To Cast Impressive Field
50-car threshold expected to be passed
Rodríguez, Núñez last additions to the plethora of young guns from GP2 and other Formulas
MC, Kessel, Konrad, Ascari and S-berg among top GT teams to join Hélary, Beltoise, Fässler, Bobbi and Serra further strengthen drivers’ list
Few hours ahead closing deadline, the entry list for the Valencia Street Circuit GTOpen is shaping up impressively, with over 50 cars expected to compete in this veryspecial fifth round of the International GT Open 2008 which will be the first eventever to take place in the new Formula 1 street circuit. As known, this round of theDunlop-backed series, which takes place next 26-27 July, will see the GTA (GT2) andGTS (GT3) cars racing separate races.
Last few hours saw the addition of two new names to the already long list of GP2drivers (nine in total) and other international single-seater formulas: GP2’s RoldánRodríguez and Alejandro Núñez, currently racing in F. International Master. It willdefinitely be interesting to see how all of them perform with a ... roof over the headand against the field of GT experts, which is also enriching itself of new prominentteams and drivers, as a closer review of the provisional entry list shows.All the regular participants to the International GT Open will be present, with fewchanges with respect to the traditional number of cars and the driver line-ups.Nevertheless, both Edil Cris and GPC Sport are entering a third Ferrari F430. Whilethe latter team still has to confirm its additional drivers, GPC Sport has enrolled GP2driver Roldán Rodríguez, confirms another GP2 driver, Giacomo Ricci (already seenat Estoril) and brings back to the series Matteo Bobbi. At Trottet Racing, MarcelFässler is announced alongside Henri Moser in this occasion, and Ivan Jacomareplaces Andrea Belicchi in the Autorlando Porsche # 2.With the support ofഊJesús Díaz Villaroel is back to the series with his Ferrari F430 which he shares with Alejandro Núñez, and so are the Marcos LM600 of António Nogueira, the Noël DelBello Porsche, and the Ferrari F430 prepared by Sofrev ASF for Jérôme Policand andAnthony Beltoise. Another son of a former F.1 driver, Brazilian stock-car ace DanielSerra is also back to the championship, alongside Francisco Longo, in a Ferrari F430.Brothers Álvaro and Marco Barba, as announced yesterday, will race in their homeevent in the MC Competición Mosler MT900R, while one welcomed addition is KonradMotorsport, a reference in GT racing, with Franz Konrad himself at the wheel of aPorsche 997 RSR. The Austro-German team also enters a Porsche 997 GT3.GTS
The GTS category is, precisely, the one providing the highest number of new entries.As announced yesterday, Scuderia La Torre, the reigning GTS champion, is back tothe series and Riccardo Romagnoli is entering no less than five GP2 drivers (GiorgioPantano, Mike Conway, Ho-Pin Tung, Pastor Maldonado and Jérôme D’Ambrosio)on his three Vipers. Among other GP2 stars present, Luca Filippi joins the AstonMartin-equipped Villois Racing and Javier Villa and Vitaly Petrov share a secondFerrari F430 of Roger Racing.
Back to the series are also the Ferrari F430 of the Escuela Española de Pilotos (withVillacieros-Robert), the Lamborghini of Torres-Baranda, the Marcos Mantis of deCastro-de Wit, the Ferrari F430 of Savary-Ricci and the Maseratis of Seven Elevenwhile France’s Ruffier Racing enters two Vipers and has enrolled a star of GT andsportscar racing, Le Mans winner Eric Hélary, and Spains’s Drivex Detector Porscheenters two 997 GT3 Cup and has recruted local hero and former GT Open Vice-ChampionLucas Guerrero.
Completely new entries include the Team Ascari of Klaas Zwart, with two of its GT3cars, Ferrari GT stalwart squad Kessel Racing from Switzerland (with former F.1driver Loris Kessel sharing the wheel of a F430 with his son Ronnie) and theLamborghini Gallardo of Austria’s S-berg Racing Team.
