BMW Team Results from Nurburgring 24 (*spoiler*)

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Marc VDS Score Podium in Thrilling 24 Hours of Nürburgring

May 17 2015

Nürburgring, Germany – May 17 2015: BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS took second place at the 2015 24 Hours of Nürburgring. The #25 BMW Z4 GT3, of Lucas Luhr, Maxime Martin, Markus Palttala and Richard Westbrook climbed the podium while #26, with Dirk Adorf, Nick Catsburg, Augusto Farfus and Jörg Müller just missed out, finishing in fourth place.

The 2015 edition was one of the most dramatic in the race’s history, with the finishing margin – 40.729 seconds – the closest ever. The race was up in the air right until the final lap, with the #25 battling stint-by-stint with the #28 Audi. Each pitstop, the lead would change, and the huge crowd – both on track, and around the globe – were enthralled by a sensational battle.

The race was excellent from the beginning. The pole-sitting #26 diced for the lead as part of a BMW 1-2-3 in the early laps, before a rain shower disrupted proceedings and ensured that a pattern was difficult to discern for a large part of the distance.

After a choice of tyres that proved to be the wrong one during the rain shower, #25 was forced to fight back from outside the top 20. It was during the night that the car made spectacular gains on the leading cars, moving into a position to challenge for victory. In the end, though, they were just unable to overcome the strong challenge from Audi and ended second, having swapped the lead for more than eight hours.

#26 was in the thick of the lead battle until a fire in the pits overnight cost nearly ten minutes, and they were forced to play catch up for the remainder. Despite excellent pace – including the race’s fastest lap from Catsburg, an 8:18.690 – they fell just short of the podium.

Lucas Luhr, BMW Z4 GT3 #25
“The whole crew can be really, really proud. I know second is not the result we wanted but it’s a very tough field and we competed right at the very front of it. I’m really, really proud of the guys, they worked their tails off, and the same goes for the sister car. They were unlucky, because they were right up there, leading the race, and then fell back. It’s a great result, especially in such a strong field.”

Maxime Martin, BMW Z4 GT3 #25
“You always have to be happy to be on the podium, but really we were here to win. We couldn’t win this time, and came really close again. At the end we did a really good race, and got the maximum we could have got from it. The guys did a stunning job, we had a really clean race, and on our car I don’t think there was a single problem. We did our best and we can be proud of that. It’s fantastic to be a part of Marc van der Straten’s team, and for that team to be considered among the very best in Europe. I hope we continue to build on that.”

Markus Palttala, BMW Z4 GT3 #25
“If this isn’t the toughest, then this race is pretty close to the toughest race in the world, on a track that is the most demanding challenge in motor racing. To finish is great, to finish on the podium is awesome. The whole team did a tremendous job, but today the winner was a little quicker and they deserved the victory. It’s pretty amazing that the Marc VDS Racing Team is in four different high level categories fighting at the front, on one weekend, and I’m proud to be a part of that.”

Richard Westbrook, BMW Z4 GT3 #25
“That was a fantastic race with some great duels. You can obviously look for reasons why we narrowly missed out on the win, but on the whole we should be proud of the second place we achieved here. Appearing here with BMW, this magnificent team and fantastic team-mates was an awesome experience for me.”


Sebastien Metz, Technical Director
“I am mixed with my emotions. On the one hand, we took a podium at the world’s most difficult race, but on the other we just missed out on the win again. What I can say for sure is that I’m massively proud of the Marc VDS Racing Team. Every single member of the team did a fantastic job, worked themselves into the ground, and I really wanted to be celebrating a victory with them. I’d also like to thank BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert – they were quick to offer their help where they could, and that just shows that the spirit among the BMW Motorsport teams is excellent.”

Bas Leinders (BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS, Team Principal):
“It is fantastic to finish with both cars – and in second and fourth places. An incredible amount of work goes into keeping the cars in the face for the full 24 hours. We are delighted to have achieved that. My team did an awesome job. Thank you to everyone in the team. On the other hand, we obviously came to the Nordschleife to win. That was our goal. It was a great fight, but unfortunately we lost it.”

