Nürburg/Heiligenroth, 29^th Sep. 2007 

Defective Data Wire and Problems
with the new Rear Axle thwarted
Racing Event Motorsport.
 >>Pictures from 5. run<<    >>Video from 5. run<<

Not only the jerseys of Borussia Dortmund sport the new script nameplate “Evonik”. Also at the BFGoodrich-Long-Distance-Touring-Car-Championship the new name can be found. The BMW 135 DBD of the team Racing Event Motorsport – known by many fans as the “Degussa BMW” – flaunts the new script nameplate. History: The former DEGUSSA AG now belongs to the EVONIK AG. Besides the visual changes, the rear axle was improved. After the accident during the last heat not only the damage was corrected, but also some parts of the axle enhanced. “We did a good testing job on Friday and were able to pack up work early.”, head of the team Andre Ibron said contentedly after the free practice.

The great road holding already displayed on Saturday morning at the qualifying. With a time in the 9:40s at the damp and cold Eifel-climate the BMW did not only gain the pole position. Additionally the BMW was with rank five at a third row grid spot in the second starting group. That far in front the fast biodiesel BMW couldn’t be found up to now. However Bugs Bunny - alias Guido Wirtz - wasn’t totally satisfied, unlike Friday, with the rear axle. “Bugs told us that the back wheels snapped through, therefore we increased the spring travel in the rear about 15 millimetres”, Andre Ibron said after the qualifying.

Equipped with the optimal adjustments Bugs Bunny immediately went for holding his ground at the top flight of the starting group. This venture worked out well until lap three. But then a wire defect caused creep speed. The electronics had switched to the contingency programme and hence top speed was no longer possible. Fortunately the team was able to spot the failure swiftly. At the technical approval an emergency-stop Bowden cable was rejected. During the replacement a data bus wire was damaged and this in turn interfered with the control unit. Due to the repairing the team lost two laps. A well-defined task awaited Franz Groß, who took over the cockpit at the next scheduled pit stop: catch up with the top flight.

He managed to do so, while the rear constantly caused more problems. “The Degussa-BMW was increasingly difficult to drive. Especially at left turns I had the feeling that the rear was soft and unstable. During my last lap the rear kind of buckled at bends and I had to drive slowly to the pit stop. There the tires were changed and the rear axle, the transverse control arms and the damper checked. However visually there was no damage detectable. But the problem couldn’t be solved with the tire change alone. Andre Ibron navigated the BMW during the last stint. After all he managed to retrieve position four within their class.

“The defective data bus wire was a needless fault, which unfortunately set us back the crucial two laps. That really fretted me”, Andre Ibron said after the race, ”Why the rear axle decreased that much during the race I can’t explain at the moment.” They’ll work on the analysis within the next few days. Eventually the 135 DBD ought to be competitive again at the next heat in a fortnight.