Archive:11/10/99-1/28/02
July 30,2002 Spa 24 Team News:
LISTER STORM RACING: GOING FLAT OUT (1st in GT, 37 points)
After a storming race in Oschersleben, when Jamie Campbell-Walter finished just a second behind the winning Ferrari 550 Maranello of new points leaders Deletraz and Piccini, and after Nicolaus Springer put in his best performance so far, Lister Storm Racing regained the lead in the GT Teams Classification. The team is now busy preparing for the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, a race they opted not to contest last season. The regular drivers of the nr 14 Lister Storm will be joined by Eric van de Poele and Andy Wallace, both of whom have driven for Lister in the past. "We're doing all right," team principal Laurence Pearce said. "The car was very quick in testing, when Jamie did a 2:16.7 - we were really in a league of our own on the test day. I am not planning to put Nicolaus into the car until after the 12-hour mark; I'll just run Wallace, van de Poele and Jamie. I've prepared a car specially for this race, with a new spec engine and gear-box, we've got new tyres from Dunlop, who have risen to the occasion, and I'm really out to have a go ! I like the idea of the points at the 6 hour and 12 hour marks. I'd like to run the first 6 hours flat out, with 5 pit stops to the first points. If it's dry, we'll go as fast as we can, get some points under our belts and go on from there. Things are pretty close in the Championship now, but the winner of the 24 Hours of Spa will most probably go on to win the Championship." The second car will be driven by Verdon Roe, Miguel de Castro, a Lister driver in the Spanish GT Championship, David Sterckx, who won Group 3 last year in a Land Motorsport Porsche 996, and Philippe Steveny, who led the race in the Rafanelli Ferrari Maranello last year. Knapfield will not be driving for Lister Storm Racing again this season; his replacement will be announced later.
LARBRE COMPETITION: CHEREAU HOPES TO REPEAT 2001 FEAT (2nd in GT, 36 points)
The nr 1 Chrysler Viper had its first retirement of the season in Germany, after Bouchut and Belloc had finished on the podium in every other race. However, the second car of Vosse and Rosenblad finished fourth, placing the team just one point behind the current leaders. "We won last year at Spa and we hope to aim for victory there again in 2002," said team owner Jack Leconte. "We will be on an equal footing with our competitors for the first time for some races, as none of us will have any penalty weight. And, before retiring with technical problems, we were able to show at Oschersleben that despite having 100 kg, we were able to keep in touch with Lister and Ferrari. Larbre is the only team in the GT category with significant endurance experience. We finished second at Daytona and third at Sebring this year, and we hope to continue in that vein. This race is a cornerstone of the 2002 Championship and we intend to definitively take the lead. If we don't do it here, the chance will be gone. You can count on us to aimfor the win ! We have 4 drivers in each car, as we do for Daytona. The circuit is harder on the drivers than Le Mans, with no long straights, so this gives us more of a safety margin. Some drivers are better in the rain, some are better at night - I want to hold all the cards in my hands !"
Bouchut, Terrien and Vosse will be in the lead car, joined by current F3000 leader Sebastien Bourdais, who finished second in last year's race. "This weekend is doubly important," 2001 winner Christophe Bouchut explained. "First of all, there is the prestige of the winning the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, and the importance of the race in the Championship. After retiring in Oschersleben, we really need a win if we want to get the title. We will not be aiming to be the fastest over one lap, but we will be looking at this race like any other endurance race." The second car will be driven by Rosenblad, Jean-Luc Chéreau and Jean-Claude Lagniez, joined by Didier Defourny.
BMS SCUDERIA ITALIA : FOUR IN A ROW ? (3rd in GT, 33 points)
After three consecutive wins, Jean-Denis Deletraz and Andrea Piccini have risen to lead the GT Drivers Classification, and have taken their team, BMS Scuderia Italia, to within four points of the overall lead in the Teams points chart. "This race is the big question mark for us," Deletraz said. "The Prodrive-built Maranello has only done one 24-hour race, which it failed to finish due to problems linked to the youth of the project. They have fixed that problem, but we do not know if others might appear. But it did run very quickly for twelve hours, so we will be pushing hard to try for the points at six and twelve hours, and then we'll see. All the team has been working extremely hard. Our main aim is to limit any damage so that we have a good chance of going for the title in the final three races. At Spa, I think our main rivals will be Bouchut and Terrien. Larbre Competition Chéreau won last year, and the Chrysler Viper has many solid years of endurance experience. Our main ally could be the rain, which will level the field and which is easier on the car. As a track, I like Spa a lot, and so does Andrea."
This will be Andrea Piccini's first 24-hour race. "I'll just have to see how it goes. I've never raced at night before; I've only done 24 hour karting races, which were indoors, so the conditions never change. However, I know Spa well, from Opel Lotus and three years in Formula 3000, so I know where the track goes. The circuit is quite challenging, but at least you don't get bored. The weather could be difficult, but it'll be the same for everyone. And I really like racing in the rain, I'm always very confident in wet conditions, so whatever happens, I'll be OK." They will be sharing the nr 23 Ferrari 550 Maranello with Lilian Bryner.
The nr 22 car will be driven by Frédéric Dor, Enzo Calderari and Dutch driver Peter Kox, who drove the Prodrive Allstars Ferrari 550 Maranello last year, winning at the A1 Ring. Calderari, who missed Oschersleben after undergoing surgery on his arm, hopes to be sufficiently recovered to drive. "We are hoping to fit power steering on the nr 22 car before the race," press officer Marco Streparava explained. "Calderari very much wants to race, and will do everything he can to be in the car."
CARSPORT HOLLAND:STRONG LINE-UP (4th in GT, 30 points)
Just seven points behind the leaders in the Teams classification, Dutch team Carsport Holland is fielding two strong line-ups for the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa. Thierry Tassin, four-times winner of the event, rejoins the team alongside Mike Hezemans and Anthony Kumpen in the nr 3 Chrysler Viper GTS-R, while fast Belgian single-seater driver Bas Leinders will be in the nr 4 car with Fabrizio Gollin and Luca Cappellari. Leinders, a former F3000 driver, is currently competing in the World Nissan series, with two wins so far this season. "It's looking quite good," Hezemans said. "It is always difficult to win a 24 hour race, but I think that maybe we have a chance against the Ferrari and Lister. We haven't had the reliability or the luck this season, so the only hope for us in the Championship is to win this race. We are really aiming for the overall victory, as the other cars will pushing hard for the six and twelve hour points. We have some excellent Belgian drivers in Tassin and Leinders; I hope we can make up for last year's disappointment, when we retired late after being in the lead or second for much of the race."
PAUL BELMONDO RACING : AIMING FOR A WIN (5th in GT, 20 points)
Paul Belmondo Racing took their second podium finish of the year at Oschersleben, with Silverstone winners Fabio Babini and Marc Duez finishing in third place. The team is now aiming for a win in the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, with two interesting line-ups in its Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars. "One car, with Babini, Duez and Derichebourg, is very fast and very experienced," team owner Paul Belmondo explained.
"Gosselin and I will share the other car with Ryo Fukuda, who is a very fast young driver with a lot of experience at Spa. I think it will be a good race. Our tactics are to aim for the overall win, not for the points mid-race. I would prefer to win outright - I think people will remember who won the race, not who got points. So our aim is to be at the front after 24 hours. We will base our rhythm on the other Vipers, although the Ferrari and Lister cars could be a threat." Fukuda, from Japan, is the reigning French Formula Three Champion, and last year he won both of the rounds that were held at Spa. He is currently a test driver for BAR in Formula One.
Boris Derichebourg drove for Paul Belmondo Racing in the FIA GT Championship in 2000 and 2001, with a win and numerous podium finishes. "It's great to be back with the team," the 24-year old Frenchman said. "I know the team and the car well, so I don't think I will have any problems readapting after driving prototypes this season. I know the team has made a lot of progress since last year, and I hope we will have a really good race."
JMB RACING :(1st in N-GT, 56 points)
JMB RACING, currently leading the N-GT teams classification by 19 points, is putting all hope on its side by combining its four leading drivers in one Ferrari 360 Modena. Christian Pescatori and Andrea Montermini, leading the N-GT Drivers classification, will most probably share the nr 50 Ferrari 360 Modena with Andrea Bertolini and Andrea Garbagnati, who have finished on the podium in the last two races. The team will have three cars in total, between JMB Racing and JMB Competition. "We are trying to do Spa with as many of our usual drivers as possible, which will be good for the points," team manager Benjamin Durand explained.
"The second car will be driven by Peter Kutemann, Stephen Earle, who was with us at Le Mans, and one or two drivers yet to be named. Possible drivers for the third car include Batti Pregliasco and Iradj Alexander. We have not done any endurance testing, but the official test day at Spa went extremely well, and we are not at all worried in terms of pure performance. We have just completed some tyre testing with Pirelli at Fiorano, which went very well. Last year we lasted twenty hours, and this year we hope to do four more. We are aiming for a 12-hour race, and anything after that will be a bonus. I think the rhythm of the race will be extremely high for the first six hours, as everyone wants points. After Spa, we will be working hard on the car with Michelotto and Ferrari, to have some surprises for the first race back in September. It should be interesting !"
Christian Pescatori was part of last year's line-up. "This year, the car is a lot more reliable than it was when we did the 24 Hours of Spa last year," he explained. "We have made a number of changes, and we are confident that the car can last the distance. With four drivers who all know the car very well, I think we have a strong team. Also, we will not have any penalty weight for the first time since Magny Cours - although Ortelli will not either ! I think Spa is a fantastic circuit; the only problem is the weather, which can be very changeable. However, our Pirelli tyres are very good in the rain, which could be important. The long fast straights will suit the Porsche cars, but the fast corners will favour us. I would think that the Porsche cars might be ahead for the first six hours, but we hope to catch up and stay in the top three for the rest of the race."
FREISINGER: FIELDS STRONG LINE-UP (2nd in N-GT, 37 points)
After three consecutive wins in Brno, Jarama and Anderstorp, Freisinger Motorsport failed to make it four in a row in Oschersleben, despite claiming pole position and setting a fast pace at the start. A broken wheel rim took the nr 54 Porsche 996 GT3-R out of the race. The team's second car, driven by Daoudi and Longin, came in a fine fourth place, just missing out on a podium after a last minute fuel stop. Last year, Freisinger Motorsport finished second in the N-GT class at Spa, and this year they will be hoping to go one better and take the win.
The leading car will be driven by Stéphane Ortelli and Emmanuel Collard, who won together in Sweden, and young French driver Romain Dumas, who has driven for the team at Le Mans for the past two years. Dumas is one of the frontrunners in the Euro F3000 series, and also drove for Freisinger in the final round of the 2001 FIA GT Championship. Bert Longin will be in the nr 55 Porsche 996 GT3-R, with Georges Fourgeois and two other drivers yet to be named.
AUTORLANDO :(3rd in N-GT, 26 points)
Italian team Autorlando Sport took their first win of the season in Oschersleben, with Peter and Wolff bringing their Porsche 996 GT3-R home ahead of the RWS Porsche of Garcia and Felbermayr. The team remains in third place in the Teams classification, but has begun to close the gap to second placed Freisinger Motorsport. "The win in Oschersleben was very good for us," Philipp Peter explained. "We had worked on the race set-up from the beginning of the weekend, but I think our win came partly from superstition. Last year my wins came when I drove second, so I persuaded Toto to start the race, and we were able to win again. Toto has made good progress this year; he concentrates hard, listens a lot, and is able to apply it on the track. It also helps that we are good friends, and have been for 15 years, so we trust each other and get results."
For the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, the nr 58 Porsche 996 GT3-R will not be driven by the usual team, but by four German drivers : Dr Stefan Jentzsch, Dr Ulrich Schumacher, Udo Schneider and Andreas von Zitzewitz.
RWS:RICCITELLI AND QUESTER RETURN (5th in N-GT, 10 points)
After starting the season in the GT category with a Porsche 996 GT, Luca Riccitelli and Dieter Quester, part of RWS's winning line-up in last year's Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, will return to the team for this year's event. "We will be racing the car usually driven by Garcia in the FIA GT Championship, and the line-up looks very strong to me," Luca said. " We won last year, and so I hope we can do it again. However, in a 24-hour race, it is not only important to have fast drivers, you need everything else to go right too. But I think we have a good chance. I have been waiting for a long time to drive - it is definitely time to get back to the track and time to win!"
They will be joined in the nr 76 car by Oschersleben winners Philipp Peter and Toto Wolff, making a very strong team indeed. "We finalised the deal with RWS last week," Peter said. "We need to be strong to beat the Freisinger guys who are even stronger. I think the race will be interesting, and there will be a lot to think about in terms of tactics, with points being allocated at 6 and 12 hours. I like Spa; I had my first Porsche Supercup podium finish there last year, and the track holds a number of good memories. We tested there in the Supercup at the track last week. I am sure the car will be good, and the Pirelli tyres too."
Antonio Garcia, who has had two podiums for RWS in the three races he has had with the German team, will be in the nr 77 car with Russian drivers Alexei Vasiliev and Nikolaj Fomenko. They will be joined by another Spanish driver, Jésus Villearoy.
July 10,2002 Dart Racing To Enter Ferrari 550:
Dart Racing, the Italian team that enters an Alfa Romeo 156 Gta for young British driver Tom Ferrier in the FIA European Touring Car Championship, has announced plans to enter the FIA GT Championship.
In conjunction with Red Bull, they plan to race an Italtecnica-built Ferrari 550 Maranello, updated to 2002 specifications, from the Pergusa round on September 22nd. The car will be driven by Austrian Dieter Quester and Italian Luca Riccitelli, who have been frontrunners in the N-GT class for RWS Motorsport over the past two seasons.
A presentation of the team and the car's livery will take place in the Super Racing Club in the Oschersleben Paddock, at 18:00 on Saturday 13th July.
June 10,2002 Championship Update:
LARBRE COMPETITION CHEREAU TAKES THE LEAD (1st in GT, 33 points)
To the delight of team manager Jack Leconte, second place for Bouchut and Terrien, and sixth for Vosse and Rosenblad, gave French team Larbre Competition Chéreau enough points to take the lead of the FIA GT Championship Teams Classification after the Anderstorp race. The team's exemplary consistency, with its cars finishing in the points at every race, has also meant that the nr 1 Chrysler Viper GTS-R will carry 100 kg penalty weight at Oschersleben. "We are all very pleased, as this was the aim," explained Vincent Vosse, driver of the nr 2 Larbre Competition Chéreau Chrysler Viper GTS-R. "We have a number one car, and our job is to help it win the Drivers Championship, and we also have to help the team in order to win the Teams Championship. Unfortunately, my error in Qualifying in Sweden meant that Rosenblad and I were not able to finish higher than sixth. I think otherwise we could have been in the top four, because I like racing in the rain. Luckily, I do not make mistakes like that very often. The team has been very reliable so far this season; for good results, you need to be both reliable and competitive, which is not such an easy compromise." Vosse is looking forward to Oschersleben, where he last raced in 1999. "It seems a long time ago. As far as I remember, it's a modern circuit, a bit like Valencia, but faster. We were third fastest in Qualifying there, in both the rain and the dry, but had engine problems in the race. I'm really looking forward to going back, as I have some good memories of the place."
LISTER STORM RACING AIMS FOR A GOOD RESULT (2nd in GT, 30 points)
"We'll have almost no weight in Oschersleben - only 10 kg - which is a big bonus," Jamie Campbell-Walter said after neither Lister Storm finished the rain-soaked Swedish race. "No-one in the team is familiar with the track, but as far as I know it is quite short and twisty; circuits like that are generally easier to learn than longer tracks like Spa-Francorchamps. Sweden was unfortunate, but we have to look forward, and hope to get some good points before the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa." Jamie finished his previous race in the mud, having left the track due to a persistent brake problem. "The car was full of gravel and mud, but there was no damage. We really suffered with the brake problem, which was caused by a broken cable. We've changed it, and everything is now OK. However, in Anderstorp, no-one had a spare cable. BMS leant us one, but it was 4 inches too short. Strangely, it is usually cheap and simple parts like that which cause the most problems."
CARSPORT HOLLAND HOPING TO PROGRESS (3rd in GT, 28 points)
Dutch team Carsport Holland is currently lying in third place in the GT Teams Classification, after its two Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars finished in third and fourth places at Anderstorp. Mike Hezemans last drove at Oschersleben in 1999, at the wheel of a Marcos LM600 in the free practice sessions. "I only did a handful of laps, because the engine broke," the Dutch driver said. "As far as I remember, the track is quite slow, and we might have a little bit of a power advantage over the Ferrari there, as there are no long straights. But basically, I think the Lister will be unbeatable, especially as they have almost no penalty weight. We have been trying different roll bars and other things, to try and make progress with the car. We were so quick at the start of the season, but everyone else has caught up with us. There are a lot of very good drivers in the various Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars, which means they are still competitive, but despite that, I think it will be difficult for any of us to win a race, except for the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, where our reliability should win through."
FORCE ONE RETURNS TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP
The Force One Ferrari 550 Maranello missed the Anderstorp event, in order to test the car and attempt to solve the reliability problems, which have plagued the car during the previous races. "We have been testing in Fiorano, and have made a lot of changes to the car," Philippe Alliot explained. "We will be back for the Oschersleben race, and we hope that the car will be reliable." As usual, Alliot will share the nr 5 Ferrari with French rock star and motorsports enthusiast David Hallyday.
JMB RACING RETAINS ITS LEAD (1st in N-GT, 52 points)
"We had a few problems in Anderstorp," Andrea Montermini admitted. "We thought we would be fine in the rain, but the conditions were different than we had supposed, and the hour and a half behind the safety car destroyed our job." The points leaders in the N-GT Drivers Classification only finished in fourth place in Sweden, the first time they have failed to finish on the podium this season. "We really need to work a lot, as Porsche is putting in a huge effort," Montermini continued. "However, I am enjoying my first season in the FIA GT Championship, and I am so pleased to be driving a Ferrari and to have been leading the Championship for five races. The whole team, including myself, is putting in a huge effort to try and maintain that lead. There is a lot of pressure from Porsche." The nr 51 Ferrari 360 Modena of Andrea Garbagnati and Andrea Bertolini crossed the line in second place in Anderstorp, to maintain the team's lead in the Teams Classification. "The result was really good, but the conditions were tough, and I nearly went off a couple of times on the straight," Andrea Garbagnati explained. "Andrea Bertolini did a very good job and gave me the car in second or third place. We didn't change our Pirelli tyres, as they were performing very well, so we gained some time. I concentrated on making as few mistakes as possible, and achieved our best result so far, finishing ahead of Pescatori and Montermini. I still can't really believe it ! "
FREISINGER DRIVERS ORTELLI AND DAOUDI CONFIDENT (2nd in N-GT, 34 points)
Anderstorp saw Stéphane Ortelli take his third consecutive win, sharing the nr 54 Porsche 996 GT3-R with Emmanuel Collard. For Oschersleben, he will be reunited with his Jarama team-mate, Sascha Maassen. "We used to race together in 1998 and 1999 for Roock Racing, and got pole position in Oschersleben in 1999," Ortelli explained. "I have really good memories of that race, as I had a very good fight with Beretta in the Oreca Viper, although we eventually retired with mechanical problems. I think the circuit will be advantageous for us, as we have driven there before, although it is not my favourite sort of track. I am rather concerned about the penalty weight, which will be difficult on a track like that, with a lot of corners and chicanes. The important thing is for Porsche to win on home ground in Germany, so we will try hard to beat the Ferrari cars. We need another good result for the points, so I hope we will get it on Sunday."
The nr 55 Freisinger Porsche 996 GT3-R, driven by Stephane Daoudi and Bert Longin, has been making steady progress since the beginning of the season, and Daoudi claimed the second place on the grid for Anderstorp, his best qualifying position yet. Despite a difficult race, Daoudi is confident for the rest of the 2002 FIA GT Championship. His Belgian team-mate Bert Longin took the wet start in Anderstorp (and not Daoudi as stated in the post-race quotes). "It was very difficult for Bert at the start, as the windscreen wipers were not working, so he had to go slowly. When I took over, I went off twice, as I couldn't see anything, which meant I lost a lot of time," French driver Daoudi explained. "However, I feel I am improving race by race, and I am confident that we will soon be able to get some good results. At one point in Anderstorp I was catching Ortelli, although I was a couple of laps behind him. The car is now very competitive, and I am learning the circuits. Apart from Magny Cours, they are all new to me. The advantage with that is that I am getting very quick at learning new tracks. For Oschersleben, I hope we will be able to finish on the podium."
TWO CARS FOR AUTORLANDO SPORT (3rd in N-GT, 16 points)
Autorlando have made steady progress this season, scoring points in every round except for Spain.
"I must say we were very lucky to get a podium finish in the last race," said Toto Wolff, driver of the nr 58 Autorlando Porsche 996 GT3-R. " Before the race, if you had asked me if it was possible, I would have said never. During qualifying, our engine wouldn't start, and then it burnt, so we only did two or three laps with an engine that wasn't working properly. We started 11th, a long way down. However, I had a solid turn at the start of the race. The stop and go didn't help, but Walter Lechner was very lucky with the safety car and got up to 3rd, overtaking Pescatori on the track. All season we have had problems in qualifying, but in the race we are really on the pace. I think the main reason is that we have two very balanced drivers. I am really looking forward to Oschersleben as I know the track well. It is a short, narrow track, not particularly hard to learn, but there is one very fast triple left that you have to be careful with. I'm really hoping to be on top. Philipp Peter should be back in the car with me; he is driving in the Porsche Supercup this weekend and we will see how it goes. If not, Walter is ready to step back in, and he knows the circuit by heart, so that won't be a problem." As in Spain, Joel Camathias and Renault Sport Clio Trophy leader Luca Rangoni will share the other car.
June 28,2002 Anderstorp Friday Free Practice Times:
Leading times - Friday - First practice session - Anderstorp:
1. Paul Knapfield / Bobby Verdon-Roe #15 Lister Storm Lister Storm 1m 32.432s / 39 laps
2. Mike Hezemans / Anthony Kumpen #3 Team Carsport Holl Chrysler Viper GTS-R 1m 32.823s / 29 laps
3. Marc Duez / Fabio Babini #12 Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Viper GTS-R 1m 32.979s / 38 laps
4. Jamie Campbell-Walter / Nicolaus Springer #14 Lister Storm Lister Storm 1m 33.211s / 22 laps
5. Jean-Denis Deletraz / Andrea Piccini #23 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello 1m 33.355s / 40 laps
6. Henrik Roos / Magnus Wallinder #29 Henrik Roos Team Porsche 996 Turbo 1m 33.736s / 21 laps*
7. Jean-Pierre Jarier / Francois Lafon #9 Team ART Chrysler Viper GTS-R 1m 34.025s / 35 laps
8. Christophe Bouchut / David Terrien #1 Larbre Comp-Chereau Chrysler Viper GTS-R 1m 34.587s / 22 laps
9. Vincent Vosse / Carl Rosenblad #2 Larbre Comp-Chereau Chrysler Viper GTS-R 1m 34.802s / 27 laps
10. Paul Belmondo / Claude-Yves Gosselin #11 Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Viper GTS-R 1m 35.703s / 36 laps
11. Enzo Calderari / Lilian Bryner / Frederic Dor #22 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550 Maranello 1m 35.882s / 39 laps
12. Markus Paltalla / Kurt Mollekens #25 PSI Motorsport Porsche 996 Turbo 1m 35.978s / 32 laps
13. Luca Cappellari / Fabrizio Gollin #4 Team Carsport Hol Chrysler Viper GTS-R 1m 36.254s / 37 laps
14. Stéphane Ortelli / Emmanuel Collard #54 Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R 1m 36.501s / 36 laps
15. Antonio Garcia / Michele Merendino #76 RWS Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R 1m 36.531s / 34 laps
16. Jürgen von Gartzen / Ian Khan #60 JVG Racing Porsche 996 GT3-R 1m 36.657s / 39 laps
17. Stephane Daoudi / Bert Longin #55 Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R 1m 37.262s 39 laps
18. Christian Pescatori / Andrea Montermini #50 JMB Racing Ferrari 360 Modena 1m 37.480s / 37 laps
19. Philipp Peter / Toto Wolff #58 Autorlando Sport Porsche 996 GT3-R 1m 37.579s 40 laps
20. Raffaele Sangiuolo / Thomas Pichler #62 Cirtek Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R 1m 37.748s / 29 laps
21. John Nielsen / Robin Liddell #64 Cirtek Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R 1m 37.922s / 32 laps
22. Pontus Morth / Thomas Faraas #75 Eurotech Scandinavia Porsche 996 GT3-R 1m 37.969s / 34 laps
23. Marco Lambertini / Batti Pregliasco / Iradj Alexander #53 JMB Competition Ferrari 360 Modena 1m 38.524s / 37 laps
24. Johan Sturesson / Tomas Nystrom #72 Podium Racing Porsche 996 GT3-R 1m 38.591s / 22 laps
25. Nikolaj Fomenko / Alex Vassiliev #77 RWS Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R 1m 39.601s / 37 laps
26. Gerold Ried / Christian Reid #16 Proton Competition Porsche 911GT2 1m 40.549s / 40 laps
27. Pietro Gianni / Tony Ring #52 JMB Competition Ferrari 360 Modena 1m 40.717s / 35 lap
28. Marcus Gustavsson / Hubert Bergh #73 Podium Racing Porsche 996 GT3-R 1m 40.910s / 23 laps
29. Andrea Garbagnati / Andrea Bertolini #51 JMB Racing Ferrari 360 Modena 1m 42.122s / 39 laps
30. Bosse Jonasson / Anders Levin / Claes Lund #28 JPS Porsche Racing Porsche 996 Turbo 1m 46.394s / 14 laps
June 25,2002 Anderstorp Preview:
Four weeks after leaving the Spanish track of Jarama, the teams taking part in the various events of the LG Super Racing Weekend series will meet up once more, this time in Sweden, at the Anderstorp circuit. This will mark the first visit of many of the competitors to Scandinavia, and an interesting weekend of racing is in prospect. The FIA European Touring Car Championship has raced at Anderstorp on three occasions in the past, although this will be the first time since the Championship was revived last year. This will be the FIA GT Championship's first visit to Sweden, although the Championship raced in Scandinavia in 1997, in the Finnish capital Helsinki.
The Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp was built in 1968, and hosted the Swedish Formula One Grand Prix between 1973 and 1978. It is a medium-fast track, best known for its long straight. Built alongside an airstrip, this straight is extremely wide, before funnelling into a very tight second-gear corner at the end. After a right-hander, the track has two corners that are slightly banked. After a second straight and a left-handed corner comes the track's second famous feature, the carrousel, which is quite fast and, according to drivers, seems never-ending. "The key is to stick to the right side and wait and wait," explained Swedish driver Carl Rosenblad, who will be at the wheel of the nr 2 Larbre Competition Chéreau Chrysler Viper. "It's important not to have any oversteer. Generally, I think the track should be good for endurance as only one corner could give problems for overtaking : the tight left-hander leading back onto the pit straight. There are good run-offs, the grip is medium and tyre wear is generally good. It's a track that is easy to learn, and I don't think my local knowledge will give me much of an advantage after the first couple of laps."
The FIA GT and European Touring Car Championships will be joined by the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup and the Renault Sport Clio Trophy, while the S60 Volvo Challenge replaces the Lamborghini Supertrophy for this event. Anderstorp is in southern Sweden, between Jönköping and Halmsted. The nearest town is Gislaved, and the circuit is located on the 27 route towards Värnamo. The nearest airport is Jönköping, which is 50 minutes away. Gothenburg airport is one of the best connected, an hour away, with Malmoe a two-hour journey away.
In 2002, the FIA GT Championship has seen one of the closest and most varied starts to the season in its history. The four races so far disputed have seen three different winners, with three different manufacturers and teams represented. Lister Storm Racing has won twice with the Lister Storm, at Magny Cours and Brno. Paul Belmondo Racing took their first victory since 2000 at Silverstone with their Chrysler Viper GTS-R, while BMS Scuderia Italia were victorious in Spain with a Ferrari 550 Maranello. The N-GT category has been equally exciting, with the Ferrari - Porsche battle currently evenly balanced with two wins apiece. JMB Racing has a healthy lead in the Championship, but Freisinger Motorsport, winner of the past two rounds, is catching up fast. Anderstorp, the first brand-new venue of the season, should be an interesting challenge for teams and cars alike, while the flat, medium-speed circuit should prove a welcome contrast after the hilly, twisting circuits of Brno and Jarama.
GT CHAMPIONSHIP
JARAMA RESULT PROVISIONAL:
The results of the GT class of the Jarama round remain provisional, pending investigations into sealed parts on the nr 3 Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper GTS-R.
LISTER STORM RACING LOSES WEIGHT (1st in GT, 30 points)
Despite a relatively disappointing performance in Spain, with only one point being scored by the two cars, British team Lister Storm Racing is still leading the Championship in the Teams classification, while Jamie Campbell-Walter and Nicolaus Springer are joint first in the Drivers points table. "Neither the team nor the drivers have been to Anderstorp before," team principal Laurence Pearce explained. "I think that is the case for many teams, so it should be a level playing field. We will only have 40 kg penalty weight, which should be better. We were really surprised by how penalising the weight was in Jarama, especially under braking." Bobby Verdon-Roe and Paul Knapfield, who share the nr 15 Lister Storm, finished second at Silverstone but have retired in the last two races. "Although we've only finished one race, we proved we can be competitive when everything goes our way," Verdon-Roe explained. "We need some luck and no problems. We finished second at Silverstone despite three spins, which proves we can be up with the leaders. Jamie and Nicolaus are doing a great job, and I think we are capable of equalling their performance. Anderstorp will be new to us, like to most people, but we have no penalty weight, and hopefully we should get a good result. Paul is doing extremely well; he has proved he has the speed and I am lucky to have such a quick team-mate. I haven't given up hope of a good result in the Championship; a few good races would put us back in contention."
