On Saturday, March 15, at the quaint fishing village of San Felipe in Baja California, Mexico, All German Motorsports crossed the Finish Line with only 12 seconds to spare in their incredible Class 1 Victory at the SCORE series desert off-road race.
The team loves San Felipe and Mexico for desert off-road racing. It shows. In particular, the mid-engine Class 1 of All German, loved the technical canyon racing the San Felipe 250 offered this year. From the race reports after the finish line-"Former World Rally Championship star driver Armin Schwarz, of Germany, and Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif., split the driving to finish fourth overall and capture the unlimited Class 1 race win in a BMW-powered Jimco open-wheel desert race car. With just over one year of experience in SCORE desert racing, Schwarz pulled off his first SCORE win while the veteran former SCORE class champion Christensen earned his first ever win in Class 1.With a time of 4:08:22 and an average speed of 56.02mph, it was also the first time a BMW-powered vehicle has ever won a class in a SCORE race."
Martin Christensen has a desert off-road racing hobby and an All German Auto-Motorsports business, in Northern San Diego County. Martin assured this reporter, motorsports success is all about the Team. Famous driver, Armin Schwarz, is one of the drivers on the All German Motorsports racing team that won the recent Class 1, SCORE race in San Felipe.
At the race, Schwarz had the Number 104 race car from the Green Flag at the Start to Race Mile 120, during which, crew chief and co-driver Brian Lyttle coordinated the driver changeover to Martin, where other Class 1's were out in front. Martin took over driving and because of the exclusive, All German Motorsports driver controlled jacking system, the time in changing tires was cut enough to allow Martin to pass all the others, while they were timed in the pits, and take the race.
The revolutionary engineering behind the race jacking system is simple. An important engineering based simplicity, Martin points to in the 12 second win, in San Felipe, Mexico. Two hydraulic jacks, using an aircraft control valve, based on the power steering system, driver controlled, is lightweight and does the job faster and simpler than others. In two minutes, the work is done compared with the eight to fifteen minutes taken by other competitors. The difference between crossing first at the checkers or no podium at all.
More news from All German Motorsports. Armin Kramer will be racing for All German in a second, Class 1. A second race car is on the way to race for the team, with a second race set-up, a Chevy engine. The team will be racing the entire SCORE race season, Baja Racing News.com will update this story with more details!
Martin Christensen and Armin Schwarz were introduced by the famous Wilfred Eibach, when Schwarz was curious about desert off-road racing in Southern California and Eibach knew the right contact was Christensen. Since then, the engineering based racing team is advancing in their racing success.
Take a close look at the sponsors supporting All German Motorsports. In particular, XTRAC Transmission, muy importante! This reporter read over the XTRAC website. Usually, an easy summary can be accomplished from a website. Not this one, it's rich in innovation and information. Impossible to summarize and a great read.
Martin acknowledged in the race win, his key team sponsors. OFF ROAD WAREHOUSE, XTRAC TRANSMISSION & GEAR BOXES and BF GOODRICH TIRES.
SEE THE ALL GERMAN MOTORSPORTS RACE REPORT FROM THE SAN FELIPE BAJA 250 HERE - BAJA RACING NEWS.com REPORTS
SEE THE WINNING TEAM HERE AT ALL GERMAN MOTORSPORTS IN SAN DIEGO
All German Motorsports, FACTSHEET
CLASS 1 SCORE-TECATE Desert Racing Series 2008
Martin Christiensen and Armin Schwarz were the drivers of record in their Class 1 win at the SCORE Baja 250, in San Felipe Baja California, Mexico.
Martin Christensen has over 27 years of off-road racing experience. With numerous victories and championships – ranging from Danish Motocross to the SCORE Class 1 circuit, Martin is known in the off-road racing world as a top competitor and the man to beat . With an education in mechanical engineering and automotive theories, Martin has taken his strong understanding of mechanical principles and innate driving abilities to combine them into a winning combination.
Armin Schwarz is a German-born rally driver born in Neustadt an der Aisch in Franken on 16th July, 1963. Married with two children, he is a fan of Italian food, sparkling apple juice and red wine. He also partakes in Jet Skiing, Cross-country skiing and skating. He now lives in Austria and still participates in motorsport, not only as a driver but as a team manager for a Skoda rally team and as a TV commentator.
