2009 FIA GT

[MOTV8]

Speaking of competitors...it's those damn Maserati Enzos again, although they had the benefit of a dry track....

Vitaphone and AF Corse on pole for Spa 24 Hours

The #2 Vitaphone Racing Team Maserati MC12 and the #50 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT clinched the pole positions for this weekend’s Total 24 Hours of Spa. The whole grid was decided in the first couple of minutes of the first qualifying session.

About fifteen minutes into the first qualifying session the rain started to pour down and it soon became clear that the times set before that would be decisive for the grid. During the first quarter of an hour almost every car went out on the track in an attempt to set the fastest lap of the pack.

When the rain started to fall it was the #2 Vitaphone Maserati that was on top with a lap time of 2:18.030. Second fastest was the #33 Vitaphone Racing Team (DHL) Maserati MC12, over half a second slower than the #2 car (2:18.591), while the #1 Vitaphone Maserati was third quickest in 2:19.222.

Ninth overall and first in the GT2 class was the #50 AF Corse Ferrari F430 with a best lap time of 2:25.232. Second fastest was another Ferrari, the #55 CRS Racing F430 in 2:26.349 with the Trackspeed Racing Porsche 997 GT3 RSR #59 best of the rest in 2:26.471.

The best G2 time was posted by the Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS (2:28.327) with the best G3 time a 2:26.364 by the Matech GT Racing Team Ford GT #121.

As darkness fell on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit the second session got underway, but the track was still completely wet. None of the teams that went out in the first session was able to improve its time, with the average lap time some 20-30 seconds slower. Eventually the #4 PK Carsport Corvette C6.R was fastest in the wet.

The rain continued into the third and final qualifying session, which meant the Alex Müller’s fastest time was unbeatable. The Maserati MC12s did not even bother to go out anymore.

Pos Cl Drivers Car Time

1. GT1 Ramos/Muller/Lamy/Van De Poele Maserati 2m18.030s

2. GT1 Guidi/Lemeret/Rosenblad/Vosse Maserati 2m18.591s

3. GT1 Bartels/Bertolini/Sarrazin/Negrao Maserati 2m19.222s

4. GT1 Bernoldi/Streit/Maassen Corvette 2m19.530s

5. GT1 Longin/Ruffier/Soulet/Gavin Corvette 2m19.670s

6. GT1 Leinders/Kuppens/Doncker Ford 2m21.881s

7. GT1 Hezemans/Kumpen/Menten/Mollekens Corvette 2m22.640s

8. GT1 Krumm/Turner/Davidson Nissan 2m24.109s

9. GT2 Vilander/Bruni/Melo/Companc Ferrari 2m25.232s

10. GT2 Niarchos/Mullen/Quaife/Goodwin Ferrari 2m26.349s

11. G3 Mutsch/Martin/Wyss/Hennerici Ford 2m26.364s

12. GT2 Ashburn/Sugden/Ortelli/Bergmeister Porsche 2m26.471s

13. GT2 Malucelli/Ruberti/Heyer/Romanini Ferrari 2m26.584s

14. GT2 Barba Lopez/Cadei/Russo/Kaffer Ferrari 2m27.245s

15. GT2 Narac/Pilet/Long Porsche 2m28.038s

16. GT2 Collard/Westbrook/O'Young/Edwards Porsche 2m28.133s

17. G2 Fassler/Moser/Margaritis/Basseng Audi 2m28.327s

18. GT2 Lucchini/Ragginger/Holzer/Miller Porsche 2m29.320s

19. G3 Renard/Wauters/Van Hooydonck/Schroyen Aston 2m30.014s

20. G3 Kelders/Greisch/Desbrueres/Helary Porsche 2m30.458s

21. GT2 Kirkaldy/Bell/Kox/Garcia Ferrari 2m30.593s

22. G3 Lefort/Verbist/Forbes Porsche 2m30.648s

23. G3 Brandela/Prignaud/Lesoudier/Corbel BMW 2m31.472s

24. G2 Radermeker/Ho-pin/De Sordi/Villeneuve Mosler 2m31.601s

25. G3 Haring/Konstantinou/Durr/Bourdeaux Porsche 2m31.693s

26. G3 Mattheis/Negrao/Oliveira Jr/Lunardi Ford 2m31.796s

27. GT2 Basso/Kuteman/Hartshorne/Daoudi Ferrari 2m32.294s

28. GT2 V S'teren/Coronel/Hommerson/Machiels Porsche 2m36.050s

29. G2 Lichtner-hoyer/Eckert/Rich/Sharp Porsche 2m39.943s

30. G3 Cullen/Shovlin/Patterson/Ludwig Ferrari 2m39.981s

31. G3 Brouard/Havette/Noziere/Kerkhove Porsche 2m41.463s

32. GT1 Dierick/Van Damm/VD Zwaan/VD Zwaan Saleen 2m41.902s

33. G2 Kenis/D'maecker/Smets/Schuybroeck Mosler 2m52.360s

On a side note, more about the new GT1 class, and Lambo reveals its Murcielago R-SV:

New-spec GT1 Lamborghini unveiled

FIA GT boss Stephane Ratel is confident of reaching his targets for the new GT1 World Championship next year after the unveiling of the new Lamborghini Murcielago R-SV at Spa this evening.

The Reiter Engineering-developed car is the third new-spec GT1, which is designed to cut costs, joining the Ford GT and Nissan GT-R.

The Murcielago has a 6.5-litre V12, producing 670bhp when unrestricted. It will cost 480,000 Euros, around half the price of a new car to the old GT1 regulations.

At the unveiling Ratel said: "We aimed to have two or three new cars presented in 2009 and we have now done that.

"We also have officially a request from Aston Martin and Corvette to submit new versions of their current GT1 cars.

"It's quite an achievement and we will believe we will get a sixth make to get to our target of 24 cars."

Ratel's plan is to have a pair of two-car teams representing each manufacturer. He now claims to have been seriously contacted by 24 potential teams. "I have no doubt we will have two teams per brand," he said.

The boss of SRO also confirmed that, despite the doubts surrounding the Russian and Romanian events of the 2010 GT1 World Championship, there would still be 12 rounds, as planned.

"We have received a number of requests from countries wanting to host the championship," he said.

That's the GT-R right next to the Lambo. F'ers qualified 8th!

Reason for edit: stoopid picture hotlink....

[Desertdawg]

You don't think the GT-R is actually going to finish the race do you?

Will GM jump in on the new spec GT1 class ???

[MOTV8]

You don't think the GT-R is actually going to finish the race do you?

Will GM jump in on the new spec GT1 class ???

I'll be forced to give them credit if they make it the whole 24 hours, how ever much I hate it.

I don't think with GM's current fiscal and 'ownership' issues that they'll pursue any NEW racing program, and the current owners of the old-GT1 spec C6.Rs are already lobbying the FIA to just let them detune what they have and keep racing them. And as you know the GT2 car is ready, P&M have put thousands of test miles on the new car, and the motor-program has been taken in-house to Wixom.

