Race report Spa 25h

Uniroyal Funcup 25-hour race in Spa

An enjoyable marathon for drivers, a battlefield for cars

Hanover, July 2006. When the classic 24 hours are just not long enough and 151 racing cars over just under 7 kilometres are not too many, then it's the right time for the climax of the Uniroyal Funcup season. On the second weekend in July, an accumulated 20,000 hp roared through the Ardennes.

Instead of driving twice round the clock, once a year the Funcup adds an extra hour to the race - because everyone enjoys it so much. Participants in the European championships all gather in Spa-Francorchamps for the climax of the season, the 25-hour race. Ten German Funcup vehicles took on the tough competition. On the Friday the huge line-up of competitors started out on the two qualifying practice sessions.

The Uniroyal Presse 1 team with Lars Döhmann came away best among the German teams in the race against the clock, boasting a time of 3:11.377 minutes and gaining 30th place in the overall rating. "There's no point pushing the equipment to the limit at this stage. We've got a good starting position" commented Lars Döhmann confidently. Stoll Motorsport came second among the German teams on starting position no. 42. The Conti Motorpresse team finished behind them as no. 59, still among the first half of the 151 vehicles at the start line-up.

The Funnyracers, with the start number 170, soon found out what happens when you underrate the famously notorious 'Ardennes roller coaster'. The bolide, driven by a team of tyre dealers, took off in a big way, so the mechanics had to work overtime on it. Chief mechanic Ulli Suhr and his lads were unperturbed, though: "We'll get it sorted" they commented unequivocally. They were at it till three in the morning. And on Saturday the car was once again ready to roll.

On the Sunday at 4.30 pm, after a half-hour delay for an intro lap the race got off to a flying start. For the many spectators it must have been a stunning sight - like a huge swarm of bees, 151 cars stormed down the old start and home straight packed together closely, crossing the famous Eau Rouge sometimes four abreast and inevitably contact with the enemy resulted in damage to the vehicles.

At the end of the first hour, four German teams were amongst the leaders in the General Classification - initially Stoll Motorsport took the lead over the defensively-driving Uniroyal Presse 1 team, although the two German competitors were only five seconds apart - in position 21 and 26. The Black Panther team followed in 37th place, after a sensational start from position no. 112. Professional rally driver Dieter Depping was behind the wheel and he had no scruples about overtaking his competitors.

In the meantime, the Gummi Grassau team had stealthily crept up the rankings. By early evening, the car belonging to André Reinke, a large tyre dealer from northern Germany, was already in 33rd place in the General Classification, making it the third-best German car. During the night too, many of the teams fought such tough battles with competitors out on the track that the mechanics had their hands well and truly full trying to repair the damage.

The most serious incident involving one of the German participants happened at half past midnight, when the Conti Motorpresse vehicle took off so violently that the organisers called for a safety car phase (there were 21 in all) to get the car off the track. The damage was so great that the team had to retire.

The Sunday saw a tense duel between the two leading German teams - Uniroyal Presse 1 and Stoll Motorsport. It was a closely-fought affair, first one leading, then the other, right to the bitter end. Finally, at 5.30 p.m. the car with the start number 169 crossed the finishing line in 16th overall position, a good lap ahead of Stoll. The Gummi Grassau vehicle followed, taking an unchallenged third place ahead of the Black Panther team. In the overall rating, these teams achieved very respectable places - 16th, 18th, 31st and 67th - although for the German championship, they don't count.

Once again readers of the German magazine 'AutoBildmotorsport' also had a lot of fun driving a Funcup bolide. The 'Hot Readers' team is made up of competition winners throughout the season and has so far put on an impressive show. In the endurance test in Spa, the team was 100th overall and 6th in the German ratings.

At the end of the 25-hour race, where the points count double, Stoll Motorsport (272 points) was ahead of the Uniroyal Presse 1 team (270 points) in the German championship, followed by Gummi Grassau (257 points). The next race will already take place on July 29th at the Eurospeedway Lausitz as part of 'Eastside 100'. Before that, though, the Funmotorsports mechanics have got plenty to do...