Augusto Farfus (BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS, car number 26, 4th):
“I am disappointed, because we had a car we could have won with. We were on pole and clocked the fastest lap of the race. Unfortunately we made small mistakes with both cars, which ultimately cost us the win. That shows that the standard of racing at this race is so high that you cannot afford even the slightest slip-up.”

Dirk Adorf (BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS, car number 26, 4th):
“Congratulations to Audi on the win, but above all compliments to our team. We did everything right that you have to do right at a 24-hour race. And we were very fast. Unfortunately the misfortune during the pit stop in the night cost us too much time. Second and fourth is an excellent result for the team, but it is a shame we could not quite get a win with the BMW Z4 GT3 at its farewell race.”

Jörg Müller (BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS, car number 26, 4th):
“We were positive. That is definitely the positive we can take from this race. Unfortunately, however, we made a mistake, which we could not afford against such strong opposition. Despite this, the team deserves a huge compliment. I have never driven a car in the final stint of a 24-hour race that still feels as good as it did in the first stint. The BMW Z4 GT3 had really been prepared perfectly.”

Nick Catsburg (BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS, car number 26, 4th):
“I think we all did a perfect job and have nothing to be ashamed of. We had the speed to finish on the podium, but unfortunately came up just short due to the time we lost in the night. Despite this, I am very proud of our performance.”

2015 Nurburgring 24

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Another release:

Podium for BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS at the Nürburgring – Martin, Luhr, Palttala and Westbrook finish runners-up.




Nürburgring (DE), 17th May 2015. Strong showing in the “Green Hell”: BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS finished second at the Nürburgring 24 Hours (DE). After 156 laps, the number 25 BMW Z4 GT3 crossed the line at the 43rd running of the endurance classic just 40.729 seconds behind the winning car. It was the closest finish in the history of the event since 1970. Maxime Martin (BE), Lucas Luhr (DE), Markus Palttala (FI) and Richard Westbrook (GB) shared the driving duties over the course of the 24 hours and, like the team, produced impressive performances. In the end, however, they just came up short of what would have been a 20th overall victory for BMW.

BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS repeated its result from 2013, when it finished the runners-up with the BMW Z4 GT3 – again with Martin at the wheel. The second BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS car also claimed an excellent result in front of 200,000 spectators: Dirk Adorf (DE), Augusto Farfus (BR), Nick Catsburg (NL) and Jörg Müller (DE) were at the wheel of the number 26 car and narrowly missed out on a podium finish, coming home in fourth place. Catsburg clocked the fastest lap of the entire race on lap 120, with a time of 8:18.690 minutes.

The number 17 BMW Z4 GT3 of the Walkenhorst Motorsport team, driven by Felipe Laser (DE), Michela Cerruti (IT), BMW USCC driver John Edwards (US) and Daniel Keilwitz (DE), came home sixth to complete a strong BMW showing. The sister car, the number 18, crossed the finish line in 15th place. In contrast, BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert endured a luckless race: both the number 19 and the number 20 BMW Z4 GT3s were forced to retire following crashes.

“Over the past 24 hours we have seen virtually everything that makes this endurance classic so enthralling,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “In a thrilling race, we eventually finished an excellent second and came within a whisker of winning. That is a fantastic result for the BMW Z4 GT3 on its last works-assisted outing – especially given the strong opposition. Although we did not quite get our 20th overall victory, the combination of a flawless job by the team and drivers, and a robust, mature car kept the race extremely exciting right through to the finish. Our quartet of drivers, who worked perfectly with each other, deserve particular mention: Lucas Luhr, Maxime Martin, Richard Westbrook and Markus Palttala never let anything knock them off their stride – even in some extremely difficult conditions. They were fast when they had to be, but reined themselves in when necessary. They did a very good job. The second BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS car also had a very good race. It dropped back a bit due to some problems during pit stops, but was still able to claim a good result.”