Katech is still supplying the current C6.R cars with support/tech, but they are gonna hafta rely on regular-joe orders for their motors and new Z06 'club sport' packages they are pimping to maintain revenue. If the FIA says okay to detuned C6.Rs for next year against the Lambo, Ford GTs, and Nissan GT-Rs (the only new-spec GT1 cars I'm aware of) they'll still be servicing those teams....

[MOTV8]

Just checked and got a race update...good news so far:

Corvettes hit the front at Spa

By Kevin Turner Saturday, July 25th 2009, 15:53 GMT

The Chevrolet Corvettes have shown they can take the fight to the crack Vitaphone Maserati squad in this weekend's Spa 24 Hours after the opening hour of the race.

Vitaphone's MC12s qualified one-two-three in a rain-interrupted session on Thursday, but the three Corvettes moved through early on in the race this afternoon.

At one stage ex-Formula 1 racer Enrique Bernoldi led in the Sangari Team Brazil C6.R from the Selleslagh Racing Team car of Oliver Gavin after both worked their way past the Maseratis.

Bernoldi fell back in a rain shower after around 40 minutes, but Gavin built a lead of over 10 seconds before the first round of scheduled pitstops. The Briton stayed aboard and currently leads the #1 MC12 of Andrea Bertolini by around 25s.

Mike Hezeman's Pekaracing Corvette lies third at present, ahead of a battle between Bernoldi and Pedro Lamy in the #2 MC12 started by poleman Alex Muller.

GT2 is led by the IMSA Performance Porsche 911, in which Patrick Pilet pulled clear of ex-F1 driver Gianmaria Bruni (AF Corse Ferrari 430) during the opening hour. Pilet now leads Bruni's co-driver Jaime Melo by 15s.

Like the GT2 Porsche, the GT3 911 appears to be able to run longer between stops than its class rivals. Niki Lanik stayed out the longest of the frontrunners to take the GT3 lead, but has just lost out to the faster Ford GT of Thomas Mutsch.

The Phoenix Audi of Marcel Fassler comfortably leads the G2 category and has established itself in the top 10 overall.

The works Nissan of Michael Krumm is the leading 2010-generation GT1, with its only rival losing time in the pits. The Marc VDS Ford GT came in after just half an hour with a gearbox problem and has still not returned to the track.

[MOTV8]

Oops...hot off the presses:

Streit escapes massive Spa crash

By Kevin Turner Saturday, July 25th 2009, 16:52 GMT

Chevrolet Corvette driver Roberto Streit has walked away from a huge accident at Eau Rouge early in the third hour of this weekend's Spa 24 Hours.

Streit had just taken over the Sangari Team Brazil entry when he hit a kerb and lost control. The Corvette, which had been running fifth, struck the barriers hard and came to rest across the pitlane exit.

The accident brought out the safety car for half an hour to allow the removal of the wrecked C6.R, which Streit was sharing with Enrique Bernoldi and Xavier Maassen. Streit is believed to be uninjured.

The crash has cut the lead held by the Selleslagh Racing Team Corvette of Oliver Gavin, who had built up an advantage of around half a minute before coming in for a scheduled pitstop just before the accident. Co-driver Bert Longin now heads Maserati driver Michael Bartels by just over 15 seconds.

Reason for edit: Added picture of trashed C6.R

[Desertdawg]

I read SPA CRASH!!1 and thought,... damn nissan.. hahaha

Thanks for the updates.

[MOTV8]

Maserati takes control at Spa

By Kevin Turner Saturday, July 25th 2009, 18:47 GMT

The advantage at the Spa 24 Hours has swung back in Maserati's favour as the race enters its fifth hour.

The Selleslagh Racing Team Chevrolet Corvette had been leading going into the fourth hour, but a safety car period, caused by a multi-car shunt in the rain, eroded its advantage. Bert Longin then struggled for pace in the car and fell down the order.

Fellow Corvette racer Anthony Kumpen took up the running, but he was chased down by Stephane Sarrazin in the #1 Vitaphone Maserati. An aggressive move around the outside into the Bus Stop gave the MC12 the lead, and Sarrazin has now built up a lead of over 15 seconds.

The pace of the MC12s in the wet was underlined around the four-hour mark when Stephane Lemeret passed Kumpen for second, while Longin's struggles mean he is now over a minute behind the lead.

The fight for GT2 honours has got closer. Longtime leader the IMSA Porsche 911 lost much of its advantage behind the safety car, and a charging Niki Cadei (AF Corse Ferrari 430) is now fighting IMSA's Patrick Long for the category lead.

G2 continues to be dominated by the Audi R8 LMS, in seventh overall, while GT3 is currently led by the #121 Ford GT.

CheeseandRice! Get Gavin back in the friggin car! And go snag Enrique Bernoldi from Team Brazil, his vette is toast, so let him drive with Kumpen in the other C6.R!

[MOTV8]

PK Racing leads Spa after six hours

By Kevin Turner Saturday, July 25th 2009, 20:38 GMT

The #4 PK Racing Chevrolet Corvette holds a narrow lead after a quarter of this year's Spa 24 Hours.

The Vitaphone Maserati squad had established a one-two early in the fifth hour, but PK Racing then made ground during the pitstops and jumped to second. As the track dried, Jos Menten closed on leader Stephane Sarrazin in the #1 Maserati before sweeping ahead.

Menton lost the lead with a spin, but after the next round of stops regained it again by passing Alexandre Negrao, who took over from Sarrazin.

The gap between the two cars is currently around 20 seconds, while the #3 Corvette and #2 Maserati are also on the lead lap in third and fourth respectively.

The #51 AF Corse Ferrari 430 of Alvaro Barba Lopez, Niki Cadei, Matias Russo, and Pierre Kaffer leads GT2 from its sister car, while the Phoenix Audi R8 LMS comfortably heads the G2 class in sixth overall.

The Matech Ford GTs are first and second in GT3, with the #121 machine leading.

[MOTV8]

Corvettes lead into the night at Spa

By Kevin Turner Saturday, July 25th 2009, 22:29 GMT

The Chevrolet Corvettes of Selleslagh Racing and PK Racing have taken control of the Spa 24 Hours just after one-third distance.

Just before the seventh hour mark, the #1 Maserati driven by Alexandre Sarnes Negrao had taken the lead back from Kurt Mollekens in the PK Corvette. But Oliver Gavin, back aboard the Sellelagh car, was faster than both.

He was around six seconds behind Mollekens and less than 30 behind Negrau when the latest round of pitstops began, just before the eight-hour mark. Gavin's in-lap pace and speed at the start of the next stint then vaulted him into the lead.

Negrau was close in second until he crashed, possibly on oil, and the car is now losing time in the pits.

That leaves Gavin and Mollekens in first and second, with the gap growing between them. The highest Vitaphone Maserati is now the #2 car, currently driven by Alex Muller, which is around two minutes behind the leader.

AF Corse's grip over GT2 remains strong as Pierre Kaffer currently holds a lead of nearly one minute over team-mate Jaime Melo in the #50 Ferrari 430.

