Padborg Park race preview

You can say Danish Touring Car Championship, and then you can say Chevrolet walkover. Now the DTC field is heading south, to the Padborg Park circuit. Will it be yet another blue cloud of success, or will the opposition hit back?

Given the nature of the track, it should be yet a front wheel drive front row. But a lot has been happening on the political front, the penalty weight system has been put into effect.

Some are frustrated, others are jubilant.

Penalty weights after race one:
Michel Nykjær 37,5 kg
Henrik Lundgaard 32.5 kg
James Thompson 30,0kg
Jan Magnussen 22,5 kg
Casper Elgaard 10.0 kg
Jens Møller 7,5 kg
Michael Carlsen 5,0 kg
Martin Jensen 5,0 kg
John Nielsen 5.0 kg
Per Poulsen 5,0 kg
Joachim Stephansen 5,0 kg
Kasper Jensen 2,5 kg
Kim Morgan 0,0kg

No weight penalties for Invitation Only drivers.
All S2000 drivers must carry 10,0 kg extra ballast at the first race driven.

The E85 fuelled BMW 320Si cars of Alternative Engineering lost their sanctioned extra 15 kilo of penalty ballast up to race two. Curiously the DTC organisation felt, that the E85 driven cars should be punished with extra weight due to the higher energy fuel.

While the team even more curiously felt that the E85 didn’t carry the punch which it delivers in the STCC. All part of the political gamble, the team succeeded with the antics, and got the penalty lifted. Now Jan Magnussen and Martin Jensen can be up front again, without the suffering tires.

DTC standings after race one:
Michel Nykjær 55 points
Henrik Lundgaard 50 points
James Thompson 47 points
Jan Magnussen 41 points
Jason Watt 32 points
Jens Møller 25 points
Per Poulsen 23 points
Michael Carlsen 21 points
Joachim Stephansen 19 points
John Nielsen 18 points
Martin Jensen 17 points
Kasper Jensen 12 points
Kim Morgan Jensen 3 points

The 2009 testing restrictions have been testing at best; only four days can be used all year. And given the testing on the first DTC launch weekend, only two days are left for most teams. Team Telesikring featurering John Nielsen and Joachim Stephansen, was left numb when they discovered that the noise restrictions at Padborg Park Wednesday made them stay at home.

Adding the voices of extra two orange BMW´s would exceed the collective noise output. The preparations for this weekends racing has been less than optimal, after youngster Stephansen suffered from pneumonia at the preseason test.

Upbeat and bushytailed are the Honda team of Hartmann Racing. Reading bedtime stories for the two Accords and polishing them in the morning has been the order of the day. James Thompson and DTC returnee Per Poulsen are both trying to stay on the ground, but the speed of the two white cars has been the season surprise. Testing at Padborg Park on Tuesday, the team boss Hartmann has also a few updates for Thompson’s car packed in his suitcase.

The Honda team is among the favourites for a win at Padborg Park, if they can keep the blue Lacetti of Nykjær in check. New engines, updated all the way round. Only foolish mistakes on their own behalf and hard driving from the opposition, made them loose the grasp in the title hunt. But they are back, look out!

Chevrolet. Staying at the team at race one was bliss. The team seems to be in balance, always calm and collected. The only fly in the ointment is the internal gamble between Nykjær leading the DTC standings with 55 points and two wins, from Lundgaard´s 50 and just one win. Speaking to Lundgaard after the Chevrolet walkover, it didn’t take much looking into his eyes, to find out that he is bursting with energy for a win this weekend. The former rallydriver is a true team player, but given half a chance then Nykjær should look out for a blue car in the mirrors.

The Seat history has been strange. Jason Watt, who clearly had the speed at the close of last season, changed his suspension to Intrax over the winter. And since then nothing seems to work for him, hard driving even in practice sessions, penalties, warnings and laptimes below average. The frustration is clear, but is it getting to him? Knowing the paraplegic driver is 100 percent racing driver, he had the team tearing the Leon apart since then. Nothing has been left untouched, and race two will be worth watching.

Jens Møller, who was lone wolf for the FDM Motorsport team at race one, showed the state of things at Jason Watt Racing. The first race weekend for him in the ex-Sturup Raceway 2007 Leon. While lead driver Elgaard drove the Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder at the LMS race at Spa. Due to this absence, the former champion is slapped with 10,0 kg in penalty ballast, as race two is his first DTC race driven.

But interestingly Møller´s laptimes matched Watt most of the weekend. Something which didn’t go unnoticed by Møller´s team’s radio communication. The team was busy testing at Padborg Park Wednesday; while Elgaard´s Leon was present at the first race weekend at FDM Jyllandsringen receiving a lot of tender, loving care from Seat Sport in the tent. So something is brewing for Elgaard´s returns tomorrow, watch this space!

Privateers Cup
The pace of Møller made him king of the Privateer Cup at 53 points, leaving Per Poulsen trailing on second with 48. Michael Carlsen found something in his 407; the pace of the ageing French chariot did surprise quite a few people. Stephansen has everything to go for, making this year look like a steep learning curve, with the odd surprise.

Kasper Jensen is fighting a loosing battle with his BMW E46, but steady progress is better than no progress at all. At FDM Jyllandsringen Morgan found out what happened when he tops his fuel tank, spilling the content on the ground. Something he haven’t been doing in the SSC, that technical problem meant he was out for the count after being surprised by Martin Marrill, overtaking the S2000 car in the Invitation Only Supercopa.

Standings: Privateer Cup
Jens Møller 53
Per Poulsen 48
Michael Carlsen 45
Joachim Stephansen 41 points
Kasper Jensen 30
Kim Morgan 10

Invitation Only
This class is the story of the four musketeers turning into only three after the pre season test. TouringCarTimes.com learned that the brute force of the Klostermann BMW 325i was too much for the DTC organisation. Slapping the driver with a choice, either take penalty weights or go back to the SSC.

Clearly Klostermann chose to go back to his roots, leaving the rest of us wondering why he was invited in the first place. Back home he was left to celebrate the reunion with a detonated engine in the first SSC round. The rest of the Invitation Only field consists of JM Racing team boss Jens Ole Mathiesen in his BMW M3, and the two Seat Leon Supercopa cars of John Hansen and Martin Marrill.

The heavy Spanish racer suffered on FDM Jyllandsringen, the 100 kilos extra weight of the turbocharged car didn’t do the tires any favours. Hansen broke a track rod on a curb, and Marrill was left wondering how to get the rubber to last. Knowing the two drivers, they haven’t had much beauty sleep since then, upping the speed on the Supercopa.

Sadly no TV coverage will be up for the race at Padborg Park.