LARBRE COMPETITION CHEREAU CLOSES ON THE LEADERS (2nd in GT, 26 points)
The 2001 FIA GT Champions, Larbre Competition Chéreau, placed their two Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars in third and fourth places at the previous round in Spain. With Bouchut and Terrien finishing on the podium at every race, the two Frenchmen will now be carrying 90 kg penalty weight in the nr 1 Chrysler Viper. For Carl Rosenblad, the sole Swedish driver competing regularly in the FIA GT Championship, Anderstorp will be a rare occasion for him to compete with an international Championship on home territory. Carl knows the track extremely well, having competed there in the Swedish Touring Car Championship over the past four seasons. "I think the Viper should go well at Anderstorp," he said. "However, I can imagine that our rivals will be fast there too, and I think the grid will be similar to those of the rest of the season. There are unlikely to be any dramas. The track is very easy to learn, so I will not have much of an advantage, and I don't think those cars with penalty weight will suffer too much there." David Terrien is looking forward to the race. "Although I don't know the track, and our car will be very heavy, I am looking forward to visiting Scandinavia. It is very interesting for someone like me, with international sponsors, to visit new ground."
CARSPORT HOLLAND LOOKING FOR FIRST WIN (3rd in GT, 21 points)
Carsport Holland continues to accumulate points this season, with Kumpen and Hezemans finishing second in Spain. However, their second car, driven by Luca Cappellari and Fabrizio Gollin, failed to finish the race, after suffering an electrical failure. Nine points behind the leaders, and five behind the reigning Champions, everything is still to play for in the category.
"We really hope for another podium finish in Anderstorp," Anthony Kumpen explained. "We need the points ! If we don't have any problems, we should finally be able to win this weekend. The track is new to me, but Mike Hezemans has driven there before, so that might give us a slight advantage in terms of set-up. I don't know much about the track, but I think the long straight might be to the advantage of the Ferrari, which will be fast again. The Lister has lost weight, so they will be tough to beat. I think it's going to be a fast and close race. We are also making plans for the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, which will be our most important race of the season. It's my home race, too, and both Mike and I have driven there twice already this season, so we have plenty of recent experience. We should be sharing our car with Thierry Tassin, who raced there for Carsport Holland last season, and is a four-time winner of the event in a touring car - so we've got a really good package."
DELETRAZ HAPPY AFTER FIRST FIA GT WIN (5th in GT, 11 points)
BMS Scuderia Italia's Jarama win was also the first win for Jean-Denis Deletraz in the FIA GT Championship, despite having taken part in a variety of cars since the start of the Championship in 1997. He continued his run of luck by taking the LMP675 class victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving a Noel del Bello Lehmann Reynard. "It's incredible. After having a run of minor problems, you begin to have doubts. But with two results like that, you gain extra confidence, not only for yourself, but for the whole team," explained the Swiss driver of the nr 23 Ferrari 550 Maranello. Deletraz is looking forward to the next round in Anderstorp. "The car is now running very well, and after four races, the team is getting to know the car and everything is going well. We hope to take advantage of Anderstorp, where we will only have 40 kg penalty weight, to get another good result and to improve our points score. It is certain that the fact that we had no weight in Jarama played to our advantage, and it is going to be a lot closer for the next race. No-one in the team knows the track, but that is what free practice is for. As for my team-mate, Andrea Piccini, he is fantastic. Coming straight from F3000, he has all the speed and aggressiveness from that level of driving, but he adapted very quickly to the needs of endurance racing. It is great working with him." The team should have a new evolution of their engine ready for Anderstorp.
N-GT CHAMPIONSHIP
JMB RACING STILL IN COMMAND (1st in N-GT, 43 points)
Despite finishing second in the past two races, JMB Racing currently has a comfortable 19-point lead in the FIA N-GT Championship, while Christian Pescatori and Andrea Montermini lead the Drivers classification. Pescatori, who finished in second place at Le Mans with the Audi factory team, will be back in his Ferrari 360 Modena for Anderstorp. "It shouldn't be too difficult to change back to the Ferrari, as I know the car extremely well and I have done so much work on it," he said. "As I don't know much about Anderstorp, I do not know whether it will suit us or the Porsche cars, which have been very fast over the past few races. I know that my team and Pirelli both want to win the Championship and so they will all be working hard to get us back into the first position in the races. We hope to do some more work on the car before the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, in order to make the car more reliable, as we have to finish the race this year."
JMB Competition will have a new driver in the nr 52 Ferrari 360 Modena, with Swedish driver Tony Ring replacing Gianluca Giraudi for this race only. Ring is an experienced Ferrari driver in the Ferrari-Porsche Challenge, and also commentates for Eurosport in Sweden.
FREISINGER AIMS FOR THREE IN A ROW (2nd in N-GT, 24 points)
Following their Brno win with an equally dominant performance in Spain, Freisinger Motorsport doubled their points score during the past round, with Daoudi and Longin scoring two points for a fifth-place finish, while Stephane Ortelli and Sascha Maassen claimed the ten points for the win. After a fine second place finish in their class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team is gearing up for Anderstorp, where the nr 54 Porsche 996 GT3-R will have to carry 40 kg penalty weight for Anderstorp, just 10 kg less than the nr 50 JMB Racing Ferrari 360 Modena.
Team regular Ortelli should be partnered by French driver Emmanuel Collard, who twice won the Sports Racing World Cup. Collard last took part in the FIA GT Championship in 1997, when he drove the JB Giesse Porsche 911 GT1.
JVG RACING HOPING FOR ANOTHER PODIUM (3rd in N-GT, 13 points)
Jürgen von Gartzen and Ian Khan have been one of the greatest surprises of the N-GT category. They have scored points at every round, and are currently lying third in the Championship, despite only having one car, compared to the two entered by the teams above them in the points. "Our current position is quite good, but we are not improving," team owner and driver von Gartzen explained. "We were second at Magny Cours, then finished in fourth place twice, followed by sixth in Jarama, which is not the sort of progression we want to continue over the next races. That is why we have been working on the car, and we will be trying very hard to finish in the top three in Anderstorp. However, the level of competition in the Championship is also increasing, so it will be difficult. But I am still optimistic."
STRONG LINE-UP FOR CIRTEK MOTORSPORT
Rob Schirle's squad of Porsche 996 GT3-R cars will see another impressive line-up of drivers climb behind the wheel in Sweden, as the British outfit will be joining up with well-known Danish driver John Nielsen for the weekend. "John's team has a 675-class Reynard, which they are preparing for various sportscar races, but he also wants to get into GT racing," Rob Schirle explained. "If this weekend goes well, we might collaborate further, with me working on the GTs, while he concentrates on the prototype. It will be very good to have him driving for me this weekend, as he knows the track backwards. He is likely to drive with Adam Jones, who already drove for me at Silverstone. I was very impressed with Adam's speed, and as he knows the car, they should make a good team." With people such as Kelvin Burt and Jean-Marc Gounon having driven his cars this year, Schirle would nonetheless prefer a stable line-up. "With the level of the Championship, you cannot hope to compete with the top cars when your line-up keeps changing, as you can't be on the pace right away. It is really professional out there, with some of the world's top GT drivers taking part, which means it can be tough for small teams like us. But we're still here, and that is the important thing." The second car will be driven by team regular Raffaele Sangiuolo, who will be joined by Thomas Pichler, a former Formula Renault driver who drove two races for MAC Racing in 2001.
SWEDISH TEAMS AND DRIVERS
A record number of four national teams with five cars will be joining the FIA GT regulars in Anderstorp. In the GT class, JPS Porsche Racing Team will enter a Porsche 996 Turbo for Swedish drivers Bosse Jonasson, Anders Levin and Claes Lund. Henrik Roos Team has a Chrysler Viper GTS-R. Team owner Roos will share the car with a familiar FIA GT Championship figure, Magnus Wallinder, who last drove for Pennzoil Quaker State G-Force in a Porsche 996 GT3-R in 2000. Podium Racing will be entering two Porsche 996 GT3-R cars. Their drivers include Johan Sturesson, whose father Per Sturesson finished third when the European Touring Car Championship raced at Anderstorp in 1987, in a Volvo 240 Turbo, Tomas Nyström, who was battling for the Swedish Touring Car Championship lead last year, Marcus Gustavsson, who drove for Elgh Motorsport in the final two rounds of the FIA European Super Touring Championship last year, and Hubert Bergh, who is a leading GT driver in Sweden.
Team Eurotech Scandinavian will also be entering a Porsche 996 GT3-R. The drivers are Pontus Mörth, a young driver out of single-seaters, and Norwegian Thomas Faraas.
April 18,2002 Piccini Confirmed At BMS Scuderia Italia:
Italian driver Andrea Piccini has been
confirmed as the final driver for the BMS
Scuderia Italia team, which is entering
two Ferrari 550 Maranello cars in the
2002 season of the FIA GT Championship.
Piccini has been competing in the FIA
Formula 3000 Championship over the
past three seasons, and was a test driver
for Minardi last year. "It is difficult to find a way to continue after Formula
3000," the 23-year old driver explained. "I think this is my best chance, as
the car is good and the team is one of the best."
"However, apart from testing a Ferrari 360 Modena, I have never raced a
GT car, so I am going to have a lot to learn, to get used to a new kind of
car. Unfortunately, we will be getting the cars very late, so there will be
no opportunity to test before the first race. But I am confident, and my
team-mate, Jean-Denis Deletraz, is very experienced, so he should be
able to help me."
April 17,2002 Kumpen Ready For Magny Cours:
This weekend witnesses the opening
round of the sixth annual FIA GT
Championship, beginning with the first
round at the French Formula 1 circuit of
Magny Cours, 200kms south of Paris.
After a successful debut 2001 season,
young Belgian hotshot Anthony Kumpen's
sights are set on taking the championship
honours for his new team, Carsport Holland.
He explained: "This season we are going all out to win all the races and
I'm very excited to see where we are. I had a good grounding last year
with the Belmondo team, but I believe my step up to Carsport will give me
the best possible chance. My team mate, Mike Hezemans has finished
second in the series for the last two years and he's a very professional
driver. Together I think we can make an excellent season. The team are
totally motivated for success especially after our recent successful test
here a couple of weeks ago."
Kumpen's mount this year is a Chrysler Viper GTS-R with special 'tweaks'
added by his team boss Toine Hezemans. Although for the last three
years he has contested such cars in races in Europe and the USA, he
believes this year's car is the best Viper he has driven.
"We have developed the car since the season ended last year, and we
have the factory support of Pirelli tyres who's research and development
is second to none."
"The car handles so well and gives me so much confidence, it's going to
be one of the best packages in the FIA GT this year."
Regarding the race this weekend, he added: "I really enjoy the technical
aspects of the Magny Cours circuit. In my opinion it is well designed with
some tough and challenging corners, which tend to suit the Viper well.
We can also use a lot of the cars horsepower on the long straight, which
can be an advantage."
"My first ever FIA GT race was here two years ago which was the last
race in the season, and I came fourth then. Last year was not so good as
we had an engine problem, but I am looking forward to a productive race
this time around."
April 16,2002 2002 FIA GT Championship Entry List:
GT Category
No Team/Equipe Nat. Car/Voiture
1 Larbre Competition-- Chereau F Chrysler Viper GTS-R
2 Larbre Competition-- Chereau F Chrysler Viper GTS-R
3 Team Carsport Holland NL Chrysler Viper GTS-R
4 Team Carsport Holland NK Chrysler Viper GTS-R
5 Force One Racing F Ferrari 550 Maranello
7 RWS Motorsport D Porsche 996 Gt
8 Lehmann Sport D Chrysler Viper GTS-R
9 Team Art F Chrysler Viper GTS-R
11 Paul Belmondo Racing F Chrysler Viper GTS-R
12 Paul Belmondo Racing F Chrysler Viper GTS-R
14 Lister Storm Racing GB Lister Storm
15 Lister Storm Racing GB Lister Storm
16 Proton Competition D Porsche 911 GT2
17 Proton Competition D Porsche 911 GT2
22 Bms Scuderia Italia I Ferrari 550 Maranello
23 Bms Scuderia Italia I Ferrari 550 Maranello
N-GT Category
No Team/Equipe Nat. Car/Voiture
50 JMB Competition F Ferrari 360 Modena
51 JMB Competition F Ferrari 360 Modena
52 JMB Racing F Ferrari 360 Modena
53 JMB Racing F Ferrari 360 Modena
54 Freisinger Motorsport D Porsche 911 GT3-R
55 Freisinger Motorsport D Porsche 911 GT3-R
58 Autorlando Sport I Porsche 911 GT3-R
60 Jvg Racing D Porsche 911 GT3-R
62 Cirtek Motorsport GB Porsche 911 GT3-R
63 System Force Motorsport NL Porsche 911 GT3-R
77 RWS Motorsport D Porsche 911 GT3-R
In accordance with Article 45 of the 2002 GT Sporting Regulations,
drivers may be nominated up until the end of scrutineering of each event.
April 15,2002 Magny Cours Preview:
The first round of the 2002 season of the FIA GT Championship should see a grid of 29 cars line up for the start of the 500km race on Sunday, April 21st. Seventeen cars are expected in the GT category, and twelve in the N-GT. Four different makes of car- Chrysler, Ferrari, Lister and Porsche- will be taking part, with seven different models. The GT class will see another episode in the battle between the Chrysler Viper GTS-R, the Ferrari 550 Maranello and the Lister Storm, joined this year by the new Porsche 996 GT. In N-GT, four Ferrari 360 Modena cars will be facing the more numerous group of Porsche 996 GT3-R cars.
LARBRE COMPETITION CHEREAU PREPARES FOR THE SEASON
French team Larbre Competition Chéreau ran its two Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars on a test track alongside the Magny Cours circuit last week. "We spent two and a half days testing, including some wet tyre testing for Michelin," explained David Terrien, who was driving the Larbre Competition Chéreau Chrysler Viper GTS-R for the first time. " I found the Viper very pleasant to drive, more precise than I remembered, and very comfortable and well-balanced. We had a few teething problems with the 2002-evolution car, so neither Christophe Bouchut nor I were able to do as many kilometres as we would have liked. However, Magny Cours is a track I know well and like a lot. I won the N-GT race there last year, and I won the Sports Racing World Cup at the track in 2000, which should make up for any lack of pre-season testing. Christophe and I both won FIA GT titles in 2001, and our objective is to keep on winning in 2002." Carl Rosenblad and Vincent Vosse also took part in the test day, driving the car that won the Championship in 2001. "It went very well, and Vincent and I were equally fast, with the same set-up," Carl Rosenblad explained. "I think we should make a really good team. I am really looking forward to returning to international racing after four years in the Swedish Touring Car Championship," Rosenblad continued. "I think I am really going to enjoy it. There should be a good level of competition, and I hope we will be competitive within the team as well. There are no team orders!" Rosenblad last drove at Magny Cours seven years ago, in Formula 3000. "It is a track that requires a great deal of confidence in order to get a really fast lap. You have to be fully committed going into the corners."
FORCE ONE RACING JOINS THE CHAMPIONSHIP
A new French team, Force One Racing, will be taking part in the 2002 season of the FIA GT Championship. It will be entering a Ferrari 550 Maranello, to be driven by Philippe Alliot and David Hallyday. The two men won their class in the FFSA French GT Championship in 2001, at the wheel of a Ferrari 360 Modena, and have since decided to set up their own team and move up to the FIA GT Championship. Alliot, a former Formula One driver, who competed in 109 Grands Prix, last drove in the Championship in 2000, with the JMB Competition Ferrari 360 Modena. Hallyday is a successful singer and songwriter, who has been involved in Motorsport since 1989. "We aim to win the FIA GT Championship, thanks to our team of professionals, associated with some of the best engineers from Formula One," they stated before the official launch of the team on Monday 15th April, in Paris.
ANDREA PICCINI CONFIRMED FOR BMS SCUDERIA ITALIA
Italian driver Andrea Piccini has been confirmed as the final driver for the BMS Scuderia Italia team, which is entering two Ferrari 550 Maranello cars in the 2002 season of the FIA GT Championship. Piccini has been competing in the FIA Formula 3000 Championship over the past three seasons, and was a test driver for Minardi last year. "It is difficult to find a way to continue after Formula 3000," the 23-year old driver explained. "I think this is my best chance, as the car is good and the team is one of the best. However, apart from testing a Ferrari 360 Modena, I have never raced a GT car, so I am going to have a lot to learn, to get used to a new kind of car. Unfortunately, we will be getting the cars very late, so there will be no opportunity to test before the first race. But I am confident, and my team-mate, Jean-Denis Deletraz, is very experienced, so he should be able to help me."
ORTELLI AND AMORIM FOR FREISINGER MOTORSPORT
German team Freisinger Motorsport has announced its drivers for the 2002 season. Stephane Ortelli, from Monaco, and Portuguese driver Ni Amorim will share one of the two Porsche 996 GT3-R cars the team will enter in the N-GT class. Belgian driver Bert Longin and Frenchman Stéphane Daoudi will be behind the wheel of the second car.
Both Ortelli and Amorim have been taking part in the FIA GT Championship since its first season. Ortelli finished in second place at Helsinki in 1997, at the wheel of a Roock Racing Porche 911 GT1. Last year, driving for Freisinger, he finished seventh in the N-GT classification, after four second-place finishes. "I am very pleased for two reasons," Ortelli explained. "This year I will be able to do every race, as there are no clashes with the Porsche Supercup, and I will be racing with Ni for the full season. This is very good for me as I will be able to race in the best of conditions. I think it will be a very close battle in N-GT, and I am really looking forward to Magny Cours, which is a track that suits me." Amorim drove for Roock Racing in 1998, before moving to Chamberlain Motorsport in 1999, competing at the wheel of a Chrysler Viper GTS-R. Last year, he drove with Ortelli in Austria, finishing in second place. "I am very pleased to have signed for Freisinger for the season. They are a good team, with a lot of experience. I think the Dunlop tyres will be very good; we have done some testing over the winter. I am very optimistic for the coming season, and I think that with Stephane, we should be able to do some good races and aim for the podium. Our objective is the Championship."
Daoudi last raced in the FIA GT Championship in the Zolder round in 2000, driving a MAC Racing Porsche 996 GT3-R. He has also been a regular competitor in the French FFSA GT Championship, winning the Magny Cours round outright, despite running in the less powerful Cup class.
SYSTEM FORCE PREPARE FOR FIRST SEASON
Dutch team System Force continues to prepare for its first season in the FIA GT Championship, when it will enter a Porsche 996 GT3-R for Dutch drivers Peter van Merksteijn and Phil Bastiaans. "We had hoped to organise further testing after Magny Cours, but we had some delays rebuilding our new gearbox," said team manager Gerard Grouve. "We are working hard to get ready for Magny Cours; we are currently in discussions concerning our tyres. As a private team, we are very happy to be taking part in the FIA GT Championship, and we are looking forward to the first race. I think we will learn a lot at Magny Cours, which will help at Silverstone, and by Brno we should be running well."
March 28,2002 Magny Cours Team Testing News:
Team Carsport Holland, RWS Motorsport, Team ART, Paul Belmondo Racing, Lister Storm Racing, JMB Competition, Autorlando and System Force Motorsport are all testing at Magny Cours this week. The Lister Storm and the Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper GTS-R were the fastest cars on the track, both setting times within the 1:34 bracket, two seconds quicker than the best lap time set during the 2001 race. News follows from these teams, and others, which will be taking part in the 2002 FIA GT Championship, the first round of which will be held at Magny Cours on April 21st.
NEW REAR WINGS FOR FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP
A number of the teams taking part in the Magny Cours test have adapted their cars to take advantage of the new rear wings authorised by the Technical Regulations for the 2002 season. Previously the whole of the wing had to be contained within the perimeter of the car, when seen from above. This restriction has now been lifted. The wing, of a maximum width of 2 metres, must not protrude beyond the rearmost point of the car, as seen from above, and must not be higher than the highest point of the roof of the car. "The new wing makes the car more stable and easier to drive, which should be a real advantage during the race," explained Mike Hezemans of Carsport Holland. Lister Storm Racing's Jamie Campbell-Walter agreed : "The new rear wing is more efficient."
TEAM CARSPORT HOLLAND TESTS AT MAGNY COURS
Carsport Holland ran one of its 2002-version Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars at Magny Cours, and was pleased with the progress made during the test days. "The car has undergone a number of changes, including the radiator, a different front splitter and the new rear wing, and we have also tested a lot due to our new Pirelli tyres," Mike Hezemans explained. He will drive the car with 23-year old Belgian driver Anthony Kumpen, who drove a Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Viper GTS-R in 2001, finishing in third place at Silverstone and Jarama. Kumpen has adapted well to his new team. "The car was really quick, considering that we have not had time to do much work on it since Sebring. There is room for improvement, and we will continue to test, to try to gain more time. However, most of our testing has taken place in cool, fresh conditions, and it could be quite warm when we return here for the first race. I hope we will be fast enough to beat the Lister Storms and other Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars - I am really motivated to do a good job." Luca Cappellari also drove the Chrysler Viper during the test days; his teammate has not yet been confirmed. "Thierry Tassin, who drove for us during the 2001 Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, is likely to join the team," Mike Hezemans said.
SUCCESSFUL FIRST TEST FOR RWS MOTORSPORT
German team RWS Motorsport was extremely pleased with the first test of the Porsche 996 GT2 car it has entered in the GT class of the FIA GT Championship this season. "I did not expect the car to run so well on its first time out," team manager Hans Mühlbauer commented. "We have had no problems whatsoever, and have already been able to start fine-tuning the car." Luca Riccitelli, who finished third in the 2001 N-GT Drivers Classification, was consistently lapping the 4.25 km Magny Cours track in 1:38. "I am really happy with the new car," the Italian driver explained. "It is sharper, more precise, than the N-GT car, and the top speed is higher, especially in the corners. Although we are still lacking power, we are sure we can improve the engine before the first race, and gain at least another second in speed." Riccitelli's teammate, Austrian driver Dieter Quester, was also pleased with the car. "The car looks excellent; if it goes as fast as it looks, then we should be the champions !"
JARIER LOOKS FORWARD TO 2002
Former Formula One driver Jean-Pierre Jarier was testing the ART Chrysler Viper GTS-R at Magny Cours this week, checking the changes which have been made to the car during the winter break. "We have new tyres, a new rear axle, new brakes, new engine inlets, and we need to test them all," 55-year old Jarier explained. "I also need to test myself, as I haven't raced for five months, which is a long time at my age. However, I still enjoy racing, especially in this car, in the FIA GT Championship. It is fun to drive such a big, powerful car, and it makes me feel a lot younger than if I was driving historical cars, like many of my contemporaries. I am looking forward to the new season, and hope that we can achieve some good results." As in 2001, Jarier will drive alongside François Lafon.
PAUL BELMONDO RACING PREPARES FOR THE SEASON
All four Paul Belmondo Racing drivers were present at Magny Cours for the test days, with both the nr 11 and 12 Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars being prepared for the coming season. "We are working steadily on the cars," team owner and driver Paul Belmondo explained. "We had some engine problems on the Duez/Babini car on the first day, which have been solved, and we are now able to work on the set-up." Belgian driver Marc Duez, who has joined the team this season, previously raced for Paul Belmondo Racing at Zolder in 2000, when he was leading the race until the penultimate lap. "Everything is new on the car - a new engine, new transmission - so we have a lot of work to do. But I think Fabio Babini and I will form a very good line-up, and I am very pleased to be here for the season," he said.
EXTENSIVE TESTING PROGRAM FOR LISTER STORM RACING
Lister Storm Racing ran their two Lister Storm cars almost continuously during the two-day Magny Cours test. "We have done more testing over this winter than ever before," Jamie Campbell-Walter explained. "We have run over 4000 kilometres with the Lister Storm, and we have visited three of the first four tracks, which is especially good for my team-mate Nicolaus Springer. We know that the Carsport Holland, Larbre Competition Chéreau and Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Vipers will be fast, but we will be there to pick up the pieces if they have any problems." Bobby Verdon-Roe took advantage of the test to get to know the Magny Cours track. "Neither I nor my team-mate Paul Knapfield have driven here before, so we are getting used to the track, and not really going for a time. I am very pleased to have a full season with Lister Storm Racing."
BMS SCUDERIA ITALIA JOINS THE FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Italian team BMS Scuderia Italia will be taking part in the 2002 season of the FIA GT Championship, running two Ferrari 550 Maranello cars. The team previously competed in the Championship in 1997, when they entered a Porsche 911 GT1 for Pier-Luigi Martini and reigning N-GT Champion Christian Pescatori. More recently, the team, based in Brescia, has raced in the FIA Sportscar Championship, claiming both the Team and Drivers titles in 2001. Their drivers for 2002 are likely to include BMS regulars Enzo Calderari and Lilian Bryner, who will be joined by Frédéric Dor in one car, with the second car shared by Jean-Denis Deletraz and former Minardi Formula One test driver Andrea Piccini.
"The cars, which are from Prodrive, will be delivered in the first two weeks of April, so we will not have an opportunity to test before the first race," logistics manager Marco Strepavara explained. "As the team, mechanics and drivers all need to get used to the cars, we will have a steep learning curve at Magny Cours. We hope to build up a good feeling for the cars during the first part of the season, and then to look for podium finishes later on."
JMB COMPETITION TESTS THREE CARS AT MAGNY COURS
Three Ferrari 360 Modena cars were running at Magny Cours, with six of the confirmed drivers for the 2002 season present. "The nr 50 car, which will be driven by Christian Pescatori and Andrea Montermini, is completely new," team manager Benjamin Durand explained. "The nr 51 chassis was the winning car from the 2001 season, and the nr 52 is also a 2001 chassis. We have been working on the set-up and solving some of the minor problems which are only to be expected at this stage of the season." Andrea Montermini, who will be driving alongside reigning N-GT Champion Christian Pescatori in 2002, is looking forward to this new challenge. "This is very new for me, and I am sure Christian will help me a lot. I hope that I will get up to speed as quickly as possible; I am pleased to see that I am already quite close to his times. The car is fast, beautiful, and enjoyable to drive - and it is a Ferrari, which is very important for me, as an Italian. The team is extremely professional and is helping me a lot." Andrea Bertolini, who drove for Art Engineering in 2001, has joined JMB
Competition for 2002, and will drive with Andrea Garbagnati. "I am very pleased," Bertolini said. "I work as a test driver for Ferrari, so I am used to driving the cars all week, but this is the first time I will be racing them at the weekends as well." Garbagnati, who has driven a number of races over the past two seasons of the FIA GT Championship, will be doing the full season for the first time. "I am really looking forward to it," he said. Pietro Gianni, winner of the Lamborghini GTR Supertrophy in 2001, will also be racing for the team, alongside fellow Italian Gian Luca Giraudy. The two remaining drivers will be confirmed shortly.
BERT LONGIN TO RACE FOR FREISINGER MOTORSPORT
Belgian driver Bert Longin has announced that he will be competing for German team Freisinger Motorsport in 2002, taking part in eight of the ten rounds of the FIA GT Championship, at the wheel of one of the team's two Porsche 996 GT3-R cars. Longin won the Belgian Belcar series in 2000. He first drove in the FIA GT Championship at Zolder in 2000, finishing fourth overall with Wolfgang Kaufmann in the Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2. Last year, he finished in sixth place in the GT category of the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, with the GLPK Chrysler Viper GTS-R. "My ambitions are to improve my knowledge at this level as much as possible, and hopefully to score Championship points. I know I can count on the experience of the team."
FIRST RUN FOR SYSTEM FORCE MOTORSPORT
Dutch team System Force Motorsport ran their brand-new Porsche 996 GT3-R for the first time during the Magny Cours test days, with drivers Peter van Merksteijn and Phil Bastiaans at the wheel. "This is the first time we have driven the car. As we are a new team, we need to work hard before the first race," team manager Gerard Grouve explained. Bastiaans, who has signed to drive the car for the full season, was satisfied by the end of the first day. "We are learning a lot about the car, and we have made a number of changes - some bad, but some good. I know how competitive this Championship is, and we hope to be running well by the third round. It is nice to get an opportunity to compete at such a high level." Bastiaans has driven in the Dutch Touring Car Championship over the past two seasons. The team will continue testing at Zolder next week.
WOLFF AND PETER TEST FOR AUTORLANDO
Austrian drivers Philipp Peter and Christophe Wolff were at the wheel of the Autorlando Porsche 996 GT3-R during the Magny Cours test days. Peter, who won two races for the Italian N-GT team during the 2001 season, was very pleased with his times. "I think we were the fastest N-GT car on the track today; we were setting lap times in the high 1:40's, which is quite good considering that we do not yet have the proper engine. Wolff was within two seconds of my time, which is looking good for the season." Wolff, an experienced Formula Ford driver who left motorsport entirely for a number of years before returning two seasons ago, was happy with the progress he has made. "I really like the Porsche, and have been trying to improve by comparing myself to Philipp, who is my benchmark." The two drivers hope to race for Autorlando during the coming season; an announcement is due next week.
RUSSIAN DRIVERS HAPPY AFTER MAGNY COURS TEST
Russian drivers Nicolaj Fomenko and Alex Vassiliev were present at Magny Cours to try out the RWS Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R that they will be driving this season. Fomenko and Vassiliev have been driving in the FIA GT Championship since 2000, and previously raced with Freisinger Motorsport. "We made very good progress this afternoon," Fomenko explained on the Tuesday. "We lost three hours this morning due to a gearbox problem, but we are now around six seconds faster than we were at this stage last season. I hope that by tomorrow we will be able to set a time between 1:41 and 1:42. I think we can do a really good job this season."
March 28,2002 Team Carsport Magny Cours Testing:
Team Carsport Racing Box came out of
the latest official FIA GT Championship
happy, declaring the test a positive
success at Magny Cours, France.
