ALL GERMAN AUTO

[FernandezRacing]

Congrats to ARMIN & MARTIN on a 3rd place finish in the class1 class at the San Felipe BAJA250,and all of the ALL GERMAN AUTO RACE TEAM!!! And pit crew UTV underground member RUSTY!!!!

JOB WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JoeyD23]

Congrats to the entire AGM team.....3rd place in the beamer and 7th in the chevy car.......I cant wait to see the pics Rusty took

 

[Rusty5150]

I only have a couple pics. I will post them tonight.

Here is a little recap.





Tecate Score San Felipe 250: Tip-toeing at 190 kph to climb the podium


Third place at the second round of the SCORE Offroad Championship is reason enough to pop the cork! Oh well, I don’t want to moan, but to be honest I would have preferred a repeat result from last year when we won our class.



Start on San Felipe's Pacific beach



I reckon I’ve never driven our 640 hp Buggy so carefully. I knew after our practice that the torque limiter, which protects our drive train from hefty knocks, wasn’t working – like at the first race of the year. And that’s why my team mate Martin Christensen and I reined back the horses and concentrated on getting home. Over the first 15 kilometres I had to let four of my rivals pass me. For someone like me that’s not easy.



It was a long night before the start in the service tent ...



... and it was clear for Martin (r) and me: we had to conserve the car



But at the finish our caution proved to be right. These 232 miles or 370 kilometres of the 23rd San Felipe 250 were the worst that I’ve seen in a long time. I drove the first 80 kms over a washboard track – but you’ve got to imagine the corrugations were half a metre high. I felt like I was riding a bucking bronco at a rodeo and was completely hammered afterwards. For a change we then followed a river bed filled with rough, deep gravel – here you needed endless power, torque and momentum not to get stuck.

But then came a dry salt lake, normally a scorching oven, but today cool. Twenty minutes of full throttle, that’s over 190 kph. It was fantastic: Our eight-cylinder roared, the wind whipped around my helmet, and we sucked up those salty miles – awesome! The following dunes with powder-like sand and endless possibilities to get stuck quickly dragged us back into reality.



Fast but cautious: our drive at this year's San Felipe 250



Driver change after 122 miles. I felt a mixture of joy to have handed the car in good condition over to Martin, pumped with adrenalin but incredibly frustrated to be reined in. After all, I compete to win.

Martin had a tough job ahead of him. Down in the southern part of the loop (satellite photos are on SCORE-International.com) he was faced with huge dunes, mountains and a canyon which is an ultra tough and very difficult “trial†section. If Martin knows one thing, it’s to stay calm and drive through fast and clean. Hat off and thanks for the great team work!

Hat off to Armin Kremer as well: Armin drove the entire 232 miles alone. At the finish Armin was sure of one thing: He had never had such a tough experience in a competition car. But he brought our second Buggy home eleventh in our class and rounded off our team result perfectly.



Sunset over the Pacific: who could stay mad for too long?



Now we have a two and a half month until round three, the Tecate SCORE Baja 500. Still, over the next weeks we have a couple of extremely exciting and wonderful things to report. I’ll tell you more in 14 days. See you back here.

Until then,

best wishes,

Armin Schwarz

 

[Rusty5150]

PRESS INFORMATION



All German Motorsports geared for next challenge

• Tough as nails: There’s nothing tougher than the SCORE San Felipe 250
• One more time: AGM pilot Armin Schwarz keen to repeat last year’s win
• Double chance: German rally ace Armin Kremer mans second AGM Buggy

11.03.2009. The welcome is warm, the task brutal. Participants of the SCORE San
Felipe 250 are received with open arms and a ton of respect on the Mexican
peninsula of Baja California. It’s no wonder, since the second of this season’s five
rounds is regarded as the toughest of all Baja events. Perfect for the fearless top
class pilots of the most fiercely contested offroad series in the world. The entry list
is impressive: Over 200 registrations have been received for the 232.2 mile (374.1
km) cross country hunt.