- Long version -

Uniroyal Funcup 25-hour race in Spa

An enjoyable marathon for drivers, a battlefield for cars

Hanover, July 2006. When the classic 24 hours are just not long enough and 151 racing cars over just under 7 kilometres are not too many, then it's the right time for the climax of the Uniroyal Funcup season. On the second weekend in July, an accumulated 20,000 hp roared through the Ardennes.

The Uniroyal Funcup originated in Belgium in 1997. The creators of this unusual race series, which focuses entirely on driving fun (and had a proper set of regulations right from the start), also had the bright idea of enhancing even the top discipline of long distance racing: instead of just twice round the clock, an extra hour is added to the race - because everyone enjoys it so much.

The climax of the Uniroyal Funcup season sees teams arriving from Belgium, Germany, the UK, France and Italy. This year there was even a team from the USA. Ten German Funcup touring cars took on the tough competition. On the Friday, the huge line-up of competitors started out on the two qualifying practice sessions. Unlike normal Funcup races, the starting positions in the 25-hour race are not decided by a draw, so fast lap times were important. And with so much traffic on the track, achieving them was no easy matter for many of the teams.

The Uniroyal Presse 1 team with Lars Döhmann performed best among the German teams in the race against the clock and the vehicles thronging the track. Together with Philippe Godet, last year's German champion Stefan Scholzen, and Christian Gebhardt, the Uniroyal press officer's car managed a time of 3:11.377 minutes, gaining 30th place in the overall rating. "There's no point pushing the equipment to the limit at this stage. We've got a good starting position" commented Lars Döhmann confidently before the racing marathon. Stoll Motorsport, the winners of the first two races in the German championship, came second among the German teams on starting position no. 42. The Conti Motorpresse team finished behind them as no. 59, still among the first half of the start line-up.

The Funnyracers, with the start number 170, soon found out what happens when you underrate the famously notorious 'Ardennes roller coaster'. The bolide, driven by a team of tyre dealers, took off in a big way - the first taste of overtime for the mechanics. As night fell, the drivers sat around rather unhappy in the tent belonging to Funmotorsports, the German Funcup importer, where as usual a decent paddock party was getting under way. Chief mechanic Ulli Suhr and his lads were unperturbed: "We'll get it sorted" they commented unequivocally. In the pits, sparks from the angle grinder were flying till three in the morning, whilst the welding gear was sizzling. Sure enough, on the Saturday morning the car with the start number 170 was there at the warm-up session - and it performed so well that it gained 36th place in the start line-up.

What was particularly striking about the car was its design - a patchwork of original white body combined with the new black components. The signatures adorning the tailgate were a tribute to the indefatigable mechanics. That's the way it should be in the Funcup.

Who knows whether the odd Belgian car might soon turn up looking like this, too. At any rate, the members of the Impuls team are not too sure. A Belgian car with the same bodywork design as theirs - the finest deep blue paint with white double stripes - turned up in Spa. Impuls driver Herbert Nißel was laid back about it though: "Imitation is after all a form of flattery" he grinned, musing on the not entirely faithful copy.

On the Sunday at 4.30 pm, after a half-hour delay for an intro lap, the race got off to a flying start. For the many spectators it must have been a stunning sight - like a huge swarm of bees, 151 cars stormed down the start and home straight packed together closely, crossing the famous Eau Rouge bend sometimes four abreast. Unfortunately Josh Hoffmann, the driver of the yellow vehicle with the start number 45, already crossed swords with a hothead in the second lap. "Somebody forced me against the wall in La Source" said the guest driver, explaining the reason for the first of three involuntary pit stops within the first one and a half hours of the race.

At the end of the first hour, four German teams were amongst the leaders in the General Classification - initially Stoll Motorsport took the lead over the defensively-driving Uniroyal Presse 1 team, although the two German competitors were only five seconds apart - in 21st and 26th place. The Black Panther team followed in 37th place, after a sensational recovery coming up the field from starting position no. 112. Professional rally driver Dieter Depping was behind the wheel and he had no scruples about overtaking his competitors.

A decent starting sprint is, however, not crucial in the 25-hour Spa race. Initially the teams were all so close together that a pit stop with refuelling and change of driver could easily cost over 20 positions. What was more important was maintaining a constant fast speed, keeping clear of all the wrangling and pursuing a sensible strategy.

