Christopher Haase Press Release
Audi driver Christopher Haase did not spend much time celebrating his major success, the overall victory in the 24 hour race at the Nürburgring: the man from Bavaria travelled straight to the USA for the next round of the United Sports Car Championship (USCC), again with Paul Miller Racing. And again he was able to make the acquaintance of a legendary racetrack: “It is a special experience to get to know a track such as Watkins Glen. Add to this the fact that almost all road courses in the USA are natural circuits, with elevation changes and fast, flowing combinations of corners. They are a dream come true, even though – or because – you need major commitment to be fast here.”
Qualifying on the 5.472 kilometer track brought no problems for Haase and his team mate Bryce Miller, and the set-up of their Audi R8 LMS seemed to be good right away. In the race, which ran over a duration of six hours, initially all went well for Miller and Haase: “The start went smoothly, we were able to make up several spots right away. Then it was a perfect team performance by Bryce and myself which saw us in 4th position in the GTD class after about two hours”, says Haase, who then unfortunately ran out of luck. “I was on the last lap of my stint when the Safety Car came out. We wanted to take advantage of this situation, and make up some more time. Had it worked out, we would have been on course for the class win. But then I ran out of fuel, just a few hundred meters before the pit entrance.” This mishap cost them four laps which ultimately denied them not only their chance at winning in class but also the podium finish they had believed was secure.
8th place was damage limitation for Haase and Miller. “After the unfortunate incident, we were determined to get some points, and with 8th position we did just that”, says Christopher Haase who only gets to spend a little over a week at home in Germany before he returns to North America. “We have come to the half-way point of the year already, and I would like to thank Paul Miller Racing for the terrific first half of the season. Racing in the USA is fun! We’ll try to get on the podium a few more times in the second part of the year. Maybe we’ll get there already at Mosport, on the next legendary track!”
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Photo credit: Paul Miller Racing / Bob Champan
