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Formula 3 News
The advantages of the Volkswagen engine
In its edition 49/2010, the motor-racing weekly ‘Motorsport aktuell’ extensively covers the Macau Grand Prix. The Formula 3 world finale once again proved to be the highlight of the season – and an outstanding success for Volkswagen. Never before in the history of the event that has been held in every single year since 1954, a driver succeeded in defending his Macau Grand Prix title – but now, Edoardo Mortara made history by realising this feat.
“In this demanding race that is contested by the best Formula 3 drivers on our planet, the driver still represents the most important factor,” ‘Motorsport aktuell’ quoted Holger Spiess. And the boss of the tradition-rich Spiess Motorenbau GmbH knows what he is talking about. After all, his Ditzingen based company has been preparing the leading Formula 3 engines for many years, now. “In Macao – and even more so in the Melco hairpin – the advantages of the Volkswagen engine proved to be of particular importance,” added Spiess. “Apart from optimised friction coefficients, the driveability of the engine represents the most important criterion.”
And the winner of the 57th Macau Grand Prix, Italy’s Edoardo Mortara, wasn’t the only driver on the podium who relied on Volkswagen power. Belgian Laurens Vanthoor who finished runner-up also raced a Dallara powered by a Spiess serviced Volkswagen engine. And a glance at the top-10 makes the stunning dominance of the Volkswagen power unit even clearer: nine of the ten top-placed drivers achieved their results by dint of Volkswagen engines.
Meanwhile, Daniel Abt, runner-up in the 2010 ATS Formula 3 Cup, also made a really great Macau debut. Thanks to his aggressive but matured approach, the 17-year old German even held the lead in the race when a contact with the crash barriers made a sudden and early end to his race. Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen knew how to assess this performance: “Form my point of view and in consideration of Daniel’s performance, the Formula 3 Euro Series remains the most competitive series – but the ATS Formula 3 Cup follows close behind in second position.”
