Third place in Alastaro, Finnland

Journey up north

The second FIA-European Championship Race took place in Alastaro, Finland, on the first weekend in July. So, the three Schöfer brothers travelled more than 2000 km

via road and ferry to Alastaro whereas the rest of the team, namely Christl Sulz, Christina Beibl, Ralf Rowold, Kirsten Krause and Alfred Widmann, took the plane to fly up.

Qualifying

The weather at the weekend was amazing: lots of sunshine and very hot temperatures. In the first qualifying run on Friday, Pat was up against Wilson. Pat ran a 5.489 sec on the tricky track. After some adjustments to the car, he could improve upon his time in his second qualifying run against Krister Johansson with a 5.426 sec run. So, the team was pleased about its first successful day in Finland. On Saturday, the warm-up was followed by a long wait, so that the third qualifying run started at around 4 pm. Once again, Pat was able to run a faster time, namely 5.414 sec against Derek Flynn.

Slightly surprisingly because of the advanced time, the team was called up for the fourth qualifying run at around 7pm, again against Wilson. Already at the start, there was a bad tyre shake, causing the blower bolts to cede. So, Pat finished the qualifying in the number three spot, after Wilson (5.378 sec) and Timo Habermann (5.385 sec). Because of the blower problem, the team had to burn the midnight oil and to turn night into day to get the car ready for eliminations. However, in Finland that is not as hard as elsewhere because of the midnight sun.

Eliminations

On Sunday, the team, being very motivated, anticipated the elimination rounds. In the quarter finals, Pat was up against Paul Ingar Udtian. The latter red lit and Pat was in the next round with a 5.467 sec run. In the semi-finals, Pat had to face Timo Habermann. Peter had an excellent reaction time of 0.067 sec and the fastest 60 ft time of the weekend (0.91 sec). However, after about 150 metres, the blower problems came back so that Timo Habermann, who had some technical problems of his own, won the race.

So, the team finished its second FIA-Championship Race in the third place and is content with its consistent performance.

Now, that the team is back home, all efforts are put into the preparations for the next FIA-Championship Race in Mantorp, Sweden, in the end of July.

Once again, it became clear how strong and competitive the Top Methanol Dragster class is and that it is possible for every single team in this field to win a race.

------------------------------- 19th September 2009  -------------------------------

Last Weekend, the fifth and last FIA European Championship Race took place in Santa Pod, England.

Again, all team members -- namely the three  Schöfer brothers: Pat, Wolfi and Rudi, Kirsten Krause, Ralf Rowold, Heike Schäfer, Christl Sulz and Gittli Koller -- were present -- as always. The three Schöfers and Gittli drove up in the truck, whereas the rest flew over

After the win in Hockenheim, we were really curious to find out how our dragster (after the undergone changes in June) would behave on the fastest track in Europe.
 

The weather forecast was really good which one cannot count upon in England. The first two qualifying runs were good but not ideal. However, after a few small changes, there it was, the long longed for 5.3-second-run. Pat ran a 5.37sec, at 265mph (426 km/h) in his fourth qualifying run. Wow, what a tremendous joy ..

And it was fascinating to see that four (!) more teams had run in the 5.3s. Once again, our class proved to be one of the most homogenous ones, with time differences of hundredths of seconds only.
 

In the semi finals, Peter was to race against Timo Haberman (the Champion 2009), who is known for his good start line reaction. Unbelievably, Pat won this race with another holeshot, his reaction time being just a hundredths of a second, so that Pat won this race.

That meant that we would meet our good friend Krister Johannson in the final. He had really got the hang of his A-Fueler at this weekend so that it was clear that the final would be really, really exciting.

And that was exactly the case: it couldn’t have been closer, more exciting, or more thrilling. Pat could gain a slight advance at the tree which he could keep till the finish. That meant that he had the second win in a row (after Hockenheim).  

That’s crazy

all pictures: Remco Scheelings

However, the best was the driven time: 5.360 sec ... a new personal best.

Pat, with his two wins, has won more races in his class than any other racer this year. However, having not started in Finland, it means that he finished the FIA European Championship in the number four spot. Nevertheless, the changes at the dragster were definitely worth it!

Towards the end of the season, the team is going to do two show events: in Hockenheim and in Italy.

But, we are already longing for the season 2010 --- to compete for the title again.

This is the place and time to say thank you to the entire team again: you’ve done a tremendous job!!! Thank you ever so much.

In addition, we would like to send a big thank you to our good friend Steve Federlin and his wife Patty in the USA. We can always count on them and they’ve already provided us with a lot of tips (unfortunately, they haven’t been able to come to Europe so far). We do appreciate your support, your knowledge and help a great deal. Thank you, you two!

------------------------------- 18th August 2009  -------------------------------

This time, there were not only the known crew, consisting of the three Schöfer brothers Pat, Wolfi and Rudi, Kirsten Krause, Ralf Rowold, Heike Schäfer, Christl Sulz and Gittli Koller, but also many friends and supporters from around Moosburg who came along to keep their fingers crossed for us. The MSC from Nandlstadt had even hired a bus to come up to the event.

The event in Hockenheim is always a very special one for us, being the biggest drag racing event in Europe. After our successful race in Sweden, we were very optimistic. This optimism remained because Pat could already gain the no 2 spot on the first qualifying day and after the second day, he could even improve upon his result. Being top qualifier and having run a new track record in front of our home crowd was an amazing experience for the entire crew.

------------------------------- 2nd June 2009  -------------------------------

Last weekend, the third European Championship Race took place in Mantorp Park (Sweden).

Having considered the slightly disappointing times run in Santa Pod, England, at the first European Championship Race, and the fact that the FIA ruling was not clear up until a week before the next race, we decided to save the money for the trip up to Finland and to invest that money into the dragster instead.

So, we went up to Sweden being rather nervous/excited due to the changes to the dragster. We would see whether the hard work of the five past weeks would work out.

As always, there were the three Schöfer brothers Pat, Wolfi and Rudi, Kirsten Krause, Ralf Rowold, Heike Schäfer, Christl Sulz and Gittli Koller.

In the first run, we decided to choose a very soft set-up because of the new overdrive rules and because of the new fuel system that had been developed by the team itself. Already the first run proved that the team was on the right track so that a more aggressive set-up could be tested. In the end, Pat qualified in the number two spot with a new personal best. We were very happy.

In the quarter final, Pat had to line up against his old mate Rob Turner from England. Pat could decide that run for himself. In the semi final, Pat was up against Timo Habermann, who is leading the championship at the moment. The dragster had an ideal run up to about 150 metres when a loss of traction led to the back tyres going up in smoke so that Pat lost that run.   

Nevertheless, we were extremely happy with that race weekend. The dragster ran as if being put on tracks. Now, we are looking forward to our race in Hockenheim where we’ll race in front of our home crowd.
 

------------------------------- 2nd June 2009  -------------------------------

The Main Event – The First European Championship Race 2009

Our team, as always, consisted of the three Schöfer brothers, Pat, Wolfi and Rudi, Kirsten Krause, Ralf Rowold, Heike Schäfer, Christl Sulz and Gittli Koller.

We were pleased with our two test runs which were both in the 5.5s. Unfortunately, there was some shaking as well but we were motivated and eager to start the qualifying.

Our field was bigger than usual: not only were there six blown dragsters, but also four A-fuelers (which run on Nitro but are part of our class). That is a great development of our Top Methanol class but that meant as well that there were at least nine out of ten dragsters that had the potential to win the race.

Before the race, there had been some FIA rule changes concerning the adjustment of various blower types. Unfortunately, these rule changes were communicated so late that they caused a lot of confusion and agitation so that they were taken back by the race management. (However, that meant that there were considerable discrepancies.)

The tire shakes kept on occurring during our qualifying runs so that we qualified in the number eight spot. This meant that we would face Timo Habermann in the first elimination round. Timo could clearly win this race so that we were out in the first round for the first time since 2002 – and that with a 5.52-second-run.

