EURO GT SERIES AT MARLBORO MASTERS WITH SEVEN DIFFERENT BRANDS

Marlboro Masters Race programme fixed

So far 24 teams have confirmed their participation in the Euro GT Series races during the Marlboro Master of Formula 3 on August 7 and 8. 11 more teams have announced that they will enter soon. No less than seven car brands will be seen on the grid: Marcos, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Panoz, Stealth, and Chrysler. The first Euro GT race will take place on Saturday at 17.00 p.m. and the second on Sunday at 16.10 p.m.

Races of the Euro GT Series at Zandvoort have always seen full grids. The coming races during Marlboro Masters will be no exception. About 35 cars are expected divided over the GT Class (about 15 cars) and the N-GT Class (about 20 cars).

For the GT Class, cars can be entered which conform to FIA-GT Regulations. Special for the Euro GT Series is that they have an unrestricted air intake manifold boosting the engine power to more than 700 BHP. The grid will see no less than three Dutch Marcos LM600 cars and of course a gaggle of Porsche 993 and 996 GT2 types mainly from Germany.

Of course Cor Euser will be present and this time he will enter a second car to fight Herman Buurman who has not races his LM600 for some time. They will have to hold off Team Knook/H&P of Rob Knook and Peter van der Kolk who have tuned their Stealth to perfection, and fast Fin Perrti Kuismanen in the Chrysler Viper.

There are many old-times Euro GT competitors on the grid. Who does not remember lucky Lebanese Chaouki Chikhani after his somersault on Zandvoort in 2002? He has built a new Porsche GT2 and wants to prove his point again. Other Euro GT drivers of the past are Daniel Schrey, Wolfgang Schrey, Elmar Grimm, Andre Wilke, Team Probst, and Dag von Garrel, all from Germany, who have shown so many nice battles in Zandvoort in their Porsches.

Class N-GT, running according to FIA N-GT Regulations, is dominated by Dutch Marcos Mantis and Porsche GT3 cars. Euser's Team Marcos Racing International will enter no less that three Mantis cars to compete with the super fast Mantis of the Knook/H&P Team. Front runner of the Porsche grid may be René Snel before Luca Moro, Bakker, Backelandt, and others. Ron Braspenning (BMW M3 GTR) will certainly try stay ahead of his two team mates with BMW Z3 coupe and win a podium place.

One of the Euro GT 'old-timers' in this Class will be German Peter Brecht who will drive a Ferrari 360 Modena tuned to the latest specification by his own company. Another Ferrari entry will be the 348 GT Michelotto driven by Peter Andersen from Germany. Peter has competed in the Ferrari - Porsche Challenge in the mid nineties.

Some German and Dutch V8 Star teams have also announced their participation but little more is known at this moment.

The weekend programme will start with a free practice and two qualification runs on Saturday followed by a 40 minute race at 17.00 p.m. the same day. The second race of 40 minutes will be run on Sunday at 16.10 p.m. directly after the F3 race and the demonstrations. Traditionally many thousands of spectators and a good turnout of the press are expected during this high-class race weekend.