Good result for Aussies in German 24-hour race

TWO Australian teams have recorded strong results in the annual 24-hour motor race on Germany's Nurburgring circuit, finishing 37th and 50th in an international field of 210 starters.

Ross Palmer, from Brisbane, Peter Boylan, from Sydney, Peter Floyd, from Melbourne and Kevin Bell, from Auckland, survived a crash and electrical problems in their BMW M3 to claim 37th outright and seventh in their class.

After losing time for repairs, they completed 120 laps of the 25.4 km circuit - a total of more than 3000 kms.

Sydneysiders Ric Shaw, Warwick Rooklyn and Jamie Miller, and Kosi Kalaitzidis, from Melbourne, covered 118 laps in their Honda Civic and finished 50th outright and an outstanding second in class in their first shot at the event.

Outright winners for the second year were the Chrsyler Viper GTS-R team of Germans Peter Zakowski and Robert Lechner and ex-Formula One driver Pedro Lamy, from Portugal.

Among other Australian-based competitors, the Alfa Romeo team of John Cowley, from Brisbane, Melinda Price, from Melbourne, Ross Zampatti, from Perth and Indonesian Maher Algadri, from Melbourne, retired after Algadri crashed on lap 19. Algadri was not injured, but was taken to hospital for observation.

Dennis Cribbin, from Moss Vale, NSW, was part of a multi-national team that completed 68 laps in a BMW M3, while fellow Australians Llynden Reithmuller and Mike Glynn were out after 90 laps in a BMW 318is.

The Australian contingent included a strong representation of drivers from motorsport championships run by Ross Palmer's PROCAR Australia, which will stage its own 24-hour race at Bathurst on 16-17 November.

Palmer, whose result was his best in five starts at the Nurburgring, said there had been plenty of interest in attending the Bathurst race from Italian, German and British teams at the weekend.

-procar.au-