Lietz-Camathias and Autorlando Claim First Victory for Porsche
• Stuttgart’s automaker enters GT Open winners circle with the new 997 • First victory also for Lamborghini in GTS, with Cioci-Geri (Racing Box) • One-Two for the Sofrev ASP Porsches in GTB Magny-Cours, 14 July 2007 The French National Day proved to be a real jour de gloire for some of the International GT Open contenders in today’s Pro-Am race.
Porsche clinched its first victory in the series, thanks to the new 997 RSR of Autorlando, which Richard Lietz and Joel Camathias drove to a superb victory after a close battle with the Sun Red SR 21 and the Ferraris 430 of Roda-Mowlem and Bobbi-Frezza, the two GPC cars eventually completing the podium. Maiden victory also for Lamborghini in GTS. The Gallardo entered by Racing Box for Marco Cioci and Ferdinando Geri took the win, breaking the successful string of the Vipers. And Sofrev ASP honored the French colors by monopolizing the two highest spots of the podium in GTB with their Porsches 997 Cup, with Gérard Tonelli and Thimotée Ghislain beating team mates Balthazard-Beaubelique.
PADDOCK RUN-DOWN – It is warm weather (over 30°) welcoming the 38 cars present in Magny-Cours. The only ones missing with respect to the official entry list are the Lamborghini Gallardos of Mik Corse, and the Porsches of the Estoril and Del Bello teams. Also missing Alessandro Nannini, who had to stay in Italy for business reasons. The former F.1 star is replaced in Scuderia Giudici by Bruno Barbaro.
QUALIFYING 1 – A fast track such as this was meant to be the ideal place for the Sun Red SR21 to obtain its first pole-position. This is exactly what Jordi Gené didi, and this time there was no hiccup in the technical scrutineering to deprive the Spanish-built GT of its performance. The Judd-powered car preceded by half a second (1.40.858 vs 1.41.367) the GPC Ferrari of Bobbi. Second row is for the Advanced Engineering 430 of Pasini and the other Playteam car of Maceratesi. The GTA Mosler of Aicart is fifth and RSV Ferrari of Romero sixth. The first GTS is an excellent 12th in the grid; this is Latorre Viper of Marchetti, ahead of the Racing Box Viper of Azzoli. In GTB the pole is for the surprising Marcos of Euser ahead the Sofrev Porsche 997 Cup of local star Anthony Beltoise.
HANDICAPS PRO-AM RACE #2 – Aicart-Guerrero (GTA Mosler) 30” #3 – Busnelli-Massironi (Playteam Ferrari) 15” #10 – Lietz-Camathias (Autorlando Porsche) 10” #19 – Peter-Bonetti (GPC Ferrari) 20” #31 – Azzoli-Mocci (Racing Box Viper) 30’’ #33 – Larini-Romagnoli (Latorre Viper) 40’’ #34 – Armetta-Marchetti (Latorre Viper) 35’’ #38 – Lancieri-Romanini (Villois Aston Martin) 20’’ #43 – Giudici-Barbaro (Giudici Ferrari) 25’’ #45 – Riicci-Beltoise (Sofrev Porsche) 40’’ #46 – Balthazard-Beaubelique (Sofrev Porsche) 15’’
PRO-AM RACE – Poleman Gené in the Sun Red SR21 is the fastest at the start of the Pro-Am race, while Maceratesi in the Playteam Ferrari can’t avoid running wide at the braking of first corner, with the dust creating panic in the group. The Advanced Ferrari of Frigerio was the only other victim of this accident. First laps see a beautiful battle between the Ferraris of Bobbi (GPC) and Pasini (Advanced Eng.) while Aicart (GTA Mosler) also runs wide in one of the corners during first lap but keeps fourth place ahead of the GPC Ferraris of Roda and Bonetti and the Autorlando Porsche of Camathias, also tangled in a beautiful battle. In the lead, Gené runs away at the pace of 1 second a lap, while the RSV Ferrari of Romero retires on lap 5 (over-heating). After the driver change stop in the pits, Zapata (in the Sun Red) is still first ahead of Frezza (GPC Ferrari), Lietz (Autorlando Porsche), Livio (Advanced Eng. Ferrari), Mowlem (GPC Ferrari), Busnelli (Playteam Ferrari), Guerrero (GTA Mosler) and Peter (GPC Ferrari).
On lap 24, Zapata spins leaving the way clear to Frezza and Lietz. The Austrian makes good use of the incident to overtake his rival and fly away to the victory while the young Italian will have to concede second position on lap 28 to Johnny Mowlem, who has been charging steadily from fifth. Livio is fourth, ahead of Peter, Zapata and Aicart, while Busnelli retires in the lap before last (engine) losing fifth position. In GTS, the race has been quite lively as well, with the usual battle between the two Vipers of Scuderia Latorre and the two of Racing Box ensuring most of the show in the first lap. But it was not to be for none of the Vipers today. The Racing Box of Azzoli-Mocci retired in lap 11, followed one lap later by the Latorre of Larini-Romagnoli retired in lap 12, and the Racing Box of Pellizzato-Corradi went off the track in lap 17, while the Latorre of Marchetti-Armetta which had led most of the race was overtaken in the closing laps by the Lamborghini Gallardo of Cioci-Geri, entered by Racing Box.
In GTB, after the fantastic cavalcade of Cor Euser in the Marcos in the first stint of the race (the Dutchman even ran in ninth position overall) and the accident of the Giudici Ferrari of Barbaro with the Lambo of Baranda in lap 5, the race became a triumphal march for the French Sofrev ASP team, which placed two cars in the podium, with Gérard Tonelli and Timothée Ghislain taking victory in their Porsche GT3 Cup. The GT Open race will take place tomorrow at 17:00 hrs (26 laps).
