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Hockenheimring II: Volkswagen preview

Volkswagen Motorsport at the Hockenheimring (D) Season finale and title fight for Volkswagen at Hockenheim Wolfsburg (20 October 2009). The loop is closing: Volkswagen returns to Hockenheim where the 2009 Formula 3 Euro Series kicked off with a ...

Volkswagen Motorsport at the Hockenheimring (D)

Season finale and title fight for Volkswagen at Hockenheim

Wolfsburg (20 October 2009). The loop is closing: Volkswagen returns to Hockenheim where the 2009 Formula 3 Euro Series kicked off with a victory and the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup started to its sixth season. While the title decision in the Formula 3 Euro Series was made early, contenders in the Polo Cup will compete for two titles up to the last metre -- the title of the overall winner and the one of the best rookie.

Formula 3 Euro Series: the "vice champion" returns with Volkswagen

Edoardo Mortara, who became "vice champion" in the 2008 Formula 3 Euro Series with Volkswagen, will return to Formula 3 as a guest entrant. The 22-year-old Italian contested a GP2 season this year which saw him score a victory. At the finale of the Formula 3 Euro Series at Hockenheim he will compete for Team Kolles & Heinz Union in preparation for the Formula 3 Grand Prix at Macao on the penultimate weekend in November.

The Danish regular driver Johan Jokinen will run at Hockenheim as Mortara's team-mate. The other drivers who want to start the winter break after clinching a good result with Volkswagen at Hockenheim are Mika Maki from Finland of the Signature team, who most recently achieved a podium result at Dijon-Prenois, as well as his team-mates Jean Karl Vernay from France and Tiago Geronimi from Brazil. Carlin Motorsport completes the Volkswagen line-up with the American Jake Rosenzweig and Mirko Bortolotti, last year's Italian Formula 3 champion. To date, the Volkswagen drivers have scored six overall victories and 16 additional podium places in the Formula 3 Euro Series including three wins as well as four further podium positions this season.

ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup: two candidates are fighting for the title

Will Maciek Steinhof be able to convert his lead of 37 points over Max Sandritter into the title at the finale? His chances are good: For one, the four victories clinched by the leader of the standings from Cracow include his exploit in the season opener at the same venue. Max Sandritter on the other hand had to settle for 22nd place at the Hockenheim circuit on 17 May. For the other, the Pole enjoys a very comfortable advantage. If, for example, Sandritter, who hails from Raubling in Upper Bavaria, were to clinch his fourth victory of the season at Hockenheim, Steinhof would have to finish worse than in tenth place. This is a possible, albeit unlikely scenario. Steinhof achieved his lead by consistently delivering top performances so far. The first eight races saw him mount the podium seven times, four of them as the winner, twice as the runner-up and, most recently at Barcelona, in third place. His seventh-place finish at the Nurburgring was his poorest result of the season.

The battle for the title in the Rookie Cup on the other hand offers suspense galore: Maximilian Hacklander merely has a three-point lead over Kris Heidorn. Mathematically, David Jahn in third place with a 32-point gap still has chances as well. He last clinched his first rookie victory at Barcelona which also amounted to his first outright win. "The spectators can definitely look forward to a thrilling finale," Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen summed up the current state. "Since Barcelona, we can say that we're facing a new situation: For the first time, a rookie scored overall victory in a race. This goes to show what chances even rookies have in our series. The title candidates in the overall standings will have to brace themselves for fierce competition."

TV schedule, Hockenheimring

Saturday, 24 October 2009
14.30 - 15.00 ARD, F3ES race 1 (summary)
18.20 - 18.25 n-tv, F3ES race 1 (summary)
19.00 - 20.00 DSF, F3ES race 1 (summary)

Sunday, 25 October 2009
10.20 - 11.20 n-tv, F3ES race 2 (live report)
15.15 - 15.20 ARD, F3ES race 2 (short report)
18.00 - 18.30 DSF, F3ES and Polo Cup (short reports)

Tuesday, 27 October 2009
16.00 - 16.30 n-tv, F3ES and Polo Cup (short reports)

-credit: vw

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