Track Record
2008
San Felipe Baja 250 Class 1 Winner.
2007
Christensen preps BMW motor for all-Russian race team of driver Sergey Shmakov, and joins the chase crew for the 2007 Dakar Rally -- a 15 day, 5,467 mile off-road race from Lisbon, Portugal to Dakar, Senegal. The team finished 4th in class and 14th overall out of 270 cars and trucks that began the race.
2006
With only three races to go in the current series, already All German Motorsports (AGM) is ranked among the top five competitors and well on their way to taking the class championship and overall series.
2005
Christensen and Mason become partners in the AGM Unlimited Class 1 SCORE series with a new car and a BMW engine.
2004
AGM wins the Baja 1000, Primm 300 and finishes in the top two position for the points championship.
2003
AGM wins the Class 10 points championship. In doing so, AGM becomes the first race team to ever win consecutive Class 10 championships.
2002
Christensen races in the SCORE Desert Series – winning the Class 10 points championship and finishing three out of six races in the top three. Mason joins the AGM team and races in the Baja 1000 to take second place.
2001
Christensen finishes the SCORE Class 10 series in fifth place.
1999
Christensen takes on the challenge of building and racing a SCORE Class 10 car and makes the decision to go with a BMW engine.
1998
Christensen forms AGM and continues to race on his own in the Class 9 series and takes the ‘98 championship. With four first-place wins out of six races, Christensen makes a spectacular showing at the Baja 1000.
1997
Christensen joins team "All Ways Racing" with his partner, Charlie Hovey, and races a SCORE Class 9 race. They finish the season in third place.
1995
Christensen wins the Baja 1000 on a Yamaha 250.
THE TEAM
The core strength that drives All German Motorsports (AGM) is its team of dedicated volunteers, logistical support staff, project managers, pit crew, mechanical experts – including automotive technicians, aeronautical fabricators and design engineers – and of course, the highly technical drivers.
The extensive racing experience, mechanical knowledge, logistical capabilities and commitment of the AGM team has proven to be a winning combination that not only gets the AGM car across the finish line, but has also produced more than three series championships in the SCORE International series. For the last 10+ years, AGM has won 11 race victories and is now ranked among the top five positions in the Unlimited Class 1.
Racing is a team sport and is essentially about a group of people dedicating many hours, days and months to prepare one car to be at its absolute best on one single day – “race day." In order to reach race-day perfection, the team must prepare the car, order and mount the right parts, plan ahead of the race to coordinate numerous and detailed logistics and pre-run the course.
The AGM core team is comprised of 14 individuals that make sure the car is properly configured for each race, and on race day the team is augmented by 20+ additional individuals to assist with various support activities.
The time, effort and resources it takes for one race – let alone a series – is what makes up the heart, soul and strength of team AGM.
MARTIN CHRISTENSEN, Driver, Owner - All German Motorsports, owner - All German Auto, automotive engineering, 27 years of racing experience.
CHRIS CHAPARRO, Crew chief, navigator, IT specialist, mechanics and logistics, 11 years of racing experience.
MARK MOFFATT, Crew chief, navigator, logistics and management, 12 years of racing experience.
BRYAN LYTTLE, Pit crew, navigator, car prepping, Mercedes Benz technician, 6 years of racing experience.
ROB MALLORY, General maintenance and fabricator, team photographer and videographer, computer engineer, 24 years of racing experience.
JON NAUGLE, Crew, inventory manager, photography and video specialist, 7 years of racing experience.
ROB FOX, Co-driver, Chase crew, welding, fabrication 10 years of racing experience.
JOSH NELSON, Car chief, master car prep, fabricator, design, electrical, welding, 14 years of racing experience.
MIKE NELSON, Navigator, crew, fabricator, 10 years of racing experience.
MATT NELSON, Crew, fabricator, 10 years of racing experience.
PETER OOSTRA, Crew, chase and support, BMW Technician, car prep5 years of racing experience.
SAM OSMAN, Crew, fabricator, certified tig/mig and gas welding, 4 years of racing experience.