That was a completely new experience for us as our car had been at least in the semi-finals for the past seven years and never in a worse position than number three.

Surely, it was hard to be in the number seven spot but at the same time that’s racing as well.

All of the teams performed really well and we are working hard now to speed up our dragster and to improve upon our performance.

------------------------------- 15 th May 2009  -------------------------------

We want to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors and supporters:
Normstahl, Norfolkline, JE-Pistons, Sunoco, Uvex, Mipa, PePe Calwer, Weindel US Parts, Fa. Reindl, the Friends of PSR, Schneider, Widmann, GRP Rods, Taylor Motorsports.

------------------------------- 14 th December 2008  -------------------------------

Yesterday, the honouring of the ADAC took place in the Bayrische Hof, one of the best places to go to in Munich.

------------------------------- 13 th December 2008  -------------------------------

------------------------------- 30th November 2008  -------------------------------

------------------------------- 27th / 29th October 2008  -------------------------------

Today, an interview with Peter Schöfer is going to be broadcast in the programme SportArena of the TV channel München.TV

The broadcasting times are: Monday, 27^th October ’08 at 20:15 & 22:00, Tuesday, 15:00, Wednesday and Thursday 9:00 & 14:00.

In addition, Peter Schöfer is going to be in the news on 29^th October ’08 at 18:00, 19:00, 21:00 and 23:00.

By the way ... München.TV can be watched via the Internet on Live-Stream !!!!

------------------------------- 26th October 2008 -------------------------------

Yesterday, we had our big Schöfer party -- because there was a lot to be celebrated:

             the FIA-Top Methanol Dragster European Championship title  2008
                                    --- and a thank you to the team, to those that help and to our friends

We didn’t not only celebrate our win of the coveted FIA title, but this was also an occasion to say thank you to the team (consisting of Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller, Christl Sulz, Kirsten Krause, Ralf Rowold, Heike Schäfer, Alfred Widmann) that travels with us throughout Europe during the entire year.

The crew members got a self-built trophy (consisting of a piston and rod, which had been on the dragster in this season, with a clock), a T-Shirt and a compilation of photos taken after the win. Peter thanked every crew member individually for his/her dedication and commitment.

Before presenting the trophies, there was a seasonal review remembering the path to the European Championship title with the help of words, pictures and a video snippet. The emotional presentation was well received by the present guests.

But not only the team was present. There were also around 50 friends, supporters and sponsors who enjoyed celebrating with Peter Schöfer and his team.

here are some pictures of the party

------------------------------- 19th October 2008 -------------------------------

Today, the shops were open on Sunday in Moosburg. During these hours, we had displayed our dragster on the market square and even though the exhibition was only supposed to start at 1 p.m., the first visitors were already there at 11 o’clock in order to see the dragster, of which they read so much in the local papers, from up close.

So, we had to keep answering questions and explaining things till 6 p.m. and we enjoyed the interest of our local community very much.

------------------------------- 14th October 2008 -------------------------------

Yesterday, we were invited to a very special reception in the town hall by Mrs Anita Meinelt, the mayoress of Moosburg.

During this reception, Peter told Mrs Meinelt about the season 2008 and she was visibly proud that a member of her community is going to be invited to the FIA gala in Monaco.

Peter was given a copy of the book ‘History of the Town of Moosburg’ and a personally dedicated card by the mayoress.

from left to  right:
Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller, Anita Meinelt, Peter Schöfer, Wolfgang Schöfer

------------------------------- September 10th 2008 -------------------------------

The final race of the FIA European Drag Racing Championship 2008 took place in Santa Pod, England, last weekend. The entire Peter Schöfer Racing crew, consisting of   Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi, Gittli Koller, Kirsten Krause, Ralf Rowold, Heike Schäfer and Christl Sulz, had travelled to England, trying to give their best to win the title.

After our win in Finland, a second place in Sweden and a third one in Hockenheim, we were in a good position to go for the title, being only four points behind Timo Habermann.

However, as broadcast on the media over here as well, there were torrential rainfalls in England so that 200 teams and we had to wait from Thursday till Saturday for better weather. In some parts of the drivers’ pits, the flooding was so high that heavy machinery had to be used to pump it up. In addition, the entire team had to sweep away the water, carry buckets or check the pump that we had bought to fight the water masses.

On Sunday morning, finally, the showers seemed to become less frequent, allowing for more and more drier spells. So, qualifying could start at lunchtime.

The weekend coming, we are going to go to Hockenheim one more time, to do some show runs for the company Wessels & Müller during their in-house exhibition.

Afterwards, there might be one or two more show events and we’ll have to get ready for some events linked to having won the title, e.g. Pat being invited to the FIA gala dinner in Monaco in December, where the Formula One Champions are going to be nominated.

We, the crew, are ever so happy about our success, especially as we had missed the title by just a few points several times in the seasons after our Championship title in 2002. Luckily, Peter Schöfer was able to take the win this year.

We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you so much to all of our friends and sponsors, without who this success would not have been possible.

                                                                         ... more pictures will follow ...

------------------------------- September 8th 2008 -------------------------------

the report will follow shortly ...

------------------------------- August 18th 2008 -------------------------------

Last weekend, the race on our home track took place in Hockenheim. We are ever so happy to see Hockenheim back on the FIA race calendar and that so many teams and supporters helped to turn it into a success. This time, the entire team was present again – consisting of Pat and his brothers Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller, Heike Schäfer, Kirsten Krause, Christl Sulz and Ralf Rowold. However, far more people than the crew had found their way to the German racetrack to keep their fingers crossed for the PSR team  - namely loads of friends and supporters of the Schöfer Team.

On Friday, the showery weather conditions wouldn’t allow us to have our first qualifying run before the evening. After having burned the midnight oil in the past two weeks, working on the dragster in order to repair its damaged engine after Sweden, the emotions were running high. So, it was really good to see that the engine ran perfectly, like clockworks. On Saturday, the Top Methanol Class showed once more, how close the times are as the top five dragsters qualified with 13 thousandths of a second.

On eliminations day, Peter Schöfer could win his race against the second in the championship, Rob Turner, in the quarter finals and had to face young Timo Habermann in the semi finals. For this run, we had chosen a more powerful set-up. Unfortunately, Pat was not able to get the power onto the track so that the back wheels went up in smoke after about 100 metres, enabling Timo to decide the race for himself.

That means that not only the qualifying times are extremely close, but also the points standings in our class. At the moment we are in the number two spot in the championship, only four points behind Timo and some points before Rob Turner. The final decision, who of us three is going to become European Champion 2008, is going to take place in Santa Pod, England, in three weeks.

Before travelling to the finals, however, we’ll have another show run at the SpeedDays in Zerbst, near Magdeburg, the weekend coming.

 Pictures will be posted shortly ...

------------------------------- August 12th 2008 -------------------------------

Having returned from Sweden, we had to tackle a real problem: our manifold had been broken in the finals. We had no clue how that could have happened ---but it had happened in Sweden. A call to the manufacturer in the States showed us straight away that despite all efforts on BAE’s side, there would not be enough time. So, we gave our American friends a call and as they didn’t have a spare manifold either, they gave their friends calls again and tried to find someone to help us out and they were lucky. Our friend Norm Grimes knows Chelsea Clark, who didn’t hesitate at all to send us his brand new manifold across the Atlantic. We don’t even know Chelsea personally. Nevertheless, he was prepared to help us. Thank you so much Chelsea --- this could only happen in drag racing!

------------------------------- July 29th 2008 -------------------------------

The third race of the FIA Drag Racing European Championship took place in Mantorp Park (Sweden) last weekend.

As with Finland, the crew split in half, travelling either on the ferry from Rostock to Trelleburg, or by plane, to meet up on the race track which is situated near Linköping, roughly in central Sweden.  The team, consisting of Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller, Heike Schäfer, Kirsten Krause, Ralf Rowold and Christl Sulz was highly motivated to defend the lead in the European Championship after its success in Finland.

