It's always an impressive atmosphere that makes your pulse beat 10 faster when you're standing still - the Hockenheimring is not only pure adrenaline for drivers, but also for cycling enthusiasts.
At the GCC race last Saturday, May 13.05th, the weather cooperated first and it promised to stay dry, which is an advantage in view of the high cornering speed - this traditional race track without any significant vertical meters promises pure top speed!
On the 60km distance, Team Lübbering started with Tanja Hennes for women and Marius Bocker, Jonathan Reuning, Oliver Nienaber, Renzo Calligaro, Ulrich Terschlüsen and Stefan and Thomas Frost for men.
Manuela Freund and Tanja Dittrich started for the Lübbering team over the 120 km distance. However, once the race was underway, things turned out very differently.
The high speeds of the leading groups and the groups of slower drivers who were then quickly lapped led to dangerous situations in which unfortunately there were numerous falls with sometimes serious injuries.
Two drivers from the Lübbering team were also caught on the home stretch on the third lap: Oliver Nienaber and Thomas Frost were involved in a mass crash, with Oliver suffering serious injuries. Thomas Frost was largely unhurt. However, the race had to be interrupted because there were seriously injured drivers who had to be transported by rescue helicopter.
After a restart, there were regular rain showers and smooth corners. Due to this risky situation, many drivers did not even start, their motivation was low and they did not want to risk more falls.
Despite everything, some brave drivers from the Lübbering team decided to finish the race.
The results may not be the focus this weekend but are as follows:
60KM race
3rd place Jonathan Reuning AK 1
9th place Stefan Frost AK 3
31st place Thomas Frost AK 4
120KM race
3rd place Manuela Freund AK 1
4th place Tanja Dittrich AK 2
Great respect to all drivers who held out. Hopefully the next race in Leipzig will bring better luck to everyone involved!