DUTCH SUPERCAR / MOSLER CHALLENGE: Hockenheim, 29th June 2008

Dutch Supercar and the Mosler Challenge hopped over the border for the first of their two meetings in Germany. Hockenheim played host to three Moslers all hoping for success as this GP circuit.

With the temperature climbing during Saturday qualifying, Martin Short turned up the heat and scorched into pole. Almost two seconds in his wake was Ian Flux.. but he was demoted down a row from second to fourth having deemed to have overtaken under yellow flags. Berry van Elk brought the BlueBerry Mosler round into eleventh place.

As Martin Short led the field into the Spitzkehre hairpin, Kevin Riley made a play to push up to the front. Unfortunately, Rene Snel's Porsche 996 was where Riley wanted to be; both cars ended up off the track and out of the race.

Nicky Pastorelli's Passat and Cor Euser's Marcos ran in second and third as Short increased his lead. Meanwhile, it wasn't just the track temperature that was rising - Berry's troublesome engine was burning up and forced the weekend's first retirement.

Cor Euser leapfrogged the Passat into second as Martin Short found himself ahead of the field by almost a minute as he coasted the works Mosler home for his first competitive win in the marque since the inaugral Britcar 24 hours in 2005. "My car was just fantastic, the best ever", said Martin - perhaps it's the way he builds 'em?

The grid for the second race told two very different tales - Martin Short on pole, Berry van Elk and the KRM car bringing up the rear. The BlueBerry team had replaced their engine overnight to get themselves back in the running, whilst KRM had to start from the pitlane following further mechanical problems.

Early laps saw Cor Euser's Marcos and Ardi van der Hoek's Audi battling over second place, allowing Martin Short to floor the Mosler and set up an unassailable lead. Even his winning-handicap-enhanced pitstop didn't jeapordise his chances and even got to ease down on the last lap to take a comfortable win.

Further down the field, Riley and Flux struggled their out-of-sorts Mosler home into eight place whilst Berry van Elk retired again as temperatures continued to flare in the Blueberry car.

Two wins, pole position and fastest lap for Martin Short made it a successful weekend for the works team. "There is no doubt that the car flattered me," he said after, paying tribute to his team for working with a new aero package on the six-year-old Mosler. "We threw the kitchen sink at the car; not entirely sure exactly what would work, but with high hopes". Those hopes were rewarded by a 171mph max drive that showed just what the Mosler is capable of at this level.

Martin hoped that these proven development benefits can be applied to the other Mosler customers. I hope so; as great as it is to see a double win, having a full Challenge field start and finish the race - and compete for the podium places- would stick one on those critics who judge the marque to be hit-and-miss at national GT level.

Oschersleben hosts the next round in a few weeks time. Whether Martin feels the need to pour six litres of water into his jump suit again to keep in cool, only time will tell...

Photos (c) Robbert Mass and Marc de Waart, http://www.supercarchallenge.nl/

BRITCAR: Brands Hatch Indy June 14th 2008

Britcar was back at Brands Hatch for the second time this season with a three-hour race around the tight Indy circuit. Qualifying saw Sean and Michael McInerney in the Eclipse Mosler take pole position. Half a second behind was the KRM machine, locking out the front row for the Moslers again. Starting from the pitlane, having missed qualifying due to having a complete transmission system refit, was the Topcats Mosler.

As the lights went green, Flux took a slender advantage over Sean McInerney to build up a six second the lead through the opening laps. Meanwhile the Topcats Mosler was purring through the field, up to 11th by lap six and fifth by lap 12. Henry Taylor then took Topcats into fourth after overhauling the TVR Sagaris.

When three cars found out that Paddock Bend couldn't accommodate them all side-by-side, a swift trip into the gravel trap ensued. The resultant safety car period bunched the field up and brought mixed blessings for the Moslers; Sean McInerney grabbed back precious time lost when lapping earlier backmarkers but Henry Taylor lost out - although he was at the head of the pack, that put him almost a lap down on the leaders who were in the middle of the bunch. When the green flags flew again, Taylor set of to reduce the deficit whilst Flux and McInerney went hammer and tongs through the traffic.

With just over an hour down, Taylor came in for the Topcats first mandatory pitstop. KRM and Eclipse pitted later, taking advantage of another safety car period. And it was the McInerneys who emerged first, two seconds ahead of Kevin Riley in the KRM.

