Kaan Önder in Top 10 at TT Cup
National driver Kaan Önder, who competes in the Audi Sport TT Cup, began the season's second race with Friday's free practice. Kaan finished the session fifth with a lap time of 55.905s, ahead of strong rivals including former World Touring Car Championship (WTTC) driver Jordi Gene.
Rain that started right at the beginning of Saturday morning's qualifying session allowed the drivers only two timed laps, and the young driver secured a place on the grid in 16th for the first race and 14th for the second.
Kaan Önder made a very good start in the first race, run in the rain, but on the seventh lap a rival missed the braking point at the Grundig corner and went off the track, then caused heavy damage to Kaan's car while trying to rejoin, forcing our driver to retire.
In the second race on Sunday, which featured a big fight, Kaan Önder took the chequered flag in ninth place among the championship drivers. The next race will be held at Austria's Red Bull Ring on 1-2 August.
Speaking about the race, Kaan said: "Despite all the setbacks, I actually had a good weekend. I'm now fully used to my new car, and both our set-up and my speed are very good. I showed that with my free practice times at the Norisring, which I was racing at for the first time. The accident in the first race was really unlucky and caused serious damage to my car. I'd like to thank the Audi team, and especially my mechanics, very much. They worked all night and prepared my car in the best possible way for the second race. The second race was really tough. The Norisring is a street circuit where overtaking is very difficult, but my pace was very good and I was able to climb up the order with the passes I made. To get the best performance out of your car, you need good instincts. I now feel very comfortable in the Audi TT, I have complete confidence in my car and I can push its limits better. We've also taken our race plans and strategies to the highest level. The Red Bull Ring is a track I know and have raced at before, and I will definitely show a much better performance there."
