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From YourSITE.com Events Coverage It’s something normally left to a magazine; a macabre comparo of tuner cars blasting around a track to find out who’s the fastest. However, Germans having the Autobahn-based car culture that Germans are known to have, it may be no surprise that a public event is held each May in Deutschland – an Olympics of sorts for tuners of all types that takes place at Germany’s Hockenheim Ring.
The event itself is backed by the German publication Sport Auto, and it has a relatively simple formula. After a session of free practice where cars can be adjusted or a ringer driver can acclimate himself to a car, each entrant gets thirty minutes to log their fastest lap. Compact Cars: R32 Domination A 460 hp Volkswagen Golf R32 Mk5 from Rothe Motorsport took first place, barely beating out a GTI by P-Performance. With a lap time of 1:16,468, the R32 was the fastest compact car on the track. The Mk5 GTI, with 220hp less than the R32, arrived at the finish line just +0.057 seconds slower – an impressive feat. Following the VWs, three Seat Leon Cupras with 260-280hp a BMW CLS Compact with 360hp were the dominant players in this class.
Limousines: Mitsubishi Versus Audi Selection in this round was a bit thin, limited to just two car manufacturers. Five Mitsubishi EVOs squared off against two Audis: a B5 RS4 with 520hp by Carpi-Tuning and a B5 S4 with 330hp from Muggianu-Turbo proved to be not powerful enough to beat the lighter and nimbler EVOs. At the end, the Mitsubishis dominated the round and the best of the Audis arrived at the finish line 3.353 seconds slower than the class-winning EVO modified by Digit Power of Switzerland. For those rooting for Audi, the ineligibility of MTM’s RS 4 Clubsport due to a lack of rear seats was a disappointment.
GT, Coupe/Convertibles: Oettinger's Fight against the 997 RSC The new second-generation Audi TT with 330hp 2.0TFSI engine from Oettinger had to fight hard with the Cargraphic Porsche 997 RSC 3.8 and the Wendland Motorsport Porsche Cayman. At 3.009 seconds behind the CarGraphic RSC, the TT crossed the finish line in third behind the two Porsches, followed by the Graedel Honda S2000 and a Vaeth Mercedes SLK 350. The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a serious beast. It’s hard to imagine tuning one even further, but that’s just what the class-winning firm CarGraphic set about doing. With their new 997 GT3 RSC driven by Marc Basseng and sponsored by Dunlop, the Porsche tuner once-again showed that they are a force to be reckoned with. Basseng finished a full three seconds ahead of the rest of the class in CarGraphic’s interpretation of a convertible GT3 RS.
Diesel: Performance and Efficiency Not Just for Le Mans The race-to-watch at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans was most certainly between heavy-hitter diesel racecars from Audi and Peugeot, and a 50% plus market share for the fuel type in Europe. It’s no surprise that Diesel represents a quickly growing class. AC Schnitzer won the class with their tuned 335d, though Audi tuner MTM gave them an impressive run for their money with a heavier A6 TDI. Open class: Quite a Mix The Tuner Grand Prix’s open class is always a lot of fun, with very different cars competing against each other. This year, the aforementioned MTM Audi B7 RS 4 Clubsport faced hard-hitting competition from two modified Porsche GT3s, a 997 Turbo from TechArt, Lotus Exige, some Mitsubishi Lancers, a first-gen Audi TT and a Donkervoort driven by Michael Duechting. The Donkervoort, with its Lotus Seven-inspired body and Audi engine, nabbed the overall win of the class with a lap time of 1:04,828 – 7 seconds ahead of the MTM RS 4. That may sound bad for MTM, but considering they beat out a Lotus Exige, three modded EVOs and a Porsche 911 GT3, the supercharged RS 4’s performance was far from disappointing.
Youngtimer: Walter Roehrl’s Successors Forget the word “oldtimer”, Germans lovingly refer to vintage cars as “youngtimer”. In this class, modded older cars come out to play. This year, the field was dominated by MTM and their S1 rally car driven by Dieter Hebacher – fastest in class, with a lap time of 1:12.435. It seemed the car was dancing through the corners and accelerated away from them as if being chased by the devil himself. Other cars in-class included an Audi RS2 from Carpi-Tuning, a B5 Audi S4 tuned by Junius, a 911 GT3 RSR from CarGraphic and a TC-Cars Volkswagen Mk3 GTI VR6 with 280hp.
German Drift Challenge This year’s Tuner Grand Prix was held in conjunction with a round of the German Drift Challenge. Like drifting in Japan, this competition is based on driver style as measured by a panel of judges. This particular event focused on a drift segment that encompassed Hockenheim’s Sachs Curve. Having its roots in Japan, perhaps it wasn’t a surprise that top honors were taken by by a Toyota Corolla driven by Darren McNamara. Second place was won by Dutch-native Remmo Niezen in a BMW M3. Off-Track Show Program For attendees, one of the highlights must certainly be public access to the team pit boxes during portions of the weekend. As teams prepare their cars, visitors can smell engine oil and hot tires, sometimes the clutches and often the brakes. This is not like an F1 or Indy-Car race. It’s more like a big party for the tuner industry and all fans are invited. So are corporate sponsors, as shown by the presence of display stands by companies such as Bilstein, Nissan, Skoda and BF Goodrich. Still somewhat regional as the selection of tuners is largely made of German firms, the Tuner Grand Prix at Hockenheim is a spectacle to behold. The spirit of the event goes well-beyond a closed-off magazine comparison test, and it’s a model we’d love to see replicated elsewhere.
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