“Although we are all pleased about the great overall result, I feel particularly sorry for BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert today. The team also did a very good job – but it just goes to show how quickly your luck can change here in the Eifel Mountains. Two sudden showers, two scary moments for Claudia and Dirk, and suddenly you are denied any chance of winning. The Walkenhorst team also enjoyed a fantastic race: they also had a flawless race with the number 17 car and finished an excellent sixth. Another great performance came from the Sorg Rennsport team in the BMW M235i Racing Cup: 25th place overall – that is not to be sniffed at. And our media BMW M235i Racing was also flawless. The drivers showed incredible consistency and ultimately came home 42nd overall. I would also like to highlight the extraordinary backdrop to this race: the great fan community created a genuine festival atmosphere. Although I have been coming here for many years, I really noticed it this year. And that is despite the tragic events in the run-up to the race. However, we saw that the measures put in place were effective, thanks in no small part to the discipline shown by the competitors. At this point, we would like to dedicate our podium finish to the spectator who died a few weeks ago. Congratulations to the Audi WRT team.”

The BMW M235i Racing Cup class, which featured a strong field of 14 cars, saw Michele Di Martino (DE), Moritz Oberheim (DE), Kevin Warum (DE) and Torsten Kratz (DE) of the Securtal Sorg Rennsport team emerge victorious. They finished an impressive 25th overall in the number 301 car.

The number 235 BMW M235i Racing, in which the two motorsport journalists Bernd Ostmann (DE) and Christian Gebhardt (DE) alternated with BMW Motorsport Junior Victor Bouveng (SE) and Harald Grohs (DE) at the wheel, enjoyed a successful race, winning the SP 8T class and finishing 42nd overall. This marked Grohs’ 30th start at the Nürburgring 24 Hours – and his last, as he announced after the race.

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Audi Press Release:


New Audi R8 LMS wins Nürburgring 24 Hours

May 17, 2015 | Ingolstadt/Nürburg

• Audi’s GT3 race car immediately an endurance race winner
• Third Nürburgring success for Audi in four years
• Thrilling battle for victory ends in 40-second advantage

The Audi R8 LMS managed a brilliant 24-hour racing debut by clinching victory at the Nürburgring. Audi only unveiled its GT3 race car ten weeks ago – now the production-based sports car impressed in a tough battle that lasted up to the last hour of the race. In the end, Audi Sport Team WRT with Christopher Mies/Nico Müller/Edward Sandström/Laurens Vanthoor (D/CH/S/B) was 40 seconds faster than the BMW Team Marc VDS.

The battle for victory in the Eifel endurance race has not been as thrilling as this in a long time. During the 24 hours the lead changed 35 times – a record in the event that has been held since 1970. After the race’s midpoint, either the number ‘28’ R8 LMS or its fiercest rival was running in front, depending on the pit stop sequence. In the end, the Belgian Audi team prevailed with a concentrated performance of its drivers and solid teamwork. Vincent Vosse’s squad and each of the four race drivers celebrated their first victory in this classic event.

“This was a weekend of thrilling racing, as well as an intense and nerve-wracking one,” said Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “Sincere congratulations to our winners who never lost their cool even in the face of some minor irregularities and held up to the pressure. The whole squad of Audi Sport customer racing is happy to see the new R8 LMS instantly delivering on our promise of it being a competitive, attractive and reliable race car our customers can look forward to starting this fall.”

Vincent Vosse was delighted about another success of his young team: “We’ve already won the Spa 24 Hours with Audi and now we achieved success on the Nürburgring as well. My thanks for this go to a motivated squad, four talented drivers and to Audi Sport customer racing for their solid support. We’re very happy that we can thank Audi by taking the first 24-hour victory of the new race car.”

About 50 percent of the GT3 race car is based on its production counterpart it simultaneously celebrated its debut with in March at the Geneva Motor Show. Four new Audi R8 LMS cars were on the grid of the 24-hour race. Last year’s winners Christopher Haase/Christian Mamerow/René Rast/Markus Winkelhock in car number ‘1’ of Audi Sport Team Phoenix led the race several times but were forced to retire following an accident by Christian Mamerow. The German was hospitalized for observation. In the sister car, number ‘4,’ Mike Rockenfeller spun on track due to an oil spill shortly before the race’s midpoint. He was hit by another car that was following him, causing damage to the Audi that was too severe for continuing the race.