In the first qualifying run, there were some problems with the gear box but already in the second qualifying run, everything ran perfectly so that Peter could qualify in the #2 spot with consistently low 5.5sec runs.

Unfortunately, not every participant was as lucky, for example the Norvegian driver Paul Ingar Udtian had some problems with his chutes and wasn’t able to stop his dragster in time in the very short shut-down area. He drove into the adjoining barley field. Luckily, his team was able to repair the badly damaged dragster overnight so that he could continue competing in the race.

pictures by Remco Scheelings

In the eliminations, Peter Schöfer had to face last year’s European Champion Dave Wilson. This time, Peter could decide the race for himself as well as the semi-final run against the young German driver Timo Habermann. In the final, he was up against the English driver Rob Turner. Peter had a perfect start and took over the lead straight away. Unfortunately, two-thirds down the track, the Bavarian Thunder dragster’s engine had a technical defect so that it lost a lot of its power. So, Peter  was the runner-up, but he still holds the lead in the FIA European Championship points standing.

From the 15^th till the 17^th August, the fourth race, the NitrolympX,  is taking place in Hockenheim, Germany, which is part of the European Championship round this year again.

------------------------------- July 9th 2008 -------------------------------

Last weekend, the second FIA European Championship Race took place in Alastaro (Finland).

The team, consisting of Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller, Heike Schäfer, Kirsten Krause, Ralf Rowold, Alfred Widmann and Christl Sulz, travelled all the way from southern Germany to Finland. Part of the crew went on the 26-hour-ferry-trip from Rostock to Helsinki and the second group took the plane. All met on the race track -- which is called ‘moottoriurheilukeskus’ in Finnish and which is located about 100 km to the west of Helsinki.

pictures by Ivan Sansom

Due to the bad weather in England, we couldn’t really test our new engine there so that we were really looking forward to the race in Finland. The track there is considered to be one of the trickiest ones, demanding a lot from the driver and from the person, doing the set up. However, this time the track crew had been working extremely hard and had managed to prepare the track really well.

During qualifying, everything went according to plan and Peter Schöfer could qualify in the number two spot, only 2 hundredths of a second behind the top qualifier Timo Habermann (well done Timo) . Right behind us was Paul Ingar Udtian.

So, Peter is leading in the points standings of the FIA European Championship. In the end of July, the team will go up north again, this time travelling all the way to Sweden for the third European Championship Race in Mantorp.

------------------------------- Mai 28th 2008 -------------------------------

Last weekend, the first FIA European Drag Racing Champtionship Race took place in Santa Pod (England) in which we took part again. The team, consisting of Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Schöfer, Heike Schäfer, Kirsten Krause, Ralf Rowold, Alfred Widmann and Christl Sulz, had tried to prepare itself as well as possible for the new season. We were full of optimism, knowing, on the other hand that the competition would be hard, as always.

Our problems started, however, already before reaching the British Isles: We hit the strike of the French fishermen which caused all ferry rides from Dunkerque to be suspended for 16-18 hours. So, no-one was interested in our booking and as we didn’t fancy waiting for that long, we decided to try the Eurotunnel in Calais instead. Having queued for seven hours (in the meantime it was 1.30 a.m.), we were told that we wouldn’t be allowed onto the train without a proper booking. So, we had to fight our way out of the port against the current and went back to the port of Calais. At the port, there were at least 2000 trucks that would have been checked in before us so, we went back to the starting point of our odyssey - Dunkerque. After another four hours of queuing, we got onto the ferry at 6 a.m. rather feeling the lack of sleep.

Therefore, Friday was a quiet day on which we were waiting for the technical inspection all day. Finally, on Saturday, the first qualifying runs took place. Unfortunately, we could only run two qualifying runs because of the persistently bad weather and the rain.

The team had developed a new, more powerful engine over the winter months so that we couldn’t build on any experiences from the past. On top of that, we had got a new injector which increases the air intake of the blower. So, the team was very pleased to see that the car ran well in its first run and achieved a good time. In the second, and unfortunately last, qualifying run, this time could even be improved. In the end, Pat qualified in the third spot, only 2 hundredths of a second behind the top qualifier, the Norwegian driver Udtian.

On Sunday and Monday, it kept raining almost uninterruptedly. On Monday, the rain stopped for a short time, so that the elimination runs of the Pro Mod class could take place. Unfortunately, that was the only class that could run as the rain restarted so that race control called off the race at 14.30. Unlike in the States, the race is just cancelled and not postponed.

In four weeks time, the next Championship Race is going to take place in Finland.
One more newsworthy item might be that Dave Wilson had decided to change his dragster into an A-Fueler by exchanging its back end. This can be done without too much hassle and can be reversed as well. He kept all of his engine parts ...  just in case ... as one can never know ...

pictures by Remco Scheelings

pictures by Christl + Kirsten

------------------------------- Mai  20th 2008 -------------------------------

------------------------------- Mai 14th 2008 -------------------------------

Monday coming, Pat is going to be interviewed during the programme ‘Sport-Arena’ at 20.15 o’clock. We’ll keep you informed ...
 

------------------------------- May 8th 2008 -------------------------------

The first of May was not only a bank holiday in Germany, but also in Hungary, where the first meet of the Hungarian Drag Racing Championship took place. Our team (consisting of the 3 Schöfer brothers Pat, Wolfi and Rudi, Gittli Koller, Ralf Rowold as well as Kirsten Krause and his partner Christl Sulz) was invited to do our first test runs of the new season 2008 in Kunmadaras, which is about 180 km to the east of Budapest.

Doing our first test runs, however, does not mean that we 'hibernated’. Just the opposite: we had used the winter months to catch up on information in the USA. In addition, we did some major changes at the engine in order to increase the capacity of the 3500hp-strong dragster.
 

 The tests were really successful so that Pat could improve upon his own track record on the Hungarian quarter mile. He reached a new top speed of more than 370 km/h, which is extremely quick on this track because the track isn’t prepared like the ones of the European Championship so that Pat drove only on concrete. He had to prove how good a driver he is to put the power of the dragster onto that track. So, the team is very happy with this first test session of the season and is looking forward to the coming European Championship Run at the end of the month in England, where the entire team (including Heike Schäfer and also Alfred Widmann) is going to be present.
 

Here are a few pictures of our photographer Christl...

------------------------------- February 1st 2008 -------------------------------

We are very pleased to welcome a new sponsor on board: The company KEYR, from Munich. Mr Brändlein and his team prepare cars on a grand scale.

 

------------------------------- December 9th 2007 -------------------------------

Last Saturday, the award-giving ceremony of the Bavarian motor sportsmen took place in the ‘Bayrischen Hof’ in Munich. T

he ADAC of Southern Bavaria had sent out the invitations to this event. Once again, Peter Schöfer was honoured for his outstanding performance in motor sports and for his Third Place in the FIA-European Championship and was awarded a golden plate.

------------------------------- September 11th 2007 -------------------------------

Last weekend was the weekend of the last FIA European Championship Race in Santa Pod, England.

Peter Schöfer came to this crucial race being in the number two spot in the points standing, only a few points behind the number one. 

The crew, consisting of Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller, Heike Schäfer, Kirsten Krause and Ralf Rowold, were full of hope as one could see in the past races, that the PSR dragster was running well.   
 

Peter was able to qualify in the number three spot, just behind the two leading  English drivers, Wilson and Turner. As always, the ETs in the Top Methanol Dragster field were very close as the competitors are very strong. Very often, there are just about a few hundredths of a second between the different drivers.

In the quarter finals, Pat could win the first elimination run against the newcomer in the European Championship, Derek Flynn from England. In the semi-finals, Pat was lined up against the English driver Rob Turner.  With Rob Turner being very strong at the lights, Pat took too much of a risk and red-lit.

Unfortunately, that meant that Rob Turner could catch up on our points standing so that Peter Schöfer missed the European Runner-Up title very narrowly by just two points.
 

We would like to congratulate Dave Wilson on his win of the European Championship title again and we would like to say thank you to all of our Top Methanol Dragster competitors for a great season.

