DTC: Danish GP round five report

For the first time ever UK-based Team Brask won a round of the Danish Touringcar Challenge, when its lead driver, Klaus Madsen, took top position in round five of the series on Saturday at the Danish Grand Prix double-header at Jyllands-Ringen. The win was also the first for driver Madsen, who got the top podium place following a race-long battle with Jason Watt. The former Formula 3000 driver had started the preceeding qualification race from pole and won it from Madsen, but the latter then reversed the result in the final.

"I am so happy for this win, and actually it was Jason who taught me how to drive a racing car in the wet," an affected Madsen said, minutes before he was given the winner's garland as a very popular winner.

"At the start of the nineties I was racing in the Citroën AX GTI Cup, which provided all drivers with equal equipment. In this class we once did a wet race, where Jason also took part, and during that race, when he finished first and I took second, he taught me how to race in the wet."

With his win in the qualification race Jason Watt started the final from pole position, but it was Klaus Madsen who made the better get-away.

"My place on the grid was on the inside line, which was very wet, and when the lights turned to green, the car was just standing still with the wheels jumping up and down in the water," Watt explained. Madsen on the other hand was much more satisfied with his start. "I have had problems when starting previously, but I have changed the clutch system of my Peugeot as well as done a lot of practice, making starts, and that really helped me today."

Jason Watt shadowed Klaus Madsen until the middle of lap five, when he dived inside him at the entrance to a left hand corner after a straight. At first, it looked as if Watt had passed Madsen, but in the next right-hander Madsen spotted an opening and went back into first following a short mirror-rubbing moment. But the contact was no more severe than Madsen and Watt afterwards had a hearthy discussion about it. On the following laps, Watt kept putting the pressure on, but he could not mount a serious challenge, as he was facing problems with his second gear.

Klaus Madsen's win moved him from eighth to fifth place in the championship positions, while Jason Watt advanced from 12th to ninth position. Following Madsen's win at the track side was the owner of Team Brask, Lars-Christian Brask, who is used to see wins for the team in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.

"But I have never been as nervous during a race before," Lars-Christian explained. "I have never attended a race in Denmark before, and then being able to be present at the most important event of the year, where we get our first Danish win, is absolutely fabulous."

In the battle for this year's Danish Touringcar Challenge Peugeot driver Michael Carlsen extended his lead by seven points. Carlsen was not at his mostly competitive and had finally to give up in his attempt to wrestle third from Pierre Legarth, but as his main rival, John Nielsen, had an awful day, he was still able to extend his championship lead.

The former Le Mans winner's race got off to a bad start, when he had to pull off the track with a broken drive shaft on his McDonald's Nissan Primera on lap two of the qualification race. However, a hasty repair saw the car make the back of the grid for the final, and during the 20 lapper John Nielsen managed to move from last to fifth, having passed the Fiat Coupé of Peter Rasmussen on the very last lap.

Round six of the Danish Touringcar Challenge starts Sunday September 3rd at 2 o'clock.

<pre> Result - Round 5 - Qualification race - 12 laps of 1.475 kms:

1. Jason Watt                   Peugeot Sport Team              Peugeot 306 GTI         13.13,680
2. Klaus Madsen                 Team Brask Racing               Peugeot 306 GTI         13.14,614 
3. Pierre Legarth               Peugeot Sport Team              Peugeot 406 Coupé       13.16,401
4. Michael Carlsen              Michael Carlsen Motorsport      Peugeot 306 GTI         13.19,631
5. Jørgen Weinreich             Valvoline Racing                Seat Cordoba 2,0 16V    13.23,352
6. Michael Schröter             Michael Schröter                Volkswagen Golf GTI     13.25,834
7. Jørgen Poulsen               S40 Racing                      Volvo S40               13.26,739
8. Peter Rasmussen              VHA Trim Racing                 Fiat Coupé              13.27,470 
9. Allan Bjerregaard            Allan Bjerregaard               Ford Focus              13.28,692 
10. Thorkild Thyrring           McDonald's Nissan Racing        Nissan Primera          13.30,005

Fastest lap: Klaus Madsen, 57,278s (92,706 km/h).

Result - Round 5 - Final - 20 laps of 1.475 kms:

1. Klaus Madsen                 Team Brask Racing               Peugeot 306 GTI         23.34,593 
2. Jason Watt                   Peugeot Sport Team              Peugeot 306 GTI         23.35,902
3. Pierre Legarth               Peugeot Sport Team              Peugeot 406 Coupé       23.39,035
4. Michael Carlsen              Michael Carlsen Motorsport      Peugeot 306 GTI         23.42,406
5. John Nielsen                 McDonald's Nissan Racing        Nissan Primera          23.43,300
6. Peter Rasmussen              VHA Trim Racing                 Fiat Coupé              23.44,976 
7. Kristian Kolby               Renault Motorsport Danmark      Renault Megane St.car   23.45,127
8. Jesper Sylvest               Sylvest Motorsport              Citroën Xsara Coupé VTS 23.45,545
9. Carsten Leveau               Team Brask Racing               Peugeot 306 GTI         24.03,163
10. Johnny V. Nielsen   J.V. Nielsen Racing                     Peugeot 306 GTI         24.08,874 

Fastest lap: Klaus Madsen, 56,893s (93,333 km/h).

Championship positions:

1. Michael Carlsen              Michael Carlsen Motorsport      Peugeot 306 GTI          111,0 p.
2. John Nielsen                 McDonald's Nissan Racing        Nissan Primera            77,5 p.
3. Jesper Sylvest               Sylvest Motorsport              Citroën Xsara Coupé VTS   60,5 p.
4. Michael Schröter             Michael Schröter                VW Golf GTI               60,0 p.
5. Klaus Madsen                 Team Brask Racing               Peugeot 306 GTI           54,5 p.
6. Pierre Legarth               Peugeot Sport Team              Peugeot 406 Coupé         49,0 p.
7. Thorkild Thyrring            McDonald's Nissan Racing        Nissan Primera            38,0 p.
8. Mike Legarth                 Legarth Racing                  BMW 320i                  34,5 p.
9. Jason Watt                   Peugeot Sport Team              Peugeot 306 GTI           33,0 p.
10. Carsten Leveau              Team Brask Racing               Peugeot 306 GTI           18,0 p.
11. Casper Elgaard              Renault Motorsport Danmark      Renault Megane St.car     16,5 p.
12. Peter Rasmussen             VHA Trim Racing                 Fiat Coupé                11,5 p.
13. Kurt Thiim                  Team Hohenester                 Volkswagen Beetle          8,5 p.
14. Jørgen Poulsen              S40 Racing                      Volvo S40                  7,5 p.
15. Gunnar Kristensen           Team Brask Racing               Peugeot 306 GTI            5,0 p.
16. Jens Andersen               S40 Racing                      Volvo S40                  4,0 p.
      Jørgen Weinreich          Valvoline Racing                Seat Cordoba 2,0 16V       4,0 p.
      Kristian Kolby            Renault Motorsport Danmark      Renault Megane St.car      4,0 p.
19. Allan Bjerregaard           Allan Bjerregaard               Ford Focus                 3,5 p.
20. Brian Mikkelsen             Hyundai Motorsport              Hyundai Coupé              2,0 p.
      Johnny V. Nielsen         J.V. Nielsen Racing             Peugeot 306 GTI            2,0 p. 
22. Kent Bo Steffensen          S40 Racing                      Volvo S40                  1,0 p.