Peter and Bonetti conquer maiden victory with the GPC Ferrari
• Aicart-Guerrero, third, take the lead in the series• One-two in GTS for the La Torre Vipers, unbeaten in the category• Second win and one-two in GTB for French Sofrev ASP Porsches
The Ferraris 430 stroke back in the Valencia GT Open with a beautiful one-two in the fourth round of the series. GPC Sport, one of the stalwart teams in GT racing, claimed victory, the first one this season and the maiden one for the pair composed of veteran Austrian Philipp Peter and young Italian Alessandro Bonetti. They preceded the Playteam SaraFree 430 of Max Busnelli and Mauro Massironi. Third place was for yesterday’s winner, the GTA Mosler MT900R of José Manuel Pérez-Aicart and Lucas Guerrero, who are the new leaders in the championship, with a six-point lead over Montermini-Maceratesi.
Scuderia L Torre kept its invincibility in GTS, thanks to the success of Riccardo Romagnoli and Andrea Larini ahead of team-mates Armetta-Marchetti and the Villois Aston Martin of Romanini-Lancieri. Bis repetita also in GTB for the French Sofrev ASP team, which places its two Porsche 997 of Ricci-Traffort and Balthazard-Béanbelique on top of the podium, ahead of the Roger Racing Ferrari of Heylen-Valero.
As exciting as ever, the International GT Open will be back on 14-15 July in Magny-Cours.QUALIFYING 2 - The qualifying session for the GT Open race, on Saturday afternoon, saw the revenge of the Ferraris, with the two 430 of GPC topping the list. Philipp Peter took pole, followed by Matteo Bobbi less than 3 tenths behind. Richard Lietz with the Autorlando Porsche 997 was third despite losing a door in a spectacular way in one of his fast laps, ahead of the Motor competición Mosler MT900R of Francesc Gutiérrez. The first seven cars were in less than 7 tenths of a second.Scuderia La Torre took the pole in GTS, with Riccardo Romagnoli, ahead of the Villois Aston Martin Dbrs9 of Gabriele Lancieri, who managed to break the usual Viper quartet. In GTB, new-comer Champ Car driver Jan Heylen set the fastest time at the wheel of the Roger Racing Ferrari 430 Challenge. The Belgian precedes the two Porsches 997 GT3 Cup of French team Sofrev ASP driven by Jean-Louis Béanbelique and Maurice Ricci.
HANDICAPS FOR GT OPEN RACE#1 (GTA) Scuderia Playteam (Montermini-Maceratesi) Ferrari 430 GT : 20”#2 (GTA) GTA Motor (Aicart-Guerrero) Mosler MT900R: 20”#11 (GTA) Autorlando (Lietz-Camathias) Porsche 997 RSR : 20”#23 (GTA) GPC (Mowlem-Roda) Ferrari 430: 15”#31 (GTS) Racing Box (Azzoli-Mocci) Dodge Viper GT3 : 45”#33 (GTS) Scuderia Latorre (Romagnoli-Larini) : 20”#34 (GTS) Scuderia La Torre (Armetta-Marchetti): 20”#38 (GTS) Villois Racing (Lancieri-Romanini) Aston Martin Dbrs9: 10”#41 (GTB) Roger Racing (Valero-Heylen) Ferrari 430 Challenge : 15 »#42 (GTB) Roger Racing (Van Zoest – Arias) Ferrari 430 Challenge : 10”#43 (GTB) Gianni Giudici (Giudici-Nannini) Ferrari 430 Challenge : 45”#45 (GTB) Sofrev-ASP (Ricci-Traffort) Porsche GT3 Cup: 20”
GT OPEN RACEIt is Bobbi taking the lead at the start ahead of Peter, at the wheel of the two front-row GPC Ferraris, followed by Lietz (Autorlando Porsche), Maceratesi (Playteam Ferrari), Guerrero (GTA Mosler), Gutiérrez (Motor Mosler), Livio (AE Ferrari) and Massironi (Playteam Ferrari). The first lap sees also an unvolontary contact between the two Racing Box Vipers, with Ciocci hitting hard the tyre barriers.
The fight among the frontrunners is fierce in the first laps and soon (lap 4), the powerful Mosler of Guerrero is in the lead while the other MT900R of Gutiérrez is climbing positions and takes third in lap 6, as the two GPC Ferraris are losing ground. Between the Moslers is now the Porsche of Lietz, also in a very good day.
When driver changes and handicaps are completed, by lap 17, it is the GPC Ferrari of Bonetti (which had no success handicap) that is in the lead, 6’ ahead of Busnelli, Pasini, Aicart, Montermini, Sundberg, Terting, Frezza and Camathias. The Mosler of Gutiérrez has disappeared because of a technical problem and so does soon after the GPC Ferrari of Frezza (over-heating).As Bonetti controls his advantage with no problems, the rest of the race is relatively quite, except for Pasini, who is increasingly in trouble with its tyres and in the closing two laps is passed by Aicart and Montermini for third position.
The GTS race sees the Villois Aston of Romanini-Lancieri in front in the first part of the race but it is the two La Torre Vipers taking victory again, and ending with a one-two. The screenplay is similar in GTB where, after the early lead of Heylen, the two Sofrev Porsche dominate again.
GT OPEN OVERALL STANDINGS AFTER 4 ROUNDS:
1. Aicart-Guerrero, 54 points; 2. Montermini-Maceratesi, 48; 3. Busnelli-Massironi, 47; 4. Peter-Bonetti, 46; 5. Roda-Mowlem, 39; 6. Lietz-Camathias, 32; 7. Romagnoli-Larini, 31; 8. Giudici-Nannini, 28; 9. Livio-Pasini, 26; 10. Arlotti-Gini, Azzoli-Mocci, Armetta-Marchetti, 24.