The bunched field led to close racing, with a flying Kevin Riley squeezing the lead from Michael McInerney down the inside of Paddock Hill. Lapping Beaumont, who'd taken over in the Topcats Mosler, KRM were well placed as the race roared on to its latter stages.

Beaumont was followed into the pits by Riley for their last scheduled stops with 120 laps down, leaving the Eclipse Mosler out in the lead. Sadly, that lead was short lived; an alleged coming-together with a Corvette left McInerney sidling sideways across the grass downhill from Druids, a shattered brake disc herelding the end of their race.

Then it seemed the late-race Curse of the Mosler was upon us again - having inherited the lead, the KRM Mosler soon returned to the pits with a broken driveshaft. Repairs were made, but the time lost had cost them any chance of the race win.

Into the final 45 minutes and it was the TVR leading the field. But the Topcats Mosler was closing, never saying never in a race that that wasn't going to be over til the black & white hanky dropped. The gap continued to close up, with the final splash-and-dash pitstop potentially decisive.

Which it proved to be, but in a way no-one would have predicted. With the TVR pitted, Topcats took the lead and were prepared to pit soon. With only eleven minutes left on the clock, the safety car had been stood down - only for a Marcos to break down on Paddock Hill bend. That gave the race officials no option but to red-flag the race and declare a result as at the end of lap 184, which handed victory to the Topcat Mosler!

Unsurprisngly, both Henry Taylor and team owner/driver Andrew Beaumont were delighted. It was certainly a superb effort by the Topcat team to replace the transmission, start from the pitlane, battle through the field and take the win. With each of the three Mosler teams now taking a Britcar win, the scene is set for a Silverstone showdown in July - and I'll be there to cheer them on!

Photos (c) P J Cherry and Gary Harman from the Britcar website, Marc W on Flickr

FIA GT: Adria June 21st 2008

Well, it was a no-show for the GTO Moslers at Adria. The team felt that equalisation under Belgian GT3 regulations for G2 classification didn't allow the Mosler to be competitive enough and so withdrew. GTO are now seeking equlisation under another national classification.

As they're on the entry list for the Dutch Supercar Challenge meet at Hockenheim at the end of June, they may have this sorted by the next FIA GT round at Oschersleben in early July.

SPANISH GT: Jerez 7th-8th June 2008

The second round of the Spanish GT championship saw a return to Jerez, the circuit where Motor Competicion took their only win last season.

A baking hot free practice session saw Villalba and Gutierrez start strongly before waning towards the end of the session. Still, qualifying in fifth saw the only Mosler well-placed for the races.

Having struggled to eleventh in race one, Motor Competicion made it to seventh in race two. Here's hoping that they're able to pick the pace up when the championship reaches Albacete later this month.

DUTCH SUPERCAR CHALLENGE: Pole Position Eindhoven 8th June 2008

This looked like a fascinating event - a cornucopia of motor vehicles taking place in static displays and demo runs. The Dutch Supercar Challenge were there, of course, which gives me the chance to show some fine photos of Berry van Elk's Mosler.

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This video has plenty of traffic passing with the Mosler rolling past at 0:17 and 1:40



And from further back round the corner, the Mosler comes into frame at 0:45



If this runs next year, I'd give serious consideration to going over to Eindhoven for the weekend

Photos - Robbert Mass, http://www.supercarchallenge.nl/

DUTCH SUPERCAR CHALLENGE / MOSLER CHALLENGE: Spa 30th May - 1st June 2008

More Moslers muscle around Spa this weekend, courtesy of the Dutch Supercar Challenge. With Martin Short on Rollcentre duty over in Le Mans, there was a welcome return to GT for Shaun Balfe, winner of the inaugural Britcar 24 hour race in 2005 with a Mosler.

A strong qualifying session saw Eigner and KRM take second and third and the grid, with Ardi Van De Hoek's Audi TTR out clear on pole. Balfe snaffled eighth slot, Topcats were tenth, Van Elk was getting better with an eleventh spot this time out and the Woodcocks rounded out the Mosler qualifiers back in 23rd.