However, before we are going to retire for the winter season, our dragster is going to be on display on three occasions .... more info is going to follow.

------------------------------- August 28th 2007 -------------------------------

Last Thursday, Pat and Gittli were invited by the Munich radio station Charivari, i.e. the night show of the well-known presenter Ali Khan. From 11 pm to 1 am, Ali asked loads of questions about our team and drag racing in general....which was really exciting ....

On Sunday coming the documentary that was shot about our team at the NitrOlympx in Hockenheim will be broadcast on the Bavarian TV Channel in the programme "Schwaben und Altbayern" between 6.05 pm and 6.45 pm.

Should there be a change to the schedule, then we’ll let you know here ....

------------------------------- August 21st 2007 -------------------------------

------------------------------- July 31st 2007 -------------------------------

Once again, the whole crew had made the trip up north: Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller, Heike Schäfer, Björn Aldorsson and Kirsten Krause. The expectations were running high and everyone was hoping for a weekend without rain because the first two championship races had been called off due to rain.  This year, there was the highest number of entries in Sweden ever: about 350 teams from 12 different countries.   left to right: Björn, Heike, Peter, Rudi, Gittli, Wolfi, Kirsten Pictures: Remco Scheelings

With the start of the qualifying runs, the rain started as well so that there were long stretches of hanging around and waiting for the rain to stop. Nevertheless, the team was able to do one qualifying run each on Friday and on Saturday, qualifying in the number three spot with a 5.57 sec. pass. In the number two spot was Rob Turner, being 7 hundredths of a second ahead of Pat, and in the number one spot Wilson with 9 hundredths. Once again, the class proved how close its times are.   

On Sunday, eliminations’ day, the showery weather continued to interrupt the elimination runs. In the quarter finals, Peter had to race the second German driver, Timo Habermann, who is well known for his quick reaction times. However, Pat won the race and had to face Rob Turner from England in the semi finals who had some technical problems. Being in the final, Pat had to race, like so many times before, David Wilson from England, who had had some problems both in the quarter finals and semi finals. In the end, Dave won with just about 3 hundredths of a second.  

.. look at the Screen in the background ...
 

------------------------------- July 10th 2007 -------------------------------

Travelling to Finland means 2000 km (1299 Miles) on the motorway to Stockholm, then a 13-hour-ferry ride to Turku and a further 200 km to the race track. So, one can easily see why this trip is always a special one.

After the race in England, the team had made a few changes to improve the performance of its 3500 hp strong dragster, e.g. the old rear axle was replaced by a new and stronger one. The reason for this change was the so-called tire shakes that appear when the dragster’s power cannot be put on the track properly. Then the rear tires start to wrap or wap, causing the wheels to hop and making Pat’s driving even more difficult than it already is.  

However, the exchange of the rear axle entailed various alterations on the dragster and the trailer. As the dragster’s length increased by 5 cm it needed not only new side panels but also its trailer needed to be extended to fit it in for transport.
 

On eliminations day, Peter could win the quarter final against the Norwegian driver Paul-Ingvar Udtian before it started to chuck down with rain so badly that the second meeting was called as well because the powerful dragsters can only be driven on absolutely dry tracks.

At the moment, Peter Schöfer is in the second spot in the FIA-European Championship points standing.

In the end of July, the team is going to travel up to Sweden to the third and hopefully dry FIA-European Championship Race.

------------------------------- June 15th 2007 -------------------------------

Yesterday, Peter’s racing achievements of the last years were honoured by the mayor of his home town Moosburg.

He received a beautiful watch, a pin and a certificate.

------------------------------- June 13th 2007 -------------------------------

Last weekend, there were the Speeddays in Alkersleben, near Erfurt and this time the PSR team consisted of the Schöfer brothers Pat, Wolfi and Rudi as well as Gittli Koller, Ralf Rowold and Kirsten Krause with his partner Christl.

Our team, like 16 other European drag racing teams coming from Germany, Denmark and Belgium, had been invited to do show runs during the quarter mile and the Street Eliminator race.

The quarter mile race is open to everyone to compete in so that one could see not only all the German car manufacturers but also some rather exotic vehicles. So, the field was a mix of very different cars, running very different times.

The Street Eliminator racing takes place on various international race tracks this year again.

The invited drag racing teams were chosen to represent the entire spectre of the international sport, so that there were different bike and car classes.  Our dragster represented the most powerful vehicle, alongside the Pro Mod of Norbert Kuno, the Pro Stock car of Harry Sturhan as well as the Bel Air of Klaus Romahn.

Unfortunately, due to a very tight schedule, we didn’t have the time to do all four show runs. Nevertheless, the dragster was able to impress the audience very much with its show.

Our next big event will be the second European Championship Race in Finland…And for all those, that do not know how far Finland is from here: there are about 2000 km (1200 mls) to Stockholm (Sweden), then there is a 13-hour-ferry-ride to Turku (Finland) ... and then another two hours to the race track ...let’s hope that all that’ll be worth it to achieve new ETs and a good placement in the championship.

vithanks for the pictures to Andrea Kloss and Jörg Amelang

------------------------------- May 30th 2007 -------------------------------

Qualifying:
The two qualifying runs of the first day varied. The first run was quite good so that Pat was the top qualifier after it. However, the set-up for the second run was far too powerful for the track so that Peter wasn’t able to improve upon his first run. Therefore, the team had to keep its hope up for the second qualifying day but, unfortunately, it started to rain.

This rain then determined the first race meet: it wouldn’t stop raining for the next two days, sometimes even deteriorating to a storm, so that the promoter of the race didn’t have a choice but had to announce a rain-out on the third day.

Unlike in the USA, the racing isn’t then postponed to the next weekend.

It’s a real shame because travelling all the way from Aich to England costs a lot of time and effort. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the weather at the second FIA race meet in Alastaro, Finland, will be better as it’s even harder to get all the way up north.

Until then, the Peter Schöfer Racing team has got another show event at a national event in Thüringen the coming weekend.

------------------------------- May 25th 2007 -------------------------------

------------------------------- May 2nd 2007 -------------------------------

With Monday being a bank holiday in Germany and Hungary, we travelled all the way to Kunmandaras, Hungary, to perform two show runs there. Travelling 800 km one way might sound a bit excessive, but as can be seen on the pictures below, it was definitely worth it.

Like at the event in August 2006, there was a huge and very enthusiastic crowd. The events at Kunmandaras, that take place on a former Russian airfield, are mainly bike events. Nevertheless, the spectators were deeply impressed by Pat’s show.
 
 

------------------------------- 22nd April 2007 -------------------------------

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------------------------------- 16th  April 2007 -------------------------------

------------------------------- 13th April 2007 -------------------------------

------------------------------- 10th March 2007 -------------------------------

In the evening, the prize for the most successful German dragster driver was awarded in a great ambiance and during an excellent dinner.

Like last year, Peter Schöfer from Aich received the huge challenge cup as he had been in every final, and won some, of the European Championship with his Top Methanol Dragster.  

The third place went to Patricia Kästner, the second one to Norbert Kuno.

Norbert Kuno and Peter Schöfer are both drivers of the Bavarian Drag Race Club, the biggest German Drag racing Association.
 

------------------------------- 10th December 2006 -------------------------------

Last Saturday, the award-giving ceremony of the Bavarian motor sportsmen took place in the ‘Bayrischen Hof’ in Munich. The ADAC of Southern Bavaria had sent out the invitations to this event. Once again, Peter Schöfer was honoured for his outstanding performance in motor sports and for his Runner-Up FIA-European Championship title and was awarded a golden plate.

The presenter did not only stress the experiences of many years in motor sports of Peter Schöfer, but he also explained to the audience that the 3200 hp dragster of the team Schöfer is able to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 0.87 sec. The people present, amongst them well-known sportsmen and people of the industry, were visibly impressed.

------------------------------- 13th September 2006 -------------------------------

Peter wins in England and is Runner-Up European Champion 2006

Last weekend, the last of the FIA European Championship races took place in England. Peter went into this decisive race being second in the points standing, still within reach of the championship title.   