The second race car of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT saw the checkered flag in seventh place. Accident damage had caused Pierre Kaffer (D) and his team-mates Christer Jöns (D), Nicki Thiim (DK) and Laurens Vanthoor (B) to lose three laps in the early stage. However, with good lap times, this driver quartet proved the competitiveness of the Audi R8 LMS as well.

The time-tested Audi R8 LMS ultra model – the 2012 and 2014 winner of the Nürburgring 24 Hours – completed the good result. Team Twin Busch Motorsport with Dennis Busch/Marc Busch/Christiaan Frankenhout (D/D/NL) saw the finish in 11th place, followed by the Audi race experience. The Asian driver line-up of Franky Congfu Cheng/Marchy Lee/Shaun Thong/Alex Yoong (CN/HK/HK/MAL) achieved 12th place whereas the sister car retired after an accident.

Race results

1 Mies/Müller/Sandström/Vanthoor (Audi R8 LMS), 156 laps
2 Luhr/Martin/Palttala/Westbrook (BMW) + 40.729s
3 Dumbreck/Henzler/Imperatori/Ragginger (Porsche) – 1 lap
4 Adorf/Catsburg/Farfus/Müller (BMW) – 1 lap
5 Buurman/Al Faisal/Haupt/van Lagen (Mercedes) – 1 lap
6 Cerruti/Edwards/Keilwitz/Laser (BMW) – 3 laps
7 Jöns/Kaffer/Thiim/Vanthoor (Audi R8 LMS) – 3 laps
8 Brück/Primat/Schmid/Seefried (Bentley) – 5 laps
9 Buncombe/Hoshino/Krumm/Ordonez (Nissan) – 5 laps
10 Heyer/Huff/Frommenwiler/Krognes (Mercedes) – 5 laps
11 Busch/Busch/Frankenhout (Audi R8 LMS ultra) – 7 laps
12 Cheng/Lee/Thong/Yoong (Audi R8 LMS ultra) – 8 laps

[BobS]

These Z4 GT3's are a mean little car! I watched the live stream on youtube, it was a great race!

I don't understand how BMW is allowed to use the z4 since it isn't sold with a S65 to the public. I know the racing car is a P65 but its essentially a made up car.

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Originally Posted by BobS

These Z4 GT3's are a mean little car! I watched the live stream on youtube, it was a great race!

I don't understand how BMW is allowed to use the z4 since it isn't sold with a S65 to the public. I know the racing car is a P65 but its essentially a made up car.

Excellent race, indeed!

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Bentley Press Release:

BENTLEY MOTORSPORT GAINS VALUABLE EXPERIENCE AT GRUELLING NÜRBURGRING 24-HOUR RACE

MAY 17, 2015 by Bentley Media

• Bentley Team HTP score P8 with #11 Continental GT3
• Bentley Motorsport #84 car forced to retire from promising P10
• #85 car dropped from contention after being hit and spun into the barrier
• Stellar effort from mechanics returns #85 to the race for experience, climbing 72 places

(Nürburgring, 17th May 2015) This weekend, Bentley Motorsport has experienced the toughest and most challenging 24 hour race in the world. After a very positive start that saw all three Continental GT3s entered in the race running in the top ten after two hours, the fortunes of the team changed. First, the #85 car of Guy Smith, Andy Meyrick and Steven Kane was hit and spun off the track, costing a total of five hours of recovery and repair time and dropping the team out of contention. However, after repairs, the car was one of the quickest on track for the rest of the race, climbing 72 places before the chequered flag to finish P74. After consistently running in the top ten for the first eight hours of the race, at midnight the #84 car of Lance David Arnold, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Christian Menzel spun during extremely tricky and changeable conditions, with the ensuing frontal damage resulting in the retirement of the car.

Bentley’s European Works-supported outfit, Bentley Team HTP, scored the best result for the marque with the #11 Continental GT3 of Harold Primat, Christoper Brück, Clemens Schmid and Marco Seefried finishing P8.

