Perfection Racing urging for more WTCC

Perfection Racing and Michel Nykjær had a difficult debut in the World Touring Car Championship. But they want to come back for more!

An 18th place in the second heat and 2 points in the Yokohama Independents’ Trophy is what Perfection Racing and Michel Nykjær brings home from the track in Oschersleben.

The team had hoped for more, but the results don’t tell the full story about the team effort and the hard work during the week-end. And the team has not lost heart after meeting the best touring car drivers in the world. Not at all!

It was an excited team that arrived at the track in Oschersleben just east of Hannover. Perfection Racing was located right next to the Chevrolet factory team and could throughout the weekend enjoy solid support from here.

“We were supplied with suitable chassis setup for the track and especially for the Yokohama tires which are different to the ones we use in the Danish Touringcar Championship. Such information is invaluable for a small team, as there is only a few short practice sessions in the WTCC,” states Perfection Racing team manager Kent Bo Steffensen.

The practice sessions and the qualification at Oschersleben was held in unstable weather conditions making the setup of the car even more difficult. Just as qualification began it also began to rain a little and the qualification soon turned into a gamble about being at the track just when it was at its best. In this game the small Danish team was actually on equal footing with the big factory teams and Michel Nykjær showed his potential. Suddenly he popped up as 4th fastest, but in the end he tumbled down the grid and was caught out by increasing rain.

From 18th on the grid Michel Nykjær was on the move forward in the first heat. He avoided the carnage in the first corners and was gaining positions when he suddenly slowed down. “I was downshifting for a corner when the car began to shake violently. I immediately thought that something was broken and I continued slowly back to the pits,” Michel Nykjær told afterwards.

In WTCC the mechanic team has only a short slot of 10 minutes to prepare the car for the second heat and during those 10 minutes the Perfection Racing mechanics showed that they were ready for the challenges of WTCC. They managed to change the right front suspension in the pitlane and get the car out onto the grid with only seconds to spare. A fantastic effort that was applauded by the crowd and mechanics from the surrounding teams.

Now on to the race! “I was a little tense,” Michel Nykjær confessed afterwards. “I just sat in the car while they were working like mad underneath. But they did a fantastic effort and it was great that we managed to get on the grid. The car was running well, so now I could look forward to some good racing.”

And race he did! Throughout the heat he followed the Spaniard, Felix Porteiro, closely and only at the last laps he dropped a little back. Porteiro was leading the Independents’ Trophy prior to Oscherleben so this proved for Michel Nykjær – and the hard working team – that the pace was there.

“We have had an uphill struggle down here. Changeable weather, missing out due to the rain in qualifying and then a technical problem at a time where we were well positioned. Yes, it has been difficult, but we never gave up. I am so proud that the guys were able to get the car going again after the first heat. Michel drove well and showed his pace when he got the opportunity.

And above all, I think the whole team has proven, that they deserve to be a part of the WTCC. We faced strong opposition here – but we took the challenge and fought on. We have learned a lot this weekend and we want to come back and learn even more,” concludes team manager, Kent Bo Steffensen, who really has been caught by the WTCC.