The Porsche challenge has been weakened further after Richard Westbrook clashed with a faster car while he was aboard the #60 Prospeed 911. It had been fighting over third, but has now fallen down the order.

The Ford GTs continue to dominate GT3, with the Thomas Mutsch/Maxine Martin/Peter Wyss/Marc Hennerici car leading comfortably.

G2 class leaders Marcel Fassler, Henri Moser, Alexander Margeritis and Marc Basseng has just moved up to fifth overall in the Phoenix Audi R8 LMS thanks to the #1 Maserati's pitstop.

Ollie! Ollie!! Ollie!!!

[MOTV8]

Instead of waiting on Mr. Turner's handy reports you can also follow the live timing HERE.

Corvettes running one-two, and Gavin is turning 2:20 laps to the 2-lap down, third-place Maserati's 2:23 laps. Pulling away....

BTW, the Nissan currently sits in 6th overall! Turning laps a second slower than the Maserati...

[MOTV8]

Ugh..

Lamy in a Maserati leads, Gavin 21 seconds back, the other C6.R right on his ass, then the Nissan GT-R sits fourth, ....9 laps back.

[Desertdawg]

I don't know what happened since the last time I look at the live timing but the vettes are stomping butt!!!

#4 MOLLEKENS Corvette Z06 Last Lap 2:20.725

#2 SOULET Corvette Z06 Last Lap 2:17.412

The #33 Maserati is 15 laps back and the #2 Maserati is 27 laps back.... ouch!!!

oh and the nissan wanna be is now in 18th place ...........get ready for it ........ 50 laps back hahahahahah!!!!!!!!

[MOTV8]

Well, its over....and here are the last of Mr. Turner's reports, SPOILER ALERT of course:

Maserati crashes out of Spa lead

By Kevin Turner Sunday, July 26th 2009, 08:28 GMT

The Maserati that appeared to be on course for victory in the Spa 24 Hours has just lost the lead after a dramatic exit.

Alex Muller had built up a lead of over a minute in the #2 Vitaphone MC12 he shares with Miguel Ramos, Pedro Lamy and Eric Van de Poele. But just after the 18-hour mark the car suffered a suspected tyre failure and Muller was pitched off the road.

At present, it seems unlikely that he will be able to make it back to the pits.

The incident leaves the Selleslagh Racing and Pekaracing Chevrolet Corvettes fighting for the lead. Bert Longin had taken the advantage for Sellelsagh, but has just been in for an earlier than planned pitstop, handing a narrow lead to Jos Menten, who himself had an unscheduled stop earlier in the stint.

The Phoenix Audi R8 LMS now looks set to take third overall, though the sole remaining competitive Vitaphone Maserati (#33) is less than two laps behind it and can lap faster.

-AND-

PK Chevy takes control of Spa 24H

By Kevin Turner Sunday, July 26th 2009, 10:50 GMT

The #4 PK Racing Chevrolet Corvette is now the favourite to win this year's Spa 24 Hours with three and a half hours to go after mechanical trouble struck its nearest rival.

The car, driven by Mike Hezemans, Anthony Kumpen, Jos Menten and Kurt Mollekens had been duelling with the #3 Selleslagh Corvette after the Vitaphone Maserati challenge faded earlier this morning.

A minor fuel rig problem for Selleslagh had helped PK gain the initiative, but the lead was still swinging back and forth depending on pitstops. Then, in the 21st hour, Oliver Gavin suffered a spin and his Selleslagh machine started smoking and leaking fluid. (It was oil dumbass)

The car has now returned to the pits and is likely to fall down the order.

The closest healthy cars to the leading Corvette are now the Phoenix Audi R8 LMS and the recovering #33 Maserati, but their battle is 15 laps behind PK.

The #121 Matech Ford GT comfortably leads GT3, while the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 430 heads GT2 by three laps.

- AND -

PK closing on Spa 24 Hours win

By Kevin Turner Sunday, July 26th 2009, 12:11 GMT

The #4 PK Racing Chevrolet Corvette continues to lead this year's Spa 24 Hours as the Belgian event enters the final two hours.

The #3 Selleslagh Corvette, which had been fighting PK for the lead, is parked in the pits with an oil leak. The team plans to bring the car out for the end of the race, but it is currently dropping down the order.

PK is now cruising, but is still 12 laps ahead of the #33 Vitaphone Maserati, which now appears to have got the better of the G2 class-leading Phoenix Audi R8 LMS for second.

The #50 AF Corse Ferrari 430 continues to lead GT2 and is now up to fourth overall, three laps ahead of the Brixia Racing Porsche 911.

Thomas Mutsch leads GT3 and looks set to finish eighth or ninth, despite a small off in the last hour.

-AND lastly-

PK Corvette wins Spa 24 Hours

By Kevin Turner Sunday, July 26th 2009, 14:12 GMT

Mike Hezemans, Anthony Kumpen, Jos Menten and Kurt Mollekens have won the 2009 Spa 24 Hours in their PK Racing Chevrolet Corvette C6.R.

With the failure of their last remaining rival, the #3 Selleslagh Racing Corvette, in the 21st hour, PK was able to cruise home to score the second victory in the Belgian classic for the Corvette.

They finished 11 laps clear of the #33 Vitaphone Maserati of Alessandro Pier Guidi, Stephane Lemeret, Carl Rosenblad and Vincent Vosse. All three Maseratis suffered offs during the early hours of Sunday, but the #33 car was the least affected and was able to recover to second.

Third overall went to the G2 class-dominating Audi R8 LMS. The Phoenix Racing machine, driven by Marcel Fassler, Henri Moser, Alexander Margaritis, and Marc Basseng, ran faultlessly apart from a late scare to complete the podium. Its nearest G2 rival, the Jetalliance Racing Porsche 911, finish 57 laps down in 17th.

The GT2 win fell to Ferrari. The #50 AF Corse 430 dominated the race after the demise of its sister machine, allowing Toni Vilander, Gianmaria, Jaime Melo and Luis Perez Companc to come home fourth overall.

The Ferrari was five laps ahead of the first Porsche, the Brixia Racing 911 in fifth, while third in GT2 fell to the #56 CRS Racing car after various early delays.

The G3 category, essentially for GT3 machines, fell to the Matech Ford GT of Thomas Mutsch, Maxine Martin, Peter Wyss and Marc Hennerici in 10th overall.

The car was comfortably the fastest in the class for much of the race, but problems in the last two hours, including a loose undertray and deteriorating bodywork, allowed the rugged First Motorsport Porsche 911 of Christian Kelders, Philippe Greisch, Daniel Desbrueres and Eric Helary to close to within a lap at flagfall.

Nissan wound up 13th, 46 laps down. It came in late in the race and they put the hood up, then sent the car back out, only to have the driver bring it right back in after a lap, at which point it was wheeled back into the garage. Something about brake vibrations. Whew, I almost had to give them credit...

