In spite of everything, the home race at Hockenheim didn't bring us any luck: Callaway Competition hoped to continue its positive momentum last weekend, September 18-20. Despite hard, focused work and two highly motivated drivers, the high expectations had to give way to disappointment. The Callaway Corvette had to end the race prematurely in both races.

Again, Hockenheim for 2020 was a bad experience for Callaway Competition: Ironically, on the racetrack where the Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R was developed, Mike Gramke’s raceteam endured a weekend to forget, despite a strong group performance.

It should have been an enjoyable weekend for the team. The “home game” at the Hockenheimring, only 60 kilometers away from Callaway’s Leingarten facility, clearly increased the team’s motivation and reinforced their drive to improve the tough course of the season. The company’s 25-year anniversary created an additional incentive for the racing team.

But then everything changed and the nightmare seemed to go on. After a technical problem on Saturday and contact on Sunday that caused damage to the front of the Corvette, both races ended early for Callaway.

Now it's time to check off the weekend and look ahead. Sober, but not dejected, back at Leingarten you analyze this season’s streak of bad luck and do everything possible to end it.

The next round of the ADAC GT Masters at the Sachsenring doesn’t offer the best likelihood for this turn-around, but the team wants to get the most points as possible in both races.

“Last weekend was simply disappointing. Somehow, “the worm” currently seems to be in there. Sometimes Motorsports can be damn tough. We won't hang our heads though, because we know that the Corvette is very strong. Unfortunately, technology let us down in the first race and, in the second race, the front splitter was so badly damaged after the contact that it would have made no sense to continue driving. We’ll do our best again at the Sachsenring. Two finishes in the points would be a good step forward. Let's hope for more luck in the second half of the season." Jeffrey Schmidt (26 / Liestal, Switzerland)

“Like the last two years, I had bad luck again at Hockenheim. Two zeros are, of course, aggravating. Especially when you look at the results from free practice. Qualifying 14th was a bit unfortunate, but it wasn’t the end of the world as we knew we’d be strong in the race with a good setup. So it's all the more annoying that we had to drop out because of a really small part. I think we could have finished well in the points in the first race. We have to forget the weekend and look ahead. I hope that we’ll have luck on our side again for the upcoming races and that we can finally strike. A podium is still our goal. I'm in good spirits because our car is still really strong.” Markus Pommer (29 / Heilbronn, Germany)

“We’re proud of such a strong team that, especially in these difficult times, stands together and works hard for our mutual success. Everyone, whether out front or behind the scenes, selflessly gives their best to find their way onto the road to success. We’re grateful for our sponsors’ support and for the trust of the team owners. We’ve celebrated many successes together in the past few years with almost unchanged team members and we want to build on that. All of this makes us strong enough to pass this particularly tough test.” André Zanke (Team Manager)

ADAC GT Masters 2020:
02.10. – 04.10.2020 Sachsenring
16.10. – 18.10.2020 Red Bull Ring (AUT)
30.10. – 01.11.2020 Circuit Zandvoort (NED)
06.11. – 08.11.2020 Motorsport Arena Oschersleben FINALE

Text: A.Dannenberg / Motorsport-Karriere.de
Foto: Axel Weichert