Dunlop and BMW brilliant in Belgium
Dunlop’s Need for Speed team took its second win of the year in the final round of the GT3 Championship at Zolder, Belgium. The Need for Speed BMW Z4, running on Dunlop’s standard customer tyre, won the first of two races at the classic Belgian circuit, and followed that up with a second place in the final race.The team re-built the Z4, driven by Patrick Soderlund and Edward Sandstrom, overnight after a heavy qualifying accident. The car ran fifth after the compulsory pit stop mid-race, and moved up to take the lead through a combination of speed which took it past other competitors, and fortune as cars ahead crashed out.
“The car has been quick this year, and this is a good result for the end of the season,” said Soderlund. The final race of the year saw the sister car of Claudia Huertgen and Csaba Walter take second place overall after the exclusion of the leading Porsches on a technicality. Their exclusion is currently under appeal. The BMW, which was in its debut season, was extremely competitive and Walter finished the season strongly, passing one of the fastest cars of the season on the final lap as his rival struggled for grip in the closing stages.