Regular drivers Mike Hezemans, Anthony
Kumpen and Luca Cappellari all spent a
large amount of time behind the wheel of
their respective Pirelli shod Chrysler Viper
GTS-R's, and all three were pleased with
their day's work.
Mike Hezemans commented "Today was a big success. I held the lap
record here last year and I think due to the changing track conditions I
was able to break the record quite easily. I can put the success down to
our Pirelli tyres. We were trying some new compounds on long stints in
the car and after the times I set I have a lot of confidence in them".
Mike's Father, Joint team principal Toine Hezemans added "I believe this
year will see a new 3 way battle between Carsport Racing Box, Lister and
Larbre Competition. The Lister matched our times but today I think the
track was particularly fast".
This year Carsport Holland joined forces with Milan based Italian Viper
counterparts Racing Box, making for a formidable force in the FIA GT
Championship.
The team's 2002 signing, 23 year old Anthony Kumpen added "The car is
very very good. I did some long sessions and I was able to be
consistently quick. The Pirelli tyres are a big plus point for us, and will be
a key factor in our success this year.".
The 2000 Belgian driver of the year added "Overall I think we will have a
tough fight during the year but I am more than confident we will get the
results we desire".
The first round of the FIA GT Championship will take place at the Magny
Cours Grand Prix Circuit in the heart of France, on April 19/21.
March 21,2002 Belmondo Signs Duez & Babini:
Paul Belmondo Racing has announced that
Marc Duez and Fabio Babini will be driving one
of the team's two Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars
this season.
Belgian driver Duez has been an occasional
participant since the start of the FIA GT
Championship in 1997. Last season, he shared
one of the Team Rafanelli Ferrari 550 Maranello cars with Günther Blieninger,
finishing third at Zolder, as well as joining Larbre Competition Chéreau to win the
Proximus 24 Hours of Spa with Christophe Bouchut and Jean-Philippe Belloc.
“I am very pleased,” Duez said. “This is the first time I will be able to compete in
a full season of the Championship. Belmondo has made an intelligent choice in
remaining with the Chrysler Vipers, and by choosing to concentrate on running
two cars. I am also very happy to be driving with Fabio Babini, who is an
excellent driver. I think we can say that we are strong outsiders for the title.”
Babini took part in his first season in the FIA GT Championship last year, driving
an Art Engineering Porsche 996 GT3-R with Luigi Moccia. Five podium finishes, as
well as a win at Zolder, placed him eighth in the N-GT Drivers Classification.
“I think they will be one of the best line-ups,” Belmondo commented. “The cars
are the same as last year, but they have been entirely reconditioned, and are like
new. We have also included a number of evolutions. They should be very
competitive.”
Another change for the French-based team sees them move over to Pirelli tyres.
“We have tested with Pirelli, and we are delighted,” Belmondo continued. “They
are extremely motivated, and I think we will have a very good season.”
March 21,2002 JMB Announces Drivers:
The 2001 N-GT Teams' Champion, JMB
Competition, has announced that its leading
Ferrari 360 Modena car in the 2002
Championship will be driven by two Italian
drivers : 2001 Champion Christian Pescatori
and former Formula One and CART driver
Andrea Montermini.
This will be Pescatori's third season with the
French team, with whom he won the Sports
Racing World Cup in 2000 before claiming the FIA N-GT title in 2001.
The team will be entering a total of four Ferrari 360 Modena cars, two under the
title of JMB Competition and two under the name JMB Racing. All four will use
Pirelli tyres. As before, the cars will be prepared in collaboration with Italian
company Michelotto.
The rest of the drivers are still in the process of being determined, and the final
line-ups should be announced shortly. The team also has a new sporting director,
experienced French driver Jean-Pierre Malcher, who drove for the team in 1995
and 1996, in the Andros ice-racing Trophy and the Porsche Supercup.
March 19,2002 Team & Driver Updates:
PAUL BELMONDO RACING ANNOUNCES 2002 PLANS
Paul Belmondo Racing has announced that Marc Duez and Fabio Babini will be driving one of the team’s two Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars this season. Belgian driver Duez has been an occasional participant since the start of the FIA GT Championship in 1997. Last season, he shared one of the Team Rafanelli Ferrari 550 Maranello cars with Günther Blieninger, finishing third at Zolder, as well as joining Larbre Competition Chéreau to win the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa with Christophe Bouchut and Jean-Philippe Belloc. “ I am very pleased,” Duez said. “ This is the first time I will be able to compete in a full season of the Championship. Belmondo has made an intelligent choice in remaining with the Chrysler Vipers, and by choosing to concentrate on running two cars. I am also very happy to be driving with Fabio Babini, who is an excellent driver. I think we can say that we are strong outsiders for the title.”
Babini took part in his first season in the FIA GT Championship last year, driving an Art Engineering Porsche 996 GT3-R with Luigi Moccia. Five podium finishes, as well as a win at Zolder, placed him eighth in the N-GT Drivers Classification.
“I think they will be one of the best line-ups,” Belmondo commented.“ The cars are the same as last year, but they have been entirely reconditioned, and are like new. We have also included a number of evolutions. They should be very competitive.” Another change for the French-based team sees them move over to Pirelli tyres. “ We have tested with Pirelli, and we are delighted,” Belmondo continued. “ They are extremely motivated, and I think we will have a very good season.”
RWS MOTORSPORT MOVES TO THE GT CATEGORY
German-based team RWS Motorsport has decided to enter its Porsche 996 GT2 car in the GT category this season. The car will be shared by regular drivers Dieter Quester and Luca Riccitelli. RWS has been one of the strongest contenders in the N-GT class over the past two seasons, and finished on the same number of points as eventual N-GT Champions JMB Competition in 2001. “ This is a big change, but it is what our sponsor, Red Bull, wants,” team owner Rudi Walch explained. “ We will not have as much power as the Vipers or the Lister cars, but we will try hard and see what happens. We do have a slightly better fuel consumption than the bigger cars, but I think we will still have to do two stops. However, it will be a new experience for us. We are real rookies in this category, but we will do our best and try to make a bigger step up in the future. I hope we will have many wet races this season, which might improve our chances !”
RWS will also enter one Porsche 996 GT3-R in the N-GT class, for the two Russian drivers Alexei Vassiliev and Nicolaj Fomenko.
SECOND CAR FOR LISTER STORM RACING
Lister Storm Racing will be entering two cars in the FIA GT Championship this year. After previously announcing Jamie Campbell-Walter and Nicolaus Springer for one Lister Storm, the team has now confirmed that the second car will be shared by British drivers Paul Knapfield and Bobby Verdon Roe. Verdon Roe drove for Lister at Jarama and Estoril last season, finishing in second place in Portugal. Knapfield drove a Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R in a number of rounds last year. “ We will have two Professional / Gentlemen driver teams this year,” team press officer Fiona Pearce explained. “ Paul tested the car at Jarama for the first time, and obviously it will take him some time to get used to the car. Bobby drove for us last year, and should be fine. We will still be aiming for podium finishes, and hope to pick up some points.”
The team spent two days testing at the Spanish track of Jarama, running with the new Dunlop tyres. “ I am very impressed with the Dunlop tyres for the race runs; we are making big strides forward,” the 2000 FIA GT Drivers Champion Jamie Campbell-Walter said afterwards. Nicolaus is also happy with the progress he is making. “ The Dunlop tyres have given me the confidence to drive the car on the limit,” he explained.
LEHMANN SPORT JOINS THE FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP
New German team Lehmann Sport will be entering a Chrysler Viper GTS-R in this year’s FIA GT Championship. “ This is a new thing for me,” team owner Walter Lehmann explained. “ My father was a racing driver in the 1960s and 1970s with Lola, and I wanted to start a team of my own. We have chosen the FIA GT Championship to make our debut.” The team has been in contact with a number of drivers, and a final decision concerning the line-up should be made shortly. “
We are looking for drivers with Viper experience,” Lehmann explained. “ I believe that with a good team, and good drivers, good results should follow. Our aim this year is to learn as much as possible, and to try our best.” The team is expecting the delivery of its new Chrysler Viper GTS-R from Oreca at the end of March. “ We hope it will be in time for the FIA GT test days, but if not, we will organise private testing before the first race of the season.”
FATHERS AND SONS AT PROTON COMPETITION
Proton Competition will be entering two Porsche 911 GT2 cars this season. One will be driven by Gerold and Christian Ried, while the second car will be shared by Horst Felbermayr and Horst Felbermayr Jr. The team has been working on a new Porsche 996 GT2 car over the winter break, but eventually decided to remain with the older cars “ It was a difficult decision,” Christian Ried explained. “ We know that the cars are not really competitive, but if you enter a brand new car, you will have many problems at the beginning.” Proton has been a regular competitor in the FIA GT Championship since 1997, with the team’s best result a fourth place at Silverstone in 1998. Horst Felbermayr father and son, from Austria, have also taken part in many rounds of the FIA GT Championship, both in a Porsche 911 GT2 and in a Chrysler Viper GTS-R.
JMB COMPETITION ANNOUNCES LEAD DRIVERS
The 2001 N-GT Teams’ Champion, JMB Competition, has announced that its leading Ferrari 360 Modena car in the 2002 Championship will be driven by two Italian drivers : 2001 Champion Christian Pescatori and former Formula One and CART driver Andrea Montermini. This will be Pescatori’s third season with the French team, with whom he won the Sports Racing World Cup in 2000 before claiming the FIA N-GT title in 2001.
The team will be entering a total of four Ferrari 360 Modena cars, two under the title of JMB Competition and two under the name JMB Racing. All four will use Pirelli tyres. As before, the cars will be prepared in collaboration with Italian company Michelotto. The rest of the drivers are still in the process of being determined, and the final line-ups should be announced shortly. The team also has a new sporting director, experienced French driver Jean-Pierre Malcher, who drove for the team in 1995 and 1996, in the Andros ice-racing Trophy and the Porsche Supercup.
CAMATHIAS TO RACE FOR AUTORLANDO SPORT
Swiss driver Joël Camathias has announced that he will continue to compete in the FIA GT Championship in 2002, combining programs in the Autorlando Porsche 996 GT3-R and the European Formula 3000 series. “ This is a big opportunity for me to gain experience on a number of international tracks,” Camathias explained. He should race in four rounds of the FIA GT Championship, including the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa. “ I am especially looking forward to driving in my first 24 hour race. I wanted to do it last year, but conditions should be better this year.” Camathias enjoyed driving the Porsche 996 GT3-R last year. “ It was difficult at the beginning, as it was the first time I had driven anything like that. But by Estoril, I had a good feeling for the car, and I really enjoyed it. I think it is very important for me to compete in the GT Championship. Although my main program is still in single-seaters, realistically speaking I know that it will be difficult to get to Formula One, and I have more hope of a good career in endurance racing.”
March 5,2002 Team & Driver Updates:
CARSPORT HOLLAND TESTING AT MUGELLO
Carsport Holland has been testing one of its Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars at the Italian track of Mugello. Anthony Kumpen did most of the work, as Mike Hezemans has been unwell. “ It has been raining continuously, so we have not been able to achieve as much as we hoped, which is a shame. Hopefully the weather will improve soon,” Mike Hezemans explained.
“ Everything is going well with the car,” Kumpen added. “ We have done a lot of testing this winter for Pirelli, using many different tyres. We have also run with our new, bigger wing, and should soon have a new engine from Swiss tuner Mader, which has performed very well on the test bench. It is all looking very promising, and I cannot wait for the first race.” Anthony has settled in well with Carsport Holland.“ I really enjoy driving with Mike, as he is very fast, and we have similar driving styles, and agree on the set-up of the car. It also helps that we both speak Dutch. I have also enjoyed working with team manager Toine Hezemans. He knows so much about racing; he has been a great help.” The team has not yet announced the name of their second driver, who will compete alongside Italian Luca Cappellari in the team’s second Viper.
MOLLEKENS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SEASON WITH PSI
Belgian team PSI is continuing with its preparations for this year’s FIA GT Championship, and is planning to enter two Porsche 996 turbo cars in the GT category. “ We are putting the finishing touches to the first car, and it should be ready to start testing on March 12th,” said team manager Christian Schumacher. The team will initially test in Valencia, returning to Spain in April to put the final touches to the program. “ We have also started to assemble the second car. Everything is going to plan, and is looking good.” Former Formula 3000 driver and team manager Kurt Mollekens will be PSI’s leading driver for 2002. “ I am really looking forward to doing a full campaign this season,” the Belgian driver said. “ Obviously, the car is still a Porsche, and we cannot hope to fight with the fastest Chrysler Vipers. However, we hope to get into the Superpole, and to score a few points over the season. The car was reliable last year, despite a lack of testing, and it should be even better this year. The team has built a new car over the winter, which is lighter, and more powerful, so it should be very good. The driver line-ups will only be established after the test sessions, as we want to have the fastest drivers in one car.” Potential drivers for PSI include Bert Longin, Eric Geboers, Stephane Cohen and Marcus Paltalla, all of who drove occasional races in the FIA GT Championship last season.
PIRELLI TYRES FOR RWS IN 2002
RWS has announced that it will be using Pirelli tyres for the 2002 season. The German team has been one of the main contenders in the N-GT category over the past two seasons, and finished on the same number of points as eventual Champions JMB Competition in 2001. “ Pirelli has made a big step in the last two years, and we are pleased to be using their tyres,” team manager Rudi Walch commented. However, the team has not been able to test the tyres on their Porsche 996 GT3-R cars yet, as they are still on their way back to Europe from the Daytona 24 Hours.
Despite racing a Porsche 996 GT2 in the US long distance race, RWS is currently planning to enter two Porsche 996 GT3-R cars in the N-GT category of the 2002 FIA GT Championship. “ One of the cars will be for Luca Riccitelli and Dieter Quester, while the second one will be driven by the Russian drivers Nicolaj Fomenko and Alexei Vassiliev,” Walch concluded. Fomenko and Vassiliev have competed in the FIA GT Championship since the end of the 2000 season, previously driving a Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R. Their best results in 2001 were in Silverstone and Estoril, where they finished in tenth place in the N-GT category.
Luca Riccitelli drove the team’s Porsche 996 GT2 car at Daytona. “ The car was not bad at all,” he said. “ I was not far off the times set by the Larbre Competition Chrysler Viper GTS-R, and there is still plenty of room for improvement.. We should have a better idea of its potential later. However, it might be better to have a good season in the N-GT class with the Porsche 996 GT3-R. We know what that car is capable of achieving, and I have been close to claiming the Championship over the past two seasons. So we would start the season with the definite aim of fighting for the title- although, in motorsport, nothing can be guaranteed !”
CIRTEK RETURN TO THE FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP
British team Cirtek will be entering a Porsche 996 GT3-R in the FIA GT Championship this season. Cirtek, run by Rob Schirle, has been an occasional participant in the FIA GT Championship since 1998, with a Ford Saleen Mustang and a Porsche 911 GT2. More recently, Cirtek entered a Porsche 996 GT3-R in the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, retiring after 210 laps. “ We will definitely have one car, and hope to finalise a second,” Schirle said. “ The drivers will be Rob Wilson and Paul Dawson, as well as Raffaele Sangiuolo. We are still looking for one more driver before the final line up will be confirmed.” New-Zealand born Rob Wilson started racing in 1975. As well as taking four wins in last season’s British GT Championship, driving a Chrysler Viper GTS-R, he also works as a driving coach for a number of teams. He and Dawson drove for Cirtek in this year’s endurance race at Daytona. Italian driver Sangiuolo has been a regular competitor in the FIA GT Championship, competing last season for Mac Racing in a Porsche 996 GT3-R.
February 18,2002 Lister Testing:
Last weekend was the first test of the year for Lister - at Magny Cours with two cars, Jamie Cambell-Walter's Storm from last year with a new aerodynamic package and Nicolaus Springer's car, which is just as it run at the last FIA race in Estoril. The two days were also spent testing the new Dunlop tyres.
Both days were cool and dry - it was immediately apparent that both cars were faster than at Magny Cours last year - the cool air helping the power of the engines. On the first day Jamie, in Nicolaus' 2001 Storm, set a time of 1.35.5 compared with Julian's time of 1.37.1 in last year's race and a fastest lap by Hezemans of 1.36.7. Then it was time to change to his car and see if the winter's hard work had paid off. It had. Jamie set a time of 1.34.1.
On to Tuesday with Nicolaus spending the morning in Jamie's car - his times were in the low 1.37's - on a par with the times of both Jamie and Julian in last year's race. Jamie continued with race runs on the Dunlop tyres - all completed with excellent results.
The driver pairing in the Lister Storm for this year will be JCW and Nicolaus. Judging by the performance of the car and drivers last weekend we are looking forward to the challenge.
As regards a second car in the FIA - prospects are looking doubtful for a full season entry; the official entry being due in before 28th February.
February 15,2002 Team Updates:
LARBRE ANNOUNCES 2002 PLANS
The 2001 FIA GT Championship-winning team, Larbre Competition Chéreau, has announced its plans for 2002. The French-based team will enter two Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars in the Championship. The two new cars, both with all of the latest specifications from Oreca, will continue to use Michelin tyres, but the engines will now be tuned by Swiss company Mader.
Current FIA GT Champion Christophe Bouchut will share one car with the 2001 N-GT Champion, David Terrien. “ I think we are going to be a very strong line-up,” Bouchut said.“ We will be doing everything to try and win the Championship again.” 25-year old Terrien is moving up to the GT class after his victorious season with JMB Competition, when he drove a Ferrari 360 Modena with Christian Pescatori. “ From a sporting point of view, this is a very good thing for me. I really wanted to move up to the GT class and to keep on winning, so this is the best possible option. I know there will be a lot of pressure, but it is healthy pressure, and I intend to do everything possible to do well. It will also be excellent to drive alongside a renowned driver like Christophe, who has won everything in endurance racing.”
The second car will be shared by Belgian FIA GT regular Vincent Vosse and Swedish driver Carl Rosenblad. Vosse, who has spent two seasons with Paul Belmondo Racing, said he was very happy to have signed with Larbre for 2002. “ I think Larbre has proved to be one of the best teams in the Championship. I drove with Carl at Le Mans last year, and we had a good feeling together, so I think it will be quite good. I believe we can do a good job and fight for the Championship.”
Carl Rosenblad is making a return to the FIA GT Championship. The 32-year old Swedish driver drove alongside Christophe Bouchut in the Kremer Racing Porsche GT1 in 1997, and made a one-off return in 1998 at Dijon, racing for Larbre Compétition in a Porsche 911 GT1. Since then, he has competed in the Swedish Touring Car Championship, also taking part in the final two races of the 2001 FIA European Touring Car Championship. “ Racing in Sweden for four years was good, both for my career and my racing skills. However, it is exciting to be back in international racing, returning to the classic European tracks, and it is great to be with the winning team. Vincent and I raced together at Le Mans, and we got to know each other well, so it is good to be teamed up with him. My aim is as always to do my very best and to score as many points as possible and hopefully end up as a winner.”
LISTER MOVES TO DUNLOP
2000 FIA GT Champion team Lister Storm Racing announced that they would be using Dunlop tyres in 2002, a development contract having been signed between the British team and the tyre company. Lister will be testing their new tyres at Magny Cours over the weekend of 16th and 17th February, with Jamie Campbell-Walter and Nicolaus Springer at the wheel. “ I am really looking forward to working with Dunlop,” Laurence Pearce explained. “ It will be exciting to work on the development of new tyres for the GT cars, and we look forward to winning more races and Championships with the GT Storms on Dunlop tyres.”
REITER LAMBORGHINI ON 2002 GRID
Hans Reiter is planning to enter his Lamborghini Diablo GT in the 2002 FIA GT Championship. The car created a sensation in the final race of 2001, when, driven by Peter Kox and Oliver Gavin, it finished in fifth place, to take its first points. “ That gave us a real boost,” Reiter explained. “ We knew that the car could be fast, but we had to prove we could do it in competition.” For the new season, Reiter hopes to have at least one professional driver included in the line-up. “ We want to do well, and it is essential to have a professional, as it makes such a difference to the times. We are much further ahead than we were last year, but we still need to invest more time. There is a lot of work to do on the engine- the one that ran at Estoril was at least 60 bhp less powerful than the Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper, for example. We are lucky that the season starts relatively late, as it gives us more time to prepare.” The team, which could also run cars in the Lamborghini GTR Supertrophy support event, hopes to make a final announcement about their 2002 plans later this month.
APP PLANS PORSCHE TURBO
Dutch tuner and Porsche specialist APP hopes to enter a Porsche 996 turbo in this year’s FIA GT Championship. Aart Andriessen has been working on the car since before the start of last season. “ The car is looking very good,” he said. “ The engine is performing very well, and produces over 600 bhp. We have both a sequential and a normal gearbox, and I think it should be competitive against the other cars in the Championship. However, we still have to find the budget to run a whole season. We are a very small company, but we wanted to show that we could build this car. It is very satisfying.” The team plans to test in March. “ I will do everything I can to be at the first race!” Andriessen concluded.
SYSTEM FORCE JOIN THE FIA GT
System Force Motorsport, from the Netherlands, has announced that it intends to race a Porsche 996 GT3-R in the 2002 FIA GT Championship. Team co-owner Peter van Merksteijn will drive the car, which will be collected from the Porsche factory within the next week. The second driver will be announced later. Van Merksteijn, who started his career in rallies, moved over to circuit racing in 1995, and has since competed in a variety of series, including the Ferrari F355 Challenge, the Renault Sport Clio V6 Trophy, the Porsche Pirelli Supercup and the Dutch Touring Car Championship. Team manager Gerard Grouve, who was van Merksteijn’s co-driver in his rallying days, is looking forward to the challenge of racing in the FIA GT Championship. “ The team is very busy preparing for the season. We want to collect as much information as we can, to try to make this year a success. Peter’s style of driving means that after three or four laps, he is up to speed, and his rally experience means that he is particularly good in changing weather conditions.”
February 12,2002 Dunlop Tires For Lister:
An exciting new venture for Lister - a development contract has been signed with Dunlop tyres for both the GT Storms and the prototype.
We will be testing the new Dunlop tyres this weekend in Magny Cours - hopefully on a dry track ! We will also be testing various developments made over the winter - Jamie and Nicolaus will be driving.
Laurence Pearce Says "I am really looking forward to working with Dunlop; it will be exciting to work on the development of new tyres for the GT cars but especially for the prototype. Our ultimate aim, of course, is to win Le Mans in the prototype but in the meantime we look forward to winning more races and Championships with the GT Storms on Dunlop tyres."
February 6,2002 2002 News Update:
PIRELLI TESTS IN VALLELUNGA
Tyre manufacturer Pirelli recently conducted a two-day test at the Italian track of Vallelunga, during which Carsport Holland ran both their Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars. Mike Hezemans set the fastest time, with a lap of 1:10.57, with new team-mate Anthony Kumpen four tenths of a second slower. “ This was a test for the tyre manufacturer, and we were mostly interested in giving them solid, workable feedback,” Kumpen said afterwards.“ We know we will have the best tyres available this season, so this testing is very important.”
TWO CARS FOR PAUL BELMONDO RACING
“ Everything is going well, and I think we will have a very strong team this year,” team owner Paul Belmondo said, confirming that Paul Belmondo Racing would enter two Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars in the 2002 season of the FIA GT Championship. The team, which has been competing in the Championship since 1999, finished in fourth place in last year’s Teams’ classification. “ One car will be driven by Claude Yves Gosselin and myself,” Belmondo continued. “ The other will be driven by two fast drivers.” Contracts are still being finalised, but the team hopes to make further announcements shortly.
PRODRIVE FERRARI TO BE ENTERED BY PRIVATE TEAM
A private team will be appointed to race the Ferrari 550 Maranello built by Prodrive, which took part in five races during the 2001 FIA GT Championship, winning both the Austrian and Spanish rounds. The identity of this private team has not yet been announced. However, Prodrive will be present at all rounds of the Eurosport Super Racing Weekend™ Series, as they are running the two Volvo S60 cars entered in the FIA European Touring Car Championship, one of which will be driven by Rickard Rydell.
UPDATED VIPER FOR TEAM ART
“We are delighted to be doing another season in the FIA GT Championship,” said Guy Orgeval, the team manager of Automotive Racing Team. “ The Chrysler Viper GTS-R has been updated with all the latest additions : a new engine from Caldwell, and various items from Oreca, including a new, lighter exhaust system, which saves us six kilos, and a new axle.” The car, with its unusual modern art livery, by contemporary artist De Rosa, will be in the hands of Jean-Pierre Jarier, who competed in 136 Formula One Grands Prix, and François Lafon. “ I am sure the Viper can be competitive again this year, and that it will be a very good season,” Orgeval continued.
The team is currently busy working on the car, which will run for the first time in March.
N-GT CHAMPIONSHIP
NEW 2 LITRE N-GT CATEGORY
From January 1st, 2002, a new 2-litre category was created within the N-GT class. It is open to cars with original engine capacities between 1700 and 2200 cc. However, the maximum racing engine cylinder capacity is limited to 2000 cc, without air restrictors; the bore, crankshaft and connecting rods may be modified in order to achieve this capacity. The minimum weight is 850 kg, with a maximum of 9” by 17” wheels.
Eligible cars in this range include the Hommel Berlinette RS, the Lotus Elise and Exige, the Opel/Vauxhall Speedster, and the Renault Spider. The class will be introduced in the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, and its inclusion in the N-GT Championship will be requested from 2003 onwards. There will be no separate podium or classification for this category.
HIGH SPEED RACING TO COMPETE IN N-GT
Italian team High Speed Racing is planning to enter a Ferrari 360 Modena in the 2002 season of the FIA GT Championship, in collaboration with Cannes Ferrari dealer Auto Palace. The team took part in the Challenge Ferrari West series in 2001, finishing first and second with drivers Ange Barde and Max Blancardi, who also finished third in the Ferrari World Final. The team will take delivery of the new car from the Michelotto factory on February 15th, and will start testing with Gianluca De Lorenzi at the Italian track of Fiorano. “ We are very pleased to be taking part in the FIA GT Championship,” team-owner Edo Berto explained. “ We want to win, and that is what we will be aiming for.” The drivers for the full season have not yet been finalised, although De Lorenzi, who competed last season in the FIA European Super Touring Championship for GDL Racing, is likely to be named.“ There is a lot of interest, and we have to look very carefully,” Berto concluded.
ORTELLI CONTINUES WITH FREISINGER
German team Freisinger Motorsport will be entering two Porsche 996 GT3-R cars in the N-GT class in 2002. “ A third car might be entered for the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa,” team manager Ietoshi Kaneko explained. “ So far, the only driver we can confirm is Stephane Ortelli.” 31-year old Frenchman Ortelli has been competing in the FIA GT Championship since 1997. Last season, he helped to take Freisinger Motorsport to third place in the N-GT Championship, claiming four second-place finishes, including the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa.
JÜRGEN VON GARTZEN RETURNS WITH TWO CARS
Jürgen von Gartzen is planning to enter two Porsche 996 GT3-R cars in the FIA N-GT Championship, one of which he will drive. “ We are still talking to sponsors and drivers about the new season, and discussions are going well,” he said. The German driver started the 2001 season in a Larbre Competition Chéreau Porsche 996 GT3-R, setting the N-GT pole position at Monza and finishing third at Brno. Later in the year, he returned with his own team, Klober JVG Racing, and a Porsche 996 GT3-R. The team scored points in the German and Portuguese rounds, placing in eleventh place overall.
January 18,2002 2002 Regulation Changes:
CHANGES TO SUPERPOLE FOR NEW SEASON
A minor, but significant, change has been made to the Superpole qualifying system for 2002.
The cars will be divided into three groups after the first qualifying session. Group A will consist of the six fastest GT cars. Group B will be for the top six N-GT cars. Group C will be for all the remaining cars. Groups A and B will go on to the Superpole session, where the relative grid positions, set during the first qualifying practice session, will be redistributed within each group. Group C will qualify in the second 15-minute session as before.
NEW HANDICAP WEIGHTS
Another change to the 2002 season will mean that penalty weights will only be awarded to the top three in each category. The race winner will receive 40 kg, with 30 and 20 kg for the second and third placed cars and drivers respectively. The N-GT podium finishers would receive half these amounts. The fourth-placed teams would not receive a penalty. Penalty weight will be deducted from the rest of the cars, with the fifth placed car losing 20 kg, sixth 30 kg and seventh and onwards 40 kg. The maximum penalty weights remain 100 kg in GT and 50 kg in N-GT.
Handicap weight will also be awarded to cars joining the Championship during the course of the season, with 20 kg for cars joining from the third race ; building up to 60kg from race six onwards. Once again, the amounts are halved for N-GT cars.
No penalty weights will be carried for the now-obligatory Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, but penalties will be awarded according to the results after six and twelve hours, as well as to the three top finishers.
January 18,2002 Team News And Updates:
BROOKSPEED JOINS THE FIA GT
British team Brookspeed is planning to enter a Chrysler Viper GTS-R in the 2002 FIA GT Championship. The team has previously raced in the British GT Championship and in a number of international events.“ The team is now four years old,” team owner Martin Braybrook explained,“ and we felt that we would like to do a full season in a European Championship. We realize how competitive it is, but we will have a go.” One driver has already been confirmed, the young Finn Kari Mäenpää, with the other driver yet to be named.
VACANCY AT CARSPORT HOLLAND
Carsport Holland is currently working on the team’s two Chrysler Vipers, in order to get them ready for the new season. They are planning to do the Sebring 12 hour-event in March, to further test their new Pirelli tyres and to check the car out before the FIA GT season starts. There has also been a driver change for the second car. “ De Simone has cancelled for the second car, so we are looking for another driver. However, there is a lot of interest, so I am certain we will find someone fast and professional,” Mike Hezemans said.
