Find out more about how Wolfgang Kaufmann fought his way through the tough world of racing since the early Eighties and what his projects are for the coming year.

In 2008, Kaufmann finally competes at the level where he belongs, in the top categories both of the FIA-GT Championship and the Le Mans Series.

In FIA-GT, the newly established AT Racing team headed by Kaufmann’s long time collaborator Sepp Renauer runs a Corvette C5-R GT1 in the Citation Cup. The car’s other driver is Belarus-born Alexander Talkanitsa. “It will be a steep learning curve this year, the team will have to come together, my inexperienced team mate will have to learn new tracks, and the Corvette already has plenty of racing miles on the clock”, Kaufmann sums up his realistic outlook on the season.

He is also enthusiastic about Scuderia Lavaggi’s LMS project: “Team owner Giovanni Lavaggi is giving me another chance after 2007. This is very positive because there aren’t many people left in motor racing on whose word you can rely! Such an open LMP1 prototype is an absolute rocketship that can really move. It’s understood that we have no hope against the factory cars of Audi, Peugeot, and Aston Martin, or the private Porsche RS Spyders; but our other competitors are under attack now!”

Just as with his former teams Freisinger Motorsport, Wieth Racing, or A:Level Engineering, Kaufmann can bring his wealth of technical experience into the equation.

In addition to all this, the man from Molsbarg is looking forward to a limited season on his beloved Nürburgring Nordschleife with the Konrad Porsche 997 GT3-RSR, for instance in the 24 hour race.

In the premiere season of Germany’s national GT series Kaufmann took the bull by the horns – with the Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 of Werner Schröder’s newly founded Argo Racing Team the man from the Westerwald won the season opener at the Nürburgring; with his Dutch team mate Alexander van der Lof, he achieved four more podium results. He also kept his love for Porsches alive by renewing his collaboration with team owner Franz Konrad. Along with sporadic outings in the BF Goodrich German Endurance Championship, Kaufmann also turned into a “desert fox”. Second place in Dubai and the overall victory in Bahrain with the Konrad-Porsche 996 GT3-RSR were two successes in 24 hour races that got him international recognition.

Sports prototypes also hold a special magic for Kaufmann. For Renauer Motorsport, he occasionally drove a Tampolli SR2-Alfa Romeo in the Czech endurance championship. In the Le Mans Series, the man from Molsberg twice got the chance to drive ex F1 driver Giovanni Lavaggi’s self-designed car: “It’s a pity that such a terrific car still has so many teething troubles!”

With Lammertink Racing and Renauer Motorsport, Kaufmann consolidates his reputation as Porsche specialist and clinches top results in the GT2 category in Porsche 996 GT3-RS.

Vladimir Raikhlin’s team A:Level Engineering sets out to break the Ferrari dominance in the GT1 class, and relies on the technical know-how of Porsche specialist Wolfgang Kaufmann. On their own, they build a spectacular and beautiful Porsche 996 Twin Turbo that Kaufmann develops to race readiness.

But for its potential, this story does not lead to a happy end: “Just as we got our first podium result at Silverstone with third place, and won a national GT race in Spain, the project was shut down for financial reasons. It was a crying shame because I have never driven a racecar built so well, and with such attention to detail!”

Development worker with Wieth-Racing, who reach financial and technical limits with their own Ferrari 550 Maranello project. Punctual satisfaction and widening of the technical competence with the breathtaking Saleen S7R of Franz Konrad and Graham Nash.

With numerous podium places, Wolfgang Kaufmann helps the initial nobodies Freisinger-Motorsport to establish themselves within the international long distance racing scene: last FIA-GT race victory for Porsche at the Lausitzring in 2000, third place in total during the 1999 season and finally the victory of the Porsche World Cup in 2001.

Porsche race cars and Wolfgang Kaufmann are two synonyms in the 90s for successful GT-sport.

Especially in Spain (Paco-Orti-Racing) and in France (Chateau-Sport) the national GT heroes fear the “German Guy”.

“Team Manager Manfred Freisinger gave me the opportunity to gain ground in the GT racing scene. Unfortunately, our long-lasting and very fruitful cooperation ended a little displeasingly. With the first success came the positioning of the Porsche corporate drivers without giving me a fair chance”, the Molsberger expresses a little irritated and frustrated.

It is no solid basis for a championship title to work with three different motor tuning companies during a triannual driving career with the Opel corporate team. However, the title was missed twice only very closely.

Kaufmann acquired an image of a highly versed technical development driver and he does not forget his promoters: “Karl Maurer of Opel and Horst Schübel, owner of a racing stable, have supported me implicitly during my Formula 3 career. I owe much to Karl Mauer and especially Horst Schübel.“

Brutal title bout with Tom Krisensen (DK), today’s six fold Le Mans dominator. Overturn and fourfold fracture of the heel bone result in the end of the championship dreams and formula career.

After a terrific start of the season with two victories and a superior lead towards the championship, technical problems with the new Opel engine impede the possible title.

Self-made man: fight against the stars of the Formula 3 world with an own, underfunded team brings a contract with the corporate racing team of Opel.

No cash, no racing!

Kaufmann wins his first automobile race on the Nordschleife, and bids a potential touring car career farewell even before it begins: „running into other people’s cars on purpose isn’t my thing“.

This win on what is arguably the most difficult racetrack in the world is the beginning of a love affair: “There is no greater challenge, and satisfaction for a driver than driving through Green Hell on the limit”, he is convinced to this day.

Respectful victories with the mini racers despite small budgets.