WITH much ado about the Audi TT DTM’s previous face-off with the Mitsubishi Evolution 8 at Dover, Doug “Hollywood” Gore asserts that he has found the formula and will be gunning for the Dover track record of 1.18.470 seconds, set in 2009 by “King” David Summerbell Jnr.

Enhanced by adjustments made by Project Leader for the DTM cars at ABT Sportsline, Franco Chiocchetti, the ATL sponsored four-ringed machine will be out in full force to contend with “King” David this Independence weekend. ABT Sportsline is the official tuner for the VW Group worldwide, in which Audi is a very powerful brand.

Chiocchetti was in the island recently to finetune several areas of concern on the car, and sharpen the TT’s skills in an effort to shave Gore’s best lap time of 1.18.88, in order to inch past Summerbell to capture the track record.

“To bring the crowd, you have to go for the track record. With all this work being done on the car and the fact that I’m much more comfortable with it after two race meets, I am confident that the record will be mine. I started with a time of 1:23 and moved down to 1:21 the same day, then I went to 1:19 and then down to 1:18.8,” said Gore.

From a mechanical angle, going for the track record will involve much more than just the raw motoring skills of Gore. “The set up of the car for the track record has to be completely different from the set up to win the 12 lap distance race. If I can find one second for Doug, the record will be his, but finding one second in a race car with this type of engineering on this Dover track will take some work,” confirmed Franco Chiocchetti.

The ABT engineer in conjunction with the ATL Racing Team, which includes the car’s local tuner Peter Moodie Jnr, made alterations to the shock absorbers to provide a more grounded ride, with a firmer grip of the track. The alterations also eliminated the push and spin out effects caused by unbalanced steering difficulties and rear-wheel-drive handling side effects.

The team said it also optimised the brake-balance, improved the braking strategy and incorporated the ABS into the mechanics. “These adjustments to the braking system eliminated the pulsating feeling I used to get when I slam on the brakes. The dialogue with Peter and Franco while driving and their computer analysis worked out the kinks; that’s something we couldn’t do with the Evo,” laughed Gore.

The tyre pressure and the suspension were also areas of concern, as Gore admitted losing seconds off his time whenever a new tyre was used. After several computer-guided tunes and tests, the team found the most suitable tire pressure for the correct operating temperature, at which the car performs best.

“This track does not complement the history of the Audi TT, based on the international circuits the car was built for, so the adjustments have to be made to compensate for the tight, hilly structure of this track,” Chiocchetti told Auto.

Without synergy between track and car, Doug’s quest for the track record would almost be futile and Chiocchetti believes that Doug can now push himself to the limit, using the newly adjusted mechanics to his advantage. “It’s the limits which we want to make better. Doug has to stay within his limits to get the Audi to its limits and maximise its potential,” Chiocchetti added.

As Gore soars on the aerodynamic wings of the Petcom-sponsored Audi TT DTM, he still has another item on the agenda that can prove to a hindrance to commandeering the track record — David Summerbell Jnr.

“King” David has thoroughly prepared his Total-sponsored Evolution battle station, using a new Total racing fuel, and has opted for bigger six pot caliper brakes to improve braking at high speeds over the 12-lap Thundersport race.

While protecting his highly coveted track record, with his guards all the way up, Summerbell is mindful that Gore is becoming faster each meet.

“We know he (Doug) has gotten quicker after each meet and this has concerned us,” Summerbell admitted. “We anticipate he will be getting better and if he goes any faster, he will take the record,” the current champion added.

With the upcoming second leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC) in Barbados high on Summerbell’s to do list, there is mounting pressure in the camp.

“We are also making changes to go faster, but with the CMRC just around the corner, which is very important to me, we have to preserve the car,’ he said. “We also have to prepare it to be shipped to Barbados in just a couple of days after Dover, so we are under a bit of pressure with those preparations and these are things Doug doesn’t have to think about,” Summerbell told Auto.

With the stakes set very high, other top drivers such as Chris Campbell in his BMW M3 and Peter Rae in his Mazda RX7 will also be gunning for top spots while Gore takes aim at Summerbell for the track record.