Klik hierWhereas in previous years, each time moving up to a new championship, Niels Langeveld always managed to be on the pace right from the start, he was unable to find the necessary speed in the first TCR Germany round at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. As a result, he could not achieve the lap times that the top ten were setting. Langeveld finished twelfth in the first race while in the second race, the reigning SEAT Leon Eurocup champion had fought his way up to eighth when he touched the brakes too hard and got stuck in the gravel trap.
Langeveld hadn’t been able to test much in the Audi RS3 LMS but was confident of a good result at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The circuit has a difference in altitude of 23 metres, has a length of 3.667 kms and is known to be a very fast with many turns.
The first free practice on Friday went well, Langeveld posting fourth fastest time in a field of 41 drivers. Langeveld further improved on his time in second practice but was still pushed back to 13th, testimony of the competitiveness of this championship.
Due to the large entry, qualifying in TCR Germany is split between two sessions. Langeveld's time was good for seventh, but his two fastest lap times were taken from him. "In the chicane I hit the flap on the inside and when you do that you exceed track limits," the Dutch driver explained. "A pity, as now I will have to start the first race in 13th."
The Audi is a difficult car with which to do the start, a known problem that will soon be solved with an update. So at the start of the first race, Langeveld lost a couple of positions, but then made his way forward during the 30-minute race. In 12th position he got stuck behind a VW Golf. This meant that Langeveld finished 12th in his first TCR Germany race. "I'm not happy with the result, but I have to say that the top 15 cars are very equally matched. At this track the Audi doesn’t have an advantage. It excels in a straight line but here the straight is too short to really benefit, while in the many turns the Audi is quite heavy."
In the second race, the top-ten started in reverse order, with Langeveld in 12th unfortunately not benefitting from that. Like in the first race, the reigning SEAT Leon Eurocup champion started in 13th but this time his start was much better and with some nice passes, Langeveld rose up to eighth position in the first few laps. On lap 4 and on the attack, he pushed the brakes too hard and the Audi got stuck in the gravel trap. "It was my own mistake," said a realistic Langeveld. "Not the debut weekend I was hoping for, but in the next race on the Red Bull Ring I want to be fighting at the front again."
TCR Germany’s competitiveness is apparent from the fact that the VW Golf behind which Langeveld got stuck in the first race won the second race. As this driver qualified tenth, and with a reversed grid in the second race, he started from pole position and again could not be passed.
Langeveld had envisaged his TCR Germany baptism in a different way. "We couldn't test much before this event, but I'm happy with the Audi, it's a wonderful racing car. Together with my engineer and coach Herman de Jager and my team Racing One we improved the handling of the car considerably. We expect to be more up front in the next race on the Red Bull Ring, a track that is more suitable to the Audi.”
Langeveld hadn’t been able to test much in the Audi RS3 LMS but was confident of a good result at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The circuit has a difference in altitude of 23 metres, has a length of 3.667 kms and is known to be a very fast with many turns.
The first free practice on Friday went well, Langeveld posting fourth fastest time in a field of 41 drivers. Langeveld further improved on his time in second practice but was still pushed back to 13th, testimony of the competitiveness of this championship.
Due to the large entry, qualifying in TCR Germany is split between two sessions. Langeveld's time was good for seventh, but his two fastest lap times were taken from him. "In the chicane I hit the flap on the inside and when you do that you exceed track limits," the Dutch driver explained. "A pity, as now I will have to start the first race in 13th."
The Audi is a difficult car with which to do the start, a known problem that will soon be solved with an update. So at the start of the first race, Langeveld lost a couple of positions, but then made his way forward during the 30-minute race. In 12th position he got stuck behind a VW Golf. This meant that Langeveld finished 12th in his first TCR Germany race. "I'm not happy with the result, but I have to say that the top 15 cars are very equally matched. At this track the Audi doesn’t have an advantage. It excels in a straight line but here the straight is too short to really benefit, while in the many turns the Audi is quite heavy."
In the second race, the top-ten started in reverse order, with Langeveld in 12th unfortunately not benefitting from that. Like in the first race, the reigning SEAT Leon Eurocup champion started in 13th but this time his start was much better and with some nice passes, Langeveld rose up to eighth position in the first few laps. On lap 4 and on the attack, he pushed the brakes too hard and the Audi got stuck in the gravel trap. "It was my own mistake," said a realistic Langeveld. "Not the debut weekend I was hoping for, but in the next race on the Red Bull Ring I want to be fighting at the front again."
TCR Germany’s competitiveness is apparent from the fact that the VW Golf behind which Langeveld got stuck in the first race won the second race. As this driver qualified tenth, and with a reversed grid in the second race, he started from pole position and again could not be passed.
Langeveld had envisaged his TCR Germany baptism in a different way. "We couldn't test much before this event, but I'm happy with the Audi, it's a wonderful racing car. Together with my engineer and coach Herman de Jager and my team Racing One we improved the handling of the car considerably. We expect to be more up front in the next race on the Red Bull Ring, a track that is more suitable to the Audi.”