The provisional race results:

1 4 MOLLEKENS

BEL

1 Corvette Z06 559 21 40.963 1:23.346 1:05.081 3:09.390 2:16.462

2 33 LEMERET

BEL

1 Maserati MC 12 547 20 12 Laps 18.225 42.865 1:11.484 2:32.540 2:16.297

3 111 FASSLER

SUI

4 Audi R8 LMS 543 24 16 Laps 44.387 43.116 1:10.007 2:37.421 2:21.106

4 50 MELO

BRA

2 Ferrari F430 539 22 20 Laps 29.968 45.878 1:12.969 2:38.655 2:23.965

5 97 RAGGINGER

AUT

2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 534 22 25 Laps 44.994 1:15.386 2:48.533 2:23.155

6 56 KOX

NED

2 Ferrari F430 527 23 32 Laps 1:17.759 48.611 1:14.277 2:49.641 2:24.492

7 61 MACHIELS

BEL

2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 526 20 33 Laps 1:01.421 43.844 1:10.722 2:42.578 2:26.813

8 60 WESTBROOK

GBR

2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 525 23 34 Laps 43.496 1:10.576 2:32.779 2:23.559

9 55 MULLEN

GBR

2 Ferrari F430 524 21 35 Laps 43.708 1:10.275 2:33.177 2:25.179

10 121 MUTSCH

GER

5 Ford GT 519 23 40 Laps 1:59.615 44.897 1:25.668 1:08.109 3:18.674 2:22.475

11 123 VERBIST

BEL

5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 517 19 42 Laps 39.474 43.059 1:10.943 2:34.367 2:27.530

12 161 PALTTALA

FIN

5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 516 19 43 Laps 48.457 43.060 1:13.724 2:36.629 2:24.896

13 35 TURNER

GBR

1 Nissan GT-R 512 24 47 Laps 1:05.885 42.478 1:08.002 2:30.563 2:18.321

14 172 HOOYDONCK

BEL

5 Aston Martin DBRS9 502 24 57 Laps 44.078 1:10.751 2:39.962 2:26.666

15 145 DESBRUERES

FRA

5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 496 21 63 Laps 1:07.724 47.303 1:20.185 2:54.933 2:26.578

16 1 BERTOLINI

ITA

1 Maserati MC 12 488 21 71 Laps 43.087 1:11.218 2:32.753 2:16.784

17 116 LICHTNER-HOYER

AUT

4 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 486 18 73 Laps 44.113 1:14.034 2:39.312 2:32.213

18 59 SUGDEN

GBR

2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 485 25 74 Laps 2:28.526 1:05.578 3:40.111 2:23.593

19 3 LONGIN

BEL

1 Corvette Z06 485 21 74 Laps 27.110 1:10.877 1:34.866 1:04.573 3:50.316 2:15.423

20 160 KERKHOVE

BEL

5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 483 20 76 Laps 49.968 44.331 1:13.534 2:43.621 2:32.599

21 120 PATTERSON

USA

5 Ferrari 430 GT3 475 30 84 Laps 1:04.545 44.944 1:10.645 2:36.721 2:30.688

22 70 PILET

FRA

2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 425 18 134 Laps 16.716 2:22.658

23 2 MULLER

GER

1 Maserati MC 12 419 15 39.273 2:19.431 2:16.067

24 99 HARTSHORNE

GBR

2 Ferrari F430 406 18 153 Laps 45.235 1:12.543 50.714 2:48.492 2:27.720

25 110 SMETS

BEL

4 Mosler MT900 402 19 157 Laps 44.567 1:18.920 2:49.496 2:29.196

26 77 RUBERTI

ITA

2 Ferrari F430 329 21 230 Laps 56.035 2:22.014

27 40 LEINDERS

BEL

1 Ford GT (001 PT GT1) 317 15 242 Laps 41.532 1:23.343 2:29.729 2:20.711

28 51 CADEI

ITA

2 Ferrari F430 316 13 243 Laps 23.287 41.330 1:07.584 43.965 2:32.879 2:22.603

29 174 LESOUDIER

FRA

5 BMW Alpina B6 GT3 288 13 271 Laps 1:26.320 46.603 1:19.169 1:07.668 3:13.440 2:27.122

30 122 LUNARDI

BRA

5 Ford GT 272 13 287 Laps 1:30.071 3:19.343 1:31.475 1:08.353 5:59.171 2:29.016

31 124 KONSTANTINOU

GRE

5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 234 9 325 Laps 1:49.946 42.451 2:31.831 2:29.853

32 117 HIRSCHI

SUI

4 Porsche 996 Bi-Turbo (GT2-R) 159 12 400 Laps 45.765 1:19.982 45.320 2:51.067 2:30.178

33 11 VAN DAM

BEL

1 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo 128 8 431 Laps 41.457 2:21.287 2:21.088

34 118 VILLENEUVE

CAN

4 Mosler MT900 65 2 494 Laps 42.038 1:09.911 2:28.685 2:25.975

35 8 STREIT

BRA

1 Corvette Z06 55 2 504 Laps 38.790 1:05.094 36.443 2:20.327 2:18.096

36 115 TREMBLAY

FRA

4 Porsche 996 Bi-Turbo (GT2-R) 26 4 533 Laps 45.653 1:55.891 2:49.871 2:36.101

37 175 HUMMEL

GER

5 BMW Alpina B6 GT3 3 0 556 Laps 44.058 2:32.590 2:32.590

38 78 PESCATORI

ITA

2 Ferrari F430 3 1 556 Laps 49.266 47.982 1:21.427 56.821 3:06.230 2:41.641

39 95 CASE

ITA

2 Ferrari F430 3 1 556 Laps 11.642 48.112 1:27.152 1:02.114 3:17.378 2:48.135

The GT1 Corvette reigns supreme again, I'll be sorry to see it go or at least get detuned. Gotta be the greatest GT1 racecar ....evah.

[Bigfoot]

Holy cow, the closes guy was 11 laps down???

[P51tj]

Right On!!!

[Desertdawg]

I thought the C5R was the greatest race car ever, but I'll concede since it's now 5 years old!

[MOTV8]

Maser's inherit FIA GT win after Saleen DQ'd

Sunshine, spectators and a thrilling race ! There was suspense all the way to the chequered flag in the Budapest City Challenge, watched by over 15,000 spectators at the Hungaroring today. The race proved to be truly action-packed, to the delight of the crowds, who were treated beforehand to a massive autograph session down the pit lane and a driver parade.

In GT1, after an incident-packed race, Vitaphone Racing Team inherited the win after the K plus K Motorsport Saleen S7R, which crossed the line first, was excluded following post-race scrutineering for failing the airbox test. In GT2, Prospeed Competition’s Westbrook and Collard fought from the back of the grid to claim the victory for their nr 60 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR.

