The 1988 German Formula Three Championship () was a multi-event motor racing championship for single-seat open wheel formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship featured drivers competing in two-litre Formula Three racing cars which conformed to the technical regulations, or formula, for the championship. It commenced on 3 April at Zolder and ended at Hockenheim on 16 October after eleven rounds.
WTS Liqui Moly Equipe driver Joachim Winkelhock won the championship. He led the championship battle from the start of the season with a series of three consecutive wins. Otto Rensing lost seven points to Winkelhock and finished as runner-up with wins at Hockenheim and Nürburgring. Frank Biela won at Mainz Finthen and Hungaroring (the Hungarian track was in the schedule of German F3 for the first and the last time) and completed the top-three in the drivers' standings. Michael Bartels, Hanspeter Kaufmann and Wolfgang Kaufmann were the other race winners. Daniel Müller clinched the B-Cup championship title. The season was marred by the death of Csaba Kesjár in an accident at Norisring.
Teams and drivers Entry List Team Driver Chassis Engine Rounds Class A Schübel Rennsport Int. 1 Csaba Kesjár Dallara 388/009 Volkswagen 1–7 2 Ralf Kelleners Dallara 388/008 Volkswagen All WTS Liqui Moly Equipe 3 Joachim Winkelhock Reynard 883/004 Volkswagen All 4 Hanspeter Kaufmann Dallara 388/002 Volkswagen All 5 Gianni Bianchi Dallara 388/001 1 Franco Forini 2–11 Daniel Müller 12 25 Jacques Isler Dallara 388/015 2 Volkswagen Motorsport 6 Otto Rensing Reynard 883/005 Volkswagen All 7 Frank Krämer All Josef Kaufmann 8 Peter Zakowski Martini MK55/03 Volkswagen 1–8 Franz Binder 9, 12 Ellen Lohr 10 Team Sonax Autopflege 9 Frank Biela Volkswagen All Malte Bongers Motorsport 10 Michael Bartels Reynard 883/001 Volkswagen All 11 Anreas Buhk Reynard 883 1 Franck Fréon 2 Mönninghoff Racing — Sympathik Cosmetics 12 Michael Roppes Reynard 883/017 Volkswagen All 15 Wolfgang Kaufmann Dallara 388/033 Volkswagen All Gerrit van Kouwen Ralt RT31/710 Volkswagen 1–4, 6, 12 Walter Lechner Racing School-Schaeffler Teppichboden 17 Ellen Lohr Dallara 388/031 Volkswagen 1–4, 6–9 Logan Wilms 10–11 Mercedes Stermitz 12 18 Stefan Neuberger Toyota All P+M Motorsport 21 Josef Bertzen Reynard 883/012 Toyota 1–9 Krafft Walzen Team 22 Karl Wendlinger Ralt RT32/763 Alfa Romeo All HC Hessel Motorsport 23 Marc Hessel Dallara 388/042 Toyota 9–12 24 Víctor Rosso Berta 88/002 Renault 9–10 24 Jo Zeller Ralt RT30/640 Toyota 2 34 Franz Kaiser Dallara 386/019 Volkswagen 9–10, 12 Picko Troberg Racing 27 Rickard Rydell Reynard 883/045 Volkswagen 7 28 Peter Albertsson Reynard 873/083 7 30 Herbert Prügl Ralt RT3/397 Toyota 8, 11 András Kövesdán Ralt RT3/397 Volkswagen 4, 11 Team Theuermann 32 Martin Koller Ralt RT31 Volkswagen 9 33 Wolfgang Petutschnig Ralt RT30/563 9 Georg Neyer 35 Georg Neyer Martini MK49/08 Volkswagen 9 Trond-Aage Krosby Trond-Aage Krosby Ralt RT30/649 Volkswagen 11 Helmut Bross Racing 37 