LISTER CONFIRMS TWO CARS
“I can confirm that we will have two cars in the Championship, and that two of our drivers will be Jamie Campbell-Walter and Nicolaus Springer, but as yet that is all I can say.” Laurence Pearce will be taking up the challenge to try and regain the titles he won in 2000.“ I would really like to see Nicolaus Springer win the FIA GT Championship. I don’t see why it could not be done. I think we proved at the Nürburgring and Estoril that with one driver only doing a few laps, you can still get a good result.” Pearce is looking at possible drivers for his other seats.“ The most important factor for me, is that it has to be someone I can get on with, someone willing to work our way. Getting up to speed is more a question of testing and working hard- fitting in with the team is much more important.”
TWO CARS FOR PSI MOTORSPORT
Belgian team PSI Motorsport, who entered a Porsche 996 Turbo in selected rounds of the 2001 Championship, is planning to enter two cars in the 2002 season.“ We are building two new Porsche 996 GT2 cars,” team manager Christian Schumacher explained. “ One should be driven by the same line-up as last year, Kurt Mollekens and Stéphane Cohen. The second will be shared by Markus Palttalla, Eric Geboers and Bert Longin.” The previous model of the car made good progress during 2001, and proved to be reliable. “ We have big hopes for the new season,” Schumacher concluded. “ We knew that 2001 would be a year to learn and to evolve, to give us a chance to situate ourselves in relation to the other competitors. We are quietly confident for 2002, and think the cars should go well.” Finnish driver Palttala competed in the FIA European Touring Car Championship last season, driving for GDL Racing in the Super Production Championship. He also drove for PSI in the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, winning the Group 2 class in a Porsche 996 GT3. Belgian drivers Geboers and Longin each drove one race in the GLPK Chrysler Viper last season, while Geboers also shared the PSI Porsche 996 Turbo with Mollekens and Cohen in the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa.
December 16,2001 2002 Carsport Announces Driver Lineup:
Team Carsport Holland have today announced
their lead driver pairing for 2002. Experienced
Carsport regular Mike Hezemans will be joined
by Belgian young charger Anthony Kumpen in a
heavily revised Chrysler Viper GTS-R.
The pairing will contest the FIA GT
Championship, selected rounds of the
American Le Mans Series and the partnership will begin with the Daytona 24
Hours in February.
Front running Italians Luca Cappellari and Fabrizio De Simone will drive the team's
other lead Viper GTS-R, and both cars will run on new Factory Pirelli tyres.
Carsport Team Principal Toine Hezemans - pleased to announe the deal
commented: "Of course I am very happy to have Mike, Anthony, Luca and Fabrizio
confirmed for 2002. It's a strong line-up and one that will give us the best chance
of success."
Mike Hezemans and former Paul Belmondo Racing pilot Anthony Kumpen shared a
Viper run by Carsport and American Viper Racing recently at Petit Le Mans,
scoring a fine 3rd in class.
Mike Hezemans added "I think Petit Le Mans was really the begining of our
relationship. I am pleased to be sharing with Anthony, we're both quick and he
has a lot of experience also in a Viper. He was my first choice partner after Jeroen
Bleekemolen, because I think we had a good season together winning 2 races, but
he hasn't decided his career and we wanted to start our programme for 2002
now."
Thrilled to join the Dutch team, Cranfield University and Focusing Sport backed 23
year old Kumpen added "I am really looking forward to the new season. We're
going to be doing a lot of development and testing and I believe the Viper of
Carsport Holland will be the best choice for me. I have a lot of respect for Toine
and Mike, they have always been successful in racing, and I hope we can add to
the success story in the coming season."
Adding to the team's strength is a new tyre deal, sealed this week by Toine
Hezemans and the Italian tyre giant Pirelli. "Yes, we have a 2 year contract with
Pirelli. We recently had a very impressive run on the new Pirelli development tyres
at Valencia, and after breaking the lap record I decided yes we would take the
challenge to win the FIA GT Championship with Pirelli."
Further cementing the relatinship with Italy, respected and versatile team Racing
Box will collaborate with Team Carpsort, headed up by respected Team Director
Luca Canni-Ferrari.
"This is also very good news for for both teams. Racing Box are a very good team
with some excellent personnel. We have joined forces and pooled our resources.
As a team we will have the full services of ex-Audi Sportscar engineer Massimo
De Prete who will work with me to develop the Vipers" added Hezemans senior.
December 15,2001 2002 Techical Regulations & Calendar:
The Technical and Sporting Regulations for the 2002 FIA GT Championship have been approved.
TECHNICAL REGULATIONS - As from 1 January 2002
Homologation - The minimum production figure for the homologation of a GT has been increased to 100 cars (previously 25) in twelve consecutive months.
For safety reasons, cars will have to achieve full EU-type approval. Alternatively, the manufacturer must satisfy the FIA that the car meets all criteria for public authority approval in the United States or Japan.
2002 FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP - CALENDAR
4/21 MAGNY-COURS
5/5 SILVERSTONE
5/19 BRNO
6/2 TBA
6/30 ANDERSTORP
7/14 LAUSITZRING
8/4 SPA
9/8 ZANDVOORT
9/22 TBA
10/6 TBA
10/20 ESTORIL
November 27,2001 Ferrari Customers Get "Ferrari Owners Racing Department"
:
Photo Courtesy:Prodrive
According to the Italian "Autosprint" Ferrari will develop a GT version of the Ferrari 550 Maranello for the season 2002. The racecar shall be build for potential customers who might be interessted to take part of the FIA-GT championship or American LeMans Series.
The previous Formula 1 press agent Claudio Berro will be in charge to setup the new etsablished division "Ferrari Owners Racing Department". Berro will work under the authority of Ferrari motor sport executive director Jean Todt. Berros' successor shall become Luca Colajanni.
The interest on behalf of Ferrari to spread their motorsport activities was already existing for a long time. If never either admitted openly they have been very proud about the successes of the Prodrive team. Prodrive could score considerable successes in the FIA-GT championship with the same car this season and have been invited to official demonstration and test drives to Maranello/Fiorano last week. Even test driver Luca Badoer couldn't withstand to take a drive in the Ferrari 550.
However, an official manufactures engagement in one of those series mentioned above is out of discussion.
November 15,2001 Ferrari Testing At Fiorano:
Photo Courtesy:Prodrive
At the invitation of Ferrari, the privateer
Prodrive and Rafanelli/Italtecnica teams ran
two 550 Maranello GT cars at the Fiorano
circuit, yesterday and today.
Both cars took part in this year's FIA GT
Championship, taking two wins and three pole
positions. The teams' official drivers took turns
on the track; Peter Cox for Prodrive and Emanuele Naspetti for the
Rafanelli/Italtecnica squad.
The Maranello company's official test drivers, Luca Badoer and Dario Benuzzi were
also in action. A total of 140 laps were completed, around forty of them on a wet
track yesterday. Luca Badoer was quickest, going round in 1 minute 14.812
seconds.
October 3,2001 Provisional 2002 FIA-GT Calendar:
The Provisional 2002 calendar for the FIA-GT Championship is as follows:
April 21 MONZA
May 5 SILVERSTONE
May 19 TBA
June 6 BRNO OR ZOLDER OR LAUSITZRING
June 30 ANDERSTORP
August 4 24H DE SPA
September 8 ZANDVOORT
October 6 TBA OR ESTORIL
October 20 MAGNY-COURS
September 26,2001 Clerico To Partner Kumpen At Jarama:
Emanuelle Clerico will partner 22 year old Anthony Kumpen in this weekend's
penultimate round of the FIA GT Championship at Jarama (Spain).
The ex-Oreca factory Viper driver shared with Kumpen in April's round 2 of
the series at Brno, Czech Republic, and a strong run looked certain to end
with a podium finish until a fuel pump failure ended their race prematurely.
Hoping not for a repeat of that retirement, but more for a repeat of their
strong overall performance, Kumpen commented "It's great to drive with
Clerico again. We were very evenly matched, well, i was a bit quicker
really! But i have had some good consistent races with Paul (Belmondo) and
Claude-Yves (Gosselin) over the last 4 or so races, but I think I will have
a better chance of success this weekend".
"We will need to qualify in the top 6 there's no doubt. I don't know the
circuit but it doesn't look the easiest to pass, especially with over 30
cars battling for position. Then, as I said before, a podium finish is the
aim. There are no team orders within Paul Belmondo Racing so that makes
things a bit easier, and we can then run our own race with our own
strategy".
September 25,2001 Jarama Team Update:
After the autumnal weather at the Nürburgring, the Eurosport Super Racing Weekends are moving south for the final two events. Round nine will be held at the Spanish track of Jarama, 28 km north of Madrid. The arid countryside surrounding the 3.858 km track will be a total contrast to the forests and hills of the previous round, and hopefully some warmer weather will be awaiting the teams and drivers.
This will be the first time either the FIA GT Championship or any recent major touring car Championships has visited Jarama. A host to series such as the Formula Nissan and the Spanish GT Championship, the track is tight and twisty, with evocative corner names such as Nuovolari and Ascari. A popular circuit for winter testing, the Spanish Grand Prix was often held at the track, the last time being in 1981.
The FIA GT Championship last visited Spain in 2000, when the first round of the season was held in Valencia. Spanish driver Antonio Garcia, who won the N-GT class in the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa with RWS Motorsport, knows the track well, having won there in the Formula Nissan Championship last season. He will be back at the wheel of the nr 76 RWS Motorsport Porsche 996 GT3-R for this race. "It’s a nice track, uphill and downhill, but it will be the first time I’ve raced a sportscar there. It should be good."
ETCC driver Luis Villamil was born in the Asturias region of Spain but lives in Madrid, and knows the track well. Currently ninth in the Super Production Championship, he drives an Alfa Romeo 156 for Scuderia Bigazzi. "Jarama is a difficult track that demands a lot of drivability and requires a perfect set-up. As I know the circuit very well, I have a little advantage because I can start to work on the set-up from the first laps of Saturday’s free practice, while the others will have to spend time learning the track."
FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Championship Rundown The previous round of the FIA GT Championship saw Larbre Competition Chéreau claim the 2001 GT Teams title, while Lister Storm Racing took their third win of the season. The podium saw three different cars in the top three positions for the first time this year- a Lister Storm, a Chrysler Viper and a Ferrari 550 Maranello. There is still a close fight for second place in the GT category, with Lister Storm Racing only five points behind Carsport Holland, and only one point separating Jamie Campbell-Walter and the Dutch duo of Mike Hezemans and Jeroen Bleekemolen in the Drivers classification. Although the GT titles have been awarded, the title fight continues in the N-GT category, where only five points separate the rivals, RWS Motorsport and JMB Competition. Battle has been fierce between the Ferrari 360 Modena and the Porsche 996 GT-R all season, and with two rounds remaining, everything is still wide open. Freisinger Motorsport, which has finished in second place in the last three races, also has a mathematical chance of taking the title.
GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Larbre - Chéreau (1st, 82 pts) :
weight off at last Although Larbre Competition Chéreau claimed the FIA GT Teams Championship at the Nürburgring, the nr 7 Chrysler Viper GTS-R finished in seventh place, the worst result of the season for Christophe Bouchut and Jean-Philippe Belloc. "Basically, we’re suffering because our car is still very standard," Bouchut said. "We were hoping for a new evolution of the engine from Caldwell, but the current international situation means that has been cancelled. We’ve lost 20 kg, but it won’t make much difference. Still, as we have achieved our goals, it means we will not be under any stress for the final races. We would like to maintain our position as the team that has won the most races." The team’s nr 50 Porsche 996 GT3-R will be driven by Patrice Goueslard, Sebastien Dumez and Jean-Luc Chéreau.
Carsport Holland (2nd, 47 pts) :
defending their second place Hezemans and Bleekemolen finished in second place at the Nürburgring, while the second Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper crashed out at the start. "It wasn’t badly damaged- just the front splitter, radiator and bumper," Mike Hezemans explained. With Lister Storm Racing close behind, the team needs to work hard to secure their second place in the Championship. "I haven’t driven there before, so it will be new to me," 19-year old Jeroen Bleekemolen said. "But I think it should be OK. I have heard it’s twisty and not so quick, so it might be good for us like the Hungaroring was. 100 kg penalty weight is still difficult, but we’ll have to see how the other teams cope with the track. We really want to be second in the Teams and third in the Drivers Championships. With a bit of luck we should be able to make it. It’s been a really good season."
Paul Belmondo Racing (4th, 36 pts) :
Both Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars finished in the points at the Nürburgring. For the Spanish race, all three yellow and blue cars should be competing, with Brno pole-setter Emmanuel Clérico back in the line-up. "I know the Jarama track quite well," Boris Derichebourg said. "I tested there in F3000 and also did some Dunlop tyre testing there in early 2000. The changes we made to the team for the Nürburgring, with the engineers, worked pretty well. The team knows the track and should have a good base to work from. Everything is falling into place, but I think we reacted a bit too late. We need to really push for the last two rounds- at least we don’t have much weight to worry about. We’ve got Dunlop tyres that work really well, and the team has found a good set-up." Anthony Kumpen is also looking forward to the race. "I think we should go well, but it is extremely tough and harder now to win than at the start of the season. Getting into the Superpole is hard. You have to squeeze every ounce of power and grip out of the Chrysler Viper for one lap, and there is a big risk to go off, but it's fun to do."
Lister Storm Racing (3rd, 42 pts) :
Lister Storm Racing driver Jamie Campbell-Walter hopes that the team’s Nürburgring win signals the end of its run of bad luck. "The car was fantastic during the last race, and I think the conditions helped us a bit, as our wet and dry set-ups are quite similar, unlike some of our rivals," he explained. However, he has never driven at Jarama before. "It should be interesting. The Lister Storm entered in the Spanish GT Championship has raced there, so we have some data that could be useful. We should start out with the right gear ratios, and save some time. The Lister won at that track, so it looks as if it is good for the car, with quick corners and hairpins, although there is also a very long, fast straight. I’m not looking forward to seeing the speed of the Vipers or Ferraris down there !" Lister Storm Racing claimed the British GT Championship last weekend. "So everyone is in a good mood, and we’re hoping to fight for the second place in both the Teams and Drivers classifications. It would also be nice to see Julian Bailey and Nicolaus Springer on the podium."
Prodrive Allstars (equal 5th, 14 pts):
Second win ? The nr 15 Ferrari 550 Maranello has finished on the podium for the last two races, with a win in Austria and third place in Germany, meaning that the car will carry 60 kg penalty weight for the Jarama race. Swedish driver Rickard Rydell will be joined once more by Alain Menu, from Switzerland, who drove the car when it made its debut in Hungary.
Rafanelli (equal 5th, 14 pts) :
Neither Team Rafanelli Ferrari 550 Maranello will take part in the Jarama round of the FIA GT Championship, but it is hoped that the Italian-run cars will return for the final round in Estoril.
N- GT CHAMPIONSHIP
RWS Motorsport (1st, 53 pts) :
a close title fight The nr 77 Porsche 996 GT3-R finished in sixth place in the previous round, meaning that N-GT Championship leader Luca Riccitelli now has a five points lead over David Terrien and Christian Pescatori, whose JMB Competition Ferrari 360 Modena finished eighth. "If we have a race without so many difficult situations as at the Nürburgring, I am sure we can start to win again," Luca explained. " I’m optimistic for the title, and I think we still can win." RWS Motorsport is putting two young drivers in the team’s second car for the Jarama round. Reigning Formula Nissan champion Antonio García will rejoin the team, having missed the past two rounds due to F3000 commitments. 20-year old Timo Bernhard will also be joining the team. Bernhard, current leader of the German Porsche Carrera Cup, took part in the Monza round of the Porsche Supercup, finishing in second place.
JMB Competition (2nd, 48 pts):
hopes to take the lead With four wins to their credit, and five points behind RWS Motorsport in the Teams classification, JMB Competition are within reach of their goal, the FIA N-GT title for the Ferrari 360 Modena in its first full season of competition. However, the cars have struggled in the previous two rounds. "The Porsches are very quick at the moment," said Christian Pescatori. "And we were struggling at the A1 Ring and the Nürburgring - to be two seconds off the pace is a lot. At least we are two equal, balanced drivers, and we’ll do our best to try and get a good result."
Freisinger Motorsport (3rd, 35 pts):
looking to win Freisinger Motorsport has been the team to watch in the latter part of the season, with the nr 57 Porsche 996 GT3-R finishing in second place in the last three races. The driver line-ups are not yet known for Jarama, but Frenchman Xavier Pompidou hopes to finish the season with the German team. "It went well at the Nürburgring," Pompidou explained. "My lap times were similar to those of Stephane Ortelli, and my stint went very well. Both the team and Porsche were happy with me, I think. Stephane and I would really like to drive together for the last race in Estoril."
Perspective Racing (joint 5th, 26 pts) :
goal achieved "Our aim this season was to compete in an international series, and to show what we could do," team owner and driver Thierry Perrier explained. "With three podiums, I think we’ve achieved that goal. The team has definitely improved over the season - we manage to assimilate knowledge quickly. We might not be up with the category leaders, RWS or JMB, but we’re competitive."
Paco Orti Racing:
joins the FIA GT Championship Spanish team Paco Orti Racing will be entering a Porsche 996 GT3-R at Jarama. The car will be driven by its regular drivers, Paco Orti and Wolfgang Kaufmann. They regularly compete in the Spanish GT Championship with a Porsche 911 GT2, and have also entered a Porsche 996 GT3-R in the European Le Mans Series. Kaufmann drove for Freisinger Motorsport earlier this season, finishing second at Zolder. "We raced at Jarama earlier this season- it’s a great track, with changes of elevation, slow and quick corners. The car is one or two years old, and doesn’t have the latest modifications. Paco has been a rally driver for many years, and although this is only his second year on circuits, he is learning fast. It would be great to get in the Superpole. As for the race, we’ll have to see. But I feel confident and motivated !"
September 24,2001 Anthony Kumpen Ready For Jarama:
Photo Courtesy:ACO
"I need to win in Jarama" commented young up and coming Belgian racer
Anthony Kumpen. The 22 year old Hasselt (near Zolder) based driver has
endured a frustrating year, despite being in one of the top teams in the fIA
GT Championship.
"Things haven't entirely gone to my favour this year. When I look back I
should have been on the podium at the very least 5 times but we have always
had mechanical problems that have thwarted my progress. The highlight was at
Silverstone when I finished 3rd, and even then I had an oil pressure problem
that prevented me from taking 2nd place".
Two weeks ago Kumpen's run of bad luck continued. He started the Nurburgring
race from a lowly 16th after a ride height infringement moved him out of the
top 6 shootout. Driving with aggresion and skill, he put that behind him,
moving up to eventually lead the race for a spell, before ending up in 5th
at the finish.
"I am just looking forward to a trouble-free race. I don't know the Jarama
Circuit but I hope to test something there this week, before I do Free
Practice on Thursday. I have enjoyed driving with Paul and Claude-Yves but
they are keen for me to do the last 2 races with another team mate. They
assure me he'll be quick and will be able to give me the support I need to
get a top 3 result. It had given me the impoteus and optimism I need for
this race".
As one of the youngest drivers in the FIA GT Championship Kumpen related to
this staus "Well it is a good thing I think. I decided not to persue my
single seater career because of my success in the Belcar Series over the
last 2 years, and I wanted to build upon that. The FIA GT is very tough, and
I believe one of the most professional motor sport series in the world, so
it has been an ideal proving ground for me and also I have been able to
assess my level of skill against some of the best drivers around".
"I set myself very high goals, and I don't consider myself an
under-achiever. Competing in the FIA GT has made me learn faster, and I am
very pleased to have this chance this year. I think all the younger drivers
have acquitted themselves well under the circumstances, and it is proved
with more of us twenty-something's coming in to GT racing that this category
should no longer be considered an 'Formula 1 retirment ground' for older
drivers. The series needs more TV, more Media and at a higher level. Drivers
need to be individualised more so they can have their own status and they
become household names. The FIA GT provides the ideal series for this kind
of attention".
Regards his chances at Jarama, he added "Well I think we should go well, but
it is extremely tough and harder now to win than at the start of the season.
Getting into the top 6 shootout is real hard. You have to squeeze every
ounce of power and grip out of the chrysler Viper for one lap, and there is
a big risk to go off, but it's fun to do. I'm looking forward to the race,
and I hope to put my Corona Extra, Fina, Ragues, Ridley Bikes, Gas Clothing
and Focusing Sport Viper on the top step of the podium".
September 24,2001 Bobby Verdon-Roe In Lister:
Jamie Campbell-Walter will be joined by Bobby Verdon-Roe for the final two rounds of the FIA GT Championship this year -at Jarama and Estoril. Bobby, ex TVR Tuscan Champion and Touring Car driver, last drove the Lister Storm in the FIA GT Championship races at Monza and Silverstone in 1999
Laurence Pearce states: "It was a difficult decision to make - Jamie and Tom are an excellent partnership; two of the top GT drivers around - but the Storm is not in contention for the FIA Championship. Changing circumstances meant that the best decision would be to give another driver the opportunity of driving the number 1 Storm with Jamie. Bobby has been pressurizing me all year for a drive in the Storm and would like to be included in a Lister Storm team next year.
Tom has proved to me that he is the driver I want, and I hope he will be spearheading my Le Mans project with JCW and maybe driving an FIA Storm too. We need more drivers; Lister are taking two Prototypes to Le Mans, there will be a minimum of two FIA cars, plus two British cars and I need someone to lead the other cars. Tom's talent is unquestionable. I now want to give other talented drivers the opportunity of a drive with Lister."
Verdon-Roe comments " Laurence wouldn't have offered me the drive if either he or I were still in contention for our respective Championships. I have been badgering him all year to let me have a go as JCW's team mate. I can't wait to sample a modern Lister and hopefully do a good enough job to warrant inclusion in next year's Lister driver line up."
September 5,2001 Nurburgring Team Update:
Championship Rundown
The A1 Ring saw the first victory of a Ferrari 550 Maranello in the FIA GT Championship, with the Prodrive Allstars taking the overall win in only their second race. In the Championship classification, however, the GT Teams title can now only be won by Larbre Competition Chéreau or Carsport Holland. The N-GT battle is a lot closer ; with JMB Competition's Austrian win taking the team to within four points of RWS Motorsport. It is a similar situation in the drivers championship, where RWS's Luca Riccitelli is closely followed by Christian Pescatori and David Terrien.
GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Larbre Competition Chéreau (1st, 82 pts) looking for more points
The nr 7 Chrysler Viper finished in fifth place at the A1 Ring, its worst position of the year. "It's true that although I like the circuit, I'm never very successful there," Christophe Bouchut commented. "When Jean-Philippe lost a wheel, we effectively lost any hope of a podium finish. Then we broke the exhaust, and by the end we were having some engine problems. So to gain two points was a reasonable result. I'm afraid that the Nürburgring might be a similar story - the penalty weight will be against us, and the cars like the Prodrive Ferrari, the Listers and the Carsport Vipers are much faster in straight-line speed. However, the weather could work to our favour - some rain would be great. Our objective is to get as many points as possible towards the FIA GT Teams title."
Team Carsport Holland (2nd, 41 pts) with the maximum handicap weight
"We've got 100 kg, and that's not so good," explained Mike Hezemans, driver of the nr 3 Chrysler Viper. "We might be trying a new rear wing at the Nürburgring, to try to give us some more downforce. But it's not going to be easy with so much weight. We might still have a theoretical chance of taking the Teams title, but to be honest, it won't be easy. We would have to finish first and second in nearly every race. I think it's going to be hard at the Nürburgring, especially on the brakes. We were already down to the iron at the A1 Ring." Mike is sharing the car with 19-year old Jeroen Bleekemolen. "He is coming along well, and I'm happy with his progress. He knows the Nürburgring well, having driven there in German Formula Three last year, so I think we can do well." Father and son Michael and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, drivers of the nr 4 Carsport Chrysler Viper , have finished on the podium three times this year, but are still looking for a first win.
Paul Belmondo Racing (3rd, 31 pts) looking to improve
"There should be a number of changes in the team for the Nürburgring," explained Boris Derichebourg, driver of the nr 12 Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Viper GTS-R. "The team is going to be restructured, concentrating on two cars. Small improvements will be made, so that we can finish the season with some good results. Everyone will be working really hard." Boris likes the track, where he raced in F3000. "I've always gone well there, and I think it should suit the Viper."
Lister Storm Racing (3rd, 31 pts) with Jordan
Mike Jordan will be replacing Tom Coronel for the ninth round of the FIA GT Championship, as the Dutch driver will be taking part in the Dutch Touring Car Championship. Jordan should be at home behind the wheel of the Lister Storm, as he drives a similar car in the British GT Championship, which he is currently leading, partnered by David Warnock.
Prodrive Allstars (7th, 10 pts) - second win ?
"It was a really good weekend for us at the A1 Ring, after so much hard work, especially from the mechanics. They have been working flat out since the program started back in January," Rickard Rydell said, after winning the previous round at the wheel of the Ferrari 550 Maranello. "We still have to prove that the car is competitive at other circuits, so we want to show we can finish and win again if possible. Every time Alain, Peter or I are out on the track, we want to win." The Swedish driver does not know the Nürburgring well. "I did a test there 12 years ago, but I can't really remember it. I did a few laps on the Playstation to try and remember the corners. As for the weather, it was really too hot in Austria, so I would be happy if it was not so warm in Germany. We have only done a few laps in the wet, so I don't know exactly how the car will handle. We need to test it. But I'm looking forward to the race - I think the Lister will be very strong there, it's a circuit that should suit it. So it could be very interesting." Rydell will be sharing the nr 15 Ferrari 550 Maranello with Peter Kox, with Alain Menu returning for the final two races.
Reiter Engineering on home ground
The black and purple Lamborghini Diablo GT has had a difficult debut in the FIA GT Championship, but the car has shown constant improvement since its first appearances in 2000. Closing the gap between its performance and that of the rest of the GT grid has been Michael Trunk and Bernhard Muller's main aim.
The team is now confident that the engine problems are over, and that it can be competitive. In 1997, the Porsche 911 GT2 driven by the German duo finished in fourth place at the Nürburgring. A similar result for their Lamborghini Diablo would be an encouraging result for their home race.
ART back in a Viper
After trying a Lister Storm at the A1 Ring, François Lafon and Jean-Pierre Jarier will be back at the wheel of their more familiar Chrysler Viper for the Nürburgring round.
N- GT CHAMPIONSHIP
RWS Motorsport (1st, 52 pts) : title fight closes up
Austria was a great disappointment for RWS Motorsport, who not only retired from a race they had comfortably led, but saw their main Championship rivals win and close the gap in the points tables. "Now all we can do is win," Luca Riccitelli said. "We know that our Porsche 996 GT3-R is perfect - the set-up, the tyres, and even the fuel consumption is better than before. We are very confident that we can win the remaining races, although the Ferrari will most likely be competitive again." Luca knows and likes the Nürburgring. "I am sure we can do a good race there. The weather could be to our advantage - the Porsche is good in the rain, and I like driving in those conditions. But wet or dry, we must push as hard as we can, and win. I was really upset after Austria, where we gave Ferrari the most wonderful present by dropping out 20 minutes from the end."
JMB Competition (2nd, 48 pts) hopes to take the lead
JMB's unexpected win at the A1 Ring, following the struggles of the Ferrari 360 Modena during testing and qualifying, has put them back in the title fight. "Christian and I took the Sports Racing World Cup title at the Nürburgring last year," Terrien said. "We won't be able to do that this year, but we're hoping to regain the lead. We don't have a base set-up for the circuit, so we're using some of the information from last year's prototype to give us a starting point. But it's not an exact science. It's difficult to say whether we'll be fast or not at the Nürburgring - I thought we'd be competitive at the A1 Ring, and, despite winning, we were off the pace. But the important thing is that we have managed to win this year at tracks where we were struggling, in Austria and at Magny Cours. That is how you win Championships."
The team's second car will be driven by Dutch driver Peter Kutemann and Swiss Iradj Alexander. Both have been driving a JMB Ferrari 360 Modena in the French GT Championship, finishing on the podium at Monza.
Freisinger Motorsport (3rd, 29 pts) improving all the time
German-based team Freisinger Motorsport has made great improvements during the 2001 season, their first year centered entirely around the N-GT class. Their leading driver Stephane Ortelli has finished in second place three times, including the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa. Although Ortelli's co-driver for the Nürburgring event has not yet been announced, the team is looking forward to their home event. "We're currently equal third in the Championship, and we will try to gain a place or two," team manager Ietoshi Kaneko explained. "We lost a lot of points at the beginning of the season, mainly due to the rain tyres, but since July everything has gone well. I don't know if it makes much difference to us to race at home, as everyone knows the Nürburgring circuit, but it's definite that for the points situation, the race is very important to us. We will try to have the most competitive driver we can alongside Ortelli." The drivers for the nr 58 Porsche 996 GT3-R have not been announced yet, but Fomenko and Vasiliev will be in the all-Russian nr 59 car.
Larbre Competition Chéreau (5th, 23 points) : Ahrle replaces Goueslard at the Nürburgring
The nr 50 Porsche 996 GT3-R has finished on the podium during its last two appearances in the Championship. However, on the Nürburgring weekend, 2000 N-GT Champion Patrice Goueslard will be racing in the French GT Championship at Val de Vienne. Sébastien Dumez will therefore be driving with André Ahrlé, who has frequently raced for Larbre Competition Chéreau in the past, most recently at Budapest. "So we've got a local driver for the Nürburgring, and a good one !" team owner Jack Leconte said.
Jürgen Alzen Motorsport joins the Championship
German team Jürgen Alzen Motorsport is planning to enter Porsche 996 GT3-R cars in the Nürburgring 500km race. The team is a regular competitor in endurance events such as the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours. The drivers will be Johan Berger and Tomas Koch. "They are regular competitors in the Ferrari Challenge, where they are currently in second place, and in national endurance races, so the FIA GT Championship represents quite a step up for them," team-owner Jürgen Alzen commented. "We're looking forward to it."