Not only are the Mexicans hospitable. Participants are welcome to enter up to just
several hours before the spectacular SCORE race. At least 20 teams are good for
victory at the hardcore ride around San Felipe. Currently leading the pack are
Robby Gordon, winner of the season-opener in Nevada and points’ leader, last
year’s overall winner Brian Collins as well as BAJA 1000 victor Roger Norman, not
to forget the “terrible†Herbst brothers, Troy and Tim. Also at the head of the charge
are the two ca. 640 hp Buggys of the All German Motorsports (AGM) team. At the
draw of the starting numbers, Armin Schwarz/Martin Christensen pulled out 104.
This means the top AGM pair will start fourth in the “Unlimited†Class 1 Buggys
behind around 20 of the 800+ hp Trophy Trucks. Armin Kremer, who drives the
entire distance at his San Felipe 250 debut, drew starting number 111, and takes
off on the wild sprint 3.5 minutes after his German rally colleagues.

The objective of the Californian-German squad is clear: “I’d be happy to bring home
the same result as last year,†says Schwarz as he remembers his sensational drive
to success when he and his team mate/boss Martin Christensen crossed the finish
line as winners, with a mere 12-second advantage. “Why shouldn’t we be able to
do it again,†says Christensen, throwing down the gauntlet. “This year as well we
experienced a lot of bad luck at the season-opener and at the 250 we have nothing
to lose – except there is one difference: This time we know what’s ahead – pure
hell.†Right from the start, man and machine are pushed to the limit. “Last year I got
a huge shock after just 80 miles. It’s simply brutal. The non-stop washboards
resembling an oversized motocross track batter the suspension. The knocks are
also physically exhausting on the driver,†explains Schwarz as the driver of the first
stint, and adds: “The best thing is that the route is exactly the same as last year to
save costs, although since then it has deteriorated with the weather.†At its
headquarters in the southern Californian town of Escondido, All German
Motorsports has worked meticulously to prepare the vehicles. “The Buggys were
completely overhauled and some details underwent further development,†explains
Schwarz’s navigator Bryan Lyttle, whose support is indispensable in the AGM
workshop. After several disappointing races, the two cars will switch back to Bilstein
shock absorbers. A new configuration and a special set up specifically for the
challenges of the 250 should help to keep the problems of last year at bay. During
a test day, both German rally aces and team boss Christensen will work on refining
the set up. The performance of the Californian-German AGM combination has long
been talked about amongst the American offroad scene: Last year,
Schwarz/Christensen won the Class 1 “Unlimited†category, went on to repeat this
achievement at the SCORE PRIMM 300 and only narrowly missed out on taking
home the title at the end of the season. Armin Kremer is optimistic: “I sat in a Buggy
for the first time ever last year and was immediately bitten by the bug. Even though
this will be my first attempt at the ‘250’ event I’m expecting a good result.†And why
not? Already at the Primm 300 last summer, Kremer had a podium result in his
grasp, only to be let down by his gearbox. Martin Christensen provides
reassurance. “Even though the stresses are very high for drivers, Armin is in good
shape. The ride over 250 miles is also a good test for him leading up to the SCORE
BAJA 500.â€ÂÂ

“The secret to AGM’s success is our team spirit,†says the 121-time WRC
contender Armin Schwarz. “Everyone knows how good the others are and
everyone gives their best. That goes for our women as well, who look after the
logistics and the wellbeing of the troupes as well as control the radios during the
race. The mechanics and the volunteers, without whom we wouldn’t be able to
compete, are at the service points and are also crucial and indispensable helpers.
So are our navigators who go to and from and even through hell with us,†says
Christensen, Schwarz and Kremer in praise of their committed squad. “These
people alone are enough for us to do our utmost in going for another victory. To
lose is one thing, but not to have fought is something totally different!â€ÂÂ


Note to publishers:
Further information as well as copyright free photos and TV material on Armin Schwarz - Project Baja USA.
More information on the SCORE Series on Score International Off Road Racing.

 

[JoeyD23]

Good stuff Rusty!! Cant wait to see the pics......I talked to Sam today (he is navigator for Armin Kramer) he said that race kicked his butt......he said he hurt all over from getting beat around in the class 1 over that gnarly course!!!!