Race one on Saturday saw the Moslers well placed at the front of the grid, so anything could happen. Well.... what nobody expected, including Kevin Riley who was running third at the time, was a bizarre crash that caused the race to be abandoned. The safety car came out, failed to catch the leader (Cor Euser's Marcos), and so slowed down to let the field overtake. Surprised by the sight of the safety car going slow on the fastest part of the circuit, the IN2 Racing Lambo Gallardo braked... quicker than the BMW to the rear, which ploughed into the Lambo, collected the safety car and then set off on a roll. Several other cars added to the pileup to litter the Blanchimont section with expensive wrecks. With the race only six laps old, the red flags were out. No championship points were awarded.

Higher hopes for Sunday, then. And in a way it was - three Moslers in the top six, albeit none on the podium. The Topcats team didn't finish, the Woodcocks made it to 15th and Eigner in eighth. That left the Mosler challenge podium looking like this: 3rd (6th overall) was Berry Van Elk - a remarkable drive for a new hand at the Mosler. 2nd (5th overall) was stalwart Kevin Riley. And up top where he belongs (and in 4th overall, just missing out on a full podium place) was Shaun Balfe, proving that the Mosler magic never left him!

As the season moves on to Hockenheim later this month, here's hoping the Moslers can put together a sustained challenge against Cor Euler's Marcos, a winner here again at Spa.

Photos (c) http://www.supercarchallenge.nl/

BRITCAR: Euroraces, Spa 30th May 2008

Britcar in Spa marked another wave of the Mosler European invasion this weekend as the endurance championship joined in with the Euroraces for a four-hour outing at this classic Belgian circuit.

With the wins stacking up in this series, there were high hopes for the Moslers to muscle up to the front of the grid. KRM didn't disappoint in that respect, taking pole, before the race officials identified an irregularity with Riley and Flux's data logger and annulled their time. That put them at the back of the pack, the last thing that a flu-filled Kevin Riley needed.

That wasn't the only change to pole position, though. The Lambo Gallardo that was promoted up was taken out of the running in a multiple pile-up during the earlier Dutch Supercar Challenge race, so the pack all shuffled up another slot. That put the Trackpower TVR Sagaris onto pole with the Topcats Mosler next door on the front row.

And it was the TVR that made all the early running, steadily increasing its lead whilst Riley churned along at the back of the field. He brought the KRM car in for the first planned pitstop having by then moved up to 12th place, although it was too soon to be taken as one of the two mandatory stops. A little while later, the Topcats team turned their Mosler around with a speedy stop that saw Andrew Beaumont keep the car in second place and then take it into the lead by the halfway point.

Meanwhile, Ian Flux was whipping the KRM car around in the fastest lap times, but could only make the Mosler climb to eighth place. Riley took the car on for the last stint but something was clearly not right with driver and/or car and they became an unfortunate retirement.

At least things were looking up for Topcats.... until a collision with a BMW, the subsequent spin and later problems with the paddle shift saw them drop down and finish sixth. That left the way for the Trackpower TVR Sagaris to claim victory.

Topcats looked hard done by here, but I feel a maiden win can't be too far away. And here's hoping Kevin Riley feels on top form again when Britcar returns to England and Brands Hatch in a few weeks time.

Photos (c) race-week-end.be

BELGIAN GT: Zolder June 1st 2008

Circuit Zolder played host to the third round of the Belgian GT Championship.

After a disappointing Dijon outing, the Gravity Moslers were looking strong, with Anthony Kumpen and Bert Longin fastest in both free practice sessions. But it was the pairing of Vincent Radermecker and Ron Marchal that qualified highest, second spot on the grid with Kumpen and Longin on the next row back in third. Guino Kenis and Chris Mattheus put the G&A car into seventh on the grid.

With the Racing Dodge Viper converting pole into an early lead, the Gravity Moslers were able to keep up with the pace and chase the Viper down. Kenis and Mattheus were running strongly, too, until brake problems forced an early retirement after 26 laps.

Then, heartbreak for the championship leaders, as Kumpen and Longin suffered a reoccurance of the fuel supply problem experienced during qualifying and their Mosler bowed out after 31 laps.

That left Vincent Radermecker as the sole Mosler runner and he brought the Gravity car home for its first podium place, finishing third behind the winning GPR Porsche and the
Francorchamps Motors Ferrari.

With Gravity now in third place in the team championship and Kumpen / Longin dropping to fourth in the drivers' championship, the scene is surely set for a nip 'n tuck battle at Spa in July.

Photos (c) motorsport.com and belgiangt.com