Anthony Beltoise took rank two in the first free practice session and reached best time in the second session. In the third training session one placed second again, slightly behind the best time.
So one was optimistic for the qualifying, which proved to be justified. With a lap time of 1:57.897 minutes Anthony Beltoise drove the best time on the Ferrari F430 GTC, starting from pole position on GT2 category in the race on Sunday.
For Ehret this performance was the result of an improving development throughout the last races: "We got better and better the last races and our Dunlop tyres are really great."
Sun and warm temperatures guaranteed best weather conditions for the race on Sunday: Pierre Ehret drove the first stint and managed to stay competitive with the top drivers of the grid. After he handed over the car to his teammate Pierre Kaffer one was missing only seven seconds to the lead. A rank on the podium was in reach. "Pierre was really fast in his first stint", teamhead Horst Farnbacher was very content.
Unfortunately the race did not go on that smoothly. Kaffer got off the track and landed in the gravel pit area after he tried to overtake an opponent. This excursions cost the team almost three laps and even worse, the Ferrari was damaged, costing several pitstops in the end during Ehret’s last stint. "Kaffer drove one best time after the other and Ehret and Beltoise did a good job too, but there effort was in vain, since the repairs and pitstops threw us back each time," teamhead Farnbacher resumed.
In the end it was only a disappointing tenth place, as one simply lost too much time in the pits. "Today much more could have been possible", Ehret said. "Our speed was fast enough to get a podium rank. But for the next race we will attack again!"
On 12th to 14th September 2008 the 5th round of the Le Mans Series guests in Silverstone (GB)
- RIMO Verlag, Ralph Monschauer - also photo
photos on automobilsport.com under PHOTOS - LE MANS SERIES
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