Kálmán Bódis Reynard 873 Volkswagen 11 Ewald Gasper 38 Georg Arbinger Martini MK49 Volkswagen 12 39 Uwe Wolpert Ralt RT30/579 Volkswagen 10 Svend Hansen 40 Svend Hansen Reynard 873/078 Volkswagen 12 Class B 50 Sigi Betz Reynard 863/030 Volkswagen 1–4, 7 Malte Bongers Motorsport 51 Anreas Buhk Reynard 873/061 Volkswagen 2–12 52 Daniel Müller Dallara 386/023 Volkswagen 1–11 57 Rene Wartmann Reynard 873/084 1–2, 4–7, 9–12 68 Gianni Bianchi Dallara 387/010 5–7 WTS Liqui Moly Equipe 53 Franz Engstler Reynard 873/087 Volkswagen All 68 Gianni Bianchi Dallara 387/010 9–10, 12 54 Gernot Sirrenburg Reynard 873/045 Volkswagen 2–3, 8–10 64 Andy Bovensiepen Ralt RT31/710 10 69 Stefan Fricke 8 Johann Stelzer 55 Johann Stelzer Reynard 863/039 Volkswagen 2, 9, 11 56 Walter Zischg Ralt RT30/614 Volkswagen 2, 5, 7, 9 Mönninghoff Racing — Sympathik Cosmetics 59 Logan Wilms Ralt RT31/711 Volkswagen 7, 9 Klaus Panchyrz 10 Andy Bovensiepen 12 Richard Hamann 60 Richard Hamann Reynard 873/051 Volkswagen 5, 7, 9, 11–12 Team Theuermann 62 Phillip Verellen Ralt RT31 Volkswagen 1 Martin Koller 11 64 Otmar Fassold Ralt RT30/550 Volkswagen 3–5, 7, 11–12 66 Justin Sünkel Dallara 387/014 Volkswagen 1–5, 7, 9–12 Volkmar Löw Volkmar Löw Ralt RT30/530 Volkswagen 2–3, 7, 9, 12 67 Jacky Eeckelaert JEC 386B/01 Volkswagen 4 72 Jacques Isler Dallara 388/015 Volkswagen 5
Calendar Round Location Circuit Date Supporting 1 Heusden-Zolder, Belgium Circuit Zolder 3 April XIX. AvD/MVBL "Bergischer Löwe" 2 Hockenheim, West Germany Hockenheimring 24 April AvD/MAC Sportwagen-Festival 3 Nürburg, West Germany Nürburgring 1 May 50. ADAC Eifelrennen 4 Brno, Czechoslovakia Masaryk Circuit 22 May AvD/MHSTC "100 Meilen von Brünn" 5 Hockenheim, West Germany Hockenheimring 29 May ADAC-Preis Hockenheim 6 Mainz, West Germany Mainz Finthen Airport 5 June 24. AvD/HMSC-Flugplatzrennen Mainz-Finthen 7 Nuremberg, West Germany Norisring 26 June ADAC-Norisring-Trophäe "200 Meilen von Nürnberg" 8 Wunstorf, West Germany Wunstorf Air Base 17 July ADAC-Flugplatzrennen Wunstorf 9 Salzburg, Austria Salzburgring 28 August ADAC-Alpentrophäe 10 Nürburg, West Germany Nürburgring 4 September 1000 km of Nürburgring 11 Mogyoród, Hungary Hungaroring 18 September ADAC-Rundstrecken-Rennen Hungaroring 12 Hockenheim, West Germany Hockenheimring 16 October 10. ADAC "Preis der Stadt Esslingen"
Results Round Circuit Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning team B Class Winner 1 Circuit Zolder Joachim Winkelhock Otto Rensing Joachim Winkelhock WTS Liqui Moly Equipe Daniel Müller 2 Hockenheimring Joachim Winkelhock Joachim Winkelhock Joachim Winkelhock WTS Liqui Moly Equipe Franz Engstler 3 Nürburgring Joachim Winkelhock Hanspeter Kaufmann Joachim Winkelhock WTS Liqui Moly Equipe Franz Engstler 4 Masaryk Circuit Hanspeter Kaufmann Frank Biela Wolfgang Kaufmann Style Auto Racing Team Daniel Müller 5 Hockenheimring Joachim Winkelhock Csaba Kesjár Otto Rensing Volkswagen Motorsport Daniel Müller 6 Mainz Finthen Airport Frank Biela