Gassner jr. / Mayrhofer are runners-up in the German Rally Championships!

The mechanics at Gassner Motorsport had to put a proper shift in. They had only three days to adapt their Mitsubishi LancerEvo X R4 from asphalt to a gravel version, as well as monitoring all of the important parts. "I can only offer my thanks once again. The chassis, brakes, engine tuning and many other things had to be adapted for the only gravel race of the season. An enormous test with only a minimum of time with which to master it, we're now totally motivated here in Weisswasser and want to measure up against the foreign gravel specialists. We hope that we'll be in with a shout at the end, even though we've not had too much experience with the R4 on gravel!“, said happy Hermann Gassner jr. during the show start.
However, his cheery mood did not last long. In spite of many drivers' concerns, the organizer decided to begin the initial special stage testing at 1-minute intervals. The dry subsoil and the windless night created a huge wall of dust that stood firm after the first car had left its marker. "It was a nightmare. We had to stop several times because we couldn't see anything at all, something I've never experienced in my career to this day“, said Gassner jr, astonished.
The second night's special stage testing was abandoned due to the lack of safety provision for both drivers and spectators.
This was followed by sheer amazement the next day as it became clear that the first special stage check was to be evaluated in the standard manner. "Due to the fact that the first competitive vehicle had a near perfect view and all following vehicles were severly hindered by the resulting dust walls, the competition experienced considerable distortion“, explained co-driver Ursula Mayrhofer.
This decision on the part of the organizer created an exciting rally and an interesting 3-way best time fight between Anders Gröndal from Norway, Martin Svilis from Latvia, and Hermann Gassner jr. At the end of it all, Gassner jr. was able to secure 2nd place overall, achieving the maximum score in the German Rally Championships. The additional point gained during the Powerstage confirmed the Austrian / German duo as runners-up!
"A long season is drawing to a close and we are glad that we were able to secure the runner-up spot here. Thanks to our sponsors, the mechanics and our fans who supported us, and will hopefully continue to do so. Congratulations also to champion Ruben Zeltner and his team. He was not to be caught this season, and has won deservingly.“, said Hermann jr. at the finish.
The DRM now hosts a Bavarian season finale and there will be many well-known faces at the 3-town rally in Bad Füssing. The whole Gassner Motorsport team will be glad to see them, especially those from neighbouring Austria.
Image: RBHahn