24h-Race Nürburgring - Early Problems

24h-Race Nürburging 2003 - 31 May-1 June - Race

Early problems for Team BMW Motorsport at the Nordschleife

Team BMW Motorsport started the 24h-Race Nürburgring at 3pm today (31st May)
with their BMW M3 GTRs fifth and seventh on the grid. At the start Hans-Joachim
Stuck was driving car no 42 and Jörg Müller driving car no 43. On the opening
lap bad luck struck both cars. Dry ice had been put in front of the gearbox
radiators on the starting grid to provide cooling for the slow formation lap.
Due to the dry ice the oil pipes burst on the opening lap and so the oil
drained out of the gearbox. The result of this was a gearbox failure.

Charly Lamm, Team Manager Team BMW Motorsport: "We had tried this scenario
prior to the race at a test in Hockenheim. We left the dry ice in the same
position for 25 minutes without any problems to the pipes. The team worked very
efficiently in the pits to replace the gearbox on car no 42, and Hans-Joachim
Stuck re-entered the race at 3.35pm. We are now able to concentrate on car no
43."

Hans-Joachim Stuck needs to overtake the field from the back. The leading car
is six laps in front of no 42.

Car No 42 - BMW M3 GTR
Hans-Joachim Stuck/Boris Said/John Nielsen/Marc Duez

Car No 43 - BMW M3 GTR
Jörg Müller/Dirk Müller/Claudia Hürtgen/Marc Duez