Compte rendu 2005/ 01 Hockenheim
The FIA-TC’65-Champion gave it all
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Meanwhile, Dieter-Karl Anton drove a spirited race with his Alfa Romeo GTA (1965). The defending Champion of the FIA-TC’65 was the only driver of the Top Four to drive solo. After the Start, the former Formula-2-Champion lost a few positions and fought his way back to the 3rd. position. He did not give up this position anymore right up to the finishing line.
After the race, the enormous strain was clearly mirrored in his features. In the end he only missed out the overall class win by mere 22 seconds to the Gustavsson-Lotus-Cortina, who won this in the heavily packed 1,6 litre class but the Austrian could nevertheless out-manoeuvre Ex-Champion Bo Warmenius and Gunnar Turebrand (both S) in their Ford Lotus Cortina to the 3rd. position in the class. The Swedes secured the 4th. place in the overall class wins before the solo starter Pantelis Christoforou (GB) in another Ford Lotus Cortina.
Fastest Mustang only in the sixth position
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Only then did Reinhold Gröpper (D) cross the finishing line with his Ford Mustang. “In the second half of the race, I could only use the fourth gear,” reported the former DTM private driver from Paderborn. Even then, he secured the 2nd. position in the cubic capacity class of cars over 2,5 litres before the Mustang team Erwin Derichs / Manfred Kubik (D/A). The fourth in training, Dirk Waaijenberg (NL) had to park his Ford Mustang after 11 rounds just like Nigel Vaulkhard und John Smirthwaite (both GB). The Brits are the defending Champions for the Title in the higher classes of the FIA-TC’65.
Ian Cox and Allen Tice (both GB) became the best team in their fast small car, the Mini Cooper S 1,3 (1964) without any fight. The former FIA-TC’65 Champion Dieter Dahlemann (D), who had started an an overall nineth (!), had to retire in the 16th. round after a damage to the rear wheel suspension of his Mini Cooper.
The starting field of the FIA-TC’65 which included six Ford Lotus Cortinas commemorated a worthy memorial of Jim Clark. The event in Hockenheim remembers the legendary race driver who died in a tragic accident on the Hockenheimring during the Formula-2-Race in 1968. The 2-times Formula-1 World Champion and winner of the 500 Miles of Indianapolis represented the British Touring Car Championship in a Ford Lotus Cortina.


