That is easier said than done though. Oliver Heider was the second driver in the Black Panther team to have to go into the pit for a longer repair stop. Two cars spun round directly in front of him and in trying to avoid them, his car was hit and the wheel bearer then had to be exchanged.

In the meantime, the Gummi Grassau team had stealthily crept up the rankings. By early evening, the car belonging to André Reinke, a large tyre dealer from northern Germany, was already in 33rd place in the General Classification, making it the third-best German car. During the night too, many of the teams fought such tough battles with competitors out on the track that the mechanics had their hands well and truly full trying to repair the damage.

Whilst the yellow Funmotorsports 2 vehicle with the start number 45 had engine problems to deal with, at half past ten the Impuls car was towed into the pit. The engine refused to start. After two hours the team resumed the race without any further ado using the two-seater they had brought along as a replacement - with the blessing of the race officers, but outside the ratings.

The most serious incident involving one of the German participants happened at half past midnight, when the Conti Motorpresse vehicle took off so violently that the organisers called for a safety car phase (there were 21 in all) to get the car off the track. The damage was so great that the team had to retire.

Meanwhile, Raceland Events with start number 203 was battling repeatedly with engine problems, but did ultimately manage to reach the finishing line with a replacement engine. The Sunday saw a tense duel between the two leading German teams - Uniroyal Presse 1 and Stoll Motorsport. It was a closely-fought affair, being in the lead alternating with the respective pit stops. Commenting on the way the race had gone Lars Döhmann, who drove his fastest lap time of 3:12.361 minutes in the middle of the night, explained: "We didn't have any problems apart from a break on the rear spoiler caused by fatigue, but it was often a close call out there on the track. Some of the drivers can't or won't see you, and if we hadn't driven as defensively as we did, the mechanics would have had to put in even more overtime. We had a nasty shock when the brake pads were being exchanged in the early morning - they were worn right down to the bare metal!"

Finally, at 5.30 p.m. the white and red car with the start number 169 crossed the finishing line a good lap ahead of Stoll, having completed 406 laps in all. This meant the Uniroyal Presse 1 team had won in the German ratings. The Gummi Grassau team followed, taking an unchallenged third place (396 laps) ahead of the Black Panther team (377 laps). In the overall rating, these teams achieved very respectable places - 16th, 18th, 31st and 67th - although for the German championship, they don't count.

Once again readers of the German magazine 'AutoBildmotorsport' also had a lot of fun driving a Funcup bolide. The 'Hot Readers' team is made up of competition winners throughout the season and has so far put on an impressive show. This time they managed sixth place (one lap behind the Funnyracers team) in the German ratings and an overall 100th place (344 laps). An accident, for which they were not responsible, meant a protracted pit stop and thwarted their chance of a better position.

The Belgian Ultra team (start number 46) was the overall winner, with 414 laps under their belt. The two next best teams were also Belgian - Dupon-Puype with 413 laps and Auto Binche with 412.

At the end of the 25-hour race, Stoll Motorsport (272 points) was ahead of the Uniroyal Presse 1 team (270 points) by a whisker in the German championship, followed by Gummi Grassau (257 points). The next race will already take place on July 29th at the Eurospeedway Lausitz as part of the 'Eastside 100' event, when all the cars will once again look tip-top and be ready for off. Before that, though, the Funmotorsports mechanics have got plenty to do...

About the Funcup and Uniroyal

The Uniroyal Funcup is a brand trophy, with races held in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, the UK and Spain. In Germany, the racing cars ‑ weighing 760 kg with 130 hp engine power ‑ can be driven by anyone. A specially designed tubular frame chassis under the VW Beetle‑lookalike plastic body features low‑cost mass‑produced parts. A complete new vehicle costs around 33,500 euros. Anyone interested should visit www.funmotorsports.de

The Belgian rubber goods manufacturer Englebert produced tyres from 1895 and the company's customers included Continental AG. When the firm merged with US Rubber in 1958, it was then known as Uniroyal Englebert. Uniroyal, the inventor of the rain tyre, has been a European brand within the portfolio of Continental AG in Hanover, Germany since 1979.

The Continental Corporation is a leading supplier of brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tyres and technical elastomers. In 2005 the corporation realised sales of EUR13.8 billion. At present it has a worldwide workforce of approximately 85,000.