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FIA GT: For Roock Racing, the Season Starts at Hockenheim

24 June 1999

* Optimism before third round of FIA GT: Hockenheims short circuit suits ROOCK Racing

* Well-known driver line-up: Stphane Ortelli returns to GT2 drive after Le Mans excursion

Leverkusen / Hockenheim-- ROOCK Racing takes a new go at the FIA GT-World championship: After a rather difficult start of the season the Porsche customer outfit sets about Hockenheims short circuit with new confidence. The reason: The circuits following the season openers at Monza and Silverstone should suit the ROOCK Porsche 911 GT2 much better. Furthermore, in the interest of equal opportunities the biturbo-charged cars are now allowed to use an air-restrictor with a diameter widended by up to 0.8 millimeters dependent of the cars weight. In the near classical duel against the works Chrysler Viper GTS-R , which Fabian and Michael Roocks team is facing for the third consecutive year, the ROOCK Racing driver line-ups Claudia Hrtgen/Stphane Ortelli, Andr Ahrl/Hubert Haupt and Michael Eschmann/Paul Hulverscheid can hope for an increase in power of roughly 20 bhp.

"We are now going to circuits that suit us", team principal Fabian Roock expects before the third round of the championship goes under way at the short circuit of the southwest-german Hockenheim track the coming weekend. "The Hungaroring, Zolder and the Motopark Oschersleben also meet the characteristics of the Porsche 911 GT2, further developed by ourselves the more corners, the better for us."

In driver line-ups a well-known face returns to ROOCK Racing: Stphane Ortelli, who , having won the race in 1998 , stepped in to drive a works entry of Audi Great Britain in this years "Le Mans 24 Hours" will start the Hockenheim race alongside his usual team partner Claudia Hrtgen. Andr Ahrl and Hubert Haupt, class-winners of the "Daytona 24 Hours" in january will race the ROOCK Porsche No 4. Old campaigners Michael Eschmann and Paul Hulverscheid are going to drive the third Porsche 911 GT2 from Leverkusen, starting under the entry of ROOCK Sportsystem, the tuning specialist sistered to the racing team.

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