Oschersleben, Germany (21st June, 2009)
NISSAN GT-R driven by regular duo, Michael Krumm (Germany) and Darren Turner (Great Britain) finished in 9th place in GT1 class, 14th overall at the third round of the FIA GT Championship held on 20th-21st June, at the Motorsport Arena (Oschersleben, Germany, Length 3.696km).
"Before coming to the Oschersleben race, we carried out an intensive 3 day test at Algarve, Portugal, and the trouble we experienced at the Silverstone race has been sorted out. We came here to finish the German race this weekend to prove we are ready for the 24H of Spa next month" said Yasuharu Kamei, the team principal of NISSAN Motorsport.
According to the Sporting Regulations, NISSAN GT-R had to carry an additional 40kg of success ballast for the Oschersleben race, however, in qualifying on Saturday, Michael Krumm pushed very hard and took 10th on the grid.
The weather on Sunday was very challenging. It was wet but later dry when Darren Turner recorded 6th fastest time in the warm-up. Michael Krumm started the two hour race on slicks, and just avoided a collision between 3 leading cars at the first corner. On lap 4 Krumm jumped up to 8th position, but a couple of mistakes cost him 5 positions later on. Heavy rain started when NISSAN GT-R was running in 9th place, and the team decided to bring the car back to pit on lap 32 for a driver change and wet tyres. In heavy rain, Darren Turner was almost as quick as the leading pack, however, at turn 3 on the 56th lap Darren missed the corner and went straight into the gravel. Darren lost 3 minutes and 30 seconds and 3 positions before getting back on the track. Luckily the car did not suffer any damage, and Darren continued his stint as scheduled until he came back to the pit on lap 59. A few laps after Michael took over the car on fresh wet tires from Darren, the rain stopped but the track remained wet all over the track. Michael drove brilliantly and NISSAN GT-R was the quickest on the track from lap 63 to 67, and finished the race in 9th place in GT1 class, and 14th overall.
"The weather has been inconsistent over the weekend, and it was not easy for us to set up the car" said Michael Krumm. "But I am very happy to finish the race. Car balance suited the track condition in my last stint. From my experience with SUPER GT in Japan, I know NISSAN GT-R runs very well in the wet. Weather in Spa is also unpredictable and changeable like today. I am now looking forward to going to Spa next month."
Darren Turner said "I am very happy for the team since we needed to finish the important race before Spa today. The car has been improved and we have made some progress in the right direction since Silverstone but it was a difficult race today because of the tricky weather. I am excited about racing at Spa with NISSAN GT-R."
