In the top-class starting grid of the ADAC Zurich 24h race, the attentive observer will find plenty of splashes of color. But hardly anyone attracts the attention of the fans along the Nürburgring Nordschleife as the bright yellow painted ABT Bentley Continental GT3, piloted by Christian Mamerow with his driver colleagues. With strong performances in the previous season's races on the Nordschleife, they have caused a sensation.
When the British noble body approaches with a beefy look and a loud, dull rumble, every motorsport enthusiast will go into raptures. The more than 600 hp V8 monster, which was developed by the British rally expert Malcolm Wilson and his team M-Sport, has enriched the global GT scene since 2013 and will be used for the second time this year by the ABT Sportsline team at the long-distance Classics used in the Eifel. "We are tackling the 'Nordschleife project' with full concentration and respect, but also with great anticipation," says Managing Director Hans-Jürgen Dept. Christian Mamerow (Waltrop), who already won the 24-hour race in 2014 in the Phoenix Audi , is new this year in the driver squad of the team from Kempten in the Allgäu.
A professional environment attracted the 24h winner of 2014
“After a few successful years with Audi, I was offered the opportunity to start with Bentley in this year's 24-hour race. I was looking for a professional collaboration, and that was the case with the connection between Abt Sportsline and Bentley. That's why I said: 'Yes, I feel like it.' This is a new challenge for me, which I am happy to accept, ”explains Christian Mamerow. "It was simply important for me to work in a professional environment so that I could once again have the chance to win the race," emphasizes the 32-year-old. "And you only have this chance of winning if you start with a factory-supported team," Mamerow is certain. The switch from the Audi R8 LMS to the right-hand drive Bentley Continental GT3 was a special challenge for the Waltroper professional racing driver. "Of course it was also exciting for me to see how quickly I can change," reveals Mamerow. “And I have to say that I felt comfortable in the car after a short time. Of course, I had problems in the first laps of correctly assessing the right-hand drive Bentley left-hand bend, so I not only hit the curbs several times, but also kissed the turf a few times. ”
Mamerow on Abt: "Professional and meticulous"
Thanks to the 600 PS strong four-liter V8 bi-turbo engine, the British luxury liner has a tremendous propulsion. "The power delivery through the turbo is huge," says Mamerow. Due to its large face, the Bentley has disadvantages in terms of top speed. "Even in slow, winding passages, our car is a bit difficult to deflect," says Mamerow. "Nevertheless, I was very surprised how well the Bentley still drives." But the key to success lies in the many years of experience and structure of the Abt team, Mamerow believes. "There is worked in all respects incredibly professional and meticulous at the highest level," he rejoices. "We try to get the most out of our package, but certainly not among the top favorites in the 24h race because we have the oldest GT3 car in the field from all brands".
24h qualifying: Strong performance was not rewarded
At the dress rehearsal for the 24h race, the ADAC qualifying race 24h race, the Abbot Bentley with start number #38, which Mamerow shares with Christer Jöns (Ingelheim) and Jordan Pepper (South Africa), was only ranked 13 and on the grid It did not make it into the list of starting positions for the top 30 qualifying. The sister car # 37, on the other hand, with Christopher Brück (Cologne), Nico Verdonck (Belgium) and Christian Menzel (Kelberg), has already qualified by tenth and thus also proved: The British are in music with their performance. Also in the subsequent 6h race on the 25,378 kilometers long combination of Grand Prix circuit and Nürburgring Nordschleife the two Abt-Bentleys were promising in the race. The Continental GT3 # 37 was even able to hold the lead in the beginning. However, both vehicles did not see the checkered flag, but retired prematurely after about three hours with technical defects. "For us it was a turbocharger damage, which led to the failure," said Christian Mamerow disappointed. Now the whole team hopes for more luck in the 24h race ...