Winkelhock: “The coolest trophy I have ever received”

Winkelhock: “The coolest trophy I have ever received”

On the eve of the Brands Hatch meeting of the Blancpain GT Series, Markus Winkelhock was handed the exclusive trophy to celebrate his 2017 Intercontinental GT Challenge drivers’ title. The German did not mind that he had to wait a couple of months to receive the completely hand-made trophy.

“This is probably the coolest trophy I have ever received”, Winkelhock smiled. “All other trophies look more or less the same, but thanks to its unique design this one is completely different. It’s hand-made and the detail on the globe is wonderful. It’s really nice to finally get my hands on it.”

Winkelhock, who won two rounds of the 2017 Intercontinental GT Challenge at the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS, would love to extend his reign as Intercontinental GT Challenge drivers’ champion, but his title defence got off to a unlucky start, when in the penultimate hour of the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour the driveshaft of his car let go.

“But last year I did not score any points in Bathurst either”, the Audi driver reacted. “I think there is a good chance that Audi will perform well in the Total 24 Hours of Spa, so if I can get some good points there, anything is still possible. I know the line-ups for the Suzuka 10 Hours at the end of August are not yet decided, but I would love to race there. I have never visited Japan before, but I have heard great things about the track. It would be wonderful to compete in the inaugural Suzuka 10 Hours. But first, Spa!”