August 20,2001 A1-Ring Team Update:
After the summer break, the Eurosport Super Racing Weekends resume for the seventh round, which will be held at the picturesque Austrian A1 Ring. The track is situated near the town of Spielberg, 90 km north-west of Graz and 190 km south west of Vienna. Set in the Austrian countryside, the changes of elevation and mix of corners present an interesting challenge for drivers and cars alike.
The FIA GT Championship has visited the A1 Ring every year except for 1999. Last year, Carsport Holland took a commanding win, when Tom Coronel made his first appearance in the Championship, alongside Mike Hezemans. This year, the team from the Netherlands will be trying to do one better, with their two Chrysler Vipers going up against the leading Larbre Competition Viper.
Championship Rundown
With four races still to run, the first of the 2001 titles was settled at the seventh round of the Championship, the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa. Larbre Competition Chéreau's one-two in the endurance race gave Christophe Bouchut and Jean-Philippe Belloc an unassailable lead in the GT Drivers Classification. Larbre also has a significant lead in the GT Teams classification, with Carsport Holland, Paul Belmondo Racing and Lister Storm Racing in a close battle for second place. RWS Motorsport's win in the N-GT category at Spa saw the German team regain the advantage in their class, leading JMB Competition by 14 points, the Ferrari having failed to finish. RWS's Luca Riccitelli also leads the Drivers classification, with his team-mate Dieter Quester now in second place ahead of JMB's Terrien and Pescatori.
GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Larbre Competition Chéreau (1st, 80 pts) looking to secure Teams title
Larbre Competition has had a busy time since Spa. "We finished rebuilding the nr 7 Chrysler Viper on Sunday, after working non-stop," team manager Jack Leconte said. The team also had to work on the nr 50 Porsche 996 GT3-R, which will be driven by the usual team of Patrice Goueslard and Sebastien Dumez. "Our main aim now is to score the points we need to secure the Teams Championship. Once we've got that, we'll really let go ! However, with 100 kg penalty weight, it's going to be difficult in Austria." Larbre will also be concentrating on their Porsche, running in the N-GT class. "We'd really like to get one win in the N-GT class before the end of the year."
Team Carsport Holland (2nd, 31 pts) aim to fight for second place
"We've been busy rebuilding the cars," Mike Hezemans explained, after their nr 3 car went out of the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa close to the end. "A bracket broke on the power steering, and the distribution belt came off. That was all - the gearbox was still as good as new after 22 hours." The Carsport Chrysler Viper GTS-R took a resounding victory at the A1 Ring last year, but Mike does not think a repeat win is likely. "We didn't have so many kilos last year. But you never know. It should be an interesting race. The Championship has effectively gone, but we'd like to win as often as possible and get second place - although it's not the same as fighting for first."
Paul Belmondo Racing (3rd, 30 pts) : busy weekend for Kumpen
After a fifth-place finish in the GT class at Spa, Anthony Kumpen is planning a busy weekend. As well as driving in the FIA GT race, he will be taking part in the 24 Hours of Zolder. "I don't think it will be a big problem, as long as we get the logistical things sorted out," the 22-year old driver said. "Although I don't think we can challenge for a top championship place in the FIA GT anymore, I still want to win a race outright." With one of their Chrysler Vipers still being rebuilt after crashing in Spa, Paul Belmondo Racing will only enter two cars in Austria. Boris Derichebourg and Vincent Vosse will share one car, while Kumpen and Defourny will drive the other.
Lister Storm Racing (4th, 28 pts) back in the battle
"We've decided we're going to win !" Jamie Campbell-Walter said. "The Championship has gone, so we've nothing to gain, nothing to lose. We'll go flat out and try to win as many races as we can for the rest of the season. It will be good for our sponsors and good preparation for next season. I feel we've fallen a bit behind the Carsport Viper and the Ferrari in straight line speed, so we've got some work to do there ; it'll be productive." Jamie and Tom will be in the nr 1 Storm, with Springer and Bailey in the nr 2 car. "We had three days testing at Dijon, which was very productive, especially for Nicolaus," Jamie continued. "He improved his personal time by over a second." Also testing at Dijon was British GT Championship leader Mike Jordan, who will replace Tom Coronel for the Nürburgring round.
Lister Storm for Team ART
French team ART will have a different car at the A1 Ring, having swapped their Chrysler Viper GTS-R for a Lister Storm. The car, driven in 2000 by FIA GT Champions Bailey and Campbell-Walter, has been leased from Lister on a race-by-race basis, and will be run by a joint operation between the two teams. Laurence Pearce will oversee the car, with assistance from the ART mechanics, using ART's own equipment. Jean-Pierre Jarier tried the car at the French track of Dijon-Prenois. "It's a true racing car, with a very efficient engine at high revs. You need to know its limits to get the most out of it. Although we'll have to wait for Austria to know more, I think it will give us a significant increase in performance," the former Formula One driver said.
Three to four Ferrari 550s in Austria
For the first time, Ferrari 550 Maranello cars from three different teams will line up on the FIA GT grid in Austria. The Wieth Ferrari 550 Maranello, driven by father and son combination Nico and Franz Wieth, will be joined by the Prodrive and one or two Rafanelli cars.
After their magnificent performance in Spa, leading the race during the early stages, Team Rafanelli will be back for the eighth round. "We are trying to put two cars on the grid, but it depends on whether the engines are ready," Gabriele Rafanelli explained. "I'm happy with the car's performance at Spa - until the engine failure, which could not have been foreseen, we were faster than everyone else. But that's life. We'll be back next year, with two cars."
As for the Prodrive Ferrari 550 Maranello, it will be making its second appearance in the Championship. "After Hungary, we needed to make sure the car was durable, so we did a full race distance at Dijon," team principal George Howard-Chappell said. "We've been working on the engine, the aerodynamics and the general durability, and we're quite happy with the performance. Peter Kox will be driving with Rickard Rydell, as Alain Menu has a clashing race with the DTM. Although we tested at the A1 Ring previously, it was our first real run with the car, which has changed a lot since then, so we do not expect to gain much advantage from that."
N- GT CHAMPIONSHIP
RWS Motorsport (1st, 52 pts) aiming for podium finishes with both cars
Championship leader Luca Riccitelli will share the nr 77 Porsche 996 GT3-R with Dieter Quester in Austria. "I hope to finish the season with him, as he's in good shape now," Luca said. "Our situation is better than before - with a lead of 14 points, it's easier to control the situation, but we cannot say it will be asy to win, or that the fight is over. I think the Porsche will be competitive at the A1 Ring. It's the sort of circuit that suits our car, where you need a lot of acceleration and power, for the slow corners and long straights. It should be a good opportunity to get more points. A lot depends on Austria - if we can win again, the title fight will be a bit easier for the remaining three races." The second RWS car will be driven by Gianni Collini and Fabio Mancini. "They won in Austria last year, for Art Engineering," Luca continued. "They both like the circuit a lot, and should have a good race there - it would be good to have another RWS car between us and the Ferrari. This is a fantastic season, and I'm very happy to be fighting against the JMB Ferrari for the Championship."
JMB Competition (2nd, 38 pts) with a good combination to the top
Terrien and Pescatori lost the lead in the N-GT classification when their Ferrari 360 Modena failed to finish in Spa. "Although it was disappointing to fail four hours before the end, it was still an encouraging long-distance debut for the car," David Terrien said. The team is now determined to regain their advantage. "Our aim is to win the Championship on the car's first full season in competition," Terrien continued. "We are very aware of what we have to do - if we win every race, and RWS finishes second, we'll be ahead - just." Terrien considers that they have three main assets : "Pescatori and I form a very homogenous line-up, the team is excellent in the pits, and the Ferrari Modena's chassis is excellent. We have to make these items make up for the lack of engine power." David will be qualifying the car in Austria. "It's a track I really like; I went really well there in F3000. I especially like the double right-hander before the main straight; it's fast, you take it in fourth or fifth, and you need a lot of mechanical grip, which we have. I also think that if we get pole, the layout of the track means we might be able to hold on to the advantage, which is where we usually lose out."
Freisinger Motorsport (4th, 23 pts) in good shape since Spa
Freisinger Motorsport had a successful weekend at Spa, with two of their cars finishing in second and fourth places in the N-GT category, raising them to fourth in the teams classification. At the A1 Ring, the nr 57 Porsche 996 GT3-R will be driven by Stephane Ortelli and a driver yet to be named. The nr 59 will have its usual team of Russian drivers, Alex Vassiliev and Nicolaj Fomenko. As for the nr 58 Porsche 996 GT3-R, it will be driven by newcomers Christophe Wolff and Olivier Tichy, who hope to run for the whole season next year, with sponsorship from Remus.
JVG Racing enters the Championship
Jürgen von Gartzen, who has raced for both Larbre Competition Chéreau and RWS Motorsport this season, is entering a Porsche 996 GT3-R under his own name for the eighth round of the Championship. Von Gartzen finished in fourth place in Brno, as well as taking the N-GT pole in Monza. He will share the car with Swiss driver Bruno Eichmann, his team-mate in the nr 51 Larbre Porsche earlier this year.
August 17,2001 Kumpen Set For Busy Weekend:
Anthony Kumpen is about to experience the busiest motor racing weekend of
his season. He'll be racing on the weekend of August 18 and 19 at both the
A1 Ring in Austria as part of his regular FIA GT Championship season, and in
the Castrol Belcar Series in his home country of Belgium at the Zolder race
track.
And to make matters even more interesting, the Zolder race is 24 hours, the
4th such race he is attempting this year with the previous being Daytona, Le
Mans and Spa.
The 22 year old Belgian 'Driver of the Year' is confident he can
successfully contest both races "I don't think it will be a big problem, as
long as we get the logistical things sorted out. We have hired a private
plane to fly me from Zolder to A1 Ring and vice-versa, and we have arranged
to use local airports that are close to both circuits, so it shouldn't be a
big issue. Spa was the best 24hours result I have had this year (8th) but
Zolder will be different. It's a round of the Belcar championship and we are
favourites to win".
Anthony's exploits will be recorded by a Television Company who will
broadcast a dedicated show after the weekend. "The TV crew will fly with me
on my 'mission' so hopefully I can give them something good to report on".
" I will be driving the Paul Belmondo Viper, most likely with Claude-Yves
(Gosselin) or Paul (Belmondo) in Austria, and although I don't think we can
challenge for a top championship place anymore, I still want to win that
race outright. And in Zolder I will drive the GLPK Racing Viper. I won the
Zolder 24 hours last year and that was a great victory for me. Many people
got to know my name because of that success, and I will be aiming for a
repeat of that, so the whole weekend has a lot of significance attatched to
it".
It was also anounced recently that the Hasselt based driver will contest the
2001 Daytona 24hours with GLPK.
For the Zolder 24hours Anthony will be joined by partners NRJ Radio, Daikin
Cooltech, Tommy Hilfiger and Focusing Sport.
And for his regular FIA GT drive he is partnered by GAs Clothing, Ridley
Bikes, Focusing Sport, AEW and Comm-plete Events.
August 2,2001 Gunnar Jeannette Running Spa 24 Hours:
Photo Courtesy:Spa-Francorchamps
Gunnar Jeannette has been added as a driver in the Gammon Megaspeed Porsche 911 GT3R for this weekends Spa 24 Hours. Gunnar, who finished a remarkable second place in LM GT at Le Mans, will now tackle and try to add his name along side the many famous winners at the famed Spa Francorchamps circuit .
July 27,2001 Spa 24 Hours Team Updates :
A month after Carsport Holland's victory in Budapest, the FIA GT Championship is facing its longest race ever : the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, round the beautiful, challenging Belgian track of Spa-Francorchamps.
The 24 Hours of Spa is one of the oldest motor-races still in existance. It was first held in 1924, and this will be the 53rd edition. In 1964 changes saw the race exclusively reserved for touring cars, and it soon became the leading event for that category. Recently, due to the increasing success of the FIA GT Championship, a decision was made to include this prestigious event in the Championship's calendar.
The FIA GT Championship last raced at the Spa-Francorchamps track in 1997, with victory in the four hour event going to the BMW Motorsport McLaren F1 GTR driven by JJ Lehto and Steve Soper. The GT2 category win went to the Oreca Chrysler Viper GTS-R of Justin Bell and Marc Duez.
The track, with its challenging corners such as Raidillon, Eau Rouge and Blanchimont, is a great favourite with teams and drivers alike. Fast and demanding, it will be a tough race. “Although we have air conditioning in our cars, the race will be physically difficult,” Paul Belmondo Racing's Boris Derichebourg explained. “There are less straights than at Le Mans, and the track is very hard on the gear-box. It's more repetitive, and will be hard on the drivers. And the weather can be extremely changeable - we could have rain, sun, mist… If the conditions are bad, anything could happen.”
Race notes
Three categories will be taking part, category 1 being the cars corresponding to the FIA GT and FIA N-GT regulations, category two for cars from national GT Championships such as those in France, Belgium, Great Britain and Spain, and category three for cars from single-make trophies and cups. Double points will be awarded in the FIA GT Championship. Four drivers can be entered on any one car. The car must be qualified by one of its definitive drivers. All drivers must set a time within 125% of the average time set by the three best cars of different makes, and within 110% of the best time set in its group. The maximum consecutive time that any driver can stay at the wheel is three hours, followed by two hours of rest. Over the 24 hours, no driver can spend more than 12 hours at the wheel. To be classified, a car must have completed at least 70% of the distance completed by the winning car. No handicap weight will be applied for this event.
Championship Rundown
After six rounds, Larbre Competition Chéreau has a 17-point lead in the GT Teams classification, with drivers Christophe Bouchut and Jean-Philippe Belloc leading the Drivers points table by 25 points. However, with 20 points on offer at Spa and four 500 km races remaining in the season, the Championship is still wide open. Team Carsport Holland is currently in second place, with Lister Storm Racing, absent from Spa, and Paul Belmondo Racing close behind.
In the N-GT field, JMB Competition's David Terrien and Christian Pescatori moved into the lead at the previous round, ahead of RWS Red Bull Racing's Luca Riccitelli. Art Engineering's Luigi Moccia and Fabio Babini are lying in third place.
GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Photo Courtesy:GTRacing.net
Larbre Compétition (1st, 48 pts) with two Vipers
Larbre Competition Chereau is planning an all-out assault on the GT category, entering two Chrysler Viper GTS-Rs for the first time. Marc Duez will join Christophe Bouchut and Jean-Philippe Belloc in the nr. 7 car, while the brand-new nr. 17 Chrysler Viper will be driven by usual N-GT drivers Patrice Goueslard, Sébastien Dumez and Jean-Luc Chéreau, along with F3000 star Sébastien Bourdais. “We are aiming to make the most of the double points for Spa,” team-owner Jack Leconte said. “We lost our chance of winning the N-GT Championship with Patrice's crash in Zolder, and so now we are concentrating on our main goal, the overall title. As soon as I knew Rafanelli would only be running one car, I got Duez under contract. Bouchut and Belloc want to win the Championship, and Duez wants to win Spa, so they should be able to work well together. As for Bourdais, I have supported his career in the past, and he has often tested with us.” Larbre will be testing at their local track of Val de Vienne before the race.
Carsport Holland (2nd, 31 pts) on a high
After finishing in first and third places in Budapest, the Dutch team has moved into second place in the GT Teams Classification. For Spa, Belgian drivers Thierry Tassin and Jean-Michel Martin will join the usual line-ups of Mike Hezemans and Jeroen Bleekemolen in the nr. 3 Chrysler Viper GTS-R and Michael and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen in the nr. 4 car. “Physically, it will be a very difficult race, as it will be very hot in the car,” said Hezemans, who finished on the podium in Spa back in 1991. Tassin, a former winner in the 24 Hours, is getting used to the Viper. “I was rather worried the first time I drove the car, but when I tested it at the end of June, I found it to be excellent. The Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper is very fast, with an enormous, powerful engine. The car's grip in the Raidillon or Blanchimont is incredible.”
Paul Belmondo Racing (4th, 24 pts) aiming to win
The Proximus 24 Hours of Spa will see Paul Belmondo's regular drivers reinforced by Brno pole-setter Emmanuel Clérico, former Viper driver Eric Hélary and Belgian touring car specialist Frédéric Bouvy, to form three strong line-ups in the Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars. “We've taken very good drivers who know the track and the car,” Belmondo said. “We have very high hopes for this race - it's very important, for the Championship, for the team, for the drivers. With Belgian drivers and a major Belgian partner, it's a race where we have to do the maximum. If we don't win, at least we'll know that we've done all we possibly could to prepare ourselves.” Boris Derichebourg, currently lying joint seventh with team-mate Vincent Vosse, will be driving with Bouvy and Defourny. “I'm pleased with the line-up,” he said. “I always knew that Vincent and I would be split up to maximize the chance of championship points. Both Bouvy and Defourny are previous winners at Spa, and they know the peculiarities of the race, such as the mist in the early morning, and that could be an advantage. I know Spa quite well, and I've always gone well there - I finished on the podium in F3000.”
Photo Courtesy:GTRacing.net
Rafanelli (5th, 14 pts) : Ferrari against the Vipers
Only one Rafanelli Ferrari 550 Maranello will be at Spa, but team owner Gabriele Rafanelli is confident that the car can be competitive. “We have never done a 24 hour test with the car, but we know that our engine is reliable and can last the distance,” he explained. “Additionally, our team benefits from solid experience in Le Mans, Spa and American endurance races. We're not going to Spa to watch the others.” The driver line-up will include Emanuele Naspetti, and Belgian drivers Eric van de Poele and Philippe Steveny, with a fourth driver still to be determined. Former Formula One driver Naspetti is looking forward to the race. “The Ferrari is a dream car to look at and to drive. The chassis and the engine are great. I've driven at Spa in F3000, F1 and Super Touring, and I can't wait to drive it in a GT. I am sure that the car will be reliable.”
GLPK Racing : hoping for home advantage
Regular GLPK driver Wim Daems will be joined for Spa by fellow-Belgian Bert Longin, who last drove in the Championship at Zolder in 2000, finishing 4th in the Freisinger Porsche 911 GT2 alongside Wolfgang Kaufmann. “I chose to drive with GLPK Racing because the team won the 24 Hours of Zolder in 2000 after dominating a very difficult race. The third driver for Spa is not yet fixed. This is the first time I'll be driving a Viper - it'll be a brand new experience for me, as I've never driven in the 24 Hours of Spa before. But preparations are going well.”
N-GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Photo Courtesy:GTRacing.net
JMB Competition (1st, 38 pts) : new Championship leaders
With their Ferrari 360 Modena taking a third win of the season, David Terrien and Christian Pescatori moved into the lead of the N-GT Championship at Budapest. Terrien finished on the podium at Spa in 1998 in the Group N category. “I hope we won't have too many parts to change during the race,” he said. “The longest race we've ever done in this car is the 6 Hours of Vallelunga. At Spa, we're not aiming for victory, but for the maximum points. In general, the N-GT cars are reliable and need less fuel stops than the GT cars - we can do 90 minutes on a tank. At Le Mans the leading N-GT car was ahead of the first GT, but in normal conditions, overall victory isn't really within our sights.”
RWS Motorsport (2nd, 32 pts) : a strong line-up
RWS Red Bull Racing is only entering one Porsche 996 GT3-R in the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa, but the team is hoping that this car will be the one to take the win. “We want to go in with the best possible driver line-up,” leading driver Luca Riccitelli said. “I think we have a really good chance to win. The team is very experienced, and the car is very reliable for this sort of race. It's going to be hard on the car and the drivers, but we want to start with the best possible conditions.“ Riccitelli will be driving with Austrian Dieter Quester and Spaniard Antonio Garcia, while the fourth driver is yet to be determined. “We lost our championship lead in Budapest, and it is very important for the rest of the season that we do well at Spa”, Riccitelli explained. “From now on, we should be able to complete the races on only one pit-stop, so we should be able to fight. But if we lose here, it's going to be very difficult.” Luca sees his main opposition coming from the Art Engineering Porsche - “They have a very strong line-up,” and from the Championship-leading Ferrari 360 Modena - “But it's the first time they are going to do a 24 hour race, and it might be difficult for them. However, you can never tell in endurance races. Anything can happen.”
Art Engineering (3rd, 25 pts) : mergers behind the wheel
As Fabio Babini will be without his usual team-mate Luigi Moccia for Spa, he will be joined by Redolfi Orlando driver Phillip Peter, Jirko Malcharek and Gianni Collini. “It's very important for the team, not only for the Championship, but because it's their first 24-hour race,” Babini explained. “This opportunity came about through Pirelli,” Peter explained. “As my team is not competing at Spa, they decided to put me together with Babini. On paper, we have a very good line-up - good, fast, reliable drivers, a good team, so we should have a good chance - it'll be up to us to make it work - I'm pretty excited.”
Perspective Racing (5th, 12 pts) : good knowledge
“Our main objective is to finish this event, which should be a beautiful race,” team owner Thierry Perrier explained. “But like at Le Mans, we don't know what surprises the weather will be holding for us. We want to put a beautiful, solid car out on the track, and hope it will take us through to the end.” Perrier and Michel Neugarten will be joined for the longer race by Belcar driver Kurt Thiers, and British FIA GT regular Nigel Smith, who already drove for the team at Le Mans. Perrier knows the track well, having driven twice in the 24 Hours of Spa in 1982/83, finishing second in his category.
Freisinger Motorsport (7th, 11 pts) with Vanina Ickx
Vanina Ickx, daughter of leading Belgian racing driver Jacky Ickx, will be joining German team Freisinger Motorsport for the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa. “I am really looking forward to it,” she said. “It was only decided a week ago. I had originally planned to drive one of the JMB Ferraris.” Vanina has little experience of the Porsche. “I did a couple of laps in the Supercup car, but the race was cancelled, so it was not enough to get used to it. However, I know the track very well - since I began racing, I have mainly done Belgian Championships, so I have raced at Spa a lot. The most intense sections are Blanchimont and Eau Rouge. For the 24 Hours, we have been really lucky with the weather over the past three years, with no rain.” Freisinger are entering three cars, with Stephane Ortelli, Xavier Pompidou and Christophe Tinseau among the other drivers.
Marino Franchitti makes FIA GT debut
Scottish driver Marino Franchitti, currently leading his category in the British GT Championship, will be driving the German-entered DD Racing Porsche 996GT3-RS at Spa, in the N-GT category. “It'll be my first 24 hour race, and I can't wait,” he said. “It's a fantastic circuit and a fantastic car !” Marino, the younger brother of CART star Dario Franchitti, has made rapid progress since moving to GT cars this season. “It was definitely the right decision, and I hope to be doing GTs for the next few years. This weekend will be a good opportunity to gain some more experience.”
July 26,2001 Third Lister Storm :
Photo Courtesy:Lister
Francois Lafon, Jean-Pierre Jarier and Team ART will be moving from their Viper to race in a Lister Storm for the last four races of the FIA GT Championship with plans to carry on into 2002.
The car they will be driving is last year's Championship winning Storm, completely up-dated to 2001 specification but still in its' Championship winning livery. The only real difference between this car and the two Lister team cars will be the tyres - they will be on Dunlop.
We expect the three Storms to be competing against each other in qualifying - Jamie, Julian and Tom will have strong competition from Jean-Pierre - another ex-Formula 1 driver.
In other Lister news, Lister has commited to run a car in the 2002 Rolex 24 at Daytona and could possibly run two if the right deal comes around.
July 17,2001 Proximus 24 Hours of Spa Info. :
The Proximus 24 Hours of Spa will be the seventh round of the FIA GT Championship, with four 500km races still to be run after the 24 hour marathon. After six rounds, French team Larbre Competition Chéreau, winner of the N-GT category in 2000, has a comfortable lead in the GT category. With Christophe Bouchut and Jean-Philippe Belloc taking three wins and three second places so far this season, their unparalleled consistency and the remarkable reliability of their Chrysler Viper GTS-R, must make them the favorites for the 24 Hours race. They will be joined at Spa by local star Marc Duez, winner of the 24 Hours in 1997 and 1998. The car has already completed one 24 Hours race this year, finishing fourth at Le Mans despite sustaining serious accident damage early in the race.
With Lister Storm Racing, Champion in 2000 and a front-runner this season, choosing not to race at Spa, Larbre's main opposition is likely to come from other Chrysler Viper GTS-Rs, namely those run by Dutch team Carsport Holland and Paul Belmondo Racing, based in France.
Carsport Holland should be confident after a convincing win in the sixth round of the Championship for the all-Dutch line-up of Mike Hezemans and Jeroen Bleekemolen. Carsport's second car finished in third place, lifting the team to second place overall in the Classification. The drivers will be joined for the longer race by Spa legend Thierry Tassin and Jean-Michel Martin.
Paul Belmondo Racing has strong Belgian connections, with drivers Vincent Vosse, Didier Defourny and Anthony Kumpen as part of their regular line-up. Team owners Paul Belmondo and Claude-Yves Gosselin, and F3000 graduate Boris Derichebourg, are the other known names. With three drivers a necessity for the longer race, one of the blue-and-yellow Fina sponsored Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars will be shared by team occasional Emmanuel Clerico, touring car specialist Eric Hélary and leading Belgian touring car driver Frédéric Bouvy.
The N-GT class, reserved for less powerful vehicles, has seen some incredible fights this year, and battle is raging between the Porsche 996 GT3-R cars and the Ferrari 360 Modenas of French team JMB Competition. JMB overtook Austrian-based team RWS Red Bull Racing in the previous round, taking the lead of the Championship with a resounding win, and RWS are bound to be out for revenge. JMB's leading drivers are the reigning Sports Racing World Cup Champions David Terrien and Christian Pescatori. RWS is led by fast Italian Luca Riccitelli, with five podium finishes this season as well as a win in the Czech Republic. Luca has had a number of different team-mates this season. He may be joined for Spa by Spanish driver Antonio Garcia, who made an impressive GT debut for the team at Budapest. Larbre Competition Chéreau should not be ruled out, and reigning Champion Patrice Goueslard, allied to young Frenchman Sebastien Dumez, showed a return to his top form in Budapest, with a second place finish.
General Information
- Cars may be entered in three different categories for the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa :
Category 1 : FIA GT and FIA N-GT, reserved for cars corresponding to the FIA GT and N-GT technical regulations.
Category 2 : FFSA GT and other National GT Championships, open to cars competing regularly in the French, Belgian, British, Spanish or other National Championships
Category 3 : Single make series, Cups and Trophies, open to cars from series such as the Lamborghini GTR Supertrophy, the Porsche Supercup, Ferrari 360 Challenge, etc.
Double points will be scored for this round, meaning 20 points for a win, 12 for second place, 8 for third.
Penalty weights will not be carried. Weights earned after Budapest will reapply for the eighth round at the A1 Ring.
Teams are allowed to have up to four drivers per car.
The maximum continuous driving time per driver is three hours. After this period, a minimum of two hours rest is required. The total number of driving hours cannot exceed twelve hours per driver.
This race falls outside the general entry rules of the Championship, meaning that teams are not obliged to enter, and other teams are allowed to enter this round only.
Entries for the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa close on July 16th 2001.
June 27,2001 Hungary Preview:Team Update:
LARBRE COMPETITION CHEREAU (1st, 42 pts) :: in the lead despite 100 kg penalty weight Inheriting the Zolder win after Lister’s exclusion, Larbre enter the second part of the season with a lead of 17points. However, the team is not expecting an easy time at Budapest.
“There is always a lot of work to do after a 24 hour race (i.e. Le Mans), and this time we had an accident as well, but we will be there’’ team owner Jack Leconte explained. ‘’However, with 100 kg penalty weight, and considering the nature of the track, we will not be able to do much in qualifying, so we will concentrate on the race set-up and try to get as many points as possible. We’ve just got to keep scoring points and try to keep our lead.”
LISTER STORM RACING (2nd, 25 pts) : : the battle for the title goes on “We’re all ready for Budapest,” Lister’s Fiona Pearce explained. “The cars have undergone total maintenance, which should have cured the misfire and other minor problems. But we did not have time for the complete rebuild we had originally planned. Nicolaus Springer tested at Dijon, and we want both cars to have a good run in Budapest.”
Despite trailing Larbre Competition in the points, Jamie Campbell-Walter is ready to fight until the end. “It might not be looking great just now but we’ll see where it leads us. At Budapest, with no long straights for the Vipers to stretch their legs, we should be dominant and have a good weekend. Tommy and I really want to win. It’s a steep hill now, but we’ve got nothing to lose, so we’ll go for maximum attack.” The team is unlikely to contest the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa. “We don’t have the budget to do the race,” Fiona continued. “However, the cars are ready, and if we find the budget, we’ll be there.”
PAUL BELMONDO RACING (3rd, 21 pts) : : looking forward to Budapest ”The team has an awful lot of work after Le Mans,” Boris Derichebourg said. “Luckily we are going to the Spa tests, which will allow us to check a few things before Budapest. It’s true that we are a long way behind Larbre at the moment, so we’re hoping to score well at Budapest, and then really try hard for Spa. Budapest was excellent for us last year, as we won, and obviously we’d like to repeat that result. We don’t have too much penalty weight any more. However, the big problem is likely to be the heat - we will have to find a solution to keep the car cool. The track is quite nice, very technical, although it’s hard work as there is no time to relax. Tyre wear will also be a big factor.”
CARSPORT HOLLAND (4th , 17 pts) : with new engine: “We’ll be testing a new engine in our Chrysler Viper GTS-R during the Spa test days,” explained Mike Hezemans of Carsport Holland. “It’s a Mader engine, with new cam shafts, and a different connection to the throttle, like in a Formula One engine. It’s experimental, but it should give us more power, especially at the top end of the range. It has worked well on the test bed, and we really hope it works well at Spa. If it does, we’ll leave it in for Budapest.”
