In part 7, Benny Leuchter confesses his love for the Golf VII GTI Clubsport S.
The young man is incredible – and incredibly fast: almost as quickly as he races around the track in his Golf TCR, Benny Leuchter whizzes around his Golf VII GTI Clubsport S with the camera. The car is number 01 of a special series of just 400. ‘I love this car, I just love it,’ he repeats time and again – and it doesn’t sound at all trite. On the contrary, when you meet this likeable, down-to-earth and exceptional racing driver, it is difficult to do anything other than give a knowing smile.
Benny, a Duisburg man born and bred, is 31 years young and competes with the best of them in the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR). In 2016, amid all the events to mark the 40th anniversary of the Golf GTI, he set a new Nordschleife record at the Nürburgring. Precisely 7:49.21 minutes – a best time that Benny beat by two seconds a little while later with a time of 7:47.19 minutes – in the Golf VII GTI Clubsport S. A record! The fastest front-wheel-drive production car!
The Golf GTI will forever be associated with him, there can be no doubt. It couldn’t be any other way, neither historically nor emotionally. ‘My mum drove a Golf II GTI 16V, “Fire and Ice” special edition,’ says Benny. ‘And I knew even back then that the GTI was something quite special.’
It seemed somehow written in the stars that her son would one day become one of the fastest touring car drivers in the world, particularly since mum still also whizzes around to this day. ‘And it was also clear from very early on that my first car would be a GTI,’ says Benny Leuchter, while carefully steering his 228 kW / 310 PS GTI Clubsport S around his home town of Duisburg.
Careful, because this particular Golf is number 01 and has done just 431 kilometres in three years.