Racereport 2003 / 03 Most

Hunting scenes in the Czech Republic

In the driver’s paddock, Hans-Jürgen Malsbenden (D) gave an impression of being so normal. But the quiet Rhinelander transformed into a first-rate troublemaker in his open Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray. “From the third lap onwards, everything turned difficult” the leader of the FIA-GTC’65 said. Malsbenden swung like a slalom skier over the track in the Autodrom Most in the Duhova Energie GT Classic Grand Prix, where the 3rd. round of the FIA-Championship for GT cars up to 1965 was carried out. The cheerful swinging American athlete caused the Lotus Elan drivers behind to despair. “It is totally crazy how he (Malsbenden) acted,” said defending Champion Bo Warmenius from the drivers’ point of view. “Although I am faster and could have overtaken him in the paddock corner (dramatic Swedish pause), I would have no Elan in the end if I had tried to do this.”

Vroom and the Terriers

By that time Malsbenden was casting worried looks in the rear mirror. “You feel as if the terriers are hunting you”. After the long-stretched right curve, there follows heart-and -soul-piece of the Corvettes in the Autodrom: the long 500 metre straight. Vroom, vroom, vroom: and the Corvette was gone in an instant. The Elans followed panting with their ‘short legs’.

In both the 30-Minute-Heats, Bo Warmenius (DK) and Peter Kroeber (D) were the ones following the steel blue Corvette. But Kroeber had to retire after a spin and with 2 slow punctures, annoyingly enough caused be wrongly assembled tyres. “But it is really great fun here in Most,” the former German Formel-Ford-Champion said. “The track coating changes many times, sometimes even in a curve from adhesive to non-adhesive.

Voßhenrich – the fastest Period E pilot

Although terrier-colleague Bo Warmenius hunted Malsbenden a little longer, he had to crawl on the track in slow motion and parked last year’s Championship winning car in a Czech green 3 laps before the chequered flag. “ My rev-limiter gave up,” Warmenius said and explained further that he only needed it as a protections against mistakes in changing gears from first to second. We will get rid of it in the second race and see how what happens.”

Therefore Claus Damgaard (DK) profited from this and scored points for the first position in his class before his Lindberg/Witchcraft team colleague, Henrik Lindberg (DK). Udo Voßhenrich (D) rushed through the finishing line after Guy Francois (B). The Lotus driver secured the first position in the ratings for Period E (up to 1961) with his Lotus Elite just before Mercedes Benz 300 SL specialist Hans Kleissl (D) with his fifth position in the overall classement.

420 horsepower for a Hallelujah

After the start of the second FIA-GTC’65 race, Hans-Jürgen Malsbenden used the 420 horsepower of his US-athlete for a sprint away from the field. The Elan armada followed behind him with merry ever-changing position fights between Bo Warmenius, Peter Kroeber and Claus Damgaard. Kroeber showed his nervousness first and landed in the gravel bed just before the paddock corner. Although he returned to the track, he was not a decisive factor for the outcome of the race any more.

As in the first race, Malsbenden defended his leadership from the lights to the flag. Behind him Warmenius tried to keep Damgaard at bay. Then suddenly it happened – Bo Warmenius came too close to Malsbenden’s Corvette and had to pull the emergency brakes. Damgaard could not avoid him and pushed the Championship defender from Sweden from the track.

Fairness wins

Damgaard did not want to scrounge the class win in this way though. “I waited until Bo caught up with me again,” the Dane reported. Warmenius showed his surprise: “ I do not know if I would have reacted in the same manner.” Anyway Damgaard displayed fairness through his behaviour and was the Man of the Racing Weekend in Most.

Therefore the thrilling duel for the class win (up to 1,6 litres) lasted right up to the last lap. Damgaard pushed past Warmenius just before the fast chicane after the long straight. He became second in his class in the total classment. Behind Lindberg and Kroeber, Guy Francois and Dr. Richard Bateman (GB) fought bravely for the fifth place. “Francois had technical problems and I overtook him,” Bateman said. “But suddenly he became faster and I could not stop him anymore.”

As in the first race, Udo Voßhenrich was the fastest driver in the Period E. Hans Kleissl put up an exciting duel over the whole distance with Theo van Bree (NL) in a Alpine A 110, one of the smallest cars in the FIA-GTC’65 field. “The big cars play out their higher capacities on the straights in such a superior manner that one cannot make up for this lead in a smaller car even in the curving passages.”