TEAM RAFANELLI (5th, 14 pts) : with more power: The Italian team’s two Ferrari 550 Maranello cars finished the first part of the season in fine form, with Emanuele Naspetti claiming pole position in the n°5 car at Zolder, while Marc Duez and Günther Blieninger finished in third place in the race. “We are always working on the cars,” Gabriele Rafanelli explained. “We have rebuilt them totally, making some modifications and mechanical improvements. And we should have 20 bhp more power in the engine.”
N-GT CHAMPIONSHIP
RWS MOTORSPORT (1st, 31 pts): ready: “I’m ready for Budapest,” RWS Motorsport’s Luca Riccitelli said. “It’s an important race. Especially after our mistakes at Zolder, we can’t afford to lose any more points, so we want a good race. But the Hungaroring is a very special racetrack, with many corners and not enough straights for the Porsche engine, so I think it will be very good for the Ferrari, and they will be very fast.” Luca will be driving once more with his Zolder team mate Andrea Boldrini.
JMB COMPETITION (2nd, 28 pts) : confident: “I know the circuit from Formula 3000,” JMB’s David Terrien commented. “I think it’s perfectly suited to our Ferrari 360 Modena, but that is a difficult thing to judge. We thought Zolder would also be perfect for the car, but as it turned out we had a lot of technical problems. Still, our aim is to confirm what we did at Magny Cours and Silverstone, and to win every race if we can. We’re three points behind RWS at the moment, so we need to score as many points as possible, especially at the Spa race, which counts for double.” JMB is testing at Spa this weekend.
ART ENGINEERING (3rd, 21 pts) : in good shape: Fabio Babini and Luigi Moccia will be back behind the wheel of the n° 54 Porsche 996 GT3-R at Budapest, after claiming their first win of the season at Zolder. The n°53 car will be driven by team regular Andrea Bertolini and Slovakian driver Jirko Malcharek, who previously drove for the Coca Cola Racing Team. “A good result in Budapest is important for the team, for Pirelli, for the continuity of the Championship,” said the recent Le Mans GT winner, Fabio Babini.
LARBRE COMPETITION CHEREAU: ”Both the n° 50 and n°51 Porsche 996 GT3-R cars will be at Budapest, with the usual driver line-ups,” Jack Leconte confirmed. “There is still some work to be done on the Le Mans car, but we’ll be ready. I am sure that we are capable of winning a race this season.” Sebastien Dumez, who was taken ill during the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is undergoing a small surgical intervention on his inner ear this week. “Unless there are medical problems due to this surgery, he should be driving at Budapest,” Leconte confirmed.
June 13,2001 Lister Appeal Turned Down:
The Lister Storm teams appeal after being stripped of its 5th round victory in
Zolder has been denied.
The statement issued by the FIA reads as follows:
"Having listened to the explanations of all the parties involved, and examined the various documents and other evidence, the Court has rejected the appeal [brought by the Motor Sports Association on behalf of the Lister Storm Racing team] and decided to confirm the stewards' decision [document #12] of the 2001 FIA GT Championship round of Zolder, excluding car #1 entered by Lister Storm Racing. The results of this event are modified in consequence."
The Court was presided over by Vassilis Koussis of Greece, supported by Reginald Redmond of Ireland and Austria's Erich Sedelmayer.
The decision confirms the Larbre Competition Chrysler Viper of Christophe Bouchut and Jean-Phillipe Belloc as winners of the Zolder race, with the Carsport Holland Viper and Rafanelli Ferrari completing the podium.
May 18,2001 Wieth Ferrari Troubles Continue:
After recognizing that it is impossible to finish the announced improvements for our F550 in time, we decided to absolve another test on our way to Zolder on an airfirld near Biberach, to see if it is possible to stand the whole race distance.
Unfortunately again the "old style gearbox" could not resist the forces that work on it. The parts of the new one are not ready yet, so we had to make the decision, not to take part at the meeting in Zolder.
As soon as the new gearbox is ready, what will be within the next days, we are going to make some full-length tests on several diffrent racetracks to prove the steadiness of the car and ist components.
So for Budapest, we should be able to show a good performance and a car that stands the whole 500 km.
May 9,2001 Latest Team & Series News:
The fourth round of the Eurosport Super Racing Weekends will be held at the British track of Silverstone. The Grand Prix circuit is situated approximately 100km north of London, between Northampton and Milton Keynes.
The FIA GT Championship has visited Silverstone every year, meaning that most of the regular teams and drivers are familiar with it. However, some of newcomers have only raced on the shorter International circuit. "At least I'll know some of the corners," said Carsport Holland's Jeroen Bleekemolen, who last raced there in Formula Palmer Audi.
Rafanelli's Emanuele Naspetti names Silverstone as his favourite track "You can breathe the history of motor-racing there ; it's full of nice corners, and even if it's not as fast as before, it's still very nice to drive. It's one of the circuits where the driver can make a difference."
Championship Rundown
Campbell-Walter and Coronel took their second win of the season at Magny Cours, reclaiming the lead in the Team and Drivers Classifications for Lister Storm Racing, just in time for their home round at Silverstone. However, they are closely followed by last year's N-GT Champions, Larbre Competition Chéreau. "At Silverstone, we intend to win again !" Jean Philippe Belloc warned, after finishing in second place at Magny Cours with Christophe Bouchut. Paul Belmondo Racing is currently in third place. For Silverstone, the team will be joined once more by Brno pole-setter Emmanuel Clérico, replacing team-owner Paul Belmondo in the #11 Chrysler Viper. In the N-GT category, JMB Competition's first win for the Ferrari 360 Modena has placed them second, only seven points behind RWS Red Bull Racing, with Redolfi Orlando a further five points behind.
GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Prodrive make FIA GT Championship debut
At Silverstone, Prodrive will make their debut in the FIA GT Championship, with the first of two Ferrari 550 Maranello cars. It will be driven by two former British Touring Car Champions, Alain Menu from Switzerland and Rickard Rydell from Sweden. The car was designed, built and tested in just sixteen weeks. "We tested last week at the A1 Ring," Rydell explained. "The car obviously has a lot of potential; I'm very happy about it. It's fun to drive a 600 hp car, which is twice what I was used to in the BTCC. I'm looking forward to the Championship. I've done Le Mans, and sportscar races in Japan, so I'm used to longer races. I know I have to be fit, so I've trained a bit harder. The team has a very professional approach, but we have not had enough testing before Silverstone. The first races are going to be a learning experience for us."
Lister Storm Racing (1st - 25 pts) regain FIA GT lead
Last year Jamie Campbell-Walter took his first international pole position at Silverstone. "That was an accident - this year I'd like to do it on purpose," the 28-year old driver from Scotland explained. "Silverstone is my favourite track of the season. It's quite technical, with some real drivers' corners and some very technical parts, where you need the car to work really well. We have two main advantages at Silverstone : it's our home track, so we have a good set-up, and we've done so many laps there, so we're well in tune with the place. Your home race really fires you up as a driver. But we're going to have 90 kg penalty weight, which can cost you half a second a lap. And the competition is really intense this season."
Team Rafanelli (4th - 8 pts) in progress
Naspetti and Schiattarella, driving the #5 Team Rafanelli Ferrari 550 Maranello, finished in fourth position at Magny Cours, their best result so far. "We have not had much luck this season, with no chance to work as we should, due to factors like the weather," Naspetti explained. "But the car has a lot of potential, and it's our job to make it work ! The car is very satisfying to drive, although it is still a bit difficult to control at times. We have to improve the traction and aerodynamics, and then it will be much better. Cars always look even more beautiful when they start to win !" Naspetti is looking forward to the challenge of Prodrive's entry into the championship. "They are one of the best companies in motor sport, and I can't wait to compete against them !" he said.
N-GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Team EMKA looking for some luck
British N-GT entrant, EMKA Racing, set some of the fastest times in pre-season testing in their Porsche 996 GT3-R. However, the team has not had much luck in the first three races. "We were running well at Monza when Steve O'Rourke went off," Tim Sugden explained. "I put the car into the gravel in Brno, and at Magny Cours we were fourth when Steve went off again. We know we have the potential to run in the top three or four in the class, if we keep it all together. We'll do our best for our home race, but I don't think we have any particular advantage. I like Silverstone, and Steve knows it very well, so I'm really looking forward to it."
May 4,2001 Wieth Racing To Miss Silverstone:
After retiring again after a few laps of the race in Magny Cours because of technical problems we directly went to the Austrian GP course A1 Ring to make some comprehensive tests with the Ferrari. As the same problems appeared again we decided to cancel the race in Silverstone. This unfortunately is unavoidable, because of the necessary improvements and the short time between the two races in Silverstone and Zolder.
We will do our best to show the power and performance, the F550 GTS is aible to deliver, in Zolder.
April 23,2001 Latest Team News:
GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Larbre Competition(1st - 16 points) :
Champions last season in the N-GT class, Larbre Competition-Chéreau has made a successful move up to the GT class, taking the lead after just two races. With French drivers Christophe Bouchut and Jean-Philippe Belloc at the wheel of the n°7 Chrysler Viper GTS-R, the team hopes to repeat their Brno win on home ground. "I think we must have a slight advantage, as we know the circuit extremely well, which makes up for the lack of technical data concerning the car," Bouchut said. "Brno proved that the Lister cars have a problem in the rain. I live only 100km from Magny Cours, and it hasn't stopped raining all year !" The team is hoping to test at Val de Vienne on Tuesday.
Lister Storm Racing (2nd ex. - 13 points) : Coronel's favourite track
Tom Coronel will be back alongside Jamie Campbell-Walter in the n°1 Lister Storm Racing for the third round of the Championship, and the Dutch driver is looking forward to the race. "I always have success at Magny Cours," he explained. "It's the combination of corners that I like, with the high-speed chicanes and lots of braking points. I've always gone well there - in the European Formula Opel series, and in German Formula Three. I have a good feeling there, something to do with the atmosphere. It's very relaxing, with no stress - it makes a nice change." The team are hoping to improve on their Brno result in France. "The cars ran reliably in Brno, but we were caught out by the weather. Our aim is to get two cars in the points - and it would be nice to get both cars in the front of the Superpole too !" press officer Fiona Pearce said.
Paul Belmondo Racing (2nd ex- 13 points) : Aiming for the first win of the season
After a third-place finish at Monza, and second in Brno, Paul Belmondo Racing is hoping to take the top step of the podium at Magny Cours. "It's a circuit we know well, so our objective is to do even better," explained Boris Derichebourg, driver of the n° 12 Chrysler Viper GTS-R with Belgian Vincent Vosse. "Now we want to build on everything we've done so far. Everyone is working towards our goal - the team, the drivers and Dunlop." The engine in the n° 12 Viper will be changed before Magny Cours, after some problems in Brno. "The Championship is definitely a lot closer than last year. Lister seems to have the advantage, although I think we're quite equal with Larbre Competition-Chereau. But we need to work on our strategies. One area that we're strong is in the Superpole; we've got all three cars in at both events. But I like Magny Cours - and I think I should shine !" Boris concluded. Claude-Yves Gosselin will be driving the n°10 Chrysler Viper with Anthony Kumpen, while Paul Belmondo and Didier Defourny drive the n°11.
Carsport Holland (5th GT - 4 points): Testing before Magny Cours
There were mixed fortunes for the Bleekemolen family at Brno. While youngest son Jeroen raced to a third place finish with Mike Hezemans in the n° 3 Chrysler Viper GTS-R, the father and son team of Michael and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen ground to a halt one hundred metres before their pit, after fuel consumption problems. "It was disappointing, as I was looking forward to the pit stop," Sebastiaan said, after his first-ever endurance race. "We had two main problems at Brno -we didn't know the track or the car. But I like the race style. I was behind the wheel for one hour and twenty minutes, whereas my longest previous race was only thirty minutes." On the circuit, he explained : "Last year, at Magny Cours, I watched the GT Championship for the first time, while I was competing in the Clio Trophy. I thought it looked like a nice series, and now I'm racing in it ! So the track has a special place in my heart !" said Sebastiaan.
Carsport Holland will be testing at the A1 Ring (Spielberg) in Austria next week.
Silver Racing : For the rest of the season
Belgian team Silver Racing, whose Chrysler Viper GTS-R finished 19th overall at Brno, plans to enter the remaining eight rounds of the 2001 FIA GT Championship, as well as the 24 Hours of Spa. The car was driven by team-owner Eric de Doncker and fellow Belgian Robert Dierick.
N-GT CHAMPIONSHIP
RWS Motorsport (1st - 16 points) : Hard fight ahead…
Luca Riccitelli and Dieter Quester, driving the n°77 Porsche 996 GT3-R, took their first win of the season in Brno. "Considering the weather in the first part of the race, and the wear to the tyres in the second, I think we did a good job," Riccitelli said. "We're now in the right mental frame to pull ahead and do our best to win the Championship. But I am sure we will face a lot of competition in Magny Cours. The Larbre Competition cars will be very strong, as they test there a lot, and are sure to have the perfect set-up for their Porsche 996 GT3-Rs. And the JMB Racing Ferrari 360 Modena is very fast, with two very good drivers, Terrien and Pescatori. There are at least five cars that can fight for the win. But we will do our best to get as many points as we can, as I think it is going to be a hard fight all the way down to the last race of the season."
Orlando (2nd - 11 points) : new drivers pairing
The #69 Porsche 996 GT3-R, the surprise first-round winner at Monza, will have another change of drivers for Magny Cours. Austrian Philipp Peter, who drove alongside Venezuelan Johnny Cecotto in the first race, will be back, after missing Brno due to Porsche Supercup commitments. At Magny Cours he will be partnered by 20-year old Swiss F3000 driver Joel Camathias, who is currently joint 9th in the F3000 classification, having finished in fifth place in Brazil.
Larbre Competition-Chéreau (3rd - 8 points) :
Defending champions Larbre Competition-Chéreau are currently third in the N-GT Classification, having placed both Porsche 996 GT3-R cars in the points at Brno. "Brno went very well, considering I'd never been there before," Sebastien Dumez explained. "For Magny Cours, we'll be at home, and it's one of the few tracks this season I already know, so I hope we can make the podium. The start to the season hasn't been easy, due to a number of mistakes and some strategy problems with the team and the drivers. With the GT Viper and two quick N-GT Porsches, it has taken a while to blend everything together. But now we've sorted all that out, and we should quickly start improving and scoring points."
Haberthur Racing: Sylvain Noel
"Up until now, our results have not been fantastic," French GT newcomer Sylvain Noel admitted. Noel, driving with Laurent Cazenave in the n° 60 Haberthur Porsche 996 GT3-R, has had a difficult start to the season. "The level is much higher than where we have been racing before, and we have to learn the circuits every time. So the other N-GT teams have a definite advantage. Our team is extremely experienced, but that can't make up for our lack of local knowledge. We usually spend Friday learning the track, and only start really setting up the car during qualifying. Magny Cours is the first track where we'll be on familiar ground. I adore the circuit, and I know it by heart, so it should be easy to adapt. We are therefore hoping to make the Superpole for the first time and score our first points of the year !"
April 9,2001 Latest Team News:
Lister Storm Racing (1st - 10 points) : Coronel replaced by Dean
As Monza round winner Tom Coronel has Touring car commitments in the Netherlands, he will be replaced in the n° 1 Lister Storm at Brno by British driver Richard Dean. Dean last raced in the FIA GT Championship in 1997, for Chamberlain Motorsport. He was also a race-winner last season for Lister in the British GT Championship.
The team have discovered the source of the Lister Storms' Monza misfires : "The problem was fuel contamination : everything has been cleaned out, and should now be fine," press officer Fiona Pearce explained.
Paul Belmondo Racing (2nd - 7 points) : Kumpen looking forward to new track
Paul Belmondo Racing driver, Anthony Kumpen, enjoyed his Monza weekend, despite his race finishing prematurely when the n°10 Chrysler Viper he shares with Claude-Yves Gosselin suffered battery failure. "It was good," the young Belgian driver said. "If I could have got past Boris Derichebourg on the first lap, I could have stayed up with Christophe Bouchut in the Larbre Viper. But I lost too much time. Still, it was an encouraging start - the car and team did a good job, and I have good cooperation with my engineer, who understands what I need." This is Kumpen's first year in full-time international racing. "I could only race in Belgium last year, as I was finishing my studies," he explained. As for Brno, he has never been there before. "It sounds like a fast track, which I prefer to technical ones. We have plenty of time in the free practice sessions to get to know the layout. I think we'll be good. We should have the Dunlop development tyres, which we tested in Almeria (Spain), and which weren't ready for Monza."
Despite some nerves, Kumpen enjoyed his first experience of the Superpole single-lap qualifying. "I've really no qualifying experience, as with 62 cars on the track in Belcar (Belgian GT and Touring Car Championship) you just try to get a decent lap. I was a lot too nervous at the start, and braked too early for the first corner. You really have to be very focused and precise, really going to the limits of the car. But it's interesting for a driver : it's just you and the car, and no excuses."
For the Brno race, team co-owner and driver Claude Yves Gosselin will be replaced by French driver Emmanuel Clérico, a race-winner for the team in 1999. Clérico will also drive at Silverstone, this time replacing Paul Belmondo, who has family commitments.
Larbre Competition-Chéreau (3rd - 6 points) : optimistic
Bouchut and Belloc finished in second place in Monza, in their first race in the team's new Chrysler Viper GTS-R. "I think the Lister is going to be really strong in Brno, but we might be able to close on them," Bouchut said. "We don't yet have enough technical information on our new car to beat them, but if we really push, we shouldn't be as far behind as in Monza. The weight handicap is not enough to be a problem yet." Bouchut also remembers Lister's replacement driver. "I drove against Richard Dean in Formula Ford, back in1988 - he was really fast !"
Team Rafanelli (4th - 2 points) ready for Brno
Finishing in fifth place in the first race of the season, the n°6 Rafanelli Ferrari 550 Maranello, driven by Marc Duez and Günther Blieninger, scored the first ever points by a Ferrari in the FIA GT Championship. Team owner Gabriele Rafanelli was pleased with the result. "Both cars should have finished the race - we didn't have any doubts about the reliability," he explained. "But the n°5 had a problem with the undertray after going over the kerbs while overtaking a Viper. It was touching the ground, and we lost time in the pits while attempting to mend it. The car rejoined the race at the back of the grid, and rose back to tenth place before the bottom fell out again and the car ended in the gravel. But the cars proved fast and competitive, and I am very pleased with them." The team will be back for Brno, with the cars totally revised and ready to go. "We will be testing again after Brno, a circuit that I am sure will suit us," he concluded.
GLPK Racing : disappointing start
Belgian team GLPK Racing had an early exit from Monza, after Hungarian driver Tamas Illes hit the barriers during the second free practice session. Although it initially seemed as if not much damage had been done to the Chrysler Viper, it later appeared that the chassis had been affected, and the team withdrew. "The car is currently being stripped down, and although it will be a race against time, it will be ready for Brno," a team spokesman said. "We will also have a second engine for the car, and we're looking forward to the next race."
Prodrive Ferrari : Menu and Kox
British team Prodrive announced last week that its leading driver in the FIA GT Championship will be 2000 British Touring Car Champion Alain Menu, from Switzerland. The team is due to enter a Ferrari 550 Maranello from the Silverstone round onwards, with a second car entering from the Budapest round. As Menu has commitments in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), Peter Kox will be replacing him for three rounds (Zolder, A1 Ring, Nürburgring). Dutch touring-car specialist Kox drove in the FIA GT Championship for BMW in 1997, and competed in the final round last season for Carsport Holland. "I'm really looking forward to it," Peter said. "If Prodrive do anything, they do it well, and if what I saw at the factory is anything to go by, it'll be excellent. And it's a car that really catches people's imaginations. I'm proud they asked me, and want to do a good job. Obviously I have commitments to the Super Production Championship, but I don't think it'll be a problem to race in both series at the same weekend. The only problem will be adapting to two very different cars."
AutoOrlando (1st N-GT - 10 points) : Cecotto to share Porsche 996 GT3-R with Montermini
As Monza race-winner Philipp Peter will miss Brno due to previous commitments in the Porsche Supercup, he will be replaced by former Formula One and CART driver Andrea Montermini. "It's going to be a totally new experience for me," Montermini explained. "I've never driven a Porsche 996 GT3-R before, and I've never raced at Brno. But it's very exciting, especially driving alongside a well-known driver like Johnny Cecotto."
RWS Motorsport (2nd N-GT - 6 points) : confident
The team's Porsche 911 GT3-R drivers, Luca Riccitelli and Dieter Quester, are looking forward to Brno. "It's one of my favourite tracks of the season, and I'm sure we can have a good race," Riccitelli said. "We were surprised in Monza, as we were always one of the fastest cars on the track, yet at the start of the final stint we were fifth. We couldn't understand it. But we discovered we lost all our time in the pits - changing too many tyres, and putting in too much fuel. We know why we lost the race, and it won't happen again."
JMB Competition : aiming for victory
Only one JMB Competition Ferrari 360 Modena will race at Brno, with David Terrien and Christian Pescatori at the wheel. The second car, damaged in a crash at Monza, is being repaired, and will not be ready in time.
The Ferrari 360 Modenas showed their potential at Monza, with the n°62 car, driven by Terrien and Pescatori, running as high as 3rd in class before stopping with a brake problem. "I can't wait to get to Brno," David Terrien said. "We saw the excellent potential of the car at Monza, and now I really believe we can aim for victory. We're still limited by the engine, but if we managed to be third and climbing at Monza, the least favourable track for our car, the rest of the season looks very promising. And I love Brno - Christian and I won there last year in the Sports Racing World Cup, one of my best-ever racing memories. All the team is extremely motivated and working hard, because now we know we can win."
Coca Cola Racing Team
The first team from the Czech Republic to take part in the FIA GT Championship, the Coca Cola Racing Team, is looking forward to its home race. "It's on Easter Monday, so there should be a good crowd to watch. And as it is our home race, we won't have the logistics problems we have for the other races," team manager Igor Salaquarda explained. The long-established team has been competing in touring cars for many years, winning the Central European Touring Car Championship twice, but this is their first season in GT racing. "GT racing is adapted to private teams, who can get good results with a reasonable budget", Salaquarda continued.
The drivers, however, are having more problems adapting to the more powerful Porsche 996 GT3-R cars after their previous Audi A4 quattros. "There is more power and less grip in the Porsche," Milan Maderyc explained.
March 24,2001 Latest Series And Team News:
The FIA Motor Sport World Council met in Paris on Wednesday and allowed the number of full season entrants in the Championship to be increased from 30 to 38. Three cars among the 38 selected will be joining the series later in the season : the Ferrari 550 Maranello of Prodrive Allstars, the Lamborghini Diablo of Reiter Engineering and the third Lister. 36 cars are due to take part in the first round at Monza, including 16 GT and 20 N-GT cars, with four different makes of car and six different models represented.
Carsport Holland
Last year, the Monza 500 km race was the third round of the Championship. Despite heavy rain during qualifying, Mike Hezemans took his first pole in the Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper GTS-R, and, with his team-mate David Hart, proceeded to take his first race win. "It's not a particularly difficult track -- but it's good, and fast. The changes we have made to the car are not particularly appropriate for Monza," Hezemans explained. "For example, we have a lot more downforce, but we won't need it there. I think the test days showed the potential of the car. As to whether we can win again, there are just too many variables at this stage of the year." The second Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper will undergo a shakedown session at Zandvoort this weekend before the two cars are taken to Monza.
Team Rafanelli
Team Rafanelli confirms drivers for Ferrari 550 Maranello Domenico "Mimmo" Schiattarella has been confirmed as the fourth driver for Team Rafanelli's two Ferrari 550 Maranello cars. Schiattarella, who raced the team's sports prototype last year, will drive with Emanuele Naspetti in the # 5, while Marc Duez and Gunther Blieninger will share the # 6. Schiattarella last raced in the FIA GT Championship in 1997, when he shared a GBF Lotus GT1 with Ferrari Formula One test-driver Luca Badoer. "I know the team very well, having driven for them for two years," Mimmo said. "I think that Emanuele and I will form a very strong package, and I hope the Ferrari will be strong enough to compete with the Lister, which, I am sure, will be the car to beat." In the official test days, the Ferrari was third fastest. "We were happy with the Monza test, but the second car is completely new, so we will have another test at Vallelunga on the 27th March, with all four drivers," said team manager Giorgio Piccolo.
Autorlando
The Italian team Autorlando, regular competitor Tin the FIA GT Championship since 1999, has entered cars in both GT Tand N-GT classes this year. A Porsche 911 GT2 will be shared by TItalian trio Gabriele Sabatini, Marco Spinelli and Fabio Villa, while TVenezuelan Johnny Cecotto and Austrian Philipp Peter will drive a TPorsche 996 GT3-R. Peter took part in the Sports Racing World Cup last Tyear, finishing joint third in the drivers' classification, at the Twheel of a BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 333SP. He has also frequently Tdriven in endurance races for RWS, including the Budapest round of the TFIA GT Championship last year. "I'm very happy with the team, and we've Tmade good progress in the test days," Peter said. "I should be doing Tall the rounds that do not clash with the Porsche Supercup. For most Traces I'll be sharing the car with Swiss F3000 driver Joel Camathias, Tbut as he will be in Brazil, Johnny Cecotto will be replacing him. I'm Treally looking forward to driving with him !" A former motorbike World TChampion, 45-year old Cecotto competed in Formula One in 1983 and 1984, Tbefore concentrating on touring cars, winning the German Supertouring TChampionship in 1998 with a Schnitzer BMW.
RWS Motorsport
Driver changes for RWS Motorsport RWS Motorsport team owner Rudi Walch, entering two Porsche 996 GT3-R cars in the N-GT category, was faced with serious driver problems before the first round of the 2001 championship. "Hans-Jorg Hofer cannot drive as he has been hospitalized. And, sadly, Bob is not here any more," Walch said. Bob Wollek, who was supposed to drive for RWS this season, was killed in a road accident at Sebring last weekend. As for Luca Riccitelli, he is making good progress after his serious crash during testing at Monza. "He is not 100%, but he is getting better all the time," Rudi said. Riccitelli and Austrian driver Dieter Quester will drive one car. Italians Fabio Mancini and Luca Collini, who won the Austrian round of the FIA GT Championship last year, driving an Art Engineering Porsche 996 GT3-R, will share the other.
Freisinger Motorsport
British driver Nigel Smith, who finished 5th in the N-GT Drivers classification last year with Pennzoil Quaker State G-Force, has joined German team Freisinger Motorsport for the 2001 season. The team is entering three Porsche 996 GT3-R cars, one for the Russian drivers crew of Vassiliev and Fomenko, one for Freisinger regular driver Wolfgang Kaufmann and 1998 Le Mans 24 Hours winner and frequent FIA GT competitor Stephane Ortelli. Smith will share the third car with a driver yet to be named. "I felt this was the best option for the season. I drove with the team at Sebring, and it seems like a good team. Kaufmann and Ortelli should make an exciting team, and it'll be interesting driving with them -- I should learn a bit !" Smith said.
March 22,2001 Provisional Entry List:
The FIA has released a provisional entry list for the FIA GT Championship.
You can view it here.
March 21,2001 Bailey Re-signs With Lister:
Julian Bailey, who signed to drive for MG in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP675 category, will also defend his FIA GT Championship title with the Lister Storm team this season.
The 39-year-old former Grand Prix driver will share a Lister Storm with German Nicolaus Springer, his place alongside last year's co-champion Jamie Campbell-Walter taken by Dutchman Tom Coronel.
Springer was scheduled to drive with Swiss Philippe Favre, with whom the German shared the Storm for much of last season, but contractual agreements ensured that Bailey took the seat instead.
"This has nothing to do with Philippe's performance," said team owner Laurence Pearce. Bailey's first race will be the season opener at Monza next weekend.
March 12,2001 Team And Driver Update:
Larbre Competition :
The French team only received its Chrysler Viper GTS-R on February 19th, leaving just a few days to prepare the new car before taking it to Monza for the first official FIA test sessions. "We were very worried that we would not be ready", team manager Jack Leconte said. "With three cars (one in GT and two in N-GT), the stakes are high and the pressure is on. It was a relief to see that we were not late, knowing that we still have a lot of room for improvement".
On the second test day, on a wet track, the team was second to the Lister Storm. "I was surprised by the Lister's speed in the wet", Jack Leconte said. "It was their weak point last year, they must have worked hard to improve".
French driver Christophe Bouchut signalled a successful move to the GT category by setting the fastest time in Monza. "This is the first real opportunity to see how this year's Championship is going to shape up, and to get a feeling for the provisional hierarchy for the year," he said. "It's good to have set the fastest time, and to see that the team has adapted well to the new car. But I don't think the times should be taken too literally, as Lister had problems yesterday, and, in 2000, they were never as fast at Monza as at other tracks." Nevertheless, Bouchut was happy with his new car. "It's a very original car, and looks extremely aggressive, but it's surprisingly easy to drive, and I managed to get up to speed right away. Belloc and I set nearly identical times, so it's looking positive for the season ahead."
Lister Storm Racing :
Lister Storm Racing has announced a number of changes for their 2001 plans. Tom Coronel, the Dutch driver who took a win and a second place while competing in two races for Carsport Holland last year, has joined Lister for 2001, driving alongside reigning FIA GT Drivers' Champion Jamie Campbell Walter. Coronel, who won the Japanese Formula Nippon Championship in 1999, was pleased with his new car. "It's a real racing car, with plenty of power and noise. And it's very good to be competing at an international level again." Tom will miss the Brno and Nürburgring rounds of the championship due to clashes with his Dutch Touring Car Championship commitments, when Julian Bailey will rejoin the team with which he won the 2000 FIA GT Championship.