The team, represented by Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller, Heike Schäfer and Alfred Sieben, was full of hope as it had proved in the prior races that it was a strong competitor. However, the team did not only have to beat the championship leader by one round, they also had to aim for the low ET of the event, worth five extra points. 

Qualifying: Peter qualified second with a 5.49 sec run, only four hundredths of a second behind Dave Wilson, the English driver who was leading the championship by a small lead. Qualified number three, the other English driver Rob Turner,was just three thousandths of a second
behind  Peter. Once again, the Top Methanol Dragster class, in which the team from Aich competes, proved how strong its field was by running such close times which are much closer than in many other classes. So, being qualified in the second spot, Peter had a very good basis to start from in the uneven number of competitors in the eliminations. Eliminations: In the quarter finals, Pat could win against the new driver in the European Championship, Rickard Persson from Sweden, and due to the uneven number of drivers, he had a bye-run in the semi-finals. So, as so often before, the finalists were Schöfer against Wilson. That meant that the pressure was really on our team as we did not only have to win but also beat Wilson’s low ET of the whole weekend.
Peter had the better start and the set-up of the dragster was better so that he could win the race. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the low ET points, which he missed by three hundredths of a second so that he finished the FIA European Championship 2006 as Runner-Up.

The team is very happy with this result, despite the fact that it missed out on the title so narrowly. Nevertheless, the achievements in this season were tremendous: Peter Schöfer was in every final of the European Championship, he became second three times and he won three races. The team would like to thank all of its sponsors and especially its friends, who are always eager to help and without whom this success would not be possible.

To finish off this busy season, the team’ll be off to Modena, Italy, where it’ll do some show runs during the Italian championship.

Bike and Music Weekend ...

Last weekend we went to the  Bike-and-Music-Weekend in Geiselwind.

The Strohofer Family and the Night-Riders did again a great event and the 20.000 spectators were more than happy.

There have been several Show-Dragster on two and on four wheels.

One of the highlights was, without a doubt, our dragster. And Peter did several burnout demo passes. (pictures soon)

------------------------------- 29th August 2006 -------------------------------

Two shows and winning in front of the home crowd in Hockenheim

Geiselwind:
After racing in Gardermoen (Norway), we travelled straight on to the Bike-and-Music-Weekend in Geiselwind. This event does not only cater to those, loving bikes and US cars, but also to those, loving rock music. Pat was asked to do three burnout shows, which isn’t as easy as it sounds, considering the short and tricky track. However, once again Pat managed not to disappoint any of his fans (the pictures speak for themselves).

------------------------------- 15th August 2006 -------------------------------

Bike and Music Weekend ...

Last weekend we went to the  Bike-and-Music-Weekend in Geiselwind.

The Strohofer Family and the Night-Riders did again a great event and the 20.000 spectators were more than happy.

There have been several Show-Dragster on two and on four wheels.

One of the highlights was, without a doubt, our dragster. And Peter did several burnout demo passes. (pictures soon)

------------------------------- 15th August 2006 -------------------------------

Bike and Music Weekend ...

Last weekend we went to the  Bike-and-Music-Weekend in Geiselwind.

The Strohofer Family and the Night-Riders did again a great event and the 20.000 spectators were more than happy.

There have been several Show-Dragster on two and on four wheels.

One of the highlights was, without a doubt, our dragster. And Peter did several burnout demo passes. (pictures soon)

------------------------------- 10th August 2006 -------------------------------

Twice Runner-Up in Scandinavia ...

Now, we have returned from our Scandinavian Tour because the third and fourth FIA European Championship Races took place in Mantorp Park (Sweden) and Gardermoen (Norway).

Peter Schöfer and his crew, consisting of Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller, Alfred Sieben, Björn Aldorsson and Heike Schäfer, travelled up to Scandinavia full of hope as the team had been leading in the points standing and wanted to extend its lead even further. However, sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way.

Mantorp Park - Sweden
The track in Sweden is part of a circuit and therefore the second half of the race distance (200m) goes uphill. That’s why one can normally not expect amazing ETs at this event. 

Qualifying:
The qualifying runs went quite well and the team was satisfied with it being qualified second. Like so many times before, the top qualifier was only in the lead by a few hundredths of a second.

Eliminations:
Pat could decide the quarter final for himself and met the British driver Rob Turner in the semi-final. Pat was the first to cross the finishing line (with a 5.46 / 259 mph) and so, he had to face the other British driver, Dave Wilson, like so often before, in the final.

However, this time the team was unlucky because the bolts of the blower of the 3200-hp-strong dragster broke. That’s why the race, although having had the better reaction time and having been in the lead until then, was lost and the English driver could decide the race for himself. With that win, Wilson was able to just about take over the lead in the championship, ahead of Peter Schöfer.

 After the race is before the race
At least in this case, because the two Scandinavian races take place on two consecutive weekends and that’s why Pat and his crew, after having completely overhauled the dragster, left Sweden to travel on to Norway. 

Nevertheless, there was some time to relax for two days on a campsite in Karlstad, together with many other central European teams.

Gardermoen - Norway

The track in Gardermoen is a very good track, allowing for record times. Unfortunately, at this weekend a lot of teams had to fight hard, trying to find a good set-up. The temperature was over 30°C and the track was sometimes 50°C hot, which didn’t help in the attempts of trying to find the right tuning.

Qualifying:
The dragster didn’t run as well as we had hoped and we had to fight severe tyre shakes. Thus, we were only able to qualify third.

Eliminations:
On race day, Pat was lucky, especially in the semi-final, when his opponent was the British driver Rob Turner. Pat had a bad tyre shake and slid across his track from left to right. However, Rob Turner had to fight even worse problems and so, Peter managed to get through to the final. Once again, this meant driving against the Brit Dave Wilson.

Unfortunately for us, the Brit could decide this final for himself as well. Pat had an ingenious reaction time of 0.02 sec. and took over the lead but the Brit had found the better tuning for his car and won the race, extending his lead in the FIA European Championship points standing even further.

Nevertheless, we are still in a position to decide the championship for ourselves, on the last FIA European Championship Race in mid September.

Until then, the team has been and will be very busy indeed. Last weekend, we went to the Bike-and-Music-Weekend in Geiselwind and at the end of the week, we’ll be off to Kunmadaras, Hungary, for another show run, before performing at the NitrOlympX in Hockenheim from the 25 - 27 August.

------------------------------- 20th July 2006 -------------------------------

Chimay (Belgien) "King of Europe"   -  Fotos and copyright by Pixeleye Dirk Belau

Alastaro (Finland) 2. FIA EM-Lauf  -  Fotos and copyright by Heikki 'Heiniken' Malinen
 

----------------------------7th  July 2006 -------------------------------

Only 0.008 sec. behind the winner ...

Last weekend, the second European Championship Race took place in Alastaro (Finland).

Peter Schöfer and his team had already left home a week beforehand, in order to do a show-run in Chimay, Belgium. At the event "King of Europe", there were not only street legal cars from 11 countries but also more than 20 000 fans, that were enthusiastic about the 3 200 hp strong dragster of the Schöfer team.  

Following the weekend in Belgium, the team travelled on to Finland to defend its leading position in the championship at the second European Championship run of the season. The journey went via Germany, Denmark and Sweden up to Stockholm on the road, then a 13-hour-ferry ride to Finland followed. One way, the team had to cover more than 1500 miles (one way), not counting the ferry crossing. Nevertheless, the journey through the amazing Scandinavian landscape is always very enjoyable.

Having won the first European Championship Race in England, the team, consisting of Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller, Alfred Sieben, Björn Aldorsson and Heike Schäfer, was optimistic. The Finnish track is extremely difficult and demands a lot of skills from the driver and the tuner of the dragster as its state and surface are not ideal.

Qualifying:
The dragster ran smoothly and that’s how Pat managed to qualify first with an excellent 5.49 sec. run.

