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PARTNERS
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News For April 1st, 2006
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Eurosport 944 Leaves 3rd Place at Road Atlanta for 20 Lap Sprint Race |
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Braselton, GA - The Eurosport 944 piloted by Andy Berberich took 3rd place
in its first Porsche Club of America (PCA) Club Race of 2006. Unfortunately
due to a fuel miscalculation, the Eurosport 944 was disqualified for being
18 pounds below the 2779 pound minimum weight requirement. Even with the
unfortunate disqualification, the team was very pleased with their
performance in the highly competitive race at historic Road Atlanta.
The weekend began with Brandon Fritz and Karl Berberich hauling the Eurosport 944 from chilly Illinois to the 12-turn, 2.54-mile road course located North East of Atlanta, GA. Andy |
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Berberich met them at the track
after providing crew support to Eurosport Racing's professional race team at
a testing session at Virginia International Raceway. Along with Co-op Racing
team members Fritz and Berberich, Jason Hartnell made the trip in order to
support the Eurosport 944 effort. Since no one from Co-op Racing had driven
Road Atlanta before, Friday's practice was used primarily for driver Andy
Berberich to become familiar with the course. Along with track
familiarization, Berberich worked with Fritz and the Eurosport Racing crew
in order to fine-tune the suspension setup. Before the end of Friday's
practice, changes were made to the car's setup, including shock adjustments
and front suspension alignment. It was the first day of track use for the
Eurosport 944 since extensive work was performed over the winter. The car
proved to be ready for the season with no unexpected circumstances that
would keep it from being competitive.
Saturday morning started out wet due to the rain showers that moved through the night before. Never missing an opportunity for track time, Co-op Racing sent Berberich out on street tires in order to become even more familiar with the track. Between the early morning practice and the qualifying session, Karl Berberich mounted weight ballasts into the floorboard of the car. The Eurosport Porsche 944 required approximately 180 pounds of extra weight in order to meet the 2779 minimum weight requirement. By using the fuel burned during the practice sessions, the team estimated the amount of fuel that would be used during the race and the final vehicle weight. This proved to be the only major mistake the entire weekend. In a field of 19 cars, Berberich qualified the Eurosport 944 fifth in class, which was a notable accomplishment for the team's first weekend. As always, the first several laps of the 20-lap sprint race were very busy. The most exciting part was when Berberich topped the turn 11 hill under the Suzuki Bridge to find a white Porsche 911 spinning around in circles down at the bottom. By this time, several cars were starting to stack up and take evasive action in order to miss the wildly spinning 911. Without anywhere else to go, Berberich drove off the track and rode the grass down to the bottom of the hill in order to stay out of trouble. With the Eurosport 944 back in control and the trouble behind, Berberich was able to return to the track with losing only a couple class positions. The rest of the race was spent recovering the lost positions and then advancing positions in class. When the checkered flag finally flew at the end of the 20-lap race, Berberich had piloted the Eurosport 944 to a 3rd place finish in class. "Going into the race I knew we had a top five car," Berberich reflected. "The I-Class was very large and very competitive at Road Atlanta. Top 5 would have been great, but the podium finish exceeded my expectations." The celebration was short lived as the Eurosport 944 was directed to the tech barn in order to get weighed to ensure rule conformance. Unfortunately, due to the miscalculation in fuel used, the Eurosport 944 came in 18 pounds under weight and was disqualified. "I was very disappointed when we were disqualified." explains Berberich. "The team had put forth a lot of time and effort in order to earn the third place finish. It was until George Weathered of Eurosport Racing put things into perspective. He said that I should be very satisfied with the 3rd place accomplishment considering we had never been to Road Atlanta before. He said that some people would race two to three years before making the advances that I have in a couple days. He was right and even without the official 3rd place finish, I am still very, very satisfied with my performance." The 18-pound discrepancy was a learning opportunity for Co-op Racing and will be used as an example for many years to come. .starting with the next race which was the 90 minute enduro the next day. |
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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR RACING PARTNERSEurosport Racing is a premiere Midwest Porsche street and race specialist. They specialize in Porsche service, track support and transport, engine design and rebuilding, dyno tuning, and suspension setup and alignment. They also offer a full line of OEM, aftermarket, and high performance parts and accessories. More information on Eurosport Racing can be found at www.midwesteurosport.comKauth and Mayeur provides the finest import services in Peoria, IL. They offer a wide range of maintenance and repair services for import cars. Specializing in high performance streetcars. Kauth and Mayeur can be reached at (309) 673-1412 or http://www.kauthmayeur.com. Maui Jim, Inc. was established in 1996 and continues to be the fastest growing premium polarized sunglass manufacturer in the world today. With more than 50 styles to choose from and easy online browsing at their website, www.mauijim.com Maui Jim are the sunglasses of choice for Co-op Racing, which provide excellent clarity and protection when used behind the wheel or behind the wall. |
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