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Volkswagen returns to Germany’s biggest car race with two Golf GTIs. The two
factory-built and entered race cars participate in the 24-hour race at the
Nürburgring from 7 to 10 June. Volkswagen continues the brand’s long amateur
sport tradition, which includes the 24-hour race in the Eifel, with the
seriously modified 300 hp production based Golf GTI touring car.
One lap through the “Green Hell” is 25.378 kilometres, the combined length of
the Nordschleife and Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit is greater than any other
race track. The 24-hour classic has been held since 1970. Also, a maximum of 230
cars can practice for the forthcoming 35th running of this marathon, while 220
are permitted to start the race – no other starting grid for a 24-hour race is
so big.
Over 700 drivers, some from abroad, face up to the motorsport marathon. And
finally, the race visited by approximately 200,000 spectators also competes for
attendance records in Germany. “It is the largest motorsport spectacle in
Germany and Europe,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “We are
not competing for overall victory, for us it is purely and simply a question of
being a part of the action with two cars in this unique long-distance race. As
the brand’s best-selling model, the Golf races in front of the largest
conceivable motorsport crowd – a fitting backdrop.”
From Executive Board Member via Dakar Rally truck driver to Volkswagen junior
– hardly ever has a driver squad been so wide-ranging. In detail: One Golf GTI
(start number 101) is driven by Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of
Management with responsibility for Development of the Volkswagen brand, Bernd
Ostmann (Gerlingen), Chief Editor of the specialist magazine ‘auto motor und
sport’, who has regularly participated in record attempts and races for
Volkswagen – including the Nürburgring 24-hour race. Dieter Depping (Wedemark)
and the Belgian François Verbist, who each drove a Volkswagen Race Truck in the
Dakar Rally in January 2007 and who have also distinguished themselves as fast
race drivers, complete this squad. A second Golf GTI (start number 111) is
shared by René Rast (Steyerberg), 2005 ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup winner and
Volkswagen Junior in second year of support, the Swede Jimmy Johansson, who won
the 2006 Cup and is also Volkswagen Junior, Florian Gruber (Aham), third in the
2001 ADAC Volkswagen Lupo Cup and 2006 Seat Leon Supercopa Champion, and also
Dieter Depping (Wedemark), who is also nominated to drive the second car.
The current fifth generation of the popular compact hot-hatch starts on the
1927 built race track. The forerunner of all GTIs appeared in 1976; more than
1.5 million examples have rolled-off the production line since. In 1996 the
Volkswagen factory team used the 24-hour race to test new technology in race
conditions: The turbo-diesel direct-injection power plant launched in parallel
on the market proved early that economy and sport do not contradict one another.
A year later, Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen, Jürgen Hohenester and
DTM driver Christian Abt finished an excellent second overall. As icon for every
sporting compact class car, the GTI, in its current race specification, produces
220 kW/300 hp – exactly 50 per cent or 100 hp more than the production car. The
two-litre TFSI turbo engine transmits its power through a six-speed DSG-Direct
Shift Gearbox. Volkswagen Motorsport developed the race car in only four months.
In addition to unique design solutions, the technicians benefited from the
resources and race-proven developments available within the affiliated group.
The two Golf GTIs race under the R-Line banner at the Nürburgring. Unveiled
in December 2006, this Volkswagen Individual GmbH brand markets special interior
and exterior sporting optional-equipment kits for the Golf, Touran, Passat and
Touareg. The R-Line products borrow characteristic design elements from the
high-performance Golf R32 or Passat R36 and therefore enable a cost-effective
entry into the world of the sporting Volkswagen. Volkswagen cooperates with
Michelin in the after-sales tyre market. The traditional French company is
regarded as internationally recognised, expert partner whose list of motorsport
triumphs boasts innumerable wins at the 24-hour race.
Volkswagen undertook a comprehensive test programme to be thoroughly prepared
for the long-distance race. The first example of the Golf GTI to be built
completed 24-hours at race pace in endurance runs held in Oschersleben –
including night stints. In the four-hour long-distance race around the
Nürburgring on 12 May, the Golf GTI proved to be fast and reliable straight out
of the box by finishing in fourth place in the SP3T class in the hands of Dr
Ulrich Hackenberg, Bernd Ostmann and René Rast. During the same race, François
Verbist and Jimmy Johansson prepared themselves for the 24-hour marathon at the
wheel of a Cup Pole. “In spite of the short development time available we
instigated a demanding test programme that the Golf GTI reliably completed,”
emphasises Kris Nissen. “We are well prepared and aim to show the fans just what
the GTI can do. It is quite possible that this race could acts as catalyst for
future amateur sport projects.”
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