We were very happy about being top qualifier as the Brit Dave Wilson was only a few thousands of a second slower than us.

Eliminations:
In the semi final, Pat had to race against the Swede Krister Johannson. Pat could win this race so that he had to face the Brit Dave Wilson, like so many times before, in the final. In the semi final in England, Peter had been able to beat Dave Wilson with a narrow lead. This time, however, the English driver was the lucky one so that Pat lost the final with 0.008 seconds (8 thousandths of a second).

Nevertheless, the team Schöfer is still leading in the points standing and will try very hard to defend, and possibly extend, its lead in Mantorp, Sweden, in three weeks time.

------------------------------- 31st May 2006 -------------------------------

New season and a win in the first race ...

The Bavarian Thunder lived up to its name and thundered towards victory

Last weekend, the first FIA Drag Racing Championship Race took place in Santa Pod (England) in which Peter Schöfer from Aich took part again.
The team, namely Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller, Alfred Sieben, Alfred Widmann and Heike Schäfer, had tried to prepare itself as well as possible for the new season, starting it with a lot of optimism.
Once again, the European elite of drag racers was present and some more new racers are going to join the championship later in the season.

The qualifying rounds were continuously interrupted and influenced by the bad weather in England. In the end, Pat could qualify in the third spot. However, in all qualification runs the dragster and Pat were hit by brutal tyre shakes that we had to get under control.

Eliminations:
The elimination runs took place on bank holiday Monday. In the quarter finals, Pat had to compete against the Swedish driver Krister Johansson who is, without doubt, one of the strongest drivers in Europe in his A-Fuel dragster. Nevertheless, the Schöfer dragster was faster and that’s why Pat had to face the acting European Champion Dave Wilson from England in the semi-finals. Peter could

decide this exciting race for himself with a holeshot. The Brit wasn’t able to catch up on him in the course of the quarter mile, although being the faster one. So, Pat reached the finish line first, ahead of Wilson by 0.006 seconds, which are the equivalent of about 39 inches. 

For the finals, the team hoped to be able to step up even more and tuned the 3200- hp-strong dragster accordingly. To change the set up is always difficult because one has to pay attention that one is able to put the power onto the track. But the team took the right decision and beat the Brit Rob Turner by a dragster’s length with a terrific time of 5,460 seconds and running 258 mph. This time is just 3 hundredths of a second slower than the European record.

The team is thrilled with this outcome and leads in the FIA points standing for the coming four weeks. Then, the second FIA European Championship race is going to take place in Finland. Beforehand, the team will head to the ‘King of Europe’ festival in Belgium, where street-legal cars from all over Europe will compete against each other, providing a lot of entertainment and fun for their spectators.

Finally, we would like to say thank you to all of our sponsors, fans and friends that help us and to everyone, who is as happy about our first win as we are.
 

------------------------------- 20th May 2006 -------------------------------

New season  --  new design ...

Finally .... the new desigh of the "Bavarian Thunder" is finished. We really like the new colours and ... you shold see the new T-Shirts as well .....

But we will show them at the first race in Santa Pod  ... and ... they look fantastic -- they are hand drawn and designed by Kiesi Calwer ... special thanks for that, Kiesi  ...

here is at least a picture of the dragster .....
 

------------------------------- September 20th   2004 -------------------------------

Now, the calmer winter season with some more exhibitions will start.
And next year, we'll be back, with 3000hp, a strong crew and the objective to be amongst the top qualifiers again.

------------------------------- August 26th 2004 -------------------------------

After this slightly disappointing weekend, the team will travel on to a drag racing event on the EuroSpeedway Lausitz (3rd till 5th September), called "Werner, das Rennen" (Werner, the race). The event, organised by the main sponsor, does not only offer drag racing but also 20 bands on two stages and a Werner-village for the fans of the German cult figure Werner (a cartoon character).

Once returned from the EuroSpeedway, we are travelling straight on to England, where the sixth and last Championship run will take place. Still holding second place in the Championship, we are in with a reasonable chance to become runner-up again in this year's Championship.

------------------------------- July 26th 2004 -------------------------------

You can follow the race in Mantorp   click here

------------------------------- July 14th 2004 -------------------------------

Wednesday, 28 July 04       at         20.30         and
Sunday, 1 August 04             at          07.05         on N-TV.

 There will be further replays but we don't know the dates yet.

------------------------------- July 8th 2004 -------------------------------

This time, there were no incidents worth mentioning on the way up, apart from never-ending rain. So, we arrived in Alastaro, which is situated about 100km to the west of Helsinki, without any problems.

Qualifying:
On Friday, the team could gather important data in its first qualifying runs. It was quite tricky as new tarmac had been put down on  the race track so that the traction there was different to that of the rest of the track. Therefore, a lot of sensitivity was needed in the set-up of the dragster as well as excellent driving skills on Peter's part. But here, we can rely on Peter who seems to work as well as his dragster and who will celebrate his 20-year-drag-racing anniversary this year. Unfortunately, we were not able to have any further qualifying runs on Saturday as it didn't stop raining. That meant that we were in the number two spot for the race on Sunday.

Elimination:
On Sunday, Pat faced in his first race the Swede Krister Johansson who had fitted a new fuel system into his A-Fuel dragster. Unfortunately, Krister overpowered and found himself crosswise to the track at one moment. However, he managed to regain full power of his dragster. Pat managed to reach the final with a good run.
This final was the 13th final that Peter Schöfer had reached with his self-built dragster in a row - an absolutely amazing achievement. Unfortunately, the number 13 didn't bring us any luck. We had to shut down at the start line because of a small oil leak and leave the win to Dave Wilson (England).

That means that Peter Schöfer is still in the second place of the Championship, behind Dave Wilson. However, there are four more Championship Runs to be won. The next race is coming up in the end of July in Mantorp Park, Sweden.

------------------------------- June 3 rd 2004 -------------------------------

Let's go to Eurospeedway Lausitz .....
This weekend we will do some show runs at the DTM (German Toruing Series) at the Eurospeedway Lausitz for our main sponsor WERNER - Das Rennen.

------------------------------- June 1st 2004 -------------------------------

Runner up at the Main Event in Santa Pod .....
With the drag-racing season having started again, the Peter Schöfer Team went to the first Championship Race in Santa Pod, England.
However, already on the way to England our team had to overcome some problems, not with the dragster, but with the truck. Its first, almost new, tyre burst in Holland. After having changed this tyre, a second one decided to give up in Belgium. Finally, a third tyre lost its air in France so that the mechanics had already had some training before having turned up at the race track.
Peter, the Runner-up-Champion 2003 was one of the favourites of the race. The dragster had been completely overhauled during the winter months, all necessary work had been finished off and the team had spent some time in the USA to catch up with the newest information.

Qualifying:
Unfortunately, the conditions at the race track proved to be a real challenge to all teams so that Peter Schöfer qualified third. In the previous two years, Pat had often been able to qualify first and the team (the three Schöfer brothers Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi, Gittli Koller, Alfred Sieben, Björn Aldorsson, Clem Sayers as well as Heike Schäfer) wasn't entirely satisfied with its 5.54 sec. run. Nevertheless, the dragster managed to run a top speed of 252mph (403 km/h). But, once again, tyre problems occurred, this time with the dragster. Thumbnail big pieces came off the brand new tyres. Luckily, the team had a spare set of new slicks with them.

Elimination:
During the semi-finals a scary event took place. Rob Turner's engine exploded halfway down the track and went up in flames. Luckily, Rob wasn't too badly injured. That meant that Pat was in the final that he lost again the English driver Wilson.

The team had been in every final in the past two years and is glad that it was able to continue this 'tradition'. In the next Championship Run in Alastaro, Finland, in the beginning of July, the team will be in a good position to take up where it had left before.

Throughout the entire weekend, the team had been accompanied by a film crew of NTV. The report is supposed to be broadcasted in the end of June.

The FIA-Championship consists of six races and Peter Schöfer is in a good position to compete for the title.

