DTC: Djursland return

Touringcar racing - August 7th 2000 - Dansk Touringcar Challenge:

Danish touring cars are back after the summer break

On Sunday the Danish Touringcar Challenge will recommence action following the traditional two month summer holiday break. The fourth round of the popular series takes place at the difficult Ring Djursland, which also played host to one of the spring season's memorable duels, when Thorkild Thyrring won his first DTC win after having fought his way past the leader of the championship, Michael Carlsen. The Danish Touringcar Challenge will also guarantee a mighty race in the Ring Djursland Anniversary event, but whether Thyrring and Carlsen will be the leading protagonists is not known, until the drivers had completed untimed and timed practice, as the competition between the professionals and the amateurs is quite fierce. The lastest new "pro" arriving in the series is Jason Watt, who got a marvellous comeback to car racing in the middle of June. With a specially equipped Peugeot 306 GTI the popular paralysed driver showed that he had lost none of his basic racing instincts. In fact, he was not only racing competitively, he was even fighting for a place on the podium on that occasion. Unfortunately a drive shaft broke following the stress it was put through, but the Peugeot Sport Team has solved that problem for the weekend's race, where Jason is facing another challenge. It will be the first time ever that he races on the hilly Ring Djursland, which tends to sort the men from the boys... As winner of the last DTC race at the circuit Thyrring is of course among the favourites as is his team mate, John Nielsen. But to win the McDonald's Nissan pair has to keep the amateurs at bay. BP-sponsored Peugeot driver Michael Carlsen is not only leading this year's challenge with a hefty margin. He is also by far the most successful driver of the series so far with four wins, five pole positions, six fastest laps and the highest number of laps led, so you really cannot discount him. Another Michael with the surname of Schröter is not capable of showing a similar CV, but he is just as dangerous. Only bad luck has prevented the Volkswagen Golf driver from scoring anything higher than last year's second place in the very same event, so perhaps Lady Luck will look to him this time? Jesper Sylvest is reigning champion in the Danish Touringcar Challenge, but a shift to a new Citroën Xsara Coupé at the start of the season meant that 2000 was more or less an interim season. But even though Sylvest is awaiting the delivery of a new and improved Xsara, which is currently being built in the UK, he has nevertheless managed to mix it in the top, and that he also intends to do at Ring Djursland. The entry list also includes the two unconventional Renault Megane Stationwagons from the official dealer team, and that the estates are competitive was shown by Casper Elgaard with a fine fourth in the last race. At Ring Djursland, F3000 driver Kristian Kolby will drive the other car. The race on August 13th holds the title of Anniversary Race, as later this month it will be 35 years ago since the first race was held at Ring Djursland.

To commemorate this the original race programme from that race has been reprinted in a limited edition, and it is interesting reading. In 1965 Jens Christian Legarth was entered in the main event, and now 35 years on his two sons, Mike and Pierre, are both fielded in Sunday's main race, where they are both top runners. Actually, Mike Legarth could be a good outside bet for victory, as he posted fastest time with his BMW 320i during last week's DTC test day at the Jyllands-Ring!

<pre> Drivers' positions in the Danish Touringcar Challenge:

1. Michael Carlsen      Michael Carlsen Motorsport      Peugeot 306 GTI         66,0 p.
2. Jesper Sylvest       Sylvest Motorsport              Citroën Xsara Coupé VTS 52,0 p.
3. John Nielsen         McDonald's Nissan Racing        Nissan Primera          50,0 p.
4. Michael Schröter     Mihcael Schröter                VW Golf GTI             36,0 p.
5. Thorkild Thyrring    McDonald's Nissan Racing        Nissan Primera          27,5 p.
6. Pierre Legarth       Peugeot Sport Team              Peugeot 406 Coupé       27,0 p.
7. Mike Legarth         Legarth Racing                  BMW 320i                26,5 p.
8. Casper Elgaard       Renault Motorsport Danmark      Renault Megane St.car   16,5 p.
9. Klaus Madsen         Team Brask Racing               Peugeot 306 GTI         16,0 p.
10. Carsten Leveau      Team Brask Racing               Peugeot 306 GTI         15,5 p.
11. Kurt Thiim          Team Hohenester                 Volkswagen Beetle        8,5 p.
12. Jørgen Poulsen      S40 Racing                      Volvo S40                5,5 p.
13. Gunnar Kristensen   Team Brask Racing               Peugeot 306 GTI          5,0 p.
14. Peter Rasmussen     VHA Trim Racing                 Fiat Coupé               4,0 p.
15. Jason Watt          Peugeot Sport Team              Peugeot 306 GTI          3,0 p.
16. Allan Bjerregaard   Allan Bjerregaard               Ford Focus               2,5 p.
17. Kent Bo Steffensen  S40 Racing                      Volvo S40                1,0 p.
      Johnny V. Nielsen J.V. Nielsen Racing             Peugeot 306 GTI          1,0 p.

Manufacturers' position in the Danish Touringcar Challenge:

1. Peugeot      72,0 p.
2. Nissan       67,5 p.
3. Citroën      52,0 p.
4. Volkswagen   40,0 p.
5. BMW          26,5 p.
6. Renault      16,5 p.
7. Volvo         5,5 p.
8. Fiat          4,0 p.
9. Ford          2,5 p.

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