• 12 cars penalized for violating driver change rules under safety car regime• French teams dominate in classes: Ruffier’s Viper wins in GTS (with Porta-Maillet) and Sofrev ASP’s Porsche again in GTB (with Tonelli-Ghislain)
It has been a warm and unpredictable GT Open race in Magny-Cours. At the end, GT Open regular competitors Peter Sundberg and Domingo Romero took their first victory in the series for them and the RSV Motorsport’s Ferrari 430. The Swedish-Spanish pair (who currently leads the Spanish GT Championship) started from the pole but had to wait until the end of the stewards’ post-race meeting to celebrate their victory. A total of twelve cars were inflicted a 1-lap penalty for infringing the rules regarding driver change and stopping in the pits while the race was under safety car regime, which is not allowed by the sporting rules.
Class successes both went to local teams: Porta-Maillet imposed their Ruffier Viper in GTS and Tonelli-Ghislain repeated yesterday’s win in GTS in thei Sofrev ASP Porsche.
QUALIFYING 2 – Saturday’s qualifying for the GT Open race saw a brilliant performance of Peter Sundberg in the RSV Ferrari 430. The Marbella-based Swede took the pole with a fantastic time (1.40.584) beating Lietz in the Autorlando Porsche by 1 tenth (1.40.698) and five other Ferraris 430. In GTS, Fabrizio Armetta in one of Latorre’s Viper took pole and in GTB fastest time was set by Thimothée Ghislain (Sofrev ASP Porsche 997 Cup). To be noted that the Marcos of Bermúdez and the Exagon Ferrari 430 Challenge of Catherine Desbruères could not qualify due to mechanical problems.
HANDICAPS GT OPEN RACE#2 Guerrero-Aicart (GTA Mosler) 10”#11 Lietz-Camathias (Autorlando Porsche) 30”#18 Bobbi-Frezza (GPC Ferrari) 10’’#23 Roda-Mowlem (GPC Ferrari) 15’’#31 Mocci-Azzoli (Racing Box Viper) 15’’#33 Larini-Romagnoli (Latorre Viper) 20’’#34 Armetta-Marchetti (Latorre Viper) 45’’#38 Lancieri-Romanini (Villois Aston Martin) 10’’#43 Giudici-Barbaro (Giudici Ferrari) 10’’#45 Ricci-Beltoise (Sofrev Porsche) 45’’#46 Balthazard-Beaubelique (Sofrev Porsche) 30’’#52 Tonelli-Ghislain (Sofrev Porsche) 20’’#60 Cioci-Geri (Racing Box Lamborghini) 20’’#61 Porta-Maillet (Ruffier Viper) 10’’
GT OPEN RACE REPORT – Poleman Peter Sundberg (RSV Ferrari) is the fastest at the start, ahead of Lietz (Autorlando Porsche), Montermini (Playteam Ferrari), Mowlem (GPC Ferrari), Busnelli (Playteam Ferrari), Frezza and Peter (GPC Ferrari) and Aicart (Mosler), but the Swede runs wide in one of the corners in lap 2, clearing the way to the Porsche, while in lap 3 is Montermini having trouble with a wheel and being touched by Aicart. Sundberg will soon lose also second position to Mowlem.
In lap 11 the engine of the Porsche 997 Cup of Hofman catches fire and remains stalled in the middle of the track while smoke reduces visibility to almost nothing. The Safety Car is out for four laps and it is during this period that a significant number of teams decide to do their driver change, something which is forbidden under yellow period. This will have heavy consequences after the race. In the meantime, on the track, it is Camathias (Autorlando Porsche) leading in front of Bobbi (GPC Ferrari), Gené (Sun Red), Roda and Bonetti (GPC Ferrari) and the RSV Ferrari of Romero. The last corner sees some wild action in the group led by Gené, which ends with the Sun Red losing the podium position and crossing the line on three wheels. The race is stopped at maximum time, three laps ahead of scheduled distance.
In GTS it is Porta-Maillet imposing their Ruffier Viper, while in GTB the Sofrev Porsche of Tonelli-Ghislain takes a second victory in two days.Eventually, the stewards will impose a 1 lap penalty to 12 cars, including the first five classified, which will give the victory to the RSV Ferrari of Sundberg-Romero.
GT OPEN OVERALL STANDINGS (UNOFFICIAL) AFTER 6 RACES:1. Aicart-Guerrero, 71 points; 3. Roda-Mowlem, Busnelli-Massironi, 57; 7. Bonetti-Peter, Camathias-Lietz, Pasini-Livio, 54; 13. Montermini-Maceratesi, 52 ; 15. Arlotti-Gini, 38 ; 17. Larini-Romagnoli, 37 ; 19. Giudici, 35 ; etc