VITAPHONE INHERITS BUDAPEST CITY CHALLENGE WIN

The last time the FIA GT Championship raced at the Hungaroring, in 2006, the Zakspeed Saleen emerged victorious. This weekend, in the Budapest City Challenge, it looked as if Czech team K plus K Motorsport and their Saleen S7R would repeat the feat. However, the car was excluded after post-race scrutineering. This left Vitaphone Racing Team to inherit the win, their second victory of 2009 after Adria. Bartels had already been delighted with second place, especially considering the 80 kg success ballast the nr 1 Maserati MC 12 was carrying at the Hungaroring. “If you’d told me before the race that we’d finish with a heavy car, with 80 kg extra ballast, I would laugh and say we’d have no chance. In the end, I think Andrea and myself we have so much experience to carry the car home and collect the points. After not such a fantastic weekend for the whole Vitaphone team at Spa - apart from 2nd place for the third car - we’ve come back with a very strong result and we’re leading both championships again. I was very happy when I started my stint to see the full grandstands down to the first corner!”

Bartels and Bertolini now lead the GT1 Drivers classification with 41 points, four ahead of Hezemans and Kumpen. Xavier Maassen is third, with Longin and Ruffier fourth. In the Teams classification, Vitaphone has a good lead of 19 points, ahead of Pekaracing and Luc Alphand Aventures.

The nr 33 Vitaphone Racing Team DHL Maserati MC 12 of Alessandro Pier Guidi and Matteo Bobbi, originally third, moved up to second after the race. The car ran strongly throughout, leading the race during the closing stages, but dropped back after reporting heavy vibrations. “I’m very happy. My comeback in the championship is very nice for us,” Pier Guidi said. “I hope to get a better result in Portimao and to win a race. Until the middle of the last stint, the car had been very fast and was perfect and I’d like to thank the team.”

Qualifying third, and fourth across the line, was the nr 8 Sangari Team Brazil Corvette Z06, driven by Enrique Bernoldi and Roberto Streit, who claimed the final podium place after the exclusion of the nr 14. Bernoldi made an excellent start and took the lead, chased closely by the nr 2 Maserati and the nr 14 Saleen. On lap five, there was contact between the three cars , which saw the nr 2 retire and the nr 14 drop back; the nr 8 continued although it had suffered damage, which later delayed its pit stop due to difficulties with the refueling. The Stewards later decided that Alex Müller had caused an avoidable accident; he will have a drop of five grid places on his next race.

Bernoldi and Streit therefore claimed their first points finish and first podium in the FIA GT Championship, a great result for the new team.

The two Maserati MC 12 cars were followed by a quartet of Corvettes, the nr 8 Sangari car being followed home by the nr 19 Luc Alphand Aventures car, the nr 4 Pekaracing car and the nr 3 SRT car. Finishing fifth, Kumpen and Hezemans have lost the Championship lead to Bertolini and Bartels; however, their nr 4 car will be able to lose some weight for the next round in Portimao, while the nr 1 Maserati will be carrying the maximum weight.

Seventh, and leading 2010 generation GT1 car, was the nr 40 Marc VDS Racing Ford GT. “It was quite difficult. Renaud took the first stint and had a reasonably good start. But then we lost about 40 seconds at the pitstop because the wheel nut got stuck into the other wheel with the wheel gun, so it took us quite a lot of time to get it out and to put the wheel on. For the rest it was okay, we got to the end, but we’ve still got to improve.”

The final point in the revised results went to K plus K Motorsport; the nr 18 Saleen of Adam Lacko and newcomer Max Nilsson finished 8 laps down after suffering a loss of brake liquid.

Pos Cl Drivers Car Time/Gap

1. GT1 Wendlinger/Sharp Saleen S7 2h00m17.422s

2. GT1 Bertolini/Bartels Maserati MC 12 + 33.167s

3. GT1 Pier Guidi/Bobbi Maserati MC 12 + 33.506s

4. GT1 Bernoldi/Streit Corvette Z06 + 33.987s

5. GT1 Maassen/Biagi Corvette Z06 + 37.885s

6. GT1 Hezemans/Kumpen Corvette Z06 + 52.835s

7. GT1 Longin/Ruffier Corvette Z06 + 1 lap

8. GT2 Westbrook/Collard Porsche 911 GT3 + 2 laps

9. GT2 Bruni/Vilander Ferrari F430 + 2 laps

10. GT2 Ruberti/Malucelli Ferrari F430 + 2 laps

11. GT1 Kuppens/Leinders Ford GT + 2 laps

12. GT2 O'Young/Holzer Porsche 911 GT3 + 2 laps

13. GT2 Barba Lopez/Cadei Ferrari F430 + 3 laps

14. GT2 Bell/Kirkaldy Ferrari F430 + 3 laps

15. GT2 Russo/Perez Companc Ferrari F430 + 3 laps

16. GT2 Mullen/Niarchos Ferrari F430 + 3 laps

17. GT2 Ragginger/Lucchini Porsche 911 GT3 + 3 laps

18. GT2 Romanini/Heyer Ferrari F430 + 3 laps

19. GT2 Sugden/Ashburn Porsche 911 GT3 + 4 laps

20. GT1 Lacko/Nilsson Saleen S7 + 8 laps

21. GT1 Mutsch/Hirschi Ford GT + 8 laps

22. G2 Konopka/Studenic Saleen S7 + 19 laps

Retirements:

GT1 Lemeret/Hines Saleen S7 23 laps

GT1 Muller/Ramos Maserati MC 12 5 laps

[MOTV8]

FIA GT Championship round 6 Algarve preview

By: Series Update

September 15, 2009

For the sixth round of the 2009 season, the FIA GT Championship is heading south, to Portugal, and the Autodromo Internacional Algarve. Although the Championship raced in Portugal regularly between 2000 and 2003, this is the first visit to the new circuit in Portimao. Undulating and challenging, the track seems to be popular with all those who have already raced there. As a bonus, sunshine and warm temperatures are likely for the race weekend!

In terms of the Championship, the situation could hardly be closer in both GT1 and GT2. Budapest saw victory go to the Vitaphone Racing Team’s Maserati MC 12 of Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini, who regained the lead in the Classification. But victory has a price, and the nr 1 car will have 100 kg in Portugal. Their nearest rivals, Pekaracing’s Corvette Z06 of Kumpen and Hezemans, are four points behind and will have less weight around this track, which could be significant. But they are definitely not the only ones fighting for victory in the GT1 category… including the sole Portuguese regular driver, Miguel Ramos. So will it be Corvette, Maserati or Saleen on the top step on Sunday in the Portuguese sunshine?

As for GT2, the battle between Porsche and Ferrari continues, with leading teams AF Corse and Prospeed Competition currently tied on points. The Belgian team has a slight advantage in terms of victories, with three to the nr 60 car compared to two for the nr 50 Ferrari. With the reigning Champions Vilander/Bruni and the Prospeed pair of Westbrook and Collard having shared out this year’s victories, there are plenty of contenders in this highly competitive field who are keen to claim a first win, including a number of young guns who have shown their speed, such as AF Corse’s Alvaro Barba Lopez, of Spain, who took his first pole in Budapest.

The FIA GT race will take place over two days, starting with free practice, pre-qualifying and qualifying on Saturday 19th, with a warm-up and the race starting on Sunday, at 14:15 local time.

The FIA GT Championship will be sharing the event with the GP2 Series at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve this weekend.

