Formula European Masters
Bruno Spengler Nurburgring race notes
Montreal, Canada, August 16, 2003 -- In motor sport, it is extremely difficult to perform well if you take the start from the middle of the pack. That's exactly what happened today to Canadian race car driver Bruno Spengler in the first of two Euro ...
Published: Aug 18, 2003, 5:55 AM
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Montreal, Canada, August 16, 2003 -- In motor sport, it is extremely difficult to perform well if you take the start from the middle of the pack. That's exactly what happened today to Canadian race car driver Bruno Spengler in the first of two Euro Formula 3 races held at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany.
QUALIFYING
Austrian Christian Klien captured pole position with a time of 1 :23.315 while Bruno Spengler, behind the wheel of his Mercedes-Benz-powered Dallara, set the 13th fastest time of the session with a time of 1 :24.073. "I had a tough time finding a clear lap," said the 19-year old Spengler. "The Nurburgring circuit is quite short and there are many cars on the track at the same time. So, I had to be content with 13th place on the grid."
RACE
Spengler had a good start and immediately passed three cars before they reached the second corner. "Just in front of me, two cars touched wheels and crashed, sending a shower of debris all over the track," Spengler explained. "I brushed wheels with one spinning car and had to go the long way around the corner while other competitors cut across the grass. I lost about ten places at that moment."
The Safety Car took the track and at the restart, Spengler began to slice through the field despite driving a car that had been damaged. "The contact with the other car broke part of my front wing and I had a lot of under steer in the fast corners," he explained. "I was up in 16th place while I tried to pass Frenchman Simon Abadie. He was five of six tenths of a second slower than me and he was blocking me big time. I tried to outbrake him in the last corner of the race. But he just turned into me and his car vaulted in the air." Spengler was eventually classified 16th while German driver Markus Winkelhock won the race.
Tomorrow, Spengler -- who is a member of the Mercedes-Benz Junior Team -- will have a chance of finishing on the podium in the second race of the weekend. "Tomorrow, I'll take the start of the race in 5th place and not down the field in 13th," he said. "When you're up front with the leaders, there's less chances of being involved in accidents and crashes."
Bruno Spengler is sponsored by Mercedes Benz, Goodvibes, march-fifteen, Reneka, Arai, ASN Canada FIA, Smart race paint and Inside Track Motorsport News.
-www.brunospengler.com-
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