After their second-place finish in the International GT Open at Spa-Francorchamps a week earlier, the Kirchbergers headed to the qualifying round for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring last weekend (23 to 25 May). Although the distance between Spa and the Nürburgring is relatively manageable, the team made a detour to the workshop in Neuesalz (Plauen) to prepare the Audi R8 LMS evo II for qualifying.

Saturday’s timed practice and the subsequent four-hour race were marked by typical Nürburgring weather. The Austrian team, consisting of Christian Klien, Norbert Siedler, Max Hofer, and Simon Reicher, was confronted with heavy rain. The result was 15th place in timed practice. Team manager Peter Reicher explains: “We are newcomers to the Nordschleife – the underdogs among the GT3 teams. I am more than satisfied with the performance. Of course, you always hope for a great result. But at the end of the day, I’m also a realist and know where we stand.”
And when the team was ranked tenth overall after four hours, Peter Reicher added: “Great performance by everyone involved.”

Sunday’s timed practice brought almost euphoric feelings to the team: eighth place among all the Nordschleife legends. At 1 p.m., the second four-hour race of the weekend began. But when the news came across the ticker at 14:12 – “#84 Reicher/Klien/Siedler/Hofer (Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II) is stopped across the track after two impacts in the Hatzenbach area” – the mood quickly darkened. However, after analysing all the data and facts, Peter Reicher reported: “We simply have no experience with the Michelin tyres. We tested all types of tyres throughout Saturday, except for damp, wet, and aquaplaning conditions. But in the dry, we were not prepared for the tyre to suddenly build up extreme grip. Simon could no longer keep our Audi on the track. So we still have a lot to learn. Nevertheless, I am more than satisfied with the overall performance of everyone. I saw throughout the weekend how the team structure and cooperation have developed fantastically. According to our drivers, they were all more than satisfied with the car's setup. These are the best conditions for the highlight of the year in four weeks.”

Simon Reicher shared his take on the weekend: “This weekend was all about preparing ourselves as best as possible for the 24-hour race, getting to know each other as a team, and testing things. We got along very well right from the start. Finishing tenth in those difficult conditions on Saturday was a great achievement. It was almost a miracle that we all got around the track. But to be honest, we were missing a bit of speed. That’s a matter of risk management – how much risk are you willing to take? But that wasn’t relevant to us. For us, it was about getting mileage. The performance in timed practice on Sunday by Max Hofer was sensational. Starting the race from eighth place was a big highlight. It was very unfortunate that I lost our Audi at Hatzenbach during my stint. Better it happens in the preliminary event than in the main race at the 24 Hours itself. All in all, it was great preparation for all of us.”

Now, the team is heading to the International GT Open at the Hockenheimring. The squad led by Peter Reicher aims to collect their next championship points there from 6 to 8 June.

Source: Eastalent Racing/ www.kartpress.de / Michael Schulz
Photo: Christoph de Haar

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