Motorsport: Reto Meisel dampens expectations
This weekend, the spectators in Hemberg can not only look forward to a great fight for the day's victory, but also to the return of Reto Meisel. His specially developed Mercedes SLK 340 is the visual and acoustic attraction par excellence in the touring cars. Three years ago, Reto Meisel had announced the ambitious project of building his own [...]
Three years ago, Reto Meisel announced the ambitious project of building a touring car on his own that the world has never seen before. The basis is a Carlsson-Mercedes SLK with a 3.4-liter Judd V8 racing engine from LMP2. Since the power output in Group E1 is allowed to be open to the top, more than 600 hp at around 800 kilograms provide a tremendous thrust.
A year ago, the Aargauer made his debut with his homebuilt in Hemberg, but unforeseen technical problems only allowed for a single race run. In Reitnau, Meisel packed up again before the start of training and then concentrated on finishing his homebuilt. Now the second race premiere will take place on Saturday and Sunday in Toggenburg.
Reto Meisel: "You can't expect any miracles from me yet".
However, the multiple Swiss and German mountain champion is still dampening the expectations of his many fans. At the hillclimb race in Verzegnis (I) two weeks ago, Reto Meisel was able to get into the swing of things in practice, but because of the weather-related cancellation he did not get to race. In contrast to Switzerland, where the two-seater received Group E1 approval, abroad it has to start in the Group E2 silhouette, which in Italy was only the turn of Ronnie Bratschi's surprising drive to victory on the day. "It will take a while before I will be anywhere near as familiar with this car as I was with the Mercedes 190 RM1," explains Reto Meisel. "Therefore, you can't expect any miracles yet. My first goal in Hemberg will be to finish the race rounds and get into the classification."
The favorite for the touring car victory is FIA E1 European champion Ronnie Bratschi, who holds the touring car record in Hemberg. "If it stays dry on race day, then I will undercut this," promises the man from Uri. We are looking forward to it!
www.bergrennen-hemberg.ch
Photos: Archive