Otto Rensing Frank Biela Team Sonax Autopflege Andreas Buhk 7 Norisring Joachim Winkelhock race cancelled due to fatal accident of Csaba Kesjár 8 Wunstorf Otto Rensing Wolfgang Kaufmann Joachim Winkelhock WTS Liqui Moly Equipe Andreas Buhk 9 Salzburgring Michael Bartels Franco Forini Hanspeter Kaufmann Daniel Müller 10 Nürburgring Michael Roppes Michael Bartels Otto Rensing Volkswagen Motorsport Franz Engstler 11 Hungaroring Frank Biela Otto Rensing Frank Biela Team Sonax Autopflege Frank Beyerlein 12 Hockenheimring Michael Bartels Wolfgang Kaufmann Michael Bartels Malte Bongers Motorsport Andreas Buhk
Championship standings A-Class Points are awarded as follows: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 18 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Pos Driver ZOL HOC1 NÜR1 BRN HOC2 MAI NOR WUN SAL NÜR2 HUN HOC3 Points 1 Joachim Winkelhock 1 1 1 3 Ret 2 C 1 5 2 2 Ret164 2 Otto Rensing 2 2 Ret 4 1 3 C 2 3 1 3 Ret157 3 Frank Biela 3 4 Ret 2 5 1 C 3 6 Ret 1 Ret132 4 Frank Krämer 10 5 3 8 Ret 9 C 7 4 3 16 3 5 Michael Bartels 4 7 15 Ret 4 4 C 4 Ret 13 4 1117 6 Hanspeter Kaufmann 5 6 2 Ret 18 10 C Ret 1 8 9 4111 7 Wolfgang Kaufmann 8 8 Ret 1 8 Ret C 5 2 Ret Ret 2103 8 Michael Roppes Ret 3 8 Ret 6 14 C 9 Ret 5 5 DNS83 9 Stefan Neuberger Ret Ret 9 7 3 17 C 11 Ret 6 Ret 575 10 Daniel Müller 9 19 Ret 10 2 16 C DNS 9 7 10 DNS71 11 Karl Wendlinger Ret Ret 6 6 11 15 C Ret 16 4 6 Ret69 12 Franz Engstler DNS 15 12 Ret 7 13 C Ret 11 12 7 768 13 Franco Forini 14 5 Ret 15 5 C 6 7 Ret Ret62 14 Ellen Lohr 7 13 7 11 Ret C 8 Ret 9 59 15 Andreas Buhk Ret Ret 13 DNS 19 12 C 14 8 11 11 658 16 Ralf Kelleners 15 9 4 14 Ret Ret C 10 Ret 20 8 Ret54 17 Peter Zakowski 14 17 10 5 14 7 C Ret47 18 Gerrit van Kouwen 6 12 DNS Ret 6 943 19 Csaba Kesjár DSQ 10 Ret 9 16 8 C33 20 Rene Wartmann DNS Ret 13 10 18 C 14 16 13 1633 21 Josef Bertzen DNS 16 11 12 Ret 11 C 13 DNS32 22 Justin Sunkel 13 DNS 16 15 13 C 17 17 15 1927 23 Richard Hamann 12 C 13 12 Ret20 24 Andy Bovensiepen 10 1018 25 Franz Binder 10 1317 26 Logan Wilms C 15 14 1414 27 Sigi Betz 11 20 14 Ret C13 28 Georg Arbinger 811 29 Jacques Isler 18 911 30 Marc Hessel 12 Ret 17 Ret9 31 Jo Zeller 118 32 Phillip Verellen 127 33 Stefan Fricke 127 34 Mercedes Stermitz 127 35 Gianni Bianchi DNS Ret Ret C Ret 18 137 36 Otmar Fassold 18 16 DNS C Ret 176 37 Svend Hansen 145 38 Trond-Aage Krosby 15 5 39 Herbert Prügl 15 204 40 Franz Kaiser 20 19 154 41 Gernot Sirrenburg DNS 17 Ret Ret2 42 András Kövesdán 17 192 43 Walter Zischg 21 17 C 212 44 Johann Stelzer DNQ 18 182 45 Jacky Eeckelaert 181 46 Volkmar Löw DNQ 19 C Ret DNS0 47 Wolfgang Petutschnig 19 0 48 Uwe Wolpert 200 49 Klaus Panchyrz 210 50 Víctor Rosso 22 Ret0 Martin Koller Ret Ret0 Franck Fréon Ret 0 Kálmán Bódis Ret0 Rickard Rydell C 0 Gerd Lünsmann C 0 Peter Albertsson C 0 Georg Neyer DNQ 0 Pos Driver ZOL HOC1 NÜR1 BRN HOC2 MAI NOR WUN SAL NÜR2 HUN HOC3 PointsBold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap
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