Woo-hoo! Two natural gas-burning Volkswagen Scirocco race cars took top honors in the alt-fuel class of the 24-hour endurance race at the famed and feared Nurburgring Nordschleife.
It wasn't tough, given that they were the only cars competing in that category. But one of them took 17th place overall, coming in ahead of several Porsches and BMWs. Not a bad performance by any stretch.
It was a good weekend for the five Sciroccos that VW sent to the 'Ring. Besides the two natural gas racers, a gasoline burning 'rocco took 15th overall and first place in the 2.0-liter turbo class - VW's third consecutive victory in that category. Still another finished third.
"We’re extremely happy," Kris Nissen, director of motorsports at VW, said in a statement. "We achieved the hat-trick in the two-liter turbo class and also proved that the Scirocco GT24-CNG powered by natural gas is a viable alternative."
The No. 115 GT24-CNG Scirocco driven by Vanina Ickx - that would be the daughter of the great driver Jackie Ickx - Peter Terting, Klaus Niedzwiedz and Thomas Klenke took first in the alt-fuel category and 17th overall. That car came in ahead of No. 118 which was driven by a team that included Dr. Ulrich Hackenburg, who sits on VW's board of for technology.
"Volkswagen showed that there is no justification for the fact that the image of natural gas as a fuel tends to be underrated and that natural gas vehicles can deliver as much sporty performance as vehicles powered by conventional fuels," Hackenburg said. "Our victorious drivers’ squad has fully used the potential of this low-emission technology and surpassed all expectations.”
The race drew several hundred drivers and tens of thousands of spectators to one of the most famous tracks in all of motorsports. Fabled Formula 1 driver Jackie Stewart nicknamed the ‘Ring "the Green Hell" because it is so demanding a place to drive.
Check out some video of a GT24-CNG doing a lap of the 'Ring before the race here.
Photos: VW
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