Ian McKellar will now drive last year's Championship-winning Storm, which will be entered by British team Tech 9 Racing. "We thought that this was best for the team," Lister's Fiona Pearce explained. "Ian is very young, and has no knowledge of the European tracks. And the quality of the opposition, especially of the drivers, has gone up a notch this year. So we thought it would be better if he had the opportunity to learn without everyone watching him." McKellar will be driving with two other British drivers, Phil Hindley, who also runs Tech 9, and former Marcos driver Tom Combrinck.
The two new Storms took part in the Monza test days, with the #2 car, which will be shared again by Nicolaus Springer and Philippe Favre, being run for the first time. "The first day was a bit of a disaster for the #1 car," Fiona continued. "After a mistake in the first session, they spent most of the time in the pits. And in the afternoon there were too many red flags. So it was rather frustrating. But they were happy to set the fastest time in the rain on the second day." The team will continue testing at Donington Park.
Paul Belmondo Racing :
Paul Belmondo Racing had two of their three Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars in Monza, with all six drivers attending the test. The third car is currently being assembled, and will be ready for the first race of the season. Team owner Paul Belmondo was quite confident. "It is looking very good. We tried some things on one car, which did not work very well, but the other car was fine. Considering how little time we actually ran, the results are quite promising. It was also good to see that our new driver Anthony Kumpen is up to speed. We now have three full days of testing in Spain."
EMKA :
During the Monza test days, the EMKA Porsche 996 GT3-R was fastest in the N-GT category on both days. "I'm delighted," Tim Sugden commented, "I'm really pleased with how it went, especially to be quickest in both the dry and the wet. There is still a lot of work to be done, as the car was not right by any means - we had a problem with the rear suspension. It was our first time on Dunlop tyres, and they worked very well, so everything is looking good. Of course, for nearly everyone it was the first time in the car after the winter break and rebuild, so there is no reason to get too excited. We know how hard it will be, but we have won the first bit - I just hope it won't be our only one !"
RWS Motorsport :
German team RWS Motorsport, who were second in last year's N-GT Championship, will enter two cars in the 2001 season.
The Red Bull-sponsored cars will be headed by the race-winning combination of Italian Luca Riccitelli and Austrian Dieter Quester, while Hans-Jörg Höfer will share the second car with a driver yet to be named.
JMB Competition :
The French team, managed by Jean-Michel Bouresche, attended the Monza test with a brand new car, which had just got out of the factory on Monday evening. "We were not too bad on the dry, considering that we did not have all the chassis evolutions", driver David Terrien said. "With a full fuel tank, we were only 1.8 seconds slower than the best N-GT Porsche."
On the second day, the team was disappointed with the handling of the car, noticing a significant imbalance between the back and the front of the car. The team is looking forward to the first race of the season, although their car is not adapted to the Monza track. "We lack 15km/h top speed at Monza", David Terrien said. "But I am sure that we will be much better on technical circuits".
Two N-GT cars for Haberthur:
Swiss team Haberthur Racing is planning to enter two Porsche 996 GT3-Rs in the 2001 FIA GT Championship. The first car will be driven by former touring car driver Laurent Cazenave and Sylvain Noel, winner of the B category of the French Porsche Cup last season. Haberthur regular Patrick Vuillaume will drive the second car. "The fourth driver will be announced soon," said team-manager Christian Haberthur.
March 8,2001 Monza Testing Lister Changes:
Following a week of changes in the Lister Storm team, Ian McKellar will now be leading a 'customer' Storm entered by J-Tech in the FIA GT Championhip; Jamie Campbell-Walter has been joined by Tom Coronel in the work's Storm the first official test and launch of the 2001 FIA GT Championship started yesterday, Wednesday, in Italy.
We have two new Lister Storms - the Nicolaus Springer/ Phillipe Favre car being run for the first time here in Italy. A difficult day with an incredible amount of stoppages due to red flags - Jamie & Tom's car spent most of the morning session in the pit while changes were made to the car and then, in the afternoon, Jamie only managed a couple of consecutive laps due to the red flags; Tom only had 3 laps in the car - they ended up 4th fastest in the afternoon session, but it was very close at the top.
Meanwhile, Nicolaus & Philippe 'shook down' their car in the most public of places - only problem was a temperamental starter motor.
Today - Thursday - there are 2 more sessions but now in the rain.
February 23,2001 Team And Driver Update:
Larbre Competition :
Former Chrysler Viper Team Oreca driver Jean-Philippe Belloc, will return to the FIA GT Championship for 2001. He will partner the reigning N-GT Champion Christophe Bouchut in Larbre Competition's new Chrysler Viper GTS-R.
"I think they will be a very good combination," team manager Jack Leconte said.
"I'm very happy," Belloc commented. "Larbre has brought together all the elements to do a very good job, and I'm very pleased to be able to do the whole season with them. I think Christophe and I will complement each other, and the fact that I know the Viper well and have driven it on many of the European tracks could be useful to the team." Larbre Competition's new Viper will start testing at the Val de Vienne track on February 27th and 28th.
Freisinger Motorsport:
"In 2001, Freisinger Motorsport should be competing in the FIA GT Championship with two N-GT cars and maybe one GT, rented to a driver combination from Italy," the team's main driver Wolfgang Kaufmann explained. "One of the Porsche 996 GT3-Rs will be driven by Russian drivers Fomenko and Vassiliev, who already drove at the Lausitzring and Magny Cours last year. My co-driver in the other car is not yet known, but he should be quick ." His car will be a new Porsche GT3-RS, shod with Yokohama tyres. "There's a big difference between this N-GT and the GT. It's easier to drive, but there's less horsepower."
Kaufmann, who took his first overall FIA GT win at the Lausitzring last year, has mixed feelings about changing class. "I'd prefer to remain in the top class, but there is no real possibility of challenging for the lead in a Porsche 911 GT2. We saw last year that you have to rely too much on other people's problems. In N-GT, we have a good chance, and good motivation, but we'll have very little experience compared to the teams that competed last year."
Perspective Racing:
Michel Neugarten, who drove for the Pennzoil Quaker State G-Force last year, will be back for a full season with French team Perspective Racing "I had various options, including racing in the GT class," Michel said. "But I eventually decided to drive with Thierry Perrier at Perspective Racing. I raced for them in the 6 Hours of Vallelunga, which we won. The team is extremely professional, yet there is a great atmosphere." The team has bought a new Porsche 996 GT3RS, which is due to arrive this week. They will be using Dunlop tyres .
Neugarten is very impressed with his new teammate. "He may not be well known in international competition, but he is a very quick driver -- he won the French GT Cup last year -- and he's 100% ready for the FIA GT Championship. I think that he will be within a second and a half of my lap-times. We're out to win the category." The team is also likely to enter a second car -- the older Porsche 996 GT3-R that Neugarten and Perrier drove to fourth place at Magny Cours last year -- for the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa.
EMKA :
EMKA/GTC will be entering a similar team to last year's, in the N-GT category. "The car has been rebuilt over the winter and brought up to the latest specifications," said Tim Sugden, who will drive once again with Steve O'Rourke. "It's being put back together now, and should be ready to go to Monza for March 7th and 8th. Our aim is to do better than last year, which was Steve's first in European competition. We managed a few podiums last year, but we'd like to get a win in 2001. We'll have Dunlop tyres rather than Pirelli, which might be a step forward. The structure should still be the same as last year, headed by Michael Cane." Tim is looking forward to the new form of single-lap qualifying. "I always did well in that format in the British Touring Car Championship, and it works well for teams and television alike. The only problem is when the weather changes, which can make it a bit of a lottery. But I'm looking forward to the season -- it's a good little team with a very good atmosphere. Considering how little testing we do, our results are remarkable."
February 22,2001 Listers Head Valencia Test:
The first two-day test session of the 2001 FIA GT Championship took place at Valencia, Spain on February 20th and 21st .
The following teams participated : Team Rafanelli (Ferrari 550 Maranello), Lister Storm Racing with one 2000 Lister Storm and one 2001 model, Paul Belmondo Racing (Chrysler Viper GTS-R), GLPK Racing (Chrysler Viper), Racing Box (Chrysler Viper), Autorlando (Porsche 911 GT3-R), JMB Competition (with two Ferrari 360 Modena), Erich Prinot (Ferrari 360 Modena) and Freisinger Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3R).
2000 FIA GT Champion Jamie Campbell-Walter set the overall best time, covering the 4.005 km circuit in 1.32.6 on the second test day.
The Ferrari 550 Maranello driven by Emanuele Naspetti showed its potential by setting the second best time in 1.33.6. On the first day, the Ferrari was the fastest of the contenders with a lap time of 1.34.3.
The third best time, of 1:34.2, was set by Vincent Vosse at the wheel of his Dunlop-shod Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Viper. Tamas Illes, in the GLPK Viper, set the fourth time in 1.34.8. The young Hungarian driver, who finished third in last year's Budapest round at the wheel of a Chamberlain Chrysler Viper, is currently in negotiation with the Belgian team for the second seat in the car.
In N-GT, the best time was set by Philip Peter in the Autorlando Porsche 911 GT3-R, with a lap of 1.38.7, ahead of the best Ferrari 360 Modena driven by Iradj Alexander-David, who set a time of 1.39.6. JMB Racing was present with two cars, and was getting used to its new Michelin tyres. The cars were not yet carrying the latest developments from Michelotto, so speed should continue to progress throughout the season.
The next test session will be organised at Monza, Italy, on March 7th and 8th.
February 10,2001 Monza Test; Team Update:
Monza will host the official test sessions and presentation of the 2001 FIA GT and European Touring Car Championships on March 7th and 8th. Track time will be shared between the GT and the Touring cars.
Team Rafanelli is currently testing its Ferrari 550 Maranello at the Italian track of Vallelunga. "We have four drivers here today," Gabriele Rafanelli said on Tuesday. "Emanuele Naspetti, Geunther Blieninger, Marc Duez and Mimmo Schiatarella. Three of these may be with us for the season, but Mimmo is just testing." Italian Naspetti drove for March in Formula One in 1992, and has since concentrated on touring cars. Belgium's Marc Duez has been an occasional competitor in the FIA GT Championship over the past years, driving mainly for Chrysler Viper Team Oreca, and finished twice on the podium in 2000 for Paul Belmondo Racing. G=FCnther Blieninger , from Germany, finishing third with RWS/Red Bull Racing in his only appearance in the 2000 championship. He was also behind Pole Team, competing in sportscar races with a Riley and Scott.
Another driver currently in discussion with the team is Frenchman Jean-Marc Gounon, former BMW and Mercedes factory driver. "We are currently preparing the car to start testing tomorrow, and then we have three days to define the parameters before building the second car in time for the Valencia test," said Rafanelli.
Full season for Automotive Racing Team
French Automotive Racing Team have made occasional appearances in the FIA GT Championship, but for 2001, Jean-Pierre Jarier and Fran=E7ois Lafon are planning to enter the whole season with their Chrysler Viper GTS-R. The car, which finished in second place in last season's French GT Championship, has undergone a lot of work over the winter months. "It's lighter, with a new sequential gear box, and complies with FIA rules concerning the restrictors," Jarier explained. "The other significant change is that we will now be using Michelin tyres." When a third driver is needed, Jarier's neighbour and former F1 colleague, Indycar champion Danny Sullivan, will be driving the car. The car will make its testing debut at the official Monza tests on March 7th and 8th.
"We know that it's going to be a hard season, because there is a lot of competition," Jarier concluded.
Porsche 996 bi-turbo for AAP
Dutch team AAP is facing a race against time to get their Porsche 996 bi-turbo ready for the Monza presentation. "We are building everything in house - gearbox, engine, everything," renowned car tuner Aart Andriessen said. "We wanted to race a Porsche in the GT category, and there is nothing suitable available, so we bought a new body from Porsche, and have made all the modifications ourselves, with some help from the factory, to comply with the FIA specifications. We know it would be much easier to just buy a Viper, but we want a Porsche !" The drivers will be Remco Pappenburg, who is a director of a tool import company, and KLM pilot Nico Verdoes. Both drivers have driven for the team before, in Dutch national endurance races. "Remco might not be famous, but he is a very fast driver, and is excellent at setting the car up," Andriessen explained.
Italian driver Batti Pregliasco will be sharing the second JMB Ferrari Modena 360 with Marco Lambertini and Andrea Garbagnati. He will also be involved with testing the car.=20
Belgian team GLPK, who competed in the FIA GT Championship in 1999, will make their return this season with a Chrysler Viper GTS-R. One driver has already been announced, namely Belgian Wim Daems. The team is currently in discussions with other drivers, and hopes to announce its second driver soon.
Racing Box, regular contestants in the 2000 FIA GT Championship, will be back in 2001. "We will run our Chrysler Viper GTS-R for Luca Cappellari and Gabriele Matteuzzi," team manager Mauro Felisatti said.
January 27,2001 N-GT for Haberthur Racing:
Swiss-based team Haberthur Racing, one of the most regular competitors in the FIA GT Championship, is planning to concentrate on the N-GT class in 2001. "We hope to enter one or two Porsche 996 GT3-R cars," team boss Christian Haberthur said. "The cars are the 2000 models, and although we have been talking to drivers, the contracts have not been signed yet."
The team is currently preparing for the 24 Hours of Daytona, and will have more news afterwards.
January 26,2001 Carsport Viper News:
The Dutch Carsport team, which came so close to landing last year's FIA GT drivers' title,has been extremely busy with the development of its Chrysler Viper over the past few months.
Deprived of glory by the Lister Storm duo of Julian Bailey and Jamie Campbell-Walter, the team decided to strip the Viper back to basics and begin again in the search for better power, handling and balance. The result is what the drivers describe as a new-look car, although similar bodywork means that not much will appear that different to the casual observer.
"There's not much left of the old car," insisted lead pilot Mike Hezemans, "Over 80 points are different from last year's version. A different front, new sequential gearbox, aerodynamics, weight distribution, radiator, driver positioning.... We've moved the oil tank, changed the mufflers, and we're doing an engine test programme. All the parts have been tested on the old car, and seem to work well. We hope to have at least one car ready for the Valencia test [between 20-21 February], if not two."
Hezemans will share the lead car with rising Dutch star Jeroen Bleekemolen, already a veteran of both Formula Three and Palmer Audi action.
"He tested the car last Friday, and was immediately quick," Hezemans said, "We're hoping to win the championship, of course, but there is going to be a lot of competition."
The team's second car, when it is ready, is expected to be shared by Bleekemolen's famous father Michael and brother Sebastiaan.
January 26,2001 Belmondo Racing News:
Paul Belmondo Racing will be represented in the FIA GT championship with three Chrysler viper.
Vincent Vosse and Boris Derichebourg are paired in the first car while team owner Paul Belmondo and Didier Defourny will pilot the second. Anthony Kumpen and teammanager Claude-Yves Gosselin will run the third.
January 24,2001 Wieth Ferrari 550 GTS News:
Prodrive, run by David Richards, is to design and build its own racing package for the Ferrari 550 Maranello for an unnamed customer team that will race in the FIA GT Championship. Prodrive's version will appear for the fourth round of the championship at Silverstone in May, and a second car will appear in Hungary in July.
The team will prepare further customer cars for entry in the FIA GT Championship next year.
January 19,2001 Wieth Ferrari 550 GTS News:
Wieth Racing has completed some very succesful test on their Ferrari 550 GTS, and it is now ready to race.
A second F550 GTS, that is being built is makeing good progress, too. It is not sure yet if this car will be run by Wieth Racing or sold to another team.
Car number one will have Franz and Niko Wieth behind the wheel. The following drivers have tested with the team for a possible ride in the second car:
Father and son Palmberger, Ex-Formula One driver Stefano Modena, former Jordan test driver Vittorio Zoboli and Tobi Scheckter, son of Ferrari World champion Jodi Scheckter.
Wieth Racing ist still searching for a main sponsor. SL Llumar and CFC Car Film Components have signed associate sponsorship contracts.
January 19,2001 Possible Rafanelli drivers:
Gabriele Rafanelli has released names of seven drivers who may take the wheel of his two (or three) Ferrari 550 Maranellos in the FIA GT Championship. Marc Duez, who has tested the Italtechnica prepared 550, tops the list followed by Jean-Marc Gounon, Pierre-Henri Raphanel, Johnny Cecotto, Dieter Quester, Gunther Bleininger and possibly Steve Soper, if Peugeot UK, to which he has commited for the BTCC, gives permission. FIA GT champion Julian Bailey is working hard to get onto Rafanelli's list.
December 20,2000 Rafanelli To Run Two Ferrari 550 Maranellos:
Gabriele Rafanelli has announced he will run two Ferrari 550 Maranellos in the FIA GT Championship next year and possibly a third one.
"We had a very good test with the Ferrari Maranello, and I can tell you that we will run two of them in next year's FIA GT Championship," said Rafanelli after spending two days at Misano. Belgian Marc Duez completed an impressive distance, trouble-free and fast, in the Italtechnica-prepared Ferraris, the Italian company having recently split with GT Developments and an unhappy First Racing Team.
"The car was prepared by Italtechnica with our input," said Rafanelli. "We have been working on this for two months, and it is everything we hoped it would be. Marc got below 1:30, which was our target, well inside the GT2 lap record. The Ferrari needs to be very good to beat the Vipers, and I believe it will do that."
December 13,2000 Julian Bailey Dropped By Lister:
FIA GT Champion Julian Bailey, who has driven for the Lister Storm team for the past three seasons, was dropped by team owner Laurence Pearce on the eve of the FIA awards banquet last week. Bailey will be replaced by former TVR Tuscan racer Ian McKellar, who takes major sponsorship to the Lister team and plans to drive with Jamie Campbell-Walter. "There are no hard feelings" said Bailey, who was shocked by the news. "I can't compete with someone bringing a lot of sponsorship. What I want now is to find a team that will give me the chance to beat the Lister team next year."
On Monday Pearce insisted that Bailey had misunderstood the situation. "We told him that he would not be driving with Jamie next year" he said. "If we could, we would run another car for Julian."
December 13,2000 Gerard Larrousse recruited by GT Racing Developments:
Gerard Larrousse has been recruited by GT Racing Developments to get the Ferrari 550 Maranello GT back on track after a disastrous debut season with the First Racing team. Larrousse, the former Le Mans winner, sportscar champion and Formula One team owner, has been appointed on a consultancy basis. First Racing, formed by Fabien Giroix and Jean-Denis Deletraz, is likely to run a two-car Ferrari team next year. "But first we need to solve the technical problems on the car, including the engine, transmission and suspension" says Giroix. Italtechnica, the Italian preparation company, has been dismissed.
December 8,2000 FIA Institutes New Rules And Updated Schedule:
At the FIA World Council in Monte Carlo, some of the issues addressed included the rules for the 2001 FIA GT Championship.
A new Qualifying procedure will see Super Pole Qualifying introduced, which will see the six fastest cars from the GT and N-GT classes battling for the top 12 positions on the grid next year.
In addition, entries next season will be restricted to just 30 cars, with two guest slots for entries from the host country.
Also instituted is a rule that a constructor must have sold at least six examples of the car to other teams, thereby ruling out one-off specials.
November 15,2000 G-Force Withdraw From Racing:
The British G-Force Pennzoil Porsche GT3 team has withdrawn from the FIA GT Championship and put its cars up for sale, after a single season which netted third place in the N-GT Teams championship. "We are disbanding the team and taking a sabbatical" says G-Force team manager and commercial director John Morrison. "There was some amazing racing in the N-GT class but the television coverage was appalling." Series organiser Stephane Ratel registers surprise, saying that he had been careful to give the N-GT category one-third of the coverage. "Teams like Larbre Competition are very happy" he says.
June 27,2000 Track Change:
The event scheduled in Hockenheim (Germany) on 3 September 2000 will now take place on the same date at the Lausitzring (Germany). This proposal has been approved by the World Motor Sport Council in a fax vote.
June 27,2000 Round 5 Hungaroring News:
Thirty-two cars - including 22 GTs and 10 N-GTs - should be entered in the fifth round of the FIA GT Championship to be held at the Hungaroring, in Budapest, on July 2nd. The competitors will have to cover 126 laps of the 3.972 km long Grand Prix circuit.
The Hungaroring will also welcome the fifth round of the Euro STC (European Super Touring Cars Championship) which Dutchman Peter Kox - a BMW driver in the 1997 FIA GT Championship - is currently leading, and the third event of the French GT Championship, currently led by official Chrysler driver Dominique Dupuy. Larbre Competition, Carsport Holland, Freisinger Motorsport and MAC Racing should be very busy this week-end at Budapest as they are all entering cars in both the FIA GT Championship and the French GT Championship.
Handicap weights
The following handicap weights will be applied for the Budapest event :
GT
Lister Storm n° 14 : + 100 kg
Chrysler Viper GTS-R n° 25 : + 85 kg
Porsche 911 GT2 n° 3 : + 30 kg
Chrysler Viper GTS-R n° 11 : + 20 kg
Chrysler Viper GTS-R n° 1 : +10 kg
N-GT
Porsche 911 GT3-R n° 52 : + 60 kg
Porsche 911 GT3-R n° 51 : + 35 kg
Porsche 911 GT3-R n° 77 : + 15 kg
Porsche 911 GT3-R n° 56 : + 7,5 kg
Porsche 911 GT3-R n° 50 : + 5 kg
Championship classification
Due to the very exceptional circumstances under which the second round of the FIA GT Championship at Estoril was raced and with a view to re-establish a fair and equitable continuation of the championship, the World Motor Sport Council exceptionally decided to award all drivers entered in the event the points that were attributed to their car, whether or not they were actually able to drive in the shortened race.
Lister Storm Racing (1st - 29 points) :
discovering the Budapest circuit
Laurence Pearce's team will discover the Budapest circuit on the occasion of the fifth round of the FIA GT Championship. The n° 14 Lister will have to carry the maximum handicap weight of 100 kg. " We have tested at Donington with 100 kg in the car ", said Laurence Pearce. " It is obvious that it penalises us both in speed and in the car's set up. We had to make important modifications, especially on the springs and on the brakes, to restore the driveability of the car ".
Julian Bailey's first experience of the Hungaroring was in 1988, in the context of the Formula 1 World Championship, while he was racing for the Tyrrell Ford team. Jamie Campbell-Walter will make his first laps on Friday afternoon during free practice. " I am confident ", commented Laurence Pearce. " After only two laps, Jamie will know the circuit as if he was born there ! He has also practiced on video game consoles ".
Carsport Holland (2nd - 20,5 points) tries to lose weight
Toine Hezemans' team is currently working on the lightening of its Chrysler Viper GTS-R. The car weighs 1170 kg, which is 70 kg over the minimum weight specified by the regulations. For the Budapest round, the team will also carry 85 kg of success ballast. The Chrysler Viper's engine will be the same as used at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car will also keep its orange livery, representing the Netherlands, on the occasion of the Euro 2000 finale which takes place on the same week-end.
Hezemans thinks that the Lister is the favourite on this track : " This circuit needs a lot of downforce and the Lister has got it ! ".
Paul Belmondo Racing (3rd - 19 points) with two Chrysler Viper GTS-Rs
The Paul Belmondo team will only have two of its three Chrysler Viper GTS-Rs in Hungary. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the GT currently driven by Guy Martinolle and Jean-Claude Lagniez retired due to an engine failure. The car will be back in the FIA GT Championship from Brno, in the Czech Republic, on September 17th.
Chamberlain Motorsport (4th ex-aequo - 8 points) : holding back
Walter Brun's Chrysler Viper GTS-R, entered by Chamberlain Motorsport in the FIA GT Championship, was badly damaged at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last week. Therefore, the team cannot yet confirm if this car will be racing at Budapest. The n° 1 Chrysler Viper GTS-R is sure to make the trip to Hungary and will be driven by Hungarian Zoltan Illis and a driver yet to be named.
Konrad Motorsport (8th - 1 point) with Kurt Thiim
The German team of Franz Konrad will be present at Budapest with two Porsche 911 GT2s. The first car will be driven by Franz Konrad and Jürgen von Gartzen while the second one will be shared by Austrian gentleman driver Manfred Jurasz and the experienced Danish driver Kurt Thiim. The latter was crowned German Formula 3 Champion in 1984 and was a regular participant in Germany's DTM, finishing second in the Championship in 1992 at the wheel of a Zakspeed Mercedes.
KRT Lamborghini Racing : the Diablo ready for Budapest
After its accident during free practice at Silverstone, the Lamborghini Diablo prepared by the KRT Lamborghini Racing team has been repaired and will be back in the FIA GT Championship at Budapest. The car has undergone made two test sessions at Hockenheim and will complete a last test session at the BMW private test track at Regensburg at the beginning of the week. The car will also have a new silver blue livery.
Racing Box : encouraging results
The Italian team, who enter a Chrysler Viper GTS-R in the FIA GT Championship, took advantage of this seven weeks pause to further develop its GT, which was entered in the Spa round of the Belgian Belcar Championship with Gabriele Matteuzzi and Vincent Vosse at the wheel. The drivers proceeded to set pole position, finishing second because of the fuel tank capacity which is inferior to the one allowed in Belcar.
Larbre Competition (1st N-GT - 36 points) hires Sébastien Bourdais
The French Larbre Competition team will be particularly busy this coming week-end as the team is entering four cars in the FFSA French GT Championship and two cars in the FIA GT Championship. Its drivers Jean-Luc Chereau and Patrice Goueslard will also participate in both events. For this reason, Jack Leconte, the team manager, has hired Sébastien Bourdais. The young 1999 French Formula 3 Champion and current Prost Junior Team F3000 driver will race at the wheel of the n° 53 Porsche 911 GT3-R with André Ahrlé and Jean-Luc Chéreau. Patrice Goueslard and Christophe Bouchut, currently leading the N-GT classification, will be at the wheel of the n° 52 Porsche 911 GT3-R.
RWS Motorsport (4th N-GT - 11 points) with two Porsche 911 GT3-Rs
The bavarian team belonging to Rudi Walch will be present in Hungary with a Porsche 911 GT2 entered in the GT class for Horst Felbermayr father and son, and two Porsche 911 GT3-Rs entered in the N-GT class. A brand new 911 GT3-R was delivered to the team on Wednesday. This car will be driven by the Austrian trio of Hans-Jörg Höfer, Philipp Peter and Dieter Quester. The latter took part in the Austrian round of the 1997 FIA GT Championship with Justin Bell in an ORECA Chrysler Viper GTS-R. The first RWS/Red Bull Racing car will be shared by Luca Riccitelli and Hans Willems, who were second at Silverstone.
Length of the circuit : 3.972 km / 2.467 miles
1999 Results :
Practice :
1. Karl Wendlinger (Chrysler Viper Team Oreca) : 1.38.862
Race :
Dupuy / Belloc (Chrysler Viper Team Oreca / Chrysler Viper GTS-R) : 104 laps in 3h 01mn 46sec 020 - Average : 136.357 km/h
June 2,2000 Latest Team News:
Lister Storm Racing - Lister Storm (1st GT - 29 points) : great ambitions !
The British team managed by Laurence Pearce will compete this weekend at Brands Hatch in the British GT Championship before enjoying a four week break away from the race tracks which the team will take advantage of in order to prepare four Storms. These cars will be racing on July 2nd on three different circuits : two cars will be at Budapest for the 5th round of the FIA GT Championship, one car will be entered in the Spanish GT Championship round at Albacete, and the fourth car will be on track at Donington for the British GT Championship.
Every one will wait to see how the Lister will perform at Budapest, at a track which the team will learn and with a maximum handicap weight of 100 kilos.
Carsport Holland - Chrysler Viper GTS-R (2nd GT - 20,5 points) : no news is good news
Toine Hezemans' team keeps on working on the development of its ex-Oreca Chrysler Viper GTS-R, which won the Monza round.
Paul Belmondo Racing - Chrysler Viper GTS-R (3rd GT - 19 points) : preparation and development in prospect
Paul Belmondo's team is currently preparing one Chrysler Viper GTS-R which will be entered in the Le Mans 24 Hours for Guy Martinolle, Jean-Claude Lagniez and Boris Derichebourg. The team will also try to solve the gearbox problems they had at Silverstone : « The gearboxes were new on both cars. We do not understand what happened to the one on Vincent and Boris' car »,explained Paul Belmondo. « We are going to test at Spa in order to work on the cars ».
At Budapest, the French team will be present with three Chrysler Viper GTS-Rs. The n° 10 Viper entered by Paul Belmondo Competition will be driven by Jean-Claude Lagniez and Marc Rostan. The car will then only appear again at Brno and Magny Cours as the stunt driver Jean-Claude Lagniez will be busy on the shooting of Jackie Chan's new film.
Freisinger Motorsport (4th GT - 8 points) : busy programme in June !
Manfred Freisinger's team is always busy ! Just last weekend, it won a race of the French GT championship with Wolfgang Kaufmann and Cyril Château. The drivers are currently second in the Championship classification.
Freisinger Motorsport will enter a Porsche 911 GT2 in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the following week, two cars in the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. At Budapest, the German team will be present with three GTs : two will be entered in the FIA GT Championship and one in the French GT Championship.
At the same time, the team will be working on the development of the cars in order to increase their power.
Ferrari 550 Maranello : under development
First Racing has been very busy since its last appearance in the FIA GT Championship at Monza on April 16th.
The British company GT Racing Development, initiator of the Millennio project, confirmed the Swiss team First Racing as its sole development team. Gianfranco Bieli, technical director of the team based near Monza, works in close collaboration with the preparer Mario Cavagnero of Italtechnica. The team took advantage of the absence of the Ferrari 550 Maranello from Silverstone to undertake a vast modifications programme, working in particular on the gearbox, the transmission, new engine evolutions and a weight loss of 50 kilos.
These new developments will be tested between June 15th and 18th and will then be transferred to the second car. Barring a major setback, one car will be entered at Budapest (Hungary) on July 2nd and two at Zolder (Belgium) on July 23rd.