Bentley’s Member of the Board for Engineering, Rolf Frech, commented:

“We knew this would be an extremely challenging race, and of course we’re disappointed with our result, but we have positives to take away. First, our friends at Bentley Team HTP finished in the top ten, which is a fantastic result for the car’s debut in this race. Guy was incredibly unlucky with his collision, that was no fault of his own, but the mechanics were so impressive and we showed excellent pace afterwards which bodes well for the future. Losing the second car was also very tough, but I’m very glad that we worked so hard to return our #85 car to the track so we can learn more for the future. We’ll continue from here, move forward and be ready for our next race, which is only a few days away at Silverstone.”

The #85 car endured a difficult race after an encouraging start. Guy Smith drove the opening stint, starting from P20, and after two hours had moved up ten places to sit P10, showing strong pace. However, as part of a train of cars moving through the field, the #85 Continental GT3 was hit from behind while the pack moved around a slow competitor from a different race class, with the collision spinning Guy in to the barrier and destroying the front left suspension.

Ninety minutes later, the car was returned to the Bentley Motorsport garage, and the team of mechanics set to work assessing the damage and starting repairs. Three hours later their work was done, and the #85 car made a popular return to the track with Steven Kane at the wheel, heading out in to the night to gather valuable Nordschleife experience for the future. From that point on, the Bentley Boys drove double-stints until the finish, at which point they’d climbed 72 places to P74.

Car #84 ran solidly with consistent pace for the first eight hours of the endurance marathon. All three drivers had each driven a double stint, and Lance David Arnold had just finished his second stint at the wheel, bringing the car in to the pits from P10. He handed over to Jeroen Bleekemolen, who headed out in to darkness and mixed conditions. The changing grip on-track caused Jeroen to spin at the famous Bergwerk corner, causing front-end damage to the car that initially looked repairable. After closer inspection by the team, it was concluded that the chassis damage was too severe for an on-site repair and the car had to be retired.

Driver Quotes

Guy Smith, car #85: “It was really frustrating to be out of the competition so early, especially given how great the car was later in the race. I was having a fantastic stint, I gained ten places and the car felt good, so it was a huge disappointment to get punted off. I was in a train of cars that had to brake for a competitor from one of the slower classes, and the car behind hit me and span me off into the Armco. The team did a phenomenal job making repairs, which meant we could get back on the track and gain some more valuable experience for the future.”

Andy Meyrick, car #85: “This wasn’t the result we were hoping for, but there are actually loads of positives to take out of this weekend. We’ve developed a great setup, we had no reliability issues at all, and all three of us now have proper experience of racing here in the dark. That gives me confidence that with a little more luck, we can really take the race to the established competition here.”

Steven Kane, car #85: “In the race, I didn’t drive the car until after the incident, but I couldn’t believe how good it was. It was just a dream to drive, and from the moment we rejoined, our pace was frequently as good as the leaders. We definitely could have competed for a top-five finish. So that’s really encouraging, and we’ll take what we’ve learnt here and apply it straight away.”

Lance David Arnold, car #84: “Every lap was like a battle, with constant Code 60s as this incredibly hard race claimed competitors. It was really hard to analyse where it was wet or dry in the dark, but the car felt good so we were able to fight in to the top ten. We had confidence that a fresh driver on fresh tyres would be able to continue the challenge, but it only takes a tiny mistake and your race is over.”

Christian Menzel, car #84: “I’m disappointed that we didn’t finish, more for the learning that comes with time in the car than the final result – that’s the secret here, to get the right feeling as a driver. But I’m really proud to be part of this team – I’ve been in a lot of very good teams, but the team spirit at Bentley is special. The spectators see it too – this car and this team is definitely a fan favourite, and that drives us to do better next time.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen, car #84: “I’m very disappointed that we had to retire the car. Our pace was strong and we knew we could fight to finish in the top ten, and that was hugely motivational – but I had a big spin, and the damage that resulted was just too difficult to fix. It’s a real shame because the Continental GT3 drives really well here and with a little more luck we could’ve had a very strong finish.”

Looking Forward to Silverstone

The Bentley team now heads back to the UK and straight to Silverstone, for the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at the home of British motorsport. Guy Smith, Andy Meyrick and Steve Kane will be looking to build on their second-in-class, fourth-overall finish from the opening round in Monza, while the second Continental GT3 of Andy Soucek, Maxi Buhk and Maxime Soulet will also be fighting for a podium finish. Both tasks will be made harder by another change to the Bentley Continental GT3’s Balance of Performance, with a reduction in maximum boost pressure hindering the car’s performance.

