At a sunny Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, luck was only partially on the side of the Land-Motorsport team this time. The team from Niederdreisbach fell back early in the race due to an extended repair pit stop but made a strong comeback, ultimately finishing in fourth place in the AM class.
“We had set ourselves the clear goal of getting through the race without making any mistakes, so that we could have a shot at the top spots right up until the end. However, an early technical problem thwarted this plan, causing us to lose several laps and forcing us to shake up the field from the back,” says team manager Christian Land. “I am still proud of how the guys handled this and brought the car to the finish without making any mistakes over the remaining 23 hours. Moments like this once again show the enormous ambition of everyone involved. The repair works were extremely demanding in the short time available and I would therefore like to thank all the mechanics for their tireless efforts.”
Giving up is not an option
After a strong qualifying, Dr. Johannes Kirchhoff, Ingo and Tim Vogler, Wiggo Dalmo and Elmar Grimm started from ninth place on the grid and fourth in the AM class. None of the five experienced drivers would have expected that their hunt for a podium place would be dampened in the first of 24 hours of racing. A defect in the belt tensioner threw the quintet to the back of the field after just 30 minutes. From then on, the motto was: limit the damage and make the most of the opportunities.
And that’s exactly what the Land-Motorsport team managed to do. “As long as the wheels are turning, we want to give our best on the track and keep on racing. We proved that. The car was great to drive. We had great weather, so it was an awesome experience together with my teammates,” summed up Dr. Johannes Kirchhoff.
Thanks to a flawless performance, the crew of the Audi R8 LMS GT3 in the Kirchhoff Group livery worked its way steadily through the field and ended up in fourth place in the AM class after 698 laps. The visit to the northeast of Spain marked the end of the season for Land-Motorsport in the 24H Series. However, there is not much time to rest. The next round of the ADAC GT Masters is already scheduled for 27 to 29 September at the Red Bull Ring.
