LELYSTAD, 16th of September 2008 – After the success of the first races at Spa-Francorchamps in the FIA GT4 Sports Light Series, Donkervoort prepared itself for the next race on the calendar. The race track of Brno, Czech Republic, was the setting for a sensational battle, in which the Donkervoort D8 GT proved to have adequate speed to compete. The result of last weekend’s race was a second and third place.

The Donkervoort D8 GT is characterized by its light-weight and ultra rigid chassis. With a mere 650 kilograms, the D8 GT is considered the worlds’ lightest GT ever built. The higher speed potential is achieved through drag reduction and the improved down force. The improved aerodynamic drag factor can be accredited to the shape of the roof as well as to the horizontal left and right wings, which house the headlights. In other words, the ideal car for the GT4 Sports Light Series. These series were introduced by the FIA at the beginning of this year for road-legal sports cars with a minimum weight of 750 kilograms. Amongst other cars participating in this championship are the KTM X-Bow, the Lotus 2-Eleven, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and the Maserati Trofeo Light.

The Automotodrom racetrack of Brno is considered to be one of the most challenging European racetracks and is known as the Spa-Francorchamps of Eastern Europe. Both Donkervoort drivers were new to this track and used the brief training sessions to get acquainted to the racetrack. Nevertheless, the accomplished results were satisfactory. “This season in the GT4 Sports Light Series is a training season for us. We have shown our potential once again during the qualifying on Friday, in which we gained pole position in both qualifying practices”, states Denis Donkervoort, factory driver for Donkervoort Racing (left in the picture below). Continuing: “We were surprised by the extreme differences in temperature over the weekend. During the qualifying practices the outside temperature was 32 °C, but during the races on Saturday and Sunday, the temperature was just 7 °C. Still, we managed to obtain a second and third place in the races. We’re looking forward to the next races at Nogaro, France.“

Due to a broken fly wheel, Denis Donkervoort was not able to compete in the races on Sunday. However, French driver Stéphane Wintenberger managed to secure a third place. 

The provisional calendar for 2008 is:
4-5 October: Nogaro, France