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Written by:
Marshall Pruett
05/09/2008 - 03:28 PM
Oakland, CA
Watch the dynamic duo of Dominik Farnbacher and Dirk Muller leap from 5th to 1st with superior strategy and driving at Long Beach. » More Photos
How did Tafel Racing win two ALMS GT2 races on the trot? Superior tactics, pit strategy, and driving by pilots Dominik Farnbacher and Dirk Muller. Sounds simple enough, eh? Not really.
As we noted in Muller’s awarding of the SPEEDtv.com ‘Drive of the Race’ for his performance in securing the win for Tafel at Long Beach, it was complete team effort that placed Muller and Farnbacher atop the victory podium.
The strategy and tactics were thanks to veteran sportscar chief Tony Dowe, the man formerly responsible for running Jaguar’s IMSA GTP programs. Dowe’s tactics appeared to be simple on paper, but required incredible amounts of controlled, cerebral driving from his drivers.
Dowe’s plan called for Dom and Dirk to do the entire race on one set of tires, with their competitors scheduled to change for fresh tires during their pit stops. With the time savings from skipping the tire change, Dowe told the pair to expect to leapfrog the GT2 leaders during those pit stops, and if all went according to script, Muller would take over for Farnbacher in the lead.
And that’s precisely where the two German drivers had to work toward for the entire race. Farnbacher, knowing he had to preserve his tires on every lap, was tasked with keeping pace with the GT2 leaders while babying his Michelins for Muller to later use.
The Tafel Ferrari sat back patiently until their sole pit stop, and surprised the opposition with another daring 'fuel only' stop to help secure their 2nd win in a row. (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos
Watching Dominik restrain himself under braking and in the corners—all to stay on Dowe’s plan, is pure artistry. Farnbacher’s ability to keep pace with the main pack of GT2 cars is accomplished without subjecting his Michelin tires to undue wear, sliding, or heat. It’s all the more impressive when you understand that asking a racing driver to go fast while taking it easy on the tires is akin to asking a boxer to score a knockout while lightly using his gloves.
Farnbacher stays on point and on target the entire time, handing over his Ferrari to Muller in the best possible condition. But despite Dominik’s measured drive, Muller is still confronted with rejoining the race in first place, albeit on used tires; all of the GT2 cars behind him have fresh rubber to attack the Tafel Ferrari in the forty minutes that remain in the race.
These forty minutes are what earned Muller the ‘Drive of the Race.’ With a throng of Flying Lizard Porsches perched just inches off his rear bumper, Muller is tasked with staying ahead of Wolf Henzler and company without destroying what’s left of his tires.
Like Farnbacher did during his stint, Muller is also forced to drive with a degree of restraint, but Dominik’s challenge of driving at a reduced pace while in 5th place are nothing like Dirk’s challenge of doing the same while leading the race!
Muller practices a method racing not seen for some time: winning at the slowest possible pace. Triple F1 world champion Alain Prost was a master of this, rarely taxing
Muller’s effort worked to perfection, crossing the start/finish line just one tenth of a second ahead of the #45 Porsche.
Thanks to the American Le Mans Series, we've edited the in-car footage down to the most interesting portions.
To quote Dirk Muller as he crossed the start/finish line at 11:36 into the video, ‘WOOHOOHOO’... (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos
Here’s my informal In-Car Theater viewing guide to the 13 items that might be worth noting:
1. There’s a bit of audio static for the first lap, but once it clears up, the sounds of the Ferrari V-8 are beautiful. Crisp, and with a lot more treble than the bass-filled American V-8’s.
2. Tafel’s Ferrari must have the most tortured engine in the American Le Mans Series. It’s hard not to feel for the V-8 as it gets wound to uncomfortable heights on down shifts and crackles relentlessly as it’s used to decelerate the car. (1:56, 2:18, 3:10, etc)
3. Farnbacher’s tire management is impressive. There are many times he wants to mash the gas and launch off a corner faster than the car ahead of him, but he sticks to the plan and bides his time until Muller can take over. The Ferrari’s traction control electronics certainly help, but that only prevents the tires from spinning, not from harsh side loading and cornering abuse. (2:28, 3:14, 3:26, etc)
4. Being passed by prototypes looks scary. They get dive bombed repeatedly. GT2 drivers must have their heads on a swivel at all times. 2:37, 2:47, 2:54, 4:01, 5:16, etc)
5. The Audi R10 is frighteningly fast in a straight line. (4:06)
6. Unlike the driver in first In-Car Theater installment, Dom’ doesn’t shake his fist at his fellow drivers. (entire race)
7. Tafel’s ‘fuel only’ pitstop looks incredibly relaxed. (4:36)
8. It’s impressive to consider how short their stop was. (4:31-4:55)
9. LMP cars disappear on the straights, but aren’t much faster than GT2 cars in the corners at Long Beach. (5:18-5:37, 5:55)
10. Restarts can get a bit dicey. (7:45-7:56)
11. OK, we can’t see inside the car, but maybe there is some fist shaking and cursing in German here. (8:54-9:15)
12. You don’t see it from the forward-facing camera, but Wolf Henzler is locked onto the back of Muller on each lap. Note the lack of egregious blocking and defensive driving on the final lap. No doors are left open, but there’s a decided lack of desperation in Muller’s work. Nice. (9:56-11:28)
13. With the race won, Dirk finally relaxes. Nothing like a big ‘WOOHOOHOO’ after crossing the finish line. (11:36-11:40)
Watch ALMS: In-Car Theater, Ferrari F430 at Long Beach Here.
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