SIMMERN. Kilometers in the lead, fast lap times and chances of a podium finish: Scherer Sport by Phoenix celebrated a promising start to the season in the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) and gained valuable insights for the 24-hour race at the end of May with its two Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II.
The team already caused a stir in qualifying: The new Scherer brand ambassador Ricardo Feller (21/CH) achieved an impressive time of 7:52:237 minutes in the #16 Audi on his first outing in a GT3 vehicle on the 24.358-kilometer track lap time. The 2021 ADAC GT Masters champion thus secured third starting position for himself and his teammates Kuba Giermaziak (31, PL) and Kim-Luis Schramm (24, GER) in the 90-minute session. Frank Stippler (46/ Bad Münstereifel) also placed in the leading group of the 127-vehicle field in the #5 Audi. The Audi Sport driver was exactly one second slower than Feller. For Stippler and teammate Vincent Kolb (26, GER) this meant seventh on the grid.
Feller defended third place at the start, but just a few minutes later moved up to second place. On the fifth lap, the Swiss took the lead, which he maintained until the pit stop two laps later. His teammates Giermaziak and Schramm were then also within striking distance of a podium finish during their stints before the final phase
once Feller took over the car. At the finish after four hours, he was only 4.4 seconds off the podium in fourth place overall. A subsequent time penalty of 35 seconds ultimately threw the Audi back to seventh place. “We are basically satisfied,” summed up Schramm. “The car ran well in the first race, we still have time to improve a little here and there before the 24-hour race. Unfortunately, we had a small problem with the petrol pump and when we pitted, the car didn’t start immediately, which cost us around 20 seconds in total. Otherwise there would have been more.”
In the sister car, starting driver Stippler and partner Kolb also fought for a podium position in the first half of the race and provided entertainment for the numerous fans at the track with strong duels – including with the later victorious Manthey-Porsche. The duo saw their finish in eighth place. “The result is ok,” says Stippler. “I got stuck a bit at the start and lost a few places. Despite the contacts, the car remained intact and I was able to continue. Vincent rode well but couldn’t do much more going forward, so all in all it was a good run.”
Company boss Christian Scherer, whose company is one of the largest car dealerships in Germany, also drew a positive balance: “I am very satisfied. In this unusually great weather for the start of the season, the fans saw a very exciting race. Both cars, which only finished shortly before the race weekend, came to the finish line and covered a lot of kilometers. For me, the 24-hour race is what counts most and we have gained a lot of important experience that will help us further. I was very happy about the positive feedback on our vehicle designs at the weekend. A great many fans, drivers and colleagues are enthusiastic about the new look of our cars.”
The conclusion of Ernst Moser, whose Phoenix Racing team is responsible for the use of the Scherer vehicles on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, was similar: “The cars and drivers showed super speed. It was great to return to the Nordschleife after such a long break. The whole team did a great job. We had a few little things that took some time. If we eradicate them, we’ll fight at the front again. Overall, I am therefore satisfied with our placements in such a strong field.”
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