rhino’s Leipert Motorsport had a satisfactory ADAC GT Masters final
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The final of the ADAC GT Masters 2011 was satisfactory for team rhino's Leipert Motorsport. Whilst the team from Wegberg had bad luck during the first race once again, the German/Finish duo David Mengesdorf/Mika Vähämäki gained points as they finished the second (last) race of the season in 7th place.
In the first race on Sunday, Mengesdorf started from position 18 and rapidly gained positions. Shortly before the pit stop, he was already in 8th place, but on his way into the pit lane he drove over a kerb and suddenly the engine of the Lamborghini Gallardo failed. Luckily, it restarted after approximately 20 seconds and Mengesdorf handed over the car to Vähämäki who unfortunately was given a drive-through penalty shortly later as his team colleague had previously driven over the white circuit sideline of the first bend four times. As a result, duo Mengesdorf/Vähämäki had to settle for 17th place in the end.
The second Lamborghini Gallardo with driver duo Tobias Neuser/Oleg Petrishin entered the race from position 19 which Neuser drifted off the track during the first lap and already lost some positions. In lap 18, he handed over the car to his team colleague who re-entered the race in 23rd position. Unfortunately, Petrishin's pit stop was one second too short and so the Russian received a stop-and-go penalty. In the end, the Lamborghini with starting number 12 finished the race in 25th place.
In the second race, driver duo Vähämäki/Mengesdorf finally showed their potential and had a great race. The Finn entered the race from position 26 and soon gained positions. After the first lap, he was already in 19th place. After a stunning performance, he handed over the car to Mengesdorf in lap 17 when he was in 11th place which Mengesdorf then followed suit and also improved by several positions. After lap 35, he finished the race in a sensational 7th place securing championship points for himself, his co-driver, and the team.
The sister car finished the second race in position 27. Petrishin drove at the start, and Neuser took over the Lamborghini Gallardo in lap 14, being one lap behind. The German demonstrated his qualities mainly in form of his lap times when he even drove faster than the leader at times. As a result, he was no longer one lap behind and continued driving as fast as the leaders even towards the end of the race.
Ingo Leipert, Team Manager of rhino's Leipert Motorsport, explained: "This season was not easy for us due to the many driver changes. There was no consistency among the team which was reflected by the result. However, we can stipulate that we were generally as fast as the others with our experienced drivers and that we also got good results if the driver duo harmonized. Mika and David formed an excellent duo and showed what could have been possible. To make up 19 positions in the last race is quite spectacular! Tobias also showed in Hockenheim once again that he can drive the Lamborghini well. Mika and Tobias are new to the GT series and a very impressive surprise to us all! The ADAC GT Masters 2011 with its 40 vehicles from 10 different manufacturers including its live broadcast on free TV is probably the strongest sports car series worldwide and thus has an excellent global reputation.
The switch to Lamborghini Gallardo which the team had made for season 2011 has been the best decision in any case. In all starts of the ADAC GT Masters 2011 (16 races with 2 vehicles in each race equals 32 races for the team), we have not had a single technical defect! The car is absolutely sound, reliable and the collaboration with Reiter Engineering is also excellent! For next year, we are hoping to create a strong package in order to fight for championship!" |