Having won the 2014 round at Silverstone, Bentley Team M-Sport will start the weekend with a working setup and are looking forward to racing in front of the home fans. Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, comments:

“Silverstone is our spiritual home and I really hope we can put on a good show for the crowd. It’ll be a challenging race weekend due to the stiff competition but we know what it takes to win at Silverstone and as always we’ll race as hard as we can.”

- ENDS -

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** Pending Press Release for Mercedes-Benz and Porsche

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Farfus said this: "“We lost the race due to that problem at the pit stop.”

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And also some big praise for Walkenhorst Motorsport powered by Dunlop, who finished sixth and 15th, as well as the winners of the #BMW M235i Racing Cup class: Sorg Rennsport

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Tom Blomgvist:
"Great effort by the team BMW Motorsport"

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and another quote for Augusto:

"P4 for us today. We had a little fire while refueling our machine during the night which didn’t allow us to fight for the victory until the end! But…..Thank you Green Hell and all those amazing fans during the whole 24hrs! See you in 2016"

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Clean podium, dirty cars

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On the podium!

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Champagne for the Audi boys

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Aston Martin Vantage GT3 has finished in 16th overall, while the #49 V8 Vantage N430 wins the SP8 class

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Here's that R8 LMS with crying drivers!

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Nürburgring 24 Hours: Four top-15 placements in the “Green Hell”.
Second, fourth, sixth and 15th: the BMW Z4 GT3 enjoyed a good result at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

"Although BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS narrowly missed out on a 20th overall victory for BMW at the classic in the Eifel Mountains, finishing second and fourth, the overwhelming feeling after 156 laps was one of satisfaction with the drivers’ strong, battling efforts and the impressive performance of the BMW Z4 GT3. Many other privateer BMW teams and drivers had reason to celebrate in the Eifel region: in total, four class victories went to BMW."

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Leinders: “We definitely want to come back and to finally get a win under our belts.”
BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS finished second at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.



Three questions for... Bas Leinders (Team Principal, BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS).

Bas, second and fourth at the toughest 24-hour race in the world: how happy are you with the result?
Bas Leinders: “When you see how all the teams celebrated after the finish here at the Nürburgring, you can understand how much it means to get both cars through the entire distance at this race. However, we obviously wanted more. We wanted to win. It was a tough, exciting battle. Unfortunately we just came up short. We were runners-up in 2013 too. Back then, it felt like a win. This time we are disappointed.”

Your drivers were fantastic...
Leinders: “Yes, the guys were absolutely mega. However, the drivers were not the only ones who performed incredibly. The entire team did a perfect job. We had prepared meticulously for this one race in the ‘Green Hell’. Everyone in the team was fully committed to the cause, which allowed us to produce the performance we did this weekend. I would also like to pay a big compliment to the fans: it is incredible how many fans we had as a Belgian team in Germany.”

Your team made its first appearance at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2012. How has your team developed since then?
Leinders: “In the first year, we were a bit lost here. It was like landing on a different planet. However, the preparation races in the VLN Endurance Championship allowed us to adapt to this extraordinary circuit. Nowadays we love the Nordschleife. We definitely want to come back and to finally get a win under our belts.

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Sorg Rennsport wins the BMW M235i Racing Cup class.
Victory in the BMW M235i Racing Cup class at the Nürburgring 24 Hours went to the number 301 car, run by the Securtal Sorg Rennsport team.





After 136 laps of the Nordschleife, Michele Di Martino, Moritz Oberheim, Kevin Warum and Torsten Kratz came home four laps ahead of the number 308 Walkenhorst Motorsport car and the number 306 car of Bonk Motorsport. Because the 24-hour race did not form part of the BMW M236i Racing Cup this season, the winning team was presented with watches on the podium as a special prize, courtesy of Official Partner Dunlop. The drivers from the Scheid-Honert Motorsport team were also rewarded for their pole position in the CUP 5 class with watches. The “Eifelblitz” car led the race for a long time, before it lost a lot of time in the garage with a problem and eventually came home seventh in the class.