Five hours of racing fun

Hanover, September 2007. The sixth and penultimate race in this year's Uniroyal Funcup championship will be held on 20th/21st September on the Grand Prix track at the Nürburgring. This race, which takes place in the run-up to the ADAC Nürburgring Classics, lasts five hours and could produce the preliminary decision in the contest for the title.

As the title sponsor and tyre supplier for the entertaining Funcup racing series, Uniroyal makes intensive use of the race in Germany's Eifel region. Brand manager Spyridon Spyridonu is making a total of five cars available to tyre distributors. Two of these will be driven by representatives from the northern sales area, two by representatives from the west. The fifth car will be driven by distributors from the tyre retailer Vergölst. Experienced drivers will be at the wheel, but also novices - that being the philosophy of the Funcup. The Funcup series is, after all, rightly referred to as motor sport fun for everyone.

However, what is just pure fun for the one constitutes a battle for the championship for the other. Stoll Motorsport is ahead in terms of results, even after allowing for the discards, with the Conti Motorpresse, MK Racing, Black Panther, Gummi Grassau Racing and Impuls teams close on their heels. And every one of them has a fighting chance of scooping the overall victory. Stoll and MK Racing achieved two season victories or twice the full number of points, Impuls was way ahead at one time, whilst Grassau triumphed in the 25 hour race (double points were awarded here, so they gained the full number of points six times for five races).

The racing weekend in the Eifel starts already on Thursday, 20th September, and only ends on the Sunday after the finish of the Nürburgring Classics when, for some of the races, part of the legendary northern loop will be used. The race on Friday afternoon will already bring the Funcup to its conclusion.

The timing will be as follows:

Thursday, 20th September 2007

15.00 - 19.00 hrs Checking of documents

Handing out of driver outfits

16.00 - 19.00 hrs Scrutineering

15.30 - 17.00 hrs Licence course - theory including driver meeting for course participants

17.00 - 18.20 hrs Licence course - practical

17.10 - 17.30 hrs Driver meeting for licence course participants

18.30 - 18.50 hrs Driving under guidance

from 19.00 hrs     Evening meal with paddock party

On Friday, 21st September 2007, the contest for the best timings will get under way on the Grand Prix track at the Nürburgring, providing entertainment for drivers and spectators alike.

Friday, 21st September 2007

08.00 - 10.00 hrs Training

10.15 hrs            Draw for starting positions

10.30 hrs            Start line-up and photo shoot

11.00 - 16.00 hrs Race

followed by presentation ceremony on the podium for the winners, return of the race cards

Close of nominations for this Funcup race is 13th September. Quick decision-makers can still register at http://www.funcup.eu/, find out about individual driver spaces or ask about renting an entire car and the conditions involved.

The weekend after the Nürburgring, Funcup fans already get their next chance to see a race. The last racing event in the season for the Belgian championship will be held on 28th/29th September in Spa-Francorchamps. This six-hour race requires the use of additional lighting, just like the 25 hour race, because it starts at 16.00 hrs and goes into the night, finishing at 22.00 hrs. On 27th September drivers already have the opportunity of independent training (a fee will be charged).

The Uniroyal FunCup is a brand cup held in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, the UK and Spain. In Germany the 760 kg, 130 hp racing cars may be driven by anybody. Under the plastic vehicle body, resembling that of a VW Beetle, are inexpensive mass-produced components in a specially-designed tubular frame. A complete new car costs around 34,000 euros. For further details, check the website http://www.funcup.eu/.

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 automotive supplier of tyres, brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers. In 2006 the corporation realised sales of EUR14.9 billion. It currently has a worldwide workforce of around 89,000.