Phoenix Racing Press Release
7m 57.474s – with a dream lap Frank Stippler in the Audi R8 LMS ultra has set a new unofficial lap record on the Nordschleife, taking the pole position for round nine of the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring in the process. Despite a puncture and a penalty Marc Basseng and Frank Stippler clinched third place in the four-hour race, marking the fourth podium finish for Phoenix Racing in this season.
Frank Stippler in the morning’s qualifying session managed a perfect lap. The external conditions were ideal, the Phoenix Audi was superbly set up and ‘Stippi’ caught a relatively clear lap. As a result, the clocks of the electronic time measurement system stopped at 7m 57.474s – a new best mark for the 24.358-kilometre configuration of the legendary Nordschleife in combination with the short version of the Grand Prix circuit. “Everything fit,” said an obviously pleased Frank Stippler.
While this frustrated all hopes for victory, the Phoenix squad headed by team boss Ernst Moser, as well as Frank Stippler and Marc Basseng, would not give up. The two ‘ring’ specialists started a bold recovery and subsequently made up ground. In the end the Phoenix Audi crossed the finishing line in third place overall. Basseng/Stippler well deserved the place on the podium.
Photo credit: Phoenix Racing