[MOTV8]

Corvette takes 1st and 2nd in FIA GT at Algarve, Portugal

The Number 3 SRT Z06 Corvette of Longin and Ruffier took their first win of the season FIA GT Championship yesterday, crossing the line 33 seconds ahead of the number 4 Pekaracing Corvette of Hezemans and Kumpen. Maserati, never far from the front runners of the Championship, were represented on the podium by the number 2 Vitaphone Racing Team Maserati MC 12 of Müller and Ramos, who finished third. The placing put their recent bad luck behind them and gave Miguel Ramos a very popular home finish.

Algarve is a sweeping track, with undulating curves and bends which provided a challenge for some of the leading Maserati’s carrying success ballast: in the case of Bertolini and Bartels in the number 1 Maserati,100 kilograms. The penalties really open up the Championship to several competitors, and it keeps the competition close. It now means that four drivers, Michael Bartels, Anthony Kumpen, Andrea Bertolini, and Mike Hezemans, are all equal on 45 points with only two rounds remaining in the season.

Longin and Ruffier really deserved their win yesterday as radio communication issues, an extended pit stop, and a safety car period all contributed to their race's hurdles and kept the tension high. “It has been an amazing weekend,” James, the reigning FIA GT3 European Champion, commented. “The car was really, really good, and I am very happy for the team and for my team-mate. The car had been consistent, but not competitive, but finally we got the speed, and to win with a 30-second lead is really a good achievement for the whole team.”

GT1 has been dominated by the fight between the Z06 Corvette’s and the Italian dream machines the Maserati MC12’s this year. Fourth place was hotly contested with the two chasing Maserati’s finishing within a second of the Sangari Brazil Corvette Z06, which had brilliantly started from pole. In GT2 however, the competition has been between the German giant Porsche, and the pride of Italy, Ferrari, with the AF Corse team collecting its third win of the season yesterday.

The number 51 Ferrari 430 GT2 of Niki Cadei and Alvaro Barba Lopez took the checkered flag, giving both drivers their maiden FIA GT victories. “I can only just believe the result now! After the safety car, I had to ask the team two or three times to confirm my position,” Cadei said. “I really wanted to win this race as I am close to my home in Spain,” Barba Lopez added. “I am very happy; it is fantastic.”

Prospeed Competition drivers Richard Westbrook and Emmanuel Collard, in their number 61 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, took second building up a three-point lead over their nearest rivals. Despite being involved in a collision with the eventual winners, for which they received a drive-through penalty, Richard Westbrook said it was a good race for the team. “Our car had…really good race pace and we slowly climbed up the order and found ourselves in the lead. We didn’t really gain too much behind the safety car, but we didn’t lose much either. To come second, with our main title rivals in sixth is a real dream. The weight is going up again, but we’ll take the points!”

1) 3 GT1 Ruffier/Longin Corvette Z06 2:01:39.556

2) 4 GT1 Kumpen/Hezemans Corvette Z06 2:02:12.778

3) 2 GT1 Muller/Ramos Maserati MC 12 2:02:31.466

4) 8 GT1 Maassen/Streit/Bernoldi Corvette Z06 2:02:37.575

5) 1 GT1 Bertolini/Bartels Maserati MC 12 2:02:37.866

6) 33 GT1 Pier Guidi/Bobbi Maserati MC 12 2:02:38.110

7) 51 GT2 Cadei/Barba Lopez Ferrari F430 2:02:04.645

8) 60 GT2 Collard/Westbrook Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 2:02:18.275

9) 77 GT2 Malucelli/Ruberti Ferrari F430 2:02:19.543

10) 95 GT2 Russo/Perez Companc Ferrari F430 2:02:27.463

11) 56 GT2 Kirkaldy/Bell Ferrari F430 2:02:32.659 64

12) 50 GT2 Bruni/Vilander Ferrari F430 2:02:36.115

13) 97 GT2 Ragginger/Lucchini Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 2:02:47.888

14) 55 GT2 Mullen/Niarchos Ferrari F430 2:02:57.995 64

15) 78 GT2 Romanini/Bonaldi Ferrari F430 2:03:13.144

16) 59 GT2 Sugden/Ashburn Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 2:03:13.452

17) 40 GT1 Leinders/Kuppens Ford GT (001 PT GT1) 1:51:27.146

18) 11 GT1 Lemeret/Hines Saleen S7 Twin Turbo 1:41:31.472

19) 61 GT2 Holzer/O'Young Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 1:03:19.589

Oops, how'd that get in there....

[Desertdawg]

Your oops is accetable, just make sure you do it again!!!

Congrats to the Corvette teams!!!

[MOTV8]

From Corvette Motorsport:

FIA GT: Paul Ricard GT1 Preview

Its officially October at Corvette Motorsport, which means the penultimate round of the 2009 FIA GT championship has arrived! This season to date has been the closest fought between Corvette and the successful Maserati MC12. Last year Bartels and Bertolini managed a 4 point gap in the final race from Hezemans and Gollin. This year weekend though we will be aiming at maximum points towards possibly our first FIA GT title! The points are dead even coming into the second to last race. With a slight disadvantage with weight, PKs Hezemans and Kumpen will be hoping to get maximum points again.

Also present is the Belgian team of SRT. The team is facing a new surge of pace after a dismal season getting to grips with several small challenges at each round. The team pulled off a fantastic win at Algarves first event with the series. Bert Longin is in good spirits after winning the event (At Paul Ricard) for Corvette Motorsport last time out in 2006. “I am looking forward to the event for sure, because I think the track is a good one for the Corvette, and also I have to try to get on the podium in the final classification of the Championship, so we need to maintain our position and keep Maassen away! You need a lot of horsepower at that circuit, so that’s already quite OK. But also the track has some nice corners, and the area is very nice, you can be by the sea really quickly – so our wives are happy too ! The weather should be good – I’ve never driven Paul Ricard in the rain – but I hope that won’t matter.

The beautiful and challenging circuit, instantly recognizable in photos due to its dramatic striping – which is also part of the safety features, slowing the cars down – has recently ended ten years as a test-only track, and has opened its gates to the public. With new grandstands along the pit straight, and a viewing area at the spectacular double Beausset right-hander, the many spectators should be treated to an excellent weekend of Motorsport action.

The 2009 FIA GT Championship had a first taster of the circuit back in April, when the official media and test days were held at the circuit. Thanks to those tests – and to the results of the race back in 2006 – the circuit has gained a reputation as being a perfect Corvette track.

After Algarve, DKR Engineering will be working double duties this weekend (along with SRT and Luc Alphand). For the only time this season, the FFSA French GT1 series will merge on the same weekend. This proves challenging on several fronts. First off, each C6R in the FFSA runs under different ballasts. So Setup of the cars will be tough during each FIA and FFSA sessions. Next is the liveries, which involve complete alterations to the exterior panels due to different sponsors.