Racing Box - Chrysler Viper GTS-R : search of performance
The Italian team which is entering a Chrysler Viper GTS-R in all the races this season will take the opportunity of this race-less month to work on the development of the car. The team will test at Brno on June 6th with Gabriele Matteuzzi and Vincent Vosse and will then enter its car in a round of the Belcar Championship at Spa on June 11th with Luca Cappellari and Vincent Vosse. « We are relying on Vincent to give us feedback to improve our car for the Budapest event », said the team manager Mauro Felisatti.
Larbre Competition - Porsche 911 GT3-R (1st N-GT - 36 points) : two programmes in hand
The French team managed by Jack Leconte should be present at Budapest with five Porsche 911 GT3-Rs. Two cars are entered in the FIA GT Championship while three cars are participating in the French GT Championship. « We have four Porsche 911 GT3-Rs but we are looking for a fifth car for Budapest. We do not want to use the same cars for both Championships because we do not use the same tyres (Michelin in FIA GT and Pirelli in French GT). The shock absorbers' set up is very different so we do not want to risk anything », explained Jack Leconte. The team is currently leading the FIA N-GT Championship with Patrice Goueslard and Christophe Bouchut and is fourth in the French GT Championship with Patrice Goueslard and Jean-Luc Chéreau.
Pennzoil Quaker State G-Force (2nd N-GT - 26 points) : new driver line-ups
From Budapest, Michel Neugarten will be sharing the n° 51 Porsche 911 GT3-R with British driver Robert Nearn while Sweden's Magnus Wallinder will team up with Nigel Smith in the n° 50 car.
The team hopes to be more competitive against the Larbre Competition team which is leading with an advantage of 10 points - one win - over the G-Force team.
April 16,2000 Monza Sunday Report and Results:
Mike Hezemans and David Hart completed a perfect weekend by taking the win in their Carsport Holland Viper at the Monza 500Km.
Wolgang Kaufman and Bob Wollek came home a fantastic second in the Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 911GT2 just a minute behind. Julian Bailey and Jamie Campbell-Walter were third 1 lap down.
In N-GT Nigel Smith and Michel Neugarten Pennzoil Quaker State G-Force Porsche 996 GT3-R took a 1 lap victory over Steve O'Rourke and Tim Sugden EMKA Porsche 996 GT3-R. More Later
DRIVER CAR LAPS TIME SPEED MOV.
1. H. HEZEMANS M. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS- 87 2:43'26.373 184,284
2. W. KAUFMAN W. PORSCHE 911 GT2 87 2:44'25.136 183,58.763
3. C. BAILEY J. LISTER STROM 86 2:43'50.340 181,722 1 Lap
4. S. BRUN W. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS- 86 2:44'09.229 181,373 1 Lap
5. J. LAFON F. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS- 85 2:44'09.442 179,260 2 Lap
6. L. MARTINOLLE G. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS 85 2:45'08.122 178,199 2 Lap
7. V. SABATINI G. PORSCHE 911 GT2 84 2:44'59.913 176,248 3 Lap
8. N. SMITH N. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 84 2:45'18.990 175,909 3 Lap
9. S. O'ROURKE S. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 83 2:43'47.506 175,433 4 Lap
10. G. BOUCHUT C. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 83 2:44'14.441 174,954 4 Lap
11. M. BERTUZZI C. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 83 2:44'17.280 174,903 4 Lap
12. A. CHEREAU J. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 81 2:43'50.113 171,161 6 Lap
13. M. RIED G. - PORSCHE 911 GT2 80 2:44'13.055 168,654 7 Lap
14. R. FRIGERIO M. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 80 2:45'04.773 167,773 7 Lap
15. L. GARBAGNATI FERRARI 360 MODENA 79 2:44'06.935 166,649 8 Lap
16. B. ORLANDI B. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 79 2:44'13.114 166,545 8 Lap
17. L. PREGLIASCO B. FERRARI 360 MODENA 79 2:45'06.755 165,643 8 Lap
18. P. CAPELLI I. FERRARI 360 MODENA 78 2:43'27.636 165,199 9 Lap
19. R. MONTEIRO M. PORSHE 911 GT2 78 2:43'40.205 164,988 9 Lap
20. M. RAEL - PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 77 2:44'15.005 162,297 10 Lap
21. P. CATTANEO L. PORSHE 911 GT2 67 2:24'36.912 160,393 20 Lap
NC N. WALLINDER M. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 59 1:56'23.204 28 Lap
NC V. BELMONDO P. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS 52 1:39'50.840 35 Lap
NC W. HOFER H. RICC PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 51 1:40'02.109 36 Lap
NC C. LARIBIERE J PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 44 2:24'54.372 43 Lap
RT V. KONRAD F. PORSHE 911 GT2 41 1:49'34.054 46 Lap
RT F. SPRINGER N. LISTER STROM 26 47'43.264 61 Lap
RT W. WIETH F. PORSCHE 911 GT2 22 41'36.985 65 Lap
RT V. CASADEI M. PORSHE 911 GT2 19 36'13.422 68 Lap
RT D. GIROIX F. FERRARI 550 MARANEL 17'41.979 78 Lap
RT B. ROSA F. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 16'46.373 79 Lap
RT D. GOSSELIN C. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS 3'42.446 85 Lap
RT P. HANE Y. PORSCHE 911 GT2 4'34.182 85 Lap
RT B. EUSER C. - MARCOS MANTARA LM60 1'57.358 86 Lap
RT S. CAPPELLARI CHRYSLER VIPER GTS- 1'58.311 86 Lap
NP F. FELBERMAYR H. PORSCHE 911 GT2 86 Lap
Fast Lap: 31 14 C.BAILEY J. Time: 1'46.665 km/h 194,740
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April 15,2000 Monza Saturday Report and Times:
Mike Hezemans put his Carsport Holland Viper on the pole for the Monza 500KM with a time of 1:58.250 on a considerably wet circuit. He was more than a second quicker than
the surprisingly fast Freisinger Porsche 911 GT2 of Wolfgang Kaufman followed by
Paul Belmondo's Viper and Julian Bailey in the Lister Storm and GOSSELIN C. Viper. Luca Riccitelli took pole position in the N-GT class with a spectacular effort in the second session in his RWS Red Bull Porsche 996 GT3-R.
The Italian claimed pole position by just two one-thousandths of a second from Tim Sugden's EMKA GTC Porsche 996 GT3-R, the Briton setting his time this morning. "This is my favourite race track," said Riccitelli. "The conditions are not easy for anybody. The classification is very close but we are in a good position for the long race. The mechanics changed the engine and the gearbox overnight, so I think the whole team has done a good job so far this week-end." Sugden said : "Anybody that set a good time this afternoon deserves a medal. Steve [O'Rourke] went out to do some laps and the car was aquaplaning down the straight. The car felt very good in the wet yesterday but I think that we will be better off if it is dry." Fabio Rosa and Fabio Babini, winners of their class at the Daytona 24 hours, were third fastest in their Haberthur Porsche 996 GT3-R.
Images Courtesy of GT Racing.Net
500 KM DI MONZA - FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP
S.I.A.S. MONZA - AUTOMOBILE CLUB MILANO
QUALIFYING COMBINED SESION - FINAL
POS DRIVER CAR 1st RD 2nd RD Best Speed kmh
1. H. HEZEMANS M. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS- 1'58.250 2'06.681 1'58.250 175,661
2. W. KAUFMAN W. PORSCHE 911 GT2 1'59.920 2'05.541 1'59.920 173,215
3. V. BELMONDO P. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS 2'00.051 2'04.362 2'00.051 173,026
4. C. BAILEY J. LISTER STROM 2'00.851 2'00.851 171,881
5. D. GOSSELIN C. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS 2'01.751 2'09.936 2'01.751 170,61
6. B. EUSER C. MARCOS MANTARA LM60 2'02.808 2'14.767 2'02.808 169,142
7. W. POMPIDOU X. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS- 2'03.308 2'04.843 2'03.308 168,456
8. S. BRUN W. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS- 2'03.572 2'14.843 2'03.572 168,096
9. M. CAPPELLARI L. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS- 2'03.991 2'03.991 167,528
10. H. SPRINGER N. LISTER STROM 2'04.009 2'21.176 2'04.009 167,503
11. F. KONRAD PORSHE 911 GT2 2'04.162 2'07.353 2'04.162 167,297
12. D. GIROIX F. FERRARI 550 MARANEL 2'04.251 2'04.251 167,177
13. L. MARTINOLLE G. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS 2'04.591 2'09.050 2'04.591 166,721
14. J. LAFON F. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS- 2'06.392 2'04.973 2'04.973 166,211
15. P. HANE Y. PORSCHE 911 GT2 2'05.167 2'06.694 2'05.167 165,954
16. F. FELBERMAYR H. PORSCHE 911 GT2 2'05.194 2'14.200 2'05.194 165,918
17. R. HOFER H. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'05.259 2'05.244 2'05.244 165,852
18. S. O'ROURKE S. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'05.246 2'12.257 2'05.246 165,849
19. B. ROSA F. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'05.253 2'15.272 2'05.253 165,84
20. S. SABATINI G. PORSCHE 911 GT2 2'05.870 2'08.166 2'05.870 165,027
21. M. BERTUZZI C. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'06.102 2'16.649 2'06.102 164,723
22. D. CHEREAU J. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'11.588 2'07.699 2'07.699 162,663
23. N. SMITH N. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'07.980 2'20.460 2'07.980 162,306
24. S. CASADEI M. PORSHE 911 GT2 2'08.147 2'14.326 2'08.147 162,095
25. N. WALLINDER M. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'08.879 2'09.885 2'08.879 161,174
26. R. FRIGERIO M. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'10.387 2'13.438 2'10.387 159,31
27. D. CATTANEO L. PORSHE 911 GT2 2'10.834 2'12.609 2'10.834 158,766
28. L. PREGLIASCO B. FERRARI 360 MODENA 2'10.893 2'15.579 2'10.893 158,694
29. B. ORLANDI B. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'11.033 2'10.959 2'10.959 158,614
30. W. WEITH F. PORSCHE 911 GT2 2'13.255 2'13.255 155,881
31. G. BOUCHUT C. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'13.989 2'13.989 155,027
32. R. MONTEIRO M. PORSHE 911 GT2 2'14.554 2'17.498 2'14.554 154,376
33. B. RAEL PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'17.520 2'14.989 2'14.989 153,879
34. K. GARBAGNATI A. FERRARI 360 MODENA 2'18.036 2'16.152 2'16.152 152,564
35. R. RIED G. PORSCHE 911 GT2 2'16.278 2'17.712 2'16.278 152,423
36. P. CAPELLI I. FERRARI 360 MODENA 2'16.719 2'17.000 2'16.719 151,932
37. C. MAURY-LARIBIER PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'17.108 2'34.433 2'17.108 151,501
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April 14,2000 Monza Friday Report and Times:
First Free Practice Session:
Julian Bailey set fastest time in the Lister Storm, setting a one minute 47.004 second lap. "The car is very good but the Vipers are quick on the straights, and there are a lot of those here," said Bailey. "We have the advantage in the corners, though. I think it is going to be a hard race and I hope that it doesn't rain. I have had enough of driving in the wet [after the second round at Estoril that was stopped after 54 minutes due to the wet weather]" Vincent Vosse was second fastest in the Belmondo Viper and happy with the set-up of the car that he shares with Paul Belmondo. "I like to see such good times," said Vosse. "I hope that it does not rain because that will be very hard work during the race. Already in the dry we are having to brake very early to avoid the N-GT cars because the speed difference is so big. It will be very hard work." Mike Hezemans was third fastest in the Carsport Holland Viper that he shares with David Hart. The Dutchmen were four tenths of a second off the fastest time. "We have tried some little changes to the car for this race, and Monza certainly suits the Viper," said Hezemans. Christophe Bouchut was once again fastest of the N-GT runners, lapping the 5.77km circuit in one minute 53.355 seconds, despite breaking a front shock absorber during the session. The team is continuing to run without the Kevlar strip across the nose of the Larbre Porsche. "The problem that we had in Estoril was that the car was designed to run with the strip," said Bouchut. "Without it we have a lot of understeer but that can be rectified through the set up." Luca Riccitelli was second fastest in the Red Bull Porsche 996 GT3-R and Tim Sugden was third in the EMKA GTC Porsche.
Second Free Practice Session:
Rain interrupted the second timed practice session on Friday afternoon, after Cor Euser had set the fastest time in the Marcos Mantara LM600. "We have a new air box that we ran in the British GT Championship at Croft last weekend," said Euser. "The car is OK here, but I set that time when it was just spitting with rain before the heavy stuff came in," said the Dutchman. Gerold and Christian Ried were second fastest in the Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT2, nearly two seconds slower than the Marcos but ahead of Tim Sugden's EMKA GTC Porsche 996 GT3-R, third fastest overall and the lead N-GT class runner. The team had to repair an oil leak after the opening session. Sugden's time was nearly 12 seconds faster than the second fastest in class, Massimo Frigerio and Paulo Rapetti's Ferrari 360 Modena. Many of the top teams elected to limit their running in the wet session, only 26 of the 38 cars taking to the circuit. Paul Belmondo and Vincent Vosse were fourth fastest in the Belmondo Viper, running on Dunlop tyres and the only other car to break the two-minute barrier. The RWS/Red Bull Porsche team was frustrated in second free practice session. "We ran all of the American Le Mans Series races, Daytona, Sebring, Valencia and Estoril with no problems at all," said driver Luca Riccitelli. "We come to Monza and nothing works. The seat is not right, the belts, the rear lights do not work. How much else can go wrong with a car in one day ?"
1. C. BAILEY J. LISTER STROM 1'47.004 194,123
2. V. BELMONDO P. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS R 1'47.276 193,631
3. H. HEZEMANS M. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS-R 1'47.421 193,37
4. D. GOSSELIN C. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS R 1'47.749 192,781
5. S. BRUN W. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS-R 1'48.203 191,972
6. J. LAFON F. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS-R 1'48.799 190,92
7. H. SPRINGER N. LISTER STROM 1'49.156 190,296
8. W. POMPIDOU X. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS-R 1'49.845 189,102
9. B. EUSER C. MARCOS MANTARA LM600 1'49.897 189,013
10. W. KAUFMAN W. PORSCHE 911 GT2 1'50.228 188,445
11. M. CAPPELLARI L. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS-R 1'50.426 188,107
12. P. HANE Y. PORSCHE 911 GT2 1'51.677 186
13. W. WEITH F. PORSCHE 911 GT2 1'51.718 185,932
14. S. CASADEI M. PORSHE 911 GT2 1'51.849 185,714
15. L. MARTINOLLE G. CHRYSLER VIPER GTS R 1'52.249 185,052
16. S. SABATINI G. PORSCHE 911 GT2 1'53.232 183,446
17. G. BOUCHUT C. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 1'53.355 183,247
18. R. HOFER H. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 1'53.584 182,877
19. S. O'ROURKE S. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 1'54.054 182,124
20. D. CATTANEO L. PORSHE 911 GT2 1'54.163 181,95
21. N. SMITH N. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 1'54.276 181,77
22. M. BERTUZZI C. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 1'54.560 181,319
23. D. GIROIX F. FERRARI 550 MARANELL 1'54.849 180,863
24. R. FRIGERIO M. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 1'55.298 180,159
25. N. WALLINDER M. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 1'55.574 179,729
26. B. ROSA F. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 1'55.739 179,472
27. R. RIED G. PORSHE 911 GT2 1'55.811 179,361
28. D. CHEREAU J. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 1'55.969 179,116
29. F. FELBERMAYR H. PORSCHE 911 GT2 1'56.627 178,106
30. R. MONTEIRO M. PORSHE 911 GT2 1'56.775 177,88
31. B. ORLANDI B. PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 1'57.874 176,222
32. L. PREGLIASCO B. FERRARI 360 MODENA 1'59.777 173,422
33. B. RAEL PORSCHE 996 GT3-R 2'00.520 172,353
34. P. CAPELLI I. FERRARI 360 MODENA 2'02.618 169,404
35. K. GARBAGNATI A. FERRARI 360 MODENA 2'03.130 168,699
36. F. KONRAD PORSHE 911 GT2 9'42.090 35,685
March 26,2000 Valencia Report & Results:
The #14 Lister Storm took a pole to chequered flag win in the first round of the 2000 FIA GT Championship, being held in Valencia, Spain.
The Lister, driven by British drivers Jamie Campbell Walter and Julian Bailey, drove a faultless race from pole position to chequered flag, only losing the lead during pit-stops.
They convincingly confirmed the potential they showed in 1999 and their position as pre-season favourites.
"It's a really great win for Lister," Bailey said. "And the championship is going from strength to strength - I'd say it's the best championship I've ever driven in, but that's most probably because I've just won the first race. The car didn't miss a beat today."
Campbell Walter was equally enthusiastic. "It's fantastic for Lister, Laurence Pearce, Julian and me - but especially for me, because I'm 26 years old, and I've just won an international GT race."
Their main opposition came from the Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper GTS-R, which ran strongly in the first hour, with Mike Hezemans at the wheel.
However, David Hart, who took over the car, fell foul of the regulation restricting cars from passing the white line separating the end of the pit-lane from the track, being awarded two stop-and-go penalties and one black flag.
The car recovered to finish fourth, but was not able to confirm the potential it had showed in the early stages of the race.
The second Lister ran strongly, but retired after 48 laps with damaged suspension after Nicolaus Springer lost control of the car, most probably on some oil.
Second and third places were claimed by Paul Belmondo Racing, whose Chrysler Viper GTS-R cars ran a problem-free race to take a strong position in the Championship. "I'm very happy," Belmondo said. "It's a very good result for us - only the victory is missing - and we have to work a bit more for that."
The new N-GT category, where nine Porsche 996 GT3-R cars were battling for class honours, saw victory go to the Larbre Competition line-up of Christophe Bouchut and Patrice Goueslard. They won with a lap's margin, despite an early pit-stop to mend a broken wheel due to a tangle with the #77 RWS Porsche 996 GTS-R.
They were followed by the Pennzoil G-Force car, driven by Magnus Wallinder and Robert Nearn, with Steve O'Rourke and Tim Sugden in the EMKA GTC car in third place.
The next round is in Estoril, Portugal, next weekend.
FIA GT Championship 2000, Round 1 : 500 km of Valencia: Ps Ql No Driver , Car Laps
1 1 14 Bailey/CampbellWalter Lister Lister Storm 109
2 4 12 Belmondo/Vosse Belmondo Chry Viper GTS 108
3 7 11 Gosselin/Derichebourg Belmondo Chry Viper GTS 108
4 2 25 Hezemans/Hart Carsport Chry Viper GTS 108
5 16 4 Hane/Palmberger Freisinger Porsche 911 GT2 106
6 9 2 Brun/Seiler Chamberlain Chry Viper GTS 105
7 13 10 Martinolle/Lagniez Belmondo Chry Viper GTS 105
8 12 52 Bouchut/Goueslard Larbre Porsche 996 GT3 105
9 10 5 Konrad/von Gartzen Konrad Porsche 911 GT2 105
10 22 50 Wallinder/Nearn G-Force Porsche 996 GT3 104
11 19 8 Ligonnet/Casadei/Castello Haberthur Porsche 911 GT2 103
12 18 56 O'Rourke/Sugden EMKA GTC Porsche 996 GT3 103
13 24 28 Felbermayr/Felbermayr RWS Porsche 911 GT2 103
14 25 53 Chereau/de Lesseps Larbre Porsche 996 GT3 103
15 15 77 Höfer/Riccitelli/Willems RWS Porsche 996 GT3 103
16 26 64 Perrier/Richard/Larrouse Perspective Porsche 996 GT3 102
17 28 7 Reid/Reid Proton Porsche 911 GT2 101
18 17 27 Sabatini/Spinelli Autorlando Porsche 911 GT2 100
19 11 21 Cappellari/Matteuzzi Racing Box Chry Viper GTS 100
20 23 66 Frigerio/Rapetti MAC Porsche 996 GT3 98
21 27 32 Werner/Piattier Seikel Porsche 911 GT2 97
22 21 51 Smith/Neugarten G-Force Porsche 996 GT3 96
23 30 54 MauryLaribiere/Chauvin NoeldelBelloPorsche 996 GT3 95
24 20 22 Wieth/Wieth Wieth Porsche 911 GT2 85
Not Classified 3 Kaufmann/Wollek Freisinger Porsche 911 GT2 73
9 Vuillaume/Ortiz/Corbet Haberthur Porsche 911 GT2 69
15 Springer/Hardman/Palau Lister Lister Storm 48
19 Euser/Vann Marcos Marcos Mantara 43
1 Amorim/Watson Chamberlain Chry Viper GTS 38
16 Giroix/Deletraz First Ferrari 550 Mar 14
March 25,2000 Valencia 1st Qualifying:
The #14 Lister Storm led the cars of the FIA GT Championship out onto the Valencia track for the first competition laps of the 2000 season.
In the early stages the #3 Freisinger Porsche 911 GT2 took the lead, before being overtaken by the #19 Marcos Mantara LM600 with a lap of 1:36.091. Derichebourg, driving the #11 Paul Belmondo Racing Chrysler Viper, was the next to take the lead, improving to 1;35.825. The #15 Lister leapt into the lead twenty minutes into the session, with a lap of 1:35.164, Hardman at the wheel.
The #25 Carsport Chrysler Viper improved to second place on their third lap, a tenth of a second behind the leading Lister.
Leading the N-GT class at the half-way point was Christophe Bouchut in the #52 Labre Competition Porsche 996 GT3-R. Eighteen minutes before the end, Hazemans leapt into the lead, improving by nearly a second to 1:34.368. He did not hold the lead long, however, as Julian Bailey, in the #14 Lister took provisional pole with a lap of 1:34.024 - which he proceeded to improve to 1:33.827. The session was largly without incident - although a few cars had spins, including the #15 Lister Storm, the #9 Haberthur Racing Porche 911 GT2 and the #2 Chamberlain Viper GTs-R.
As the chequered flag fell on the session, the two Lister Storms led the times, followed by the #25 Carsport Chrysler Viper and the #11 Paul Belmondo Racing Viper with the Marcos in fifth place
Qualifyig Results
1 14 GT Julian Bailey/Jamie Campbell-Walter Lister Storm Lister Storm Racing 1:33.827 1:33.635
2 25 GT Mike Hezemans/David Hart Chrysler Viper GTS-R Carsport Holland 1:34.368 1:33.856
3 15 GT Nicolaus Springer/Peter Hardman/Carlos Palau Lister Storm Lister Storm Racing 1:34.275 1:38.743
4 12 GT Paul Belmondo/Vincent Vosse Chrysler Viper GTS-R Paul Belmondo Racing 1:36.273 1:34.864
5 19 GT Cor Euser/Christian Vann Marcos Mantata LM600 Marcos Racing International 1:36.091 1:35.424
6 1 GT Ni Amorim/Stephen Watson Chrysler Viper GTS-R Chamberlain Motorsport 1:36.768 1:35.679
7 11 GT Claude-Yves Gosselin/Boris Derichebourg Chrysler Viper GTS-R Paul Belmondo Racing 1:35.825 1:35.720
8 3 GT Wolfgang Kaufmann/Bob Wollek Porsche 911 GT2 Freisinger Motorsport 1:37.207 1:35.864
9 2 GT Walter Brun/Toni Seiler Chrysler Viper GTS-R Chamberlain Motorsport 1:36.488 1:37.962
10 5 GT Franz Konrad/Jürgen von Gartzen Porsche 911 GT2 Konrad Motorsport 1:36.920 1:36.642
11 21 GT Luca Capellari/Gabriele Matteuzzi/Raffaele Sangiuolo Chrysler Viper GTS-R Racing Box 1:37.243 1:39.486
12 52 N-GT Christophe Bouchut/Patrice Goueslard Porsche 996 GT3-R Larbre Competition - Chéreau 1:38.104 1:37.543
13 10 GT Guy Martinolle/Jean-Claude Lagniez Chrysler Viper GTS-R Paul Belmondo Racing 1:37.574 1:37.711
14 16 GT Fabien Giroix/Jean-Denis Deletraz Ferrari 550 Millennio First Racing 1:38.221 1:38.515
15 77 N-GT Hans-Jörg Hofer/Luca Riccitelli/Hans Willems Porsche 996 GT3-R RWS/Red Bull Racing 1:38.675 1:49.145
16 4 GT Yukihiro Hane/Ernst Palmberger Porsche 911 GT2 Freisinger Motorsport 1:39.543 1:38.753
17 27 GT Gabriele Sabatini/Marco Spinelli/Fabio Villa Porsche 911 GT2 Autorlando 1:38.791 1:40.685
18 56 N-GT Steve O'Rourke/Tim Sugden Porsche 996 GT3-R EMKA GTC 1:39.867 1:39.418
19 8 GT Mauro Casadei/Michel Ligonnet/Alboreto Castello Porsche 911 GT2 Haberthur Racing 1:40.769 1:39.736
20 22 GT Franz Wieth/Nico Wieth Porsche 911 GT2 Wieth Racing 1:39.798 2:30.815
21 51 N-GT Nigel Smith/Michel Neugarten Porsche 996 GT3-R Pennzoil Quaker State G-Force 1:41.220 1:40.338
22 50 N-GT Magnus Wallinder/Robert Nearn Porsche 996 GT3-R Pennzoil Quaker State G-Force 1:45.140 1:40.441
23 66 N-GT Frigerio/Rapetti Porsche 996 GT3-R MAC Racing 1:40.806 1:40.840
24 28 GT Horst Felbermayr/Horst Felbermayr Jr. Porsche 911 GT2 RWS 1:42.234 1:40.942
25 53 N-GT Jean-Luc Chéreau/Ferdinand de Lesseps Porsche 996 GT3-R Larbre Competition - Chéreau 1:41.623 1:41.839
26 64 N-GT Thierry Perrier/Jean-Paul Richard/Gérard Larrousse Porsche 996 GT3-R Perspective Racing 1:42.624 1:42.140
27 32 GT Francis Werner/Jacques Piattier Porsche 911 GT2 Seikel Motorsport 1:43.622 1:46.743
28 7 GT Gerold Ried/Christian Ried Porsche 911 GT2 Proton Competition 1:43.748 1:44.671
29 9 GT Patrick Vuillaume/Jacques Corbet/Paco Ortiz Porsche 911 GT2 Haberthur Racing 1:45.444 1:48.539
30 54 N-GT Jean-Luc Maury-Laribière/Marc Sourd Porsche 996 GT3-R Noel del Bello 1:46.959 1:46.637
March 21,2000 Freisinger:
Manfred Freisinger's team, has entered two Porsche 911 GT2 which kicks off this weekend at Valencia. Lead driver Wolfgang Kaufmann is confident the team will perform well in Spain:
"I have never raced at Valencia but I am looking forward to it - the team has done a great job on both cars - which should benefit from better engines delivering more power."
March 7,2000 LATEST NEWS:
One of Dominique Dupuy's Chrysler Viper GTS-R will enter three rounds of the 2000 FIA GT Championship .
The double French GT Champion and former F1 driver Jean-Pierre Jarier will drive the DDO Chrysler Viper in Monza, Silverstone and Budapest.
He will share the car with its owner driver Francois Lafon.
The Italian Racing Box Team will enter a Chrysler Viper GTS-R(chassis #C010) in the FIA GT Chamnpionship. Luca Cappellari will share the Viper
with Gabriele Matteuzzi and Raffaele Sangiuolo.
March 6,2000 VALENCIA TESTING:
Bright and windy weather welcomed the FIA GT Championship participants
to the Valencia circuit fo two official test days.
Lister Storm Racing proved its competitiveness, setting the best times. British driver Peter Hardmann
covered the 4.005 km circuit in 1.32.8. Before arriving in Valencia the team completed two 500 km race
distances without problems at Jerez. The second quickest time was set by Dominique Dupuy at the wheel of
his Pirelli-shod Chrysler Viper GTS-R. Vincent Vosse in the Paul Belmondo Racing Viper with Dunlop tyres
set the third fastest time in 1.35.8
February 25,2000 Lister Storm TESTING:
In search of sunshine and warmth the Lister team is heading for Spain next week for an intensive 6 days testing.
First to Jerez in Southern Spain where Peter Hardman and Nicolaus Springer will be testing their FIA GT Storm in preparation for their season in the FIA GT Championship. They will be joined on Tuesday by the Lister Storm which will compete in the Spanish Championship with drivers Carlos Palau (last year's Spanish Championship GT2 winner) and Alberto Castello.
On Wednesday we leave Jerez and head for Valencia for the official FIA GT Championship test and media days - once again, the same two cars. Maybe there will be more than two Storms entering some of the FIA GT races?
And, finally, on Monday 6th March the Spanish GT Storm will be testing at Jarama, just north of Madrid - trying out the Dunlop tyres it will be using.
February 18,2000 FIA GT TESTING:
The tset Day entry:
Valencia, Spain, on March 2 and 3:
- Lister Storm Racing (Lister Storm),
- Racing Box (Chrysler Viper GTS-R),
- DDO (Chrysler Viper GTS-R),
- Hezemans (Chrysler Viper GTS-R),
- Paul Belmondo Racing (Chrysler Viper GTS-R),
- GL PK Racing (Chrysler Viper GTS-R),
- Marcos Racing International (Marcos LM 600),
- Autorlando (Porsche 911 GT2),
- Freisinger Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT2),
- MW Racing (Porsche 911 GT3R),
- First Racing (Ferrari 550 Millennio
NOVEMBER 10,1999 FIA GT:
FIRST Racing in Italy will run three Ferrari 550 Maranellos in the 2000 FIA GT Championship (and at Le Mans).
Fabien Giroix will race one car with Jean-Denis Deletraz.
Vincent Vosse will partner Jean-Philippe Belloc in an Oreca Viper at Zhuhai later this month.
Sources say we should see a 30 car grid at the finale at Zhuhai.
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