The nr3 Team Rosberg Audi R8 LMS of Kenneth Heyer took the chequered flag in Round 5 at Jarama after the nr101 Callaway Competition Corvette Z06R of Christian Hohenadel slowed on the last lap with fuel pump problems.  The Audi started 15th on the grid, with Bernd Herndlhofer handing over the car to Heyer at the pitstops in 6th.  The Argo Racing Lamborghini of Albert von Thurn und Taxis made the early running but faded in last part of the race when Giorgio Sanna was tapped into a spin on two occassions, eventually finishing 7th.  The Chad Racing Ferrari of Diego Alessi and Giacomo Petrobelli was third behind Hohenadel's strugging Callaway Competition Corvette.

Round 5 Report
The sun was shining on the Jarama track as the cars lined up for the start of Round 5 of the 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship.  The Argo Racing Lamborghini Gallardo of Albert von Thurn und Taxis led the grid on the formation lap but as the race began found the nr 9 Team S-Berg Racing BMW Alpina of Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof, who had made a good start from the second row, alongside him in the run into the first corner.  Mayr-Melnhof held the lead but von Thurn und Taxis fought back to regain the lead a lap later.  The Sainteloc-Phoenix Racing Audi R8 of Stephane Lemeret had also got a good start ending the opening lap in 3rd place from 5th on the grid.

The leading Lamborghini started to pull away from the second placed BMW Alpina over the next few laps, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap 7.  Mayr-Melnhof’s race was brought to a halt on lap 8 when he went off into the gravel at Turn 8 and had to be pushed back by the marshals before he could return to the pitlane for his first of three stops.  The BMW Alpina’s demise promoted Daniel Keilwitz in the nr101 Callaway Competition Corvette into second place.  Von Thurn und Taxis continued to open up a comfortable lead over the chasing Corvette and as the Pit Window opened held a 10 second advantage.

Further back Bernd Herndlhofer in the nr3 Team Rosberg Audi R8 LMS was making progress up the field from his lowly 15th slot on the grid and by lap 12 was challenging the nr23 United Autosports Audi of Zak Brown.

While the leading cars continued to circulate, the cars started to pit for their mandatory stops, shaking up the order. The nr77 Need for Speed by Schubert Motorsport BMW Z4 of Claudia Huertgen had to serve a 1-second stop-go penalty after coming out of pits too early. 

All cars pitted within the allotted time and the nr 25 Argo Racing Lamborghini of Giacomo Sanna held a 13 second advantage over Christian Hohenadel in the nr101 Callaway Corvette, but the German was closing on the Lamborghini at four seconds a lap. However Hohenadel had to negotiate his way past two backmarkers who were having their own battle for position and for three laps had to sit and wait for an opportunity to pass on the narrow Jarama track.  Once he was past Hohenadel got on terms with the leading car, but Sanna was not going to give up his lead easily. 

For the next four laps Giacomo Sanna defended his position at every corner but with 10 minutes of the race remaining it seemed it would only be a matter of time until he made the mistake Hohenadel was working hard to provoke.  On lap 31 the Corvette driver dived for a small gap at Turn 4 and when the Lamborghini turned in there was contact.  The Lamborghini spun round and the Corvette was now in the lead, a move that was later investigated by the Stewards. 

Meanwhile the batte for 3rd was just as fierce with Kenneth Heyer in the nr3 Team Rosberg Audi challenging Diego Alessi in the Chad Racing Ferrari for position.  The two cars came up behind the second placed Lamborghini, which Alessi tried to pass at Turn 4.  There was contact and the Lamborghini was once again spun round with Heyer taking advantage of the delayed Ferrari to move from 4th to 2nd place.

With minutes of the race remaining it looked like Christian Hohenadel was on his way to his second win of the season but on the last lap the Corvette faltered as a fuel pump problem starved the engine of fuel.  Hohenadel coaxed the Corvette to the finish line but not before Heyer moved ahead of the slowing car to take the chequered flag and the first Audi win of 2010.  

CLICK HERE for Round 5 Result 

Bernd Herndlhofer - nr3 Team Rosberg Audi R8 LMS

"I'm very happy with this result. The start was not bad;in the beginning there were a few cars going off the track but we were OK.  I'd like to thank the team for their hard work and this is very good."

Kenneth Heyer - nr3 Team Rosberg Audi R8 LMS

"The fight with the Ferrari was the most successful part of the race and we had a lot of fun, it was absolutely fair, we were very close, and I think the Audi behind us was a bit faster.  I was pushing hard but I was afraid of making a mistake and losing a place.  My radio wasn't working so I wasn't sure if we were 2-3-4 or what position we were.  If it hadn't been the for the contact with the Lamborghini it would've been a big fight between us because the cars are very close. I never imagined the win, I thought we would be third, which was great coming from 15th on the grid, so the win is great.  We've had a lot of bad luck this year until now, so this is good for all of us.  The performance of the Audi has been much better this weekend but it isn't easy for FIA with so many manufacturers to balance the cars but I think it is good here as there are ten cars within one second, which is good.  We're starting from 20th in the second race, so I think we will be in P5 at the end!"

Daniel Keilwitz - nr101 Callaway Competition Corvette Z06R
"I didn't get such a good start, I was a little late on the throttle, so I was coming out of the first corner in 4th place.  I then pushed to get in front again, I had a good fight with the Audi and the Alpina made a mistake and went into the gravel. I then I drove until the pitstop.  It is very sad that we had the fuel problem at the end but it is good for the championship that we got some more points."

Christian Hohenadel - nr101 Callaway Competition Corvette Z06R
"The situation with the Lamborghini is difficult to explain but he was 2-3 seconds a lap slower than me.  He defended really hard, holding his line and sometimes he was much to slow, I turn in and he comes from the outside and what happened, happened. We've had a problem for the whole weekend with the catch tank which is broken and I think the problem has come back.  I hope we can fix the car for the next race.  It started three laps from the flag and it got harder and harder and I was very lucky to see the chequered flag.  We got a lot of points today compared to the others in the championship and we are very satisfied with that." 

Giacomo Sanna - nr87 Chad Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia
"After Brno, and at Silverstone where we should have been on the podium as well, we were hoping for a better weekend.  After qualifying we wouldn't have dreamt that we would be on the podium today, it was almost impossible from where we started.  I got a good start and had a clean fight with most of the other drivers.  I came into the pits in 3rd position and I had a pretty good stint."

Diego Alessi - nr87 Chad Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia
"I must say thank you to Giacomo who did a great job in the first part of the race, I just had to make sure that I didn't make a mistake.  I was having a good fight with the Audi but at one point we met a Lamborghini running very slowly in the middle of the track and we touched.  That is why I lost the position, if this hadn't of happened we could have had a good fight until the end of the race.  We are very suprised to be here on the podium but we are very happy as well."

 

CLICK HERE for championship positions after Round 5

CLICK HERE for Race Facts for Round 5