------------------------------- May 25th 2004 -------------------------------

Let's go to Santa Pod .....
The season is starting now.  We are going to leave tomorrow morning to drive to Santa Pod (England) auf, where the first round of the FIA-European Champioship will take place.
The team will be the three Schöfers and Gittli, as well as Clem Sayers, Heike Schäfer, Alfred Sieben and Björn Aldorsson.
We have worked very hard during the off-season, have updated us and our dragster to the state of the art, and now we need some luck to transfer what we leared and we hope to have some good runs.
So, keep you fingers crossed ......

------------------------------- May 24th, 2004 -------------------------------

PSR in Monza .....
Last weekend we went to the second round of the italian Championship which took place in Monza (Italy). We were booked as a show car and we got the chance to test for the new season.
As soon as we get some pictures we will post them here. 

------------------------------- April 21 th 2004   -------------------------------

The fair in Leipzig.....
The AMI 2004 (Automobile International) is taking place in Leipzig at the moment. Peter Schöfer Racing has been displaying its successful dragster already for the second time and this year it has an excellent position in hall 1.
Last Friday a press conference took place with journalists coming from all over Europe. An enormous crowd came to look at the dragster, where Werner Brösel, the inventor of the famous comic figure 'Werner', gave interviews. He also played a leading role in choosing the design for the dragster.
On the following opening day 38 000 visitors came to the fair. There was a huge interest in the dragster and drag racing as many people hadn't seen such a vehicle from close, yet.
Some team members are on the spot to answer all questions.
Click here to view the pictures.

------------------------------- April 19 th 2004   -------------------------------

Norfolkline continues in 2004 .....
We are happy to announce that Norfolkline renewed the sponsoring partnership with Peter Schöfer Racing. We are looking forward to the season.

------------------------------- April 4 th 2004   -------------------------------

Castrol is again on board for 2004 .....
We are glad to announce that Castrol renewed the sponsoring partnership with Peter Schöfer Racing. We are very happy that this long term partnership continues.

------------------------------- March 24 th 2004   -------------------------------

Lovely Wallpapers   -  and one with PSR.....
Check out the great wallpapers at the Hockenheim Webpage
And look at the June-Calender: there are the cars of the class Top Methanol Dragster and you see us as well ....

------------------------------- March 23 th 2004   -------------------------------

The new sponsor for 2004 .....
As mentioned before, we've found a new sponsor for the coming season. There have been a lot of speculations and some people almost started to bet on it.
So, today we can proudly announce that our car is going to sport the WERNER colours (again). All of the background information can be found in the press release.
One more bit of information:
from 3 - 5 September 2004 there will be the ultimate music and motorsport festival at the Eurospeedway Lausitzring: WERNER - the Race 2004.

------------------------------- March 15 th 2004   -------------------------------

PSR-Crew for 2004 .....
Here is the crew for the season 2004:
Peter Schöfer (driver), Wolfgang Schöfer (crew chief), Rudi Schöfer (mechanic), Holger Werling (mechanic), Clem Sayers (mechanic), Alfred Sieben (mechanic), Björn Aldorsson (mechanic), Heike Schäfer (assistant) and Gittli Koller (PR and race data analyst). We welcome both newcomers, Alfred and Björn, in our team. As one can see, our team becomes more and more international: Clem is from England, Björn from Sweden and Alfred wasn't born in Bavaria neither.

------------------------------- February 4 th 2004   -------------------------------

Peter's birthday party .....
last Saturday Peter celebrated his 50th birthday. We had many guest, some of them came from far away like Heike and Klaus. We are very sorry that Clem can't make it, because of his flight.
AND:
we would like to thank you all for your emails, congratulating Peter to his 50th birthday. We printed them out and displayed them on a huge board for Peter to read. He was very happy about it and surprised as well to receive greetings from racers and fans from all over Europe and the USA.

------------------------------- January 14 th 2004   -------------------------------

Hibernation has come to an end .....
...or hasn't really taken place. One of our sponsors said: 'After the season is before the season' and he is absolutely right.
So, we are off tomorrow morning to display our dragster at the biggest tuning fair in Italy.
More information can be found under www.auto-tuning.it as long as one understands Italian.

------------------------------- Dezember 16th 2003 -------------------------------

Price Ceremony in Munich.....
Last weekend Pat was honoured by the ADAC.
There was also a great entertainment. .... (see the pictures)

------------------------------- September 10 th 2003 -------------------------------

We became runner-up in the European Championship
     we missed the titel by three hundreth of a second

The sixth and last FIA European Championship race took place in Santa Pod, England. Once again the whole team was present: the three Schöfer brothers Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi, Gittli Koller, Holger Werling, Clem Sayers and Heike Schäfer. We were leading the championship with 21 points, ahead of Dave Wilson from England. This lead was small.
Qualifying:
At first, the team had problems to find the right set-up for the track. So we could only find a tuning on which we could build on in the third qualifying run. After endless data evaluations and discussions about the right tune-up for the dragster, we chose a strong tuning for the fourth qualifying run.
Unfortunately, something unexpected happened in the this run: the dragster drifted to the left and kissed the wall at a speed of about 300 km/h (195 mph). Luckily it hit the wall with its entire length and not in an angle. However, thanks to Peter's driving skills and great experiences in racing this accident looked worse than it was. He managed to steer against the drift, managed to get the dragster away from the wall and to stop it safely. So only the front spoiler, one of the front wheel, the headers and the left back wheel were damaged. Luckily, the team had spare parts for the spoiler and an extra set of back wheels so that we could continue racing after a long night of work. However, the spare set of heavier back wheels meant additional weight which didn't help the dragster to perform as usual.
Elimination:
In the semi-finals, Pat had to drive against Rob Turner who reacts excellently at the start. Nevertheless, Pat could win that race so that he had to face our rival, Dave Wilson, in the finals. This final would decide at the same time about who would win the championship. The spectators were curious to see who would have just that bit of more luck. Unfortunately for us, Peter lost this run and became second with a time difference of just three hundredth of a second.
Sure, it is a pity to lose the title so narrowly, with only a few inches between the winner and the runner-up. However, the team is very happy with its performance in the season 2003. Since the dragster was built two years ago, it has taken part in every final's run for the last ten races. Maybe no other European dragster has been as successful as that. Additionally, the team holds the European record, driven in Norway (5.43 sec / 259 mph), which proves that the quickest Top Methanol Dragsters outside the USA comes from Aich, Germany.

 The television documentary, which was shot during the NitrOlympx 2003 will be broadcasted on 16 September, at 22.55 o'clock on RTL2.

We would like to thank all our sponsors, friends, helpers and supporters without who this season wouldn't have been possible. We do appreciate your support.

------------------------------- August 26 th 2003 -------------------------------

Victory on the hometrack in Hockenheim ... 
The fifth round of the FIA European Championship took place in Hockenheim (Germany). Here the complete team was again present: the three Schöfer brothers, Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi, Gittli Koller, Holger Werling, Clem Sayers and Heike Schäfer.
A lot was expected from us on our home track but we also knew that the public would be fully behind us.
Qualifying:
In qualifying, all the teams present had, to start with, great problems finding the right set-up.  Also, because of the heat (track temperature almost 55°C), no track records could be achieved.  We decided, then, to choose a different set of gear ratios to compensate for the traction problems.  And once again, Peter managed to go into the eliminations as number one qualifier (with a 5.64 sec ET). Rob Turner was second (with a 5.65 sec ET - very close again) and third was Dave Wilson. On that evening there was a big warmup planned in the night show, where all the Methanol and Fuel cars came to the track and fired up their cars at the same moment. It was very impressive -- and it was loud (everybody from our crew forgot their mickey-mouse ears in the pits, but outer teams had the same problem ... :-)  )
Eliminations:
In the eliminations, Peter had a bye-run in the semi-final. We wanted to use this run to once again work on the set-up.  Everything went according to plan and we were able, once again, to undercut the best time of the weekend.  At the finish line, we just wanted to tow the car back, we had a terrifying moment as Dave Wilson came towards us with a burning engine.  But, thanks to the speed of the Safety Safari (FAST-Crew from UK), everything was alright and the fire in Wilson’s dragster was quickly extinguished.  In the final, then,we met once again the Briton who had quickly fitted a new engine.  And also in this run, Peter was a nose ahead and won the race.
We are very happy with this result as Peter has now recaptured the lead in the European Championship. However, the last European Championship run in England at the start of September will again be full of suspense.

