Paul Ricard HTTT, France, 04 October 2009
Weather sunny Track conditions dry Victory to Sangari and
AF Corse
The sun shone on the Paul Ricard HTTT today for the return to
international competition of this historic circuit. The teams and
drivers in the two-hour race put on a fine battle, to the delight of
the numerous spectators on the new grandstands and viewing
areas. Sangari Team Brazil claimed their first win – the first for a
Brazilian team in the FIA GT Championship, while second for
Vitaphone Racing Team was enough to secure the 2009 GT1
Teams Championship. In GT2, AF Corse took their fourth win of
the season, the third for Bruni and Vilander, to secure the GT2
Teams title. As for the drivers titles, the fight goes on to the final
round in Zolder …
Brazil Victorious !
The seventh and penultimate round of the 2009 FIA GT
Championship saw Sangari Team Brazil's nr 8 Corvette Z06 of
Bernoldi and Streit take their first victory. This was both the first
time the Brazilian flag has flown over the podium, and Enrique
Bernoldi's first race win since 2004.
Generally considered to be a Corvette circuit, the Sangari car had
been strong throughout the weekend, setting the best time in free
practice, pre-qualifying and qualifying. However, Bernoldi started
sixth on the grid after a penalty; he recovered strongly and after a
fine battle with Alex Müller - a replay of the Algarve – he took the
lead on lap 13 and pulled away. A fine performance from Streit
maintained the gap, before Bernoldi completed the task, without
being seriously threatened. “Roberto did an amazing job; we
couldn't have won here without him,” Bernoldi said afterwards. “As
we've seen in the last races, if both drivers don't drive well, you
don't win. Here, everything went perfectly. The team did a good
job and the car was good. I'm very happy for the team and for
myself; it's been a while since I've won a race, it means a lot to
me. The team did a fantastic job and they deserve it. I'm very
happy.”
The nr 8 Sangari Team Brazil car also completed two races this
weekend in the FFSA French GT Championship, raced by DKR
Engineering for Championship contenders Eric Debard and Olivier
Panis, meaning an amazing job for Kendy Jenclaes’ team, who
had to change the configuration of the car between sessions. Luc
Alphand Aventures and SRT were also in the same situation,
meaning a busy weekend for the teams.
15 seconds behind the winners, the nr 2 Vitaphone Racing Team
Maserati MC 12 of Müller and Ramos took their second
consecutive podium after third in the Algarve – a good result
considering that the circuit was not considered to be a Maserati
track. Müller led convincingly from pole, and the nr 2 car
maintained second behind the Sangari Corvette for the rest of the
race. “The race felt really good. We have a strategy where we
only change the tyres once, and we knew that was a risk, since
tyres are quite critical here. Coming second here feels like
winning after fighting the Corvette, because at this circuit, it's
impossible and they're really flying. I'm really happy.”
Algarve winners SRT, with the nr 3 Corvette Z06 of Longin and
Ruffier, finished third, for their second consecutive podium,
despite the challenge of running with success weight for the first
time. “Things have been going really well since Portimao,” Ruffier
said. “It might be a bit close to the end of the season, but it's still
good to get something at this point. The race was really cool and
I had a lot of fights with the Maserati cars. Bert did a really good
job, the team as well, and we've finished third which is a good
position. We're really happy. Zolder's going to be much more
difficult…” Although it is Bert’s home round, and he knows the
circuit thoroughly, their Corvette will have 60 kg success ballast
which could be difficult around the tight, twisty circuit.
The nr 19 Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette was a fine fourth for
Bobbi and Maassen, who were chasing the nr 3 SRT car for the
final podium position despite a power steering problem. The fight
for third in the Championship between Longin/Ruffier and Xavier
Maassen will continue to Zolder.
Bertolini and Bartels, fifth today, go into the final round in Zolder
with a 4-point lead in the Drivers Classification, and losing further
handicap weight. The nr 33 Vitaphone Racing Team DHL Maserati
MC 12 was sixth after an additional pit stop, finishing ahead of the
Ferrari 550 Maranello driven by Ange Barde and Olivier Panis. The
final point went to Matech GT Racing and the Ford GT of Thomas
Mutsch and Henri Moser, making his debut in the car. The nr 40
Marc VDS Racing Ford GT finished ninth, having suffered a
two-minute stop and go after their fourth engine of the season.
Today’s big losers, however, were Hezemans and Kumpen; their
Pekaracing Corvette Z06 was classified 10th after engine
problems. It was a disappointing result, especially as Mike
Hezemans had made a fantastic start, climbing to second on the
first lap. On equal points with Bertolini and Bartels coming into
the round, they head to Zolder with a deficit of four points. But
everything is still to play for – and the nr 4 Corvette will lose 40 kg
for the season finale.
Vitaphone Racing Team Secures 2009 GT1 Teams Title
Second and fifth today, the score of 12 points puts Vitaphone
Racing Team out of reach of all the other teams competing in the
2009 FIA GT Championship, giving the team its fifth successive
GT1 Teams Title. They first won in 2005, and have been
unbeatable since. Over the years, the team has also claimed the
Drivers titles in 2006, 2007 and 2008, while Maserati claimed the
GT1 Manufacturers Cup twice, and the Citation Cup once.
After seven rounds, Vitaphone leads Pekaracing, with SRT third
and Luc Alphand Aventures fourth.
AF Corse – A Winning Choice
The risk of opting for a different car configuration, with wider tyres,
a heavier car and bigger restrictors, really paid off this weekend
for AF Corse, when their nr 50 Ferrari 430 GT2 of Toni Vilander
and Gianmaria Bruni took a fine win at the Paul Ricard HTTT.