“This is definitely going to be our most difficult race of the season,” team boss Kendy Janclaes commented. “Between each FIA and FFSA session, we have a lot of work to do. We have to change the suspensions, change the restrictors, the stickers, the tyres, the fuel, the set-up and the handicap weight! For the FFSA GT Championship, we have 120 kg success ballast after our weekend in Albi, where we won. We will have to repeat this operation over and over again, as the FIA and FFSA sessions follow each other through the weekend. We have tried some simulations in the workshop, and we are confident that it will be OK. We’ll just miss the FIA GT warm-up on Sunday morning, to avoid any problems for the FFSA race which follows it. We just have to hope that there are no unexpected events…”

Newcomer Enrique Bernoldi has certainly been the standout star of the new season. “I’m enjoying it very much,” Bernoldi commented. “The car and the Sangari Team Brazil are very good and competitive. And I have adapted very well to the GT driving style. I am glad I have been very fast since first practice in Spa. The series is quite interesting as we are racing motorsports legends so anyone would be happy to be in my shoes. And the environment is also something, the guys in the team and all other people seem to be enjoying the moment as well. Yes, we are doing well here.”

Luc Alphand Aventures will also be making the journey to Paul Ricard. The team now only in posession of one working C6R, was forced to cancel the last event due to time constraints they had after running the Le Mans Series race at Silverstone. Regular drivers Xavier Maassen will be joined by Italian Thomas Biagi.

[MOTV8]

Bernoldi/Streit take first GT victory

Enrique Bernoldi and Roberto Streit claimed a maiden FIA GT Championship victory with a dominant performance at Paul Ricard today.

The Brazilian pairing dominated the two-hour race aboard their DKR-run Team Brazil Chevrolet Corvette C6.R. They ended up 15 seconds ahead of the best of the Vitaphone Maserati MC12s, driven by Alex Muller and Miguel Ramos.

Bernoldi had been forced to start from sixth on the grid despite topping qualifying after receiving a penalty for avoidable contact in free practice. He needed just nine laps to catch Muller and a further three to take a lead he was able to extend to more than four seconds by the time he handed over to his team-mate.

Streit emerged with a 12-second lead after the first round of pitstops was complete and edged away from Ramos over the course of the middle stint. Bernoldi rejoined with 20 seconds in hand over the Maserati and was able to control the race to the chequered flag.

"It wasn't as easy as it looked," said Bernoldi. "Our strategy meant we changed tyres at both pitstops, so we had to always push hard."

Muller and Ramos were content with second behind the Team Brazil Chevy.

"Second is like winning the race; we can't fight with the Corvette at this circuit," said Ramos.

Third place went to the SRT Chevrolet Corvette driven by James Ruffier and Bert Longin after the second Maserati, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi and Matteo Bobbi, had to make an unscheduled pitstop for a top-up of fuel in the closing stages.

The AF Corse Ferrari team dominated the GT2 class. Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander, who were driving a heavily-revised 430 GT, left the ProSpeed Porsche of championship rivals Emmanuel Collard and Richard Westbrook trailing 40 seconds in their wake at the finish.

Pos Driver Car Time/Gap

1. Enrique Bernoldi/Roberto Streit Chevrolet 2h00m27.312s

2. Miguel Ramos/Alex Muller Maserati +15.512

3. Bert Longin/James Ruffier Chevrolet +16.820

4. Xavier Maassen/Thomas Biagi Chevrolet +25.620

5. Michael Bartels/Andrea Bertolini Maserati +55.004

6. Alex Pier Guidi/Matteo Bobbi Maserati +1:08.092

7. Ange Barde/Olivier Panis Ferrari +2 laps

8. Thomas Mutsch/Henri Moser Ford +2 laps

9. Toni Vilander/Gianmaria Bruni Ferrari +2 laps

10. Emmanuel Collard/Richard Westbrook Porsche +2 laps

11. Alvaro Barba/Niki Cadei Ferrari +2 laps

12. Luiz Perez Companc/Matias Russo Ferrari +2 laps

13. Chris Niarchos/Tim Mullen Ferrari +2 laps

14. Bas Leinders/Renaud Kuppens Ford +2 laps

15. Luigi Lucchini/Martin Ragginger Porsche +3 laps

16. Matteo Malucelli/Paolo Ruberti Ferrari +3 laps

17. Andrew Kirkaldy/Robert Bell Ferrari +3 laps

18. Sascha Maassen/David Ashburn Porsche +3 laps

19. Darryl O'Young/Marco Holzer Porsche +4 laps

Retirements

Ettore Bonaldi/Diego Romanini Ferrari 45 laps

Mike Hezemans/Anthony Kumpen Chevrolet 40 laps

[MOTV8]

FIA GT Zolder Preview

Source: Corvette-Motorsport.com

This weekend sees Corvette Motorsport take to the track for the last time in the FIA GT Championship for the 2009 season. The track of choice is the circuit Zolder, located in Belgium. And with that also the end of an era. For the past 10 years the Corvette C5R and more recently the C6R have been one of the main cars to beat in the global GT world and will see this curtain draw to a close in its current form. PK Carsport, SRT, DKR Engineering (Sangari Brazil), and Luc Alphand Aventures will all be looking to give the C6R one final victory over the monster that is the Maserati MC12. This season has proven to be a difficult one for all of the Corvette Motorsport teams, especially with the recent addition of a 3rd Vitaphone supported and run MC12.

Last time out at Paul Ricard, mixed emotions all around saw DKR Engineering take a fantastic win for Sangari, but on the flipside saw PK Carsports title bid loose great traction after an unexpected DNF. After seven rounds, Bartels and Bertolini have a four-point lead over their near rivals Kumpen and Hezemans. Their nr 1 Maserati MC 12 will also be relatively light, with only 40 kg success ballast. The nr 4 PK C6R will have 60 kg. Should the two pairs of drivers finish on equal points after Zolder, an interesting exercise could take place, as until Paul Ricard they were perfectly matched in terms of both points and finishing positions. The regulations state that the best laps of both cars over the season would then be examined. Despite all odds against them, Mike Hezemans and Anthony Kumpen will be fighting to the end, in hopes of their first title for Corvette Motorsport.

Mike Hezemans : “It is very important, as we still want to win the Championship. We will get a lot of support from the people from Holland and Belgium – Anthony and I will have around 100 guests at the track. The track is ok for the Corvette, but it’s even better for the Maserati, as seen in the previous years. But anything can happen in Zolder, especially with the weather at this time of the year.”

Anthony Kumpen : “I don’t think it’s the best track in the championship for us, but we did a lot of races there in the past, with several GT1 Corvettes, which gives us extensive data from the past. This should definitely help us to find a good setup for the car. Besides this, it started freezing in Belgium a few days ago and the Belgian weather conditions are very variable. With parts of the track in the woods, the track can be different in various places if we get changing temperatures and weather conditions and I hope this can give us a small advantage, with our extensive experience here.”

Turning now to Selleslagh Racing Team, Bert Longin and James Ruffier will also be aiming for the front after a great resurgence towards the second half of the 2009 season. An equally thrilling debate is in place for third position, with SRT’s crew of Longin and Ruffier currently holding a five-point lead over Luc Alphand Aventure’s Xavier Maassen. With a win and a third place in the last two races, the crew of the nr 3 Corvette have been on a charge in the latter part of the season; the points, however, also bring weight, and the car now has 60 kg to carry. As for the nr 19 Corvette, it is without weight, and the duo of Maassen and Biagi will be keen to regain the advantage.

