http://www.ats-wheel...emid=55&lang=plThe ATS Motorsport team wrapped up the victory in one of the most closely-fought classes, the SP3 class, with the experienced endurance drivers Ralf Schmid, Harald Jacksties, Frank Lorenzo and Friedhelm Mihm at the Nürburgring 24 Hours thanks to an outstanding performance, crossing the line three laps ahead of their closest challenger.
Bad Dürkheim/Nürburg, June 2011: A total of 200 cars on the grid, around the clock, on one of the world's most challenging circuits where one lap measures 25km - the Nürburgring 24 Hours is simply unrivalled. The legendary race around the Green Hell is the greatest motorsporting challenge there is for both man and machine. And this mammoth task was exactly what the ATS Motorsport team faced up to last weekend - and they passed the test with complete conviction. Ralf Schmid, Harald Jacksties, Frank Lorenzo and Friedhelm Mihm finished the 24-hour marathon with a strong victory in the SP3 class for cars with engines up to 2 litres in size. The foundations for this victory were laid by the Mäder Motorsport team, who both built and entered the victorious ATS Honda S2000.
"The car was perfectly prepared," said Ralf Schmid, President of the Advisory Board at the UNIWHEELS Group, after taking the chequered flag. "Every metre of the race was fantastic fun in that Honda. And the fact that we were able to win the class is the best possible result for the team and for the drivers."
The joy and the pride are both fully justified - after all, the SP3 class is one of the most closely-fought classes in the whole race. A total of 20 cars lined up on the starting grid in the SP3 class and, at the end of the race, the Honda S2000 from ATS Motorsport even had a three-lap lead. In the overall result, the ATS team came home in a fantastic 44th position amongst the large number of significantly more-powerful GT cars. "Alongside the reliability of the car, the key to the class victory was the consistency of the drivers," said Harald Jacksties, Director of Marketing and Motorsport at UNIWHEELS. "In terms of speed, we were all at the same level and were also able to take the fastest lap of the race for this class. Despite the high speeds, each of the drivers made an effort to nurse the Honda home. Special thanks should go to Mäder Motorsport who once again prepared and entered the S2000 with absolute perfection.”
But there were some difficulties on the way towards the victory, as Friedhelm Mihm and Frank Lorenzo explain: "We lost fourth gear at some point during the night. Because of this, we had a spin and, due to the starter motor not working properly, we had to be towed from the circuit, losing a lap as a result. We then had to push over the subsequent laps in order to fight back and retake our place at the top of the class. Even though it doesn't really seem so when you look at the three-lap advantage we had at the end of the race, it was really hard work. The damp track conditions at the start of the race were also challenging, as was negotiating the corners in the darkness."
However, the 24-hour race has become a sort of obligation for the ATS Motorsport. "After we took home the SP3 class victory last year, defending our title was particularly exciting and an honour for us," concluded Harald Jacksties. "Leaving sporting ambition to one side, the extremely-exhausting race around the Nordschleife is, of course, a tough testing ground for our motorsport wheels. ATS wheel were not only used by ourselves for the race, but also by a large majority of the other teams on the starting grid at the 24-hour race. As we were once again able to prove, our light but extremely-stable ATS motorsport wheels passed the test of the 24-hour marathon around the Green Hell with flying colours, just as we expected."