Dominant throughout, they crossed the line 38 seconds ahead of
the second-placed car, their nearest Championship rivals
Westbrook and Collard in the nr 60 Prospeed Competition
Porsche. This places the reigning Champions with a three-point
lead going into Zolder. “In this race, we found what we've been
looking for the whole season,” Toni Vilander commented.
“Normally, halfway through the stint, we start losing power and
going slower in the lap times. Our strategy was to try and solve
the problem and I think today we did it. Michelotto, Ferrari and our
team did great work and I know the guys have been working all
week without sleep. We came here knowing that we had a
chance and uncertain how it would go, and it was a bulls-eye. It
was great.”
Despite a good second place, the nr 60 Prospeed Competition
Porsche nevertheless finished well behind the winners. “It was
pretty depressing if I'm honest,” Westbrook commented. “I must
congratulate AF Corse for their decision to go up in weight and to
go on a bigger tyre, because it really worked for them. The extra
weight didn't really hurt them and they were in a completely
different form from us today. To get beaten by 38 seconds is
pretty humiliating. If it's like that in Zolder, then we've got no
chance. We can hope that their decision to go up in tyre size
won't be so good in Zolder, but at the moment it's just a hope.”
Third today was the second AF Corse Ferrari, of Cadei and Barba
Lopez, the Algarve winners. “It's been a great weekend, we've
been working on the car all week. We started the race with a car
that was completely different to the free practice and we're very
happy with third place. It's important to go in the same direction
for Zolder and to get another podium,” Niki Cadei commented.
Russo and Perez Companc were fourth, with Mullen and Niarchos
fifth - the two leading Citation Cup drivers finishing close together.
Ragginger and Lucchini finished sixth in the nr 97 Brixia Racing
Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, ahead of the nr 77 BMS Scuderia Italia
Ferrari 430 GT2 of Ruberti and Malucelli, who had a puncture, and
the nr 56 CRS Racing Ferrari 430 GT2 of Kirkaldy and Bell, who
lost time due to a problem with a wheel during a pit stop.
The nr 59 Trackspeed Porsche had a time penalty due to David
Ashburn not completing a full 35-minute stint, while the nr 61
Prospeed Competition Porsche was excluded from the results
due to getting a push start.
Fourth GT2 Teams Title Secured by AF Corse – Ferrari
Manufacturers Cup Winners
A double podium for AF Corse today, with the nr 50 and 51 cars
finishing in 1st and 3rd positions respectively, gave the team a
grand total of 81 points, meaning that they now have an
unassailable lead in the GT2 Teams Classification. This gives the
team the GT2 Teams Championship for the fourth consecutive
season. Prospeed Competition are second, with CRS Racing
third, ten points behind, meaning that the fight for second will go
on to Zolder.
In the GT2 Manufacturers Cup, Ferrari have secured the title, with
currently 164 points ahead of 78 for Porsche. Aston Martin scored
10 points.
Citation Cup – Victory to Perez-Companc, Citation Cup to
Niarchos!
Luis Perez Companc took his fourth Citation Cup victory today at
the Paul Ricard HTTT, after another fine race from the two
Argentine drivers. “It was a very good race. We started 8th.
Matias gained a lot of positions and gave me the car in 4th. Then I
started my stint and started to catch up to Niarchos and I fought
with him and closed the gap. I braked on the limit, he braked on
the straight, and I could overtake him. It was a very good fight and
a very good race.”
However, Chris Niarchos, finishing one place behind the nr 95
Ferrari, scored sufficient points to secure the 2009 Citation Cup. “I
had a great race today,” said Niarchos. “I got swamped by a few
pros at one point but I stayed right with them so that was a lot of
fun. It’s a good feeling to win the Citation Cup; a bit of silverware
never goes astray. It means a lot to me as any championship is
hard to win. It’s satisfying to beat other drivers; of course it is,
that’s why we do it!"
Race Result Pos Car Class Drivers Car Gap
1 8 GT1 Bernoldi/Streit Corvette Z06
2 2 GT1 Muller/Ramos Maserati MC 12 15.512
3 3 GT1 Ruffier/Longin Corvette Z06 16.820
4 19 GT1 Biagi/Maassen Corvette Z06 25.620
5 1 GT1 Bertolini/Bartels Maserati MC 12 55.004
6 33 GT1 Pier Guidi/Bobbi Maserati MC 12 1:08.092
7 21 GT1 Panis/Barde Ferrari 550 Maranello 2 LAPS
8 44 GT1 Moser/Mutsch Ford GT (001 PT GT1) 2 LAPS
9 50 GT2 Bruni/Vilander Ferrari F430 2 LAPS
10 60 GT2 Collard/Westbrook Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 2 LAPS
11 51 GT2 Cadei/Barba Lopez Ferrari F430 2 LAPS
12 95 GT2 Russo/Perez Companc Ferrari F430 2 LAPS
13 55 GT2 Mullen/Niarchos Ferrari F430 2 LAPS
14 40 GT1 Leinders/Kuppens Ford GT (001 PT GT1) 2 LAPS
15 97 GT2 Ragginger/Lucchini Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 3
LAPS
16 77 GT2 Malucelli/Ruberti Ferrari F430 3 LAPS
17 59 GT2 Maassen/Ashburn Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 3 LAPS
18 56 GT2 Bell/Kirkaldy Ferrari F430 3 LAPS
19 78 GT2 Romanini/Bonaldi Ferrari F430 12 LAPS
20 4 GT1 Hezemans/Kumpen Corvette Z06 17 LAPS
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