KEN ROBERTS, Pit crew, logistical support, fueling, mechanical engineer, 6 years of racing experience.
WHITNEY HANNUM, Chase and web support 3 years of racing experience.
THE CAR
All German Motorsports (AGM) races a Jimco 2-seat, BMW V8, M5-powered off-road car. A spectacle in its class, the AGM car demands the respect and attention of international off-road fans, spectators and competitors alike. Durability and reliability are the keys to success in off-road racing, not only in terms of driving and mechanics, but also in regards to the products used on the race car. AGM uses only the best products and partners with experienced, reputable, top-of-the-line vendors to complete the assembly of the race car.
The Chassis
Two seat A-arm all chrome-molly chassis, built by Jimco in El Cajon, California. Based on its structural integrity and overall handling, the choice to go with a Jimco chassis was an easy decision, especially considering the number of champions that have used a Jimco chassis over the years. Given the quality of the Jimco product and the long-term relationship built with them over the past several years, AGM considers Jimco a key partner and integral piece of the overall package.
Transaxle
The AGM car is equipped with a cutting edge Xtrac 383 6-Speed sequential racing transaxle with limited slip differential.
Clutch
We are utilizing a carbon fiber ZF Sachs clutch and torque limiter.
Lights
With the races often running well into the night, reliable and proper lighting is a necessity. The AGM car utilizes nine Baja Designs Sol Tek High Intensity Discharge lights. These superior lights provide excellent illumination of the race course, thereby allowing the the car to maintain a nighttime race speed very close to daylight speeds.
The Engine
The AGM car utilizes a 2001 BMW E39 engine, straight out of a BMW M5. The M5 is the pinnacle sports sedan from BMW, providing 394 BHP @ 6600 rpm and 368 ft. lbs. of torque @ 3800 rpm in its stock configuration. With some minor tuning, a new exhaust and other modifications, the BMW engine package is capable of 500+ BHP, while still maintaining a configuration designed to run for 200,000 miles. The BMW engine package is definitely a signature mark of the AGM car. The very impressive heritage of BMW Motorsports on road courses and the off-road performance of the AGM Class 1 car dispels any doubts that the AGM BMW car is destined for the podium. The AGM car is the only car in it’s class utilizing a BMW engine, giving the AGM team a proven and competitive advantage.
Suspension
The suspension package for the AGM car includes a great pairing of the new Bilstein Blackhawk shock absorbers featuring 6061 aluminum body with superior cooling and Eibach springs. The car has two shocks per wheel, one bypass shock with external adjustment capabilities to provide for fine tuning and one dual coil-over shock to provide a smooth ride. The Eibach springs provide for additional tuning of the suspension by allowing different spring rates to be applied, depending on the severity of the terrain.
The Racing Series
The SCORE International off-road racing series is one of the most challenging and grueling racing circuits in the world. Drivers from numerous and other world-reknown series, such as NASCAR and CART, come to race in the SCORE series to test their abilities in the most challenging of rugged off-road environments.
There are 30 classes in the SCORE series and approximately 2500 driver / co-driver members. SCORE is especially known as the organizers of the annual Baja 1000 race that runs from Ensenada, Mexico, near San Diego, to La Paz at the tip of Baja California.
The Class All German Motorsports (AGM) is currently competing in the Unlimited Buggy Class (SCORE Class 1 Unlimited) racing series. This class is often referred to as the Formula One class of off-road racing. Cars that compete in this class have no suspension or motor limitations.
The SCORE International off-road racing Class 1 is the top spectator class. The race cars in Class 1 are capable of speeds exceeding 120 mph across extremely rugged and hazardous terrain. The only thing more amazing than watching these cars propel airborne for 100 feet is their ability to land as if they had just gone over a slight speed bump.
As the only buggy in the SCORE series running a BMW engine, the powerful AGM car is perfectly suited to the performance-demanding challenges the series presents.
Official Website: ALL GERMAN MOTORSPORTS
Sponsors
http://www.offroadwarehouse.com/
http://www.xtrac.com/
http://www.bfgoodrich.com/
http://www.zf.com/s/content/de/import/zf_sachs_ag/Homepage.html
http://www.allgermanauto.com/
http://www.dinanbmw.com/
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