There was considerable anticipation when the Ralliart Germany Team arrived on Wednesday, May 23rd for the 2001 Nurburgring 24-hour Race. They immediately began setting up camp and seemed to be in full preparation for the exhaustive race that lay ahead. When Friday's qualification runs took place, the Ralliart Germany Mitsubishi Carisma GT (consisting of 90% stock parts) performed flawlessly giving the more celebrated Porches and Vipers a run for their money. The qualification run placed Ralliart Germany's Mitsubishi Carisma GT in 24th position thanks to the well-prepared efforts of the highly professional team. Out of the 270 cars to be nominated 210 qualified for the race, among them the diesel-powered Mitsubishi Ralliart Germany's Carisma DID which placed 165th.

This year's 24-hour Endurance race at Nurburgring finally made its long-anticipated start on May 26th late Saturday afternoon. The world-famous track held it's first competitive race back in 1927. There are plenty of twisting, climbing and plummeting tarmac as well as long straight-aways on this historic track. There was no looking back as the bright red Mitsubishi cars crossed the start line at 17:00 MET. The 4-driver crew piloting the Mitsubishi Carisma GT was Bechtel Burkhard, Jochen †bler, Marcus Schurig and Matthias Eckstrom. It is interesting to note that Bechtel Burkhard is a respected journalist for Germany MotorPress. They immediately began their relentless attack, quickly making up precious time and gradually increasing their position. Matthias Eckstrom especially showed fierce determination as he aggressively maneuvered the Mitsubishi Carisma GT around the renowned course clocking lap-times of 9:46 and 9:50 minutes. Apparently there are merits to having the well-known rally navigator Tina Thorner as your girlfriend! Eckstrom'steam mates were of course just as determined and as the sound of the whining engines began to melt into the night, they not only successfully caught up on lap-times but also on the leading cars. It seemed the spirit of this prestigious race had infected the entire team. The pit-stop times were simply startling, the pit crews working in perfect sync and tirelessly preparing for any sudden unexpected accident. It suddenly seemed that Ralliart Germany were where they belonged; among the best, battling for victory and defending every gained inch of tarmac.

The diesel crew piloting the Mitsubishi Carisma GT DID was determined not only to finish the race but give the other competitors something to remember them by. The so-called "Little Brother" of the Mitsubishi Carisma GT team driven by experienced English drivers Jeremy and Denis Welch and Germany's Thomas Reiter began its aggressive attack from behind. At this point the Mitsubishi Carisma GT seemed a mere flash of light as it made it through the darkness of the sometimes-twisting Nurburgring course. The unsuspecting competitors were simply awestruck as the Mitsubishi Carisma GT came up from behind, then proceeded to pass them as if they were standing still. They simply watched as the Mitsubishi Carisma GT disappeared in the darkness before their eyes. Bechtel it seemed had a difficult task during the grueling event; while he directed all his energy towards victory he somehow found time to do interviews for German TV. I must admit he performed both tasks with the utmost perfection.

The Mitsubishi Carisma GT crew's relentless attack through the night had paid off. As daylight began to gradually seep through the darkness the Mitsubishi Carisma GT had fought its way to 12th position and was still going strong. The "Big Ten" lay just within reach and the Mitsubishi Carisma GT crew were not about to give up the hard-fought battle through the night. The battle-weary pit crew executed the final pit stops within 13 minutes. Quite a feat considering they had to change wheel bolts, hand brakes in addition to tyres and of course constantly pouring fuel into the tank. The British/German diesel crew made its way from 165th to 112th placing them well within reach of class victory. After a trouble-free performance through the night the crew were utterly convinced of the car's durability and reliability. They were more than confident that the car would cross the finish line.