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Polo Cup at the Norisring- Braking is more important than accelerating
19.06.2007 |
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Braking late means holding your speed longer – this high-spirited maxim of motorsport particularly applies to the junior drivers from the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup on 23/24 June.
The season's sixth race in the DTM partner series at Nuernberg's Norisring promises extremely hard out-braking manoeuvres and nail-biting slip-stream duels. And in front of a unique backdrop at that: Every year, Germany's only city street circuit attracts over 100,000 spectators who want to witness live racing action.
"The Norisring ranks among the prominent tradition-rich circuits and has remained nearly unchanged for many years. When braking at high speed going into the two hairpins the drivers need to have a good feel for the optimum braking point and to then take as much momentum as possible with them as they exit the turns. The Norisring puts the drivers and cars to a tough test," said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen.
In addition to the drivers' physical fitness – on 22 race laps they have to slam on the brakes 44 times in front of the hairpins – the Norisring – with its frequently hot summer temperatures – makes particular demands on the braking system of the 150-hp Racing Polo. The large-sized, ventilated steel discs on the front wheels (334-mm diameter) enable extremely late braking points going into the two hairpins, heating up to 500 degrees Celsius in the process. On the track that in some areas is very bumpy the 24 talented Polo Cup youngsters can rely on the special racing ABS of the Cup Polo to let them push the braking point even a bit further towards the corner's apex if they can trust the feeling in their foot. At the Grundig turn the racing juniors slow down their cars from 180 to a city-like speed of 50 kph within a mere 110 metres, while at the Dutzendteich corner the cars are decelerated from 150 kph to about 55 kph.
From marshal to racer: home race for Elia Erhart
For 19-year-old Elia Erhart from Röttenbach, the round will be a genuine home race. Last weekend the youngster from Motor Sport Club Nürnberg e. V. (MCN), which organises the event, was already involved in trackside activities. "All members of the MCN roll up their sleeves to make the Norisring fit for racing operations. My father is responsible for the paddock, and there's always a lot of work to do there,” said the Polo Cup rookie, who was working as a marshal in 2006. "I'm incredibly excited about my first race at the Norisring. My sixth place at the EuroSpeedway has really boosted my spirits – a place among the top ten would be great," said Erhart, who just finished his community service in lieu of serving in the military, fittingly as a driver for the Order of St. John's health and ambulance services. "Starting this autumn, I'll be studying for my A-levels exam, and after that everything's open. In any event, I want to continue racing." Erhart is currently ranking in the third place of the rookie standings behind Stefan Kolb (Karlsruhe) and Felipe Fernández Laser (Uelzen). In the overall classification the Swede Andreas Simonsen and Constantin Dressler (Göttingen) are the front runners with an equal points score halfway through the season.
ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup: the "touring car school”
The ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup ranks among the most popular one-make cup series and, what is more, as a "touring car school” enjoys the reputation of providing an ideal stepping stone for professional racing. The racing series, which made its debut in 1998 – then using the VW Lupo – is based on a unique set of regulations offering maximum equality of opportunity at reasonable costs for all participants. Participants are aged 16 to 24 and have to qualify for the Polo Cup via an evaluation and qualification training seminar. Talent instead of money determines participation and success. The youngsters' championship is contested with Polo cars featuring identical technology. They are powered by a 150-hp FSI four-cylinder engine – derived from the production version – with 2.0 litres of displacement. The cars are swapped among the drivers. In the 2007 season the Polo Cup encompasses ten races at eight DTM weekends. For the 2008 "school year”, ADAC and Volkswagen will soon be evaluating new talent. Registration documents can be downloaded at www.volkswagen-motorsport.com.
Points score, drivers' standings after five of ten races
1. Andreas Simonsen (Sweden) and Constantin Dressler (Göttingen), 175 points each; 3. Andreas Pfister (Obersfeld), 163; 4. Stian Paulsen (Norwegen), 161; 5. Niclas Olsson (Sweden), 96; 6. Marleen Seilheimer (Mettenheim), 90; 7. Sebastian Voges (Beckum), 86; 8. Nico Bastian (Hemsbach), 84; 9. Alexander Rambow (Zehdenick), 78; 10. Laurent Calkoen (Südafrika), 72; 11. Shane Williams (Südafrika), 71; 12. Felipe Fernández Laser (Uelzen), 66; 13. Stefan Kolb (Karlsruhe), 63; 14. Elia Erhart (Röttenbach), 57; 15. Michael Schöch (Österreich), 56; 16. Heiko Gerth (Niedernwöhren), 51; 17. Malte Sandmeyer (Oberndorf), 46; 18. Jaro Bapp (Friolzheim), 42; 19. Tim Kuhlmann (Mülheim/Ruhr), 40; 20. Bastian Graber (Niddatal), 38; 21. Darius Röhling (Wiesbaden), 37; 22. Thomas Kern (Füssen), 28; 23. Markus Kern (Füssen), 22; 24. Julian Nager (Langenbach), 17.
Points score, rookies' standings after five of ten races
1. Stefan Kolb, 164 points; 2. Felipe Fernández Laser, 158; 3. Elia Erhart, 134; 4. Heiko Gerth, 128; 5. Jaro Bapp, 116; 6. Bastian Graber, 114; 7. Malte Sandmeyer und Thomas Kern, je 111; 9. Darius Röhling, 106; 10. Tim Kuhlmann, 88; 11. Julian Nager, 66; 12. Markus Kern, 57.
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