Ten Drivers to Fight for GT Open Title

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October 25, 2007 in Motorsport

Ten Drivers to Fight for GT Open Title

in Thrilling 2-Hour Finale in Barcelona

The International GT Open is warming up for the 2007 grande-finale, the traditional 2-hour single race in Barcelona on 11 November. As last year, the event in the Circuit de Catalunya, located in Montmelï¿½, in the outskirts of the Catalan metropolis, will see a record entry list. The track is homologated for a maximum of 63 cars ... and it is likely that this number will be exceeded!

Together with quantity and quality, there will be suspense, as this seventh and last event will be decisive for the attribution of the overall GT Open title and the GTA and GTS class title (so far, only Gianni Giudici has matematically secured the GTB crown).

Arithmetic commands that, with 44 points still to be awarded, no less than ten drivers can still conquer the second International GT Open title. The situation, still very open and promising a fierce battle, is the following:

ï¿½ Richard Lietz and Joel Camathias, the Austro-Swiss pair that drives the Autorlando Porsche 997 RSR, lead the standings table (134 points), after a brilliant season that has seen them winning four out of 12 races;

ï¿½ Andrea Montermini and Michele Maceratesi are the best-placed of the Ferraris 430 (122 points); the Playteam SaraFree top pair has won three races;

ï¿½ Max Busnelli and Mauro Massironi, the other pair of the Playteam SaraFree squad, are not far behind (118 points), and have been on top of the podium on four occasions;

ï¿½ Damien Pasini and Stefano Livio, at the wheel of the Advanced Engineering Ferrari 430, are fourth (115 points) thanks to their impressive consistency and despite not having won a race yet;

ï¿½ Alessandro Bonetti (104 points) and Philipp Peter (94 points) complete the list of candidates; the young Italian and the veteran Austrian started the season (and won a race) together but are now competing in different 430s within GPC Corse.It must be reminded though that a final decision by the FIA Appeal Court regarding Sundayï¿½s race in Magny-Cours last July is still pending but it is to be hoped that it will be results in the track deciding the outcome.

The situation in the GTA class clearly reflects the one in the overall standings, while in GTS the final duel will be between three different cars: Scuderia La Torreï¿½s Dodge Viper of Riccardo Romagnoli (64 points) and Elio Marchetti (62 points), Racing Boxï¿½s Lamborghini Gallardo of Ferdinando Geri (53 points) and Villois Racingï¿½s Aston Martin DBRS9 of Gabriele Lancieri and Diego Romanini (48 points).

As the single race format of the Barcelona grande-finale is different from the usual 2-race format of any other GT Open event, it is useful to remind the specific rules that apply to the concluding event:

ï¿½ Race distance is 70 laps (325.85 km), maximum race duration 2 hrs 10ï¿½;ï¿½ Points are awarded according to the usual scale in two different moments: after 60 minutes into the competition and at the end of the race;ï¿½ In both parts of the race, cars must be running and must have covered at least 75% of the distance in order to be able to score points;ï¿½ As usual, each driver will do one of the two qualifying sessions. The starting grid will be determined on the basis of the average of the best times in each qualifying session. The fastest driver will start the race, unless the entrant requires a derogation to this rule;ï¿½ One driver change is mandatory in each part of the race and individual driving time cannot exceed 60% of the distance in each part of the race;ï¿½ The two windows for driver change are between minutes 10-45 and 70-110;ï¿½ The success handicap, calculated as usual, will be served twice, one time in each part of the race, during the mandatory pit stop for driver change;ï¿½ A standard handicap of 20ï¿½ will be applied to cars participating for the first time this season;ï¿½ There is no minimum pit lane running-through time for the pit stop (but the 60km/h rule does, of course, apply);ï¿½ Tire changes are allowed during the same pit stop for driver change but only after driver change and re-fuelling;ï¿½ Number of re-fuelling stops is free but quantity of fuel is limited to 25 liters per re-fuelling stop.

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