It was a 12-hour race in boiling temperatures, but despite all the challenges, Dr Johannes Kirchhoff, Elmar Grimm and Stefan Wieninger secured class victory in the 24H Series AM class. The trio in their Audi R8 LMS GT3 with the striking Kirchhoff design also made their mark in the overall classification.
“The race series ran in Misano for the first time. Obviously, there was little previous experience to fall back on and we focused on letting our drivers get to know the circuit as well as possible,” said team manager Christian Land. “We were able to improve steadily from the test and practice sessions through to qualifying and in the race itself we were initially able to follow our programme.”
Arising problems after four of the twelve hours cost time and positions, but had no negative effect on the team’s motivation. ”After losing valuable ground, Johannes, Elmar and Stefan launched an impressive fightback and their constantly fast pace, along with the crew’s untiring work, were ultimately the key to the class win,” Land said, looking back on the race.
Speaking of fightback: no team in the AM class gained so many positions as Land-Motorsport. Start driver Stefan Wieninger started the race from sixth on the grid and gradually worked his way forward. The highlight followed in the final race phase, when Elmar Grimm in the Audi #34 took the lead.
And so each of the three Land-Motorsport drivers had reason to celebrate – above all Dr. Johannes Kirchhoff. It was the stalwart’s 50th race in the 24H Series and his jubilee was sweetened by a cake during the race!
