Norbert Kuno is already a familiar face in European Pro Modified for many years and a regular contender in the FIA European Championship. In the professional looking colours of main sponsor Lucas Oil, the German racer always campaigned a Dodge Avenger, a car not used by many European Pro Mod teams. Last few seasons Kuno surprised many times with fast runs and personal bests, but so far was never consistent enough to win a FIA European Championship race. Last year Kuno debuted a new Dodge Avenger and as the almost identical ‘old’ car was still in the garage, the Lucas Oil man was looking for a driver to field that car too. With only a few weeks to the Main Event in German Norbert Schneider Kuno found that man and so two Norberts in two almost identical looking Avengers form the only two-car-team in the FIA European Pro Modified Championship (David Vegter and Marc Meihuizen have the same sponsor, but have their own teams).


Norbert Kuno

Pro Modified
Norbert Kuno started racing Pro Modified in 2003, while Norbert Schneider made his name in Sportsman racing the last few years, fielding a Nova, a VW and most recently a Nissan in Super Pro ET and raced all over Europe. Why for both of them, Pro Mod is the class to be?  “We think, for us, it’s the best class in drag racing. These cars are all unique und it’s a lot of fun to have a doorslammer with 3.000 HP. Pro Mod cars make you afraid to run them. It is a fight between the driver and the car. You have to show the car who is the boss, but in the same way you need to be careful, because these cars don’t like any driving mistakes. And the aggressive and high-tech look, makes the cars so fantastic”, says Kuno about his choice. He had the idea of a two-car-team already last year, but how did he get in touch with Super Pro ET-racer Schneider? “Norbert told me two years ago, when we met in Hockenheim, that he liked the Pro Mod class very much and thought about joining it. But I think it is not an easy step and you have to think twice before doing. That’s what I like about Norbert and it’s the same way he is driving the car down the track; with thinking and respect.”

Straight
Is Schneider already feeling comfortable in the Pro Mod car? “I think Pro Mod driving is one of the most exciting things in drag racing, as it takes so much to get these high horsepower cars down the track. Only a Pro Mod driver knows how difficult it is to go straight, well straight….something like straight. For Norbert it was a big step, like it was for me and will be for everybody. I think to start driving a Pro Mod car needs time. He is doing a good job and coming up with time improvements in the 7.20 seconds at over 320 Km/h. He has my respect how good he is doing”, says Kuno.

Different combinations
Kuno’s personal best with the Avenger I, as he calls his former car, is 6.22 seconds and the best so far in the new car, Avenger II, is a 6.29 seconds. “The Avenger II is an upgrade from the Avenger I, but we have to get the car working.” As there are two different combinations in the cars, the advantage of a two-car-team is performance wise not that big at the moment. “Right know we enjoy to see both cars and we like that they are unique, we have a lot of fun together. I liked it a lot seeing the pros in the States with these two-car-teams, it was always impressive. The main reason they do that, is to get more data and it takes less time to get a set-up that works for the tracks. Or they can test different motor/chassis combinations. For our two-car-team that’s not important right now. But for the future we are looking forward to do it.”


Happy crew

Home race
For both Norberts Hockenheim is always special. “Hockenheim is our home event and we love it. That was the starting point in drag racing for our teams. We have the fans and friends there. First of all we hope to have a safe race. If the track is fine, I would like to see Norbert Schneider in the 6 sec. and for me a new personal best in Germany on our home track.” And for the rest of the season? “This is our first season together and so far, we have a lot of fun. That’s the reason we decided to go for all the races after Hockenheim as well. We will try to get the cars down the track without failures and try to make it a good first season.”


Schneider in the Nissan in which he competed in Super Pro ET - photo from 2012 Drachten


History - Schneider running the VW at Hockenheim.. this time he will be competing in FIA Pro Modified ..



*the NitrOlympX is run August 9-11th- read more at www.nitrolympx.com