DUTCH SUPERCAR /MOSLER CHALLENGE Oschersleben 13th July 2008

It was a reduced Mosler presence for the latest round of the Challenge at Oschesleben. With Riley and Flux running at Britcar next weekend, the Woodcocks not around and Harry Mecke's car up for sale it was down to a shoot-out between the old hand and the young buck. Martin Short was carrying a time penalty into the race following his Hockenheim triumph, so Berry van Elk was looking to steal Short's thunder around the baking hot north-east German circuit.

The cooling situation was so critical that van Elk's Blueberry team ran their car without the front bodywork late during free practice. Such was the resultant drop in engine temperature that they set about widening the louvres to improve airflow for qualifying. By that time, though, the heat had subsided and little advantage was gained. Berry managed eigth place whilst Martin pushed the factory car hard around the narrow circuit to nab second spot on the grid next to the DTM Audi.

Race one epitomised the maxim that to finish first, first you have to finish. Perennial pace-setters Ardi van der Hoek and Arjan van der Zwaan, along with Cor Euser, found themselves off the track and out of contention. Berry may have had immense straight-line speed in the Mosler, but when caught up in the Supersport pack he was unable to overtake his slower but sure-cornering rivals. And with Martin Short saddled with a success handicap of an extra thirty seconds in the pits, he had no real chance of catching the leaders in this 45 minute sprint. Martin eventually took 4th overall with Berry on his heels in a very creditable fifth.

So that left the Moslers lurking near the front of the grid for race two. The mad dash into the narrow turn one often ends in tears for someone at Oschersleben - this time it was almost Martin Short's turn. He had scythed into second when van Buuren's V8-Star Passat braked too late and hit the Mosler and the DTM Audi TTR. That left Short span round the wrong way but still on the circuit with van Elk unable to manoueve roound the other Mosler. Both cars were therefore stuck at the runt end of the field and had some keen driving to do if they were to make up places.

Here's where the pitstops came into play. With front runners also facing penalty seconds for first race success, Berry was able to claw his way up to second place after his stop, sandwiched between the ETEC Viper and the DTM Audi. But drizzle was his undoing; the Audi's sturdier handling in the wet let Grimm get past to deny van Elk a fairytale third place. Although he retook the Audi, a later spin saw Grimm and Short squeeze past. Fourth place was still an impressive finish, though, after what was probably Berry's best race to date. Meanwhile, Martin Short had been playing the game of 'softly, softly, catchee Viper' and took third place, only just over nine seconds adrift of the race winning ETEC car.

That podium place puts Martin into second place in the overall standings and at the top of the heap in the Mosler Challenge. No doubt he'll have enjoyed writing himself a winner's cheque after the race!