Incidentally, a film team from RTL2 was present this weekend.   The programme should be shown in the middle of September.  More precise details will, of course, be announced.

------------------------------- August 20 th 2003 -------------------------------

PSR-Report on the Castrol webpage... 
There is a Report about our team on the official Castrol Motorsport-Webpage

------------------------------- August 10 th 2003 -------------------------------

Scandinavian Tour ... 
The third European Championship run took place in Mantorp (Sweden). This time the team was complete, namely the three Schöfer brothers, Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi, Gittli Koller, Holger Werling, Clem Sayers and Heike Schäfer. Concerning championship points, there was only a difference of nine points that we were lagging behind the English driver, Dave Wilson. However, this was going to be changed that weekend. The track in Mantorp has got one peculiarity, it goes slightly up hill and that is why, normally, one shouldn’t expect record times   ......  however, the same conditions apply to all teams.
Qualification:
Qualifying went according to plan and Peter managed once again to be the top qualifier with a time of 5.54 seconds. He was closely followed by the English drivers, Rob Turner (5.55 seconds) and Dave Wilson (5.57 seconds). These close times promised an exciting race.
Eliminations:
During eliminations, Pat had to race Dave Wilson in the semi finals. So, Pat and the dragster had to give  everything against this strong Brit. And Pat managed to do so. With his better reaction time he managed to beat Wilson already at the start  and that meant that he was in the finals. There, he was supposed to race Krister Johansson who has had a lot of luck with his A-Fuel Dragster. But then it started to rain and the race was cancelled in the afternoon. Therefore, both finalists were counted as runner-ups and those points were enough for our team to lead the championship with nine points when travelling on to Norway to the next race.

As that race always takes place one weekend after Mantorp, many teams prefer to stay on a campsite in Karlstad (Sweden) which is halfway between both race tracks for a few days. This year it was a lot of fun as usual.

The fourth of six championship runs took place in Gardermoen, Norway. This race track, hidden away in the woods, really is one of the best tracks in Europe, if not the best for quick times.
Qualification:
Already in his first qualifying run, which we had regarded as a safe basis run, Pat drove a 5.55 and we were very satisfied, of course. However, this was only the beginning.... after some alterations to the tune-up, Peter drove
                                          the fastest run that has ever been run outside the USA: 5.43 seconds!!
It was unbelievable. With this time, Peter surely managed to be the top qualifier again and he managed to back up his record time with a 5.47 run so that this new European record was confirmed.  
Eliminations:
During eliminations we were lucky in the semi finals. The runner up, Rob Turner, couldn’t compete in the race because of technical problems so our team was in the finals again. Unfortunately, Pat had bad tyre shake in this run and had to shut off the engine. After that race, we changed the back axle, checked the clutch and the gear box. However, in the finals the technology played a trick on us. During the semi finals, a part of the ignition must have been damaged and because of that, we couldn’t start the dragster and had to admit defeat against the British driver, Dave Wilson, without having raced.

All in all we are more than happy with both races, even if the technology let us down in the finals .... but that’s racing.

------------------------------- July 11 th 2003 -------------------------------

Winner in Finland ... 
The second FIA-European Championship Race took place in Alastaro (Finland). The team (Peter, Wolfgang and Rudi Schöfer, Gittli Koller and Holger Werling) faced the 4000-kilometre-journey (about 2500 miles) in order to take part in this event.
Some crew members had to fly up because of being tied up with work. In addition, one crew member, Clem Sayers, suffered a collapse just before boarding the plane at Frankfurt-Hahn so that he had to go to hospital instead. Therefore, the workload, which is normally shared between six people had to be managed by the five remaining crew members. However, all the hassle and worry was worth it.
Qualification:
Unfortunately, the traction of the Finish race track wasn't very good in the beginning so that it was hard work trying to figure out the best set-up (which means to find the right balance of clutch and engine power) for the dragster.
After the qualifying runs, Peter took second place with his 5.58 seconds which is strategically the best position.
Elimination:
For the elimination runs the team tried to find an even better tune-up for the dragster and finally managed to set it up optimally for this difficult track. So, in the final Peter Schöfer faced Dave Wilson. Both teams had driven very good times in the semi-finals, lying only one hundredth of a second apart. In the final everything went as planned and Peter had the better start. He won with 5.54 seconds and Dave Wilson took second place with 5.58 seconds. That means that Peter has caught up on the English team (only 9 points behind) and  is now on place two of the Championship score.
In two weeks time there will be the third Championship run in Mantorp (Sweden), followed by Gardermoen (Norway) straight afterwards.

------------------------------- June 28 th 2003 -------------------------------

Peter received the FIA-Cup ... 

It has finally arrived, the FIA-Cup. It is the most desired trophy of the international motor sport  and the heavy glass bowl weighs almost 8 kg. It is awarded yearly in Monaco. However, every year  one or the other class is not invited to this event because of restricted space available. This was the case for the dragracing-champions in 2002 and therefore, the cup was sent to us by post. Unfortunately, there were some problems sending it and at some point the packet seemed to be lost in the post. Luckily, it appeared again last week so that Peter can finally hold it in his hands.

------------------------------- June 14 th 2003 -------------------------------

Pictures and video from Santa Pod ... 
Pictures from Tog (Andy Rogers) and Remco Schellings are online. Klick here for the pictures

and  to see the video of the Top Methanol Dragster Final (special thanks to Sharkman  www.topendtales.com) 1,4 MB.

------------------------------- Mai 28th 2003 -------------------------------

Runner up and new personal best (our first 5.4)... 
Last weekend we went to the Main Event in Santa Pod, England.
The Peter Schöfer Racing Team picked up its racing where it left off last season and achieved some very satisfying times.
Qualifying:
In its first qualifying run the team didn’t want to risk anything and chose a safe tune-up for the engine. All went well and the dragster reached, with its 5.58 seconds run, the quickest time of the first qualifying round, and we were very pleased with it. For the second run a slightly stronger tune-up was chosen with the result that the team was top qualifier with  5.55 seconds. But it was close, Rob Turner ran a 5.56 and dave Wilson 5.57. So, every car can win the race.
Elimination:
The semi final run was a bye-run so that it could be used for further fine tuning without risking losing an elimination run. Unfortunately, there was tyre shake because the track conditions had been improved in the meantime so that it wasn’t a full pass. Back in the drivers’ pit we found a crack in the rear axle and had to change the complete rear axle gear set in only 20 minutes. Every hand was needed and we got a lot of help from the Turner crew (many thanks).
For the final, the team knew what to do and changed the tune-up accordingly, and the PSR-dragster came in second in the European Championship run with a time of 5.48 seconds. That was a new personal record and there was only a time difference of 0.02 seconds to the winner, Dave Wilson from England. Dave had the holeshot and took the european record. So it was a very close race and the quickest race of two Methanol dragsters outside the USA. Well done Dave and crew.
The team is very happy about this result because the planned changes to the tune-up went the right way. Being just 0.02 seconds behind proved that we made the right desission and there is also a bit of luck involved in motor racing.
The three cars, Wilson's, Turner's and our car are so close together so it will be a very exciting season.

------------------------------- Mai 18th 2003 -------------------------------

Newsletter will be available... 
If you want to receive the latest new via email, you can get the newsletter

------------------------------- January 5th  2003 -------------------------------

Thanks to the crew ... 
Yesterday evening Peter said thanks to the crew in a very special way: he found very kind word for every crew member and everyone got an oil painting of the dragster and himself.
The pictures are painted by Kiesi Calwer (pp@calwer.de)
.. you can see the pics here ...

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