The success story continues - Team rhino's Leipert reaches another podium position

(18/07/10) Last weekend (16 - 18/07/10), Team rhino's Leipert took part in the fourth championship weekend of the ADAC GT Masters. This time, the races (nos. 7 and 8) took place in Assen, Holland - the only races of the running season which are held outside Germany.

On Friday, free practice began for drivers Norman Knop and Roland Rehfeld with first adjustments to the Ascari KZ1R. They then entered the qualifying with high spirits after a good performance during the free practice.
Norman Knop reached 8th position in the Ascari of Team rhino's Leipert for race 1 on Saturday whilst Roland Rehfeld could not take part in the qualifying for race 2 due to a gear defect which resulted in a 
21st starting position.

It was cloudy on Saturday, and the track was dry at the beginning of race no. 7 of the ADAC GT Masters - but this was going to change during the race and take great influence in its outcome. Norman Knop had a brilliant start and managed to get in 4th position in the first lap already. At halftime of the race, he had stabilised this 4th place, but then the positions within the field were confused by obligatory pit stops, 2 safety car phases and a heavy shower. After two pit stops and a change to wet tyres, the Ascari of Team rhino's Leipert was in 
7th position with Rehfeld as its driver. During the remaining 20 minutes, Roland Rehfeld showed a great race and drove "circles" around his direct competitors in the rain. At times, he was 5 seconds faster than them and made up position after position so that he managed to finish in 3rd place. The tension the team had been feeling throughout the race immediately turned into great cheer for this was the result of great teamwork and the exemplary commitment of their two drivers.

„Any Given Sunday" - ever since the racing weekend at the Sachsenring, this has been the proper title for Team rhino's Leipert's each and every Sunday race. After the Sunday races at both Sachsenring and Hockenheimring had found an abrupt end in form of collisions, the Team's bad luck kept haunting the car with starting number 3. The idea was a come-from-behind-run from position 21 and to gain points. It all started well - Rehfeld as first driver made up 
9 positions within the first lap and found himself in 12th position. However, it was already clear at that time that this race wouldn't be as successful as the race the day before. The alternator failed already at the beginning of the race, so shortly after half-time, the Ascari had to be parked and the race was over for the Team.

Team Manager Ingo Leipert had this to say: "A third place on Saturday was great! Norman, Roland, and the team gave a great performance, and we deserved the podium position - this has been the third time this year already! Therefore, it was all the more disappointing on Sunday that we had to park the car early once again. We will now use the break to prepare optimally for the Lausitzring. The potential frontrunners of this championship are all quite close after the event at Assen. We want to use this chance to stabilize our position in the upper rankings. Our car works well in the Lausitz - as could be seen last year when we reached a podium position. Therefore, our expectations are high."