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The 24 hours race of the Nuerburgring (say Newr-bourg-ring) was for many years an event especially for semiprofessional teams. When in 1999 the famous Zakspeed Team participated with a Dodge Viper and dominated the competition, many people disliked that. They said professional teams would bring too much harshness. Well, that the Porsche drivers realised that they would have a problem with the Viper, is another story... In 2000, Zakspeed was once again there, but in order to be allowed to race, he had to stuff his Viper full of ballast. To compensate this, there was no air restrictor. But nearly 2 tons and 800hp tend to be hungry, and the suspension had to carry heavy -literally. No matter how you see the participation of professional teams like Zakspeed or Abt, I think that they have revived the Longdistance Cup and the 24 hours race on the Nordschleife (say Nord-shly-fah). Without the amateurs and semiprofis the Nordschleife would not be what it is. But some of the amateurs that are there for fun and some cars of the slower classes can create dangerous situations for faster pilots. One private team that can compete in professionalism and speed with the best, is presented here.
The RAM Sports Racing Team uses an Audi 200 Turbo of 1988 as base vehicle. It was born as a 10V (of course) Turbo, but now a powerful 20V heart, prepared by mtm, beats under its hood. With about 500hp and 500Nm it can accelerate up to over 300 kilometers per hour (188mph), helped by a six gears manual gear box. Weight is 1260kg and the 120litre fuel tank caters for acceptable time till the next refueling.
Many helpers brought the Audi to a great 11th place in 99, despite 10 (!) punctures. To do something against this problem, the team ordered 18inch BBS rims for 2000. 18inch underneath a standard 200 body? That gets crowded! Indeed the wheels made some reworking necessary.
All wheel arches where enlarged and the fenders flared. | ||
 (1)Hm, _pretty_ narrow, isn't it? |  (1)"Only a bit of cosmetic surgery!" |  (1)Fits without a flaw! |
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In the end the idea worked: No punctures in 2000 and not a single scratch on the car. That 2000 "only" yielded a 16th place was caused by a defect intercooler. After a fast, but nevertheless too long repair (30 minutes are about three laps), the drivers started again from the back of the field and they were fast! Like in '99 the car was sometimes the fastest in the rain. Not much of a surprise: There are not too many all-wheel drive vehicles racing. It is a pitty that 2000 was a bad year for the other Audis. Both A4s (Abt natural gas, and a "standard" STW of WR Motorsport) and the TT did not finish. The signal silver 200 has seen much in his life. It began as a black company car for 6 months. Then it was raced nearly stock in Groupe N on the Nordschleife. More modified it started in Groupe A from 1994 on. 1999 was the year of spoilers. In front a big spoiler was lent by Zakspeed to RAM. It once belonged to a Mercedes C-Class of the ITC series. In the rear a wing of the ITC Calibra catered for downforce. It, too, was lent by Zakspeed. So, let's say "Thanks!"
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| Here overtaking a Calibra, its ITC version carried the rear wing ;) |
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| Looks pretty mean, even without widened fenders Oh, it rains! So what?
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| For 2000 things became more civilized. Especially the rear wing had to much wind resistance. Once again the team relied on tested technology. The whole aerodynamics of the DTM V8s (for a reminder look here) was used. The front fascia with chin spoiler and the little rear spoiler with special edge caused a flawless aerodynamic. Additionally, the small rear view mirrors of '99 were replaced by stock ones. | |
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| Nice chin spoiler! Look at the red towing hitch that is -knock on wood- without a function for 2 years now. Also notice the cooling openings that are where a V8 would have its fog lights and turning signals. Also interesting is the position light in the right rear view mirror! |
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| Signal silver really is a cool colour. If you want to know the story behind that colour and what the sponsor has to do with it, visit their Team Homepage
Here you can see the red position lights on the driver's door and the roof. |
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| Yes, the rain god was with them. While the competitors feared, our quattroists partied.
Here you can see the fog lights that are off on the picture above. |