“I will have a hard weekend in Zolder." explains driver Bert Longin "We need to secure third place in the FIA GT, and we are just one point behind for the Belgian GT title. So I will have three races on Sunday, with a lot to win or lose. A bus full of supporters will be coming from my home village of Werchter and Rotselaar, and there will also be a lot from my wife’s village of Kasterlee. Also all my fan club will be there. In Zolder, I have a total of 22 wins, 16 second places and 14 third place finishes, so I definitely know the track well. I’ve also won the 24 Hours of Zolder four times. But there will be a lot of pressure…”

The remaining two teams will also be poised to do all they can to keep at bay the 3 Vitaphone Maseratis. Newcomers to the series this season, DKR and Luc Alphand Aventures have shown that they can fight with the other FIA GT veterans. DKR Engineering have had a sucessful year to date. The team last weekend captured the drivers and team title in the FFSA French GT and captured the win last time out at Paul Ricard for the FIA GT. Team owner Kendy Janclaes, reflects on this season and the future:

"At Spa, we started off well before the accident. In Budapest, we drove well and we finished in less than a second from victory. It's too bad because we lost time in the pits and we were hit by a Maserati on track we could have won, but with so... After Enrique (Bernoldi) had the pole in Portimao. In racing, we limited the case with the fourth place, despite the front open. By the end of the season, we hope to win a race. We hope to continue with Sangari for next year. We are interested in the World Championship, with the Corvette C6.R. We need for that we associate with another team, it takes two cars per team. Why not with SRT for example?"

"We would have a second program (For the FFSA French GT), why not with our current drivers, and for example in a series like the GT Open. We are interested in the Corvette GT2 and we are talking to see how the project could succeed. The idea of the Corvette GT2 is also making the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is since 2003 that we participate in this event by performing technical support. We would love to be in our name, but for that you will get an invitation."

On the subject of GT2, Stephane Ratel also gave an update on the 2010 GT2 Championship: “As for the FIA GT2 European Championship, the main difference is that we are changing the format. The plan is for nine events, six of them on the same format as GT1, namely two one-hour events. Two will be two-hour races, and one will be the Total 24 Hours of Spa, where GT2 will be the main category. The biggest news for GT2 is that we are fully introducing driver categorization, similar to GT3. I am quite optimistic that it will be a success. We have a reasonable target of 20 cars for the first year."

"We hope to see new models in GT2, namely the Corvette and I have made a personal project to bring BMW back to GT2, by modifying their ALMS car. It would be great, especially at the 24 Hours of Spa, to have BMW back, so that is a big project, and I hope it will become reality next year.”

In the FIA GT3, Callaway Competition will sadly not be present at Zolder. They instead, will be focusing on preparing their cars for the 2010 European racing season. The team recently took the ADAC German GT3 title from the factory supported Audi R8 squads, which is an impressive accomplishment.

[MOTV8]

Vitaphone-Maserati clinches victory and title

By Gary Watkins

The Vitaphone Maserati squad enjoyed the perfect weekend at the Zolder FIA GT Championship finale, claiming race victory and the GT1 drivers' crown.

Alessandro Pier Guidi and Matteo Bobbi dominated the race to notch up their first victory together, while team boss Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini sealed the title with a conservative drive. Third place, behind their championship rivals Mike Hezemans and Anthony Kumpen in the PK-Carsport Chevrolet Corvette, was enough to give them the crown by two points.

Pier Guidi and Bobbi never looked like being beaten in the two-hour race. Pier Guidi inherited pole position after Kumpen was penalised five grid places for a yellow-flag infringement in qualifying and drove away from his rivals.

The Italian was 13 seconds up after 10 laps and continued to build his lead through the opening stint. The final margin of victory was a shade over 20 seconds.

Pier Guidi, who returned to the championship at the Spa 24 Hours in August, said: "This was the perfect race for us. The car was very fast today."

Bartels, who won his third FIA GT title together with Bertolini, said: "It's something special to win a third title together. It shows the combination is working. It wasn't an easy race because we knew that if we made one mistake we could lose it."

Hezemans and Kumpen reckoned they did the maximum in their attempt to become champions.

"To come from sixth on the grid to second was good, but it was the most we could do," said Hezemans, "There was nothing we could do about a light Maserati when we had 60kg [of success ballast]."

The PK-Carsport team carried out its pre-race promise to protest Vitpaphone, which it has accused of race-fixing this season. It admitted that it has protested Vitaphone on three counts, but has yet to reveal details.

Britain's Richard Westbrook claimed the GT2 crown with class victory in the ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3-RSR he shared with Marco Holzer. The lead ProSpeed car dominated the race after taking the lead from the AF Corse Ferrari driven by Gianmaria Bruni after a dozen laps.

Westbrook said he had mixed emotions about winning the title without usual co-driver Emmanuel Collard, who was moved over to the Brixia Racing 911 GT3-RSR in order to maximise Porsche's championship chances.

"I didn't want to go up on the podium without my regular team-mate; it didn't feel real," he said. "After I passed Gimmi [bruni] it was a pretty straightforward race."

Bruni and Toni Vilander, who arrived at Zolder with a three-point lead, could only finish fourth in class. Their Ferrari was hamstrung by 50kg of success ballast and another 50kg for running two platinum-rated drivers, which resulted in braking problems and the need for fresh tyres at each of its two pitstops.

Pos Drivers Cl Car Time

1 Pier Guidi/Bobbi GT1 Maserati 2h01m07.362s

2 Hezemans/Kumpen GT1 Corvette + 20.354s

3 Bartels/Bertolini GT1 Maserati + 35.557s

4 Maassen/Biagi GT1 Corvette + 1m09.803s

5 Bernoldi/Streit GT1 Corvette + 1 laps

6 Longin/Ruffier GT1 Corvette + 1 laps

7 Westbrook/Holzer GT2 Porsche + 3 laps

8 Malucelli/Ruberti GT2 Ferrari + 3 laps

9 Kirkaldy/Bell GT2 Ferrari + 3 laps

10 Vilander/Bruni GT2 Ferrari + 3 laps

11 Bergmeister/Mamerow GT2 Porsche + 3 laps

12 Collard/Ragginger GT2 Porsche + 3 laps

13 Barba/Cadei GT2 Ferrari + 4 laps

14 O'Young/Lieb GT2 Porsche + 4 laps

15 Maassen/Ashburn GT2 Porsche + 5 laps

16 Companc/Russo GT2 Ferrari + 6 laps

Retirements

Ramos/Müller GT1 Maserati 72 laps

Krumm/Turner GT1 Nissan 61 laps

Leinders/Kuppens GT1 Ford 39 laps

Garcia/Mullen GT2 Ferrari 37 laps

Lemeret/Lucchini GT2 Ferrari 17 laps

What will next year bring? Only the shadow knows....