The Ups and Downs of Motorsports
Eastalent Racing fights back from a setback at Magny-Cours to finish fifth in the GT World Challenge Europe

Magny-Cours (France). The GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS headed to Magny-Cours, France, from 31 July to 2 August for the third Sprint Cup weekend of the season. For Austrian team Eastalent Racing from Kirchberg bei Mattighofen, led by Team Principal Peter Reicher, it marked a first appearance at the historic circuit – and one of the most emotional race weekends of the season so far.

The two free practice sessions on Friday already indicated that Magny-Cours would pose a major challenge for the team. Finishing 42nd and 21st made it clear that both the drivers and the crew still had plenty of work ahead of them.

Saturday’s first qualifying session also proved disappointing. Simon Reicher could only place the Audi R8 LMS evo II 42nd on the grid. “For Simon’s qualifying session, we were unfortunately not yet where we wanted to be. The car was extremely difficult to drive,” explains Christopher Haase.

The one-hour evening race initially offered little reason for celebration either. After a strong recovery drive, the Audi sustained heavy front-end damage in a collision. Haase was subsequently taken to the medical centre for routine checks.

Rather than accepting the setback, however, Eastalent Racing demonstrated its greatest strength: teamwork. The drivers, engineers and mechanics analysed the problems, worked on the car throughout the night and managed to get the Audi R8 LMS evo II back on its wheels in time for Sunday.

Their efforts were rewarded in impressive fashion. Christopher Haase initially qualified third in the second session. Following the disqualification of a competitor, the team was promoted to second on the grid. In the race, Eastalent Racing held its own against the international GT3 elite and crossed the finish line in an excellent fifth place.

“It was another weekend with plenty of highs and lows, but above all with many opportunities – much like the previous round in Misano,” Christopher Haase concludes. “We recognised much earlier which direction we needed to take and worked very constructively and efficiently throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, the accident on Saturday prevented us from achieving a good result. However, thanks to the tremendous commitment of the entire team, who worked on the car throughout the night, we were able to start Sunday’s race from the front row. Fifth place is a fantastic result. I hope we can continue this upward trend.”

Simon Reicher also looks back on an extraordinary race weekend: “It was absolutely crazy. Motorsport once again showed us what it is capable of. After every session, we faced new challenges, but we never lost our composure. Instead, we improved the car step by step. By Sunday, we finally had an Audi that felt sensational to drive. Although we have not yet reached the full extent of our potential, we were able to carry the momentum from Misano into this weekend. Fifth place in the Formula 1 of GT3 racing is an outstanding result for us. Of course, we are a little disappointed that small mistakes may even have cost us a podium finish. That makes us all the more excited for the Nürburgring, where Markus Winkelhock will return to the driver line-up.”

Team Principal Peter Reicher also drew a positive conclusion: “Anyone who has followed our season knows that we have experienced both significant lows and major highs. Before the race, I said that a top-ten finish would already be a good result and that a top-five finish would exceed our expectations. That is exactly what we achieved. This weekend showed that there is considerably more potential within our team.”

Engineer Christian Schmidt-Gogler also sees positive progress: “Overall, I am satisfied. Without one or two small mistakes, even more would have been possible. At the same time, we now know exactly which areas we need to continue working on. Our race performance was strong, and we were able to score valuable points once again.”

Following the successful weekend in France, attention now turns to the next round of the season. From 28 to 30 August, the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS will visit the Nürburgring in Germany’s Eifel region, where Eastalent Racing will aim to continue its positive momentum.