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On the hottest weekend of the year, races 7 and 8 of the DMV GT and Touring Car Cup (DMV GTC) took place at Hockenheim (3rd/4th of July 2015). Pertti Kuismanen and Jürgen Bender won the races.
(05.07.15) The thermometer was up at nearly 39 degrees in the shade. The asphalt was burning and it was over 70°C in the cockpit. Nevertheless, there were more than 31 starters in the DMV GTC, and each fought for every centimetre.
“In the Red Bull ring we had 6 degrees with continuous rain, and now it's 39 degrees without a single cloud. We take it as it comes“, said organizer Ralph Monschauer. "I'd like to compliment the drivers who, in the end, managed to drive a 60 minute race.“
As usual, there were also many pilots to whom the temperatures made little difference. For example, Thomas Langer was very relaxed over the whole weekend and between races chose to rest on his couch: "I think it's good that sometimes we drive in the rain and sometimes in bright sunshine. The next race might even be a mix of the two. I find it exciting.“ Langer achieved 2nd and a victory in Class 7a of the Porsche 991 GT3.
Some of the pilots were able to up their profiles in Qualifying, above all Jürgen Bender (Corvette GT3) who took pole position in front of Pertti Kuismanen (Chrysler Viper GTS-R) and Jack Crow (Ford GT GT3) in the initial time trial. Coach McKansy (Lamborghini Gallardo GT3) and Klaus Dieter Frers (Ferrari 458 GT3) followed up in 4th & 5th place on the grid. In the second time trial, Pertti Kuismanen turned the tables and was faster than Steffi Halm (BMW Alpina B6 GT3) and Jürgen Bender, followed by Jack Crow and Christoph Dupré in the Audi R8 LMS ultra.
On Saturday morning at 10 o'clock, the temperature was still tolerable at 30°C, and everyone was looking forward to the race. Unfortunately Antonin Herbeck crashed his PaganiZonda at the start and the safety car had to go out. After the restart, Kuismanen squeezed in front of Bender, putting time and space between himself and his pursuer. 16 laps later, the Finn had beaten Bender, who had won in Class 8. In second place was Christoph Dupre. "It was awfully warm in the cockpit, probably around 80 degrees. It made things very difficult“, said Kuismanen later. Class results were as follows: Moritz Weeber (Class 5 - Renault Clio 4 Cup), Christof Langer (Class 7a – Porsche 991 GT3 Cup), Peter Schepperheyn (Class 7 B – Porsche 997 GT3 Cup), Jürgen Bender (Class 8 – Corvette GT3), Alois Rieder (Class 9 - Porsche 997 GT3 R) and Pertti Kuismanen (Class 10 – Chrysler Viper GTS-R).
Race 2 that afternoon was more proof of how exciting it all was. No matter whether hot or cold, emotions ran high. Kuismanen led from the start but had a blameless collision and spun off, resulting in the fact that he was able to finish no higher than sixth. Jürgen Bender won, claiming maximum points for the Class victory. Steffi Halm came in 2nd in front of Christoph Dupré. Fourth was Ford pilot Jack Crow in front of Finnish guest starter Antti Buri, who shared the Porsche 997 GT3 with Jorma Vanhamen, winning Class 9.
It was also a close-run thing in the Classes. Peter Schepperheyn was able to assert himself in race 2 once again. After having had bad luck in the first races of the year, he focused 100% and came top of Class 7b. Last year's Hockenheim Cup winner Kai Pfister was initially first in race 1. However, as the race went on, Marcel Hartmann (Porsche 997 GT3 cup) and Schepperheyn became stronger and stronger. Hartmann passed Pfister and led until four laps before the end when Schepperheyn caught the KRS pilot and retained his lead until the end. In Class 7a with the Porsche 991 GT3 Cup vehicles, Christof Langer was eliminated early on, and his brother Thomas took first in front of Alex Markin.
There was a change at the top of the championship leaderboard due to the two Class victories by Jürgen Bender and Marcel Hartmann's two 2nd places. After eight races, Bender is at the top. Behind Hartmann are the Langer brothers.
The season continues at Hockenheim on the 24th/25th of July 2015 with races 9 and 10.