FIA GT3 News
R4: Algarve Preview
After a long two month break the 2009 FIA GT3 European Championship heads to Portugal for the first time in its four year history to take centre stage at the brand new 4.7 kilometre Autódromo Internacional Algarve. The strictly controlled balance of performance rules have kept the racing very close and exciting, with two wins each for Morgan, Aston Martin and Ford, podium finishes for Audi and Ferrari, with Porsche and BMW Alpina close to scoring a podium finish in the first six races of the twelve race season.
The current championship leaders are Thomas 
Accary and Julien Rodrigues, who took their first win of 2009 in round 5 at Oschersleben in the Aston Martin DBRS9. Local interest will centre on two Portuguese drivers. Manuel Rodrigues is already a winner in 2009 when he, and Frederic Makowiecki, won the first ever FIA GT3 night race in Italy in May and are currently second in the driver’s championship in the second Hexis Racing AMR Aston Martin DBRS9. Cesar Campanico is in his first season of FIA GT3 and, along with teammate Nicolas Armindo, has scored three podium finishes in the first six races in the brand new Audi R8 LMS run by Team Rosberg. Campanico is hoping that home advantage in Portugal will enable them to score the Audi R8’s first victory on the European stage.
Up to 30 cars are expected to take part in the first FIA GT3 race in the Algarve and the technical nature of the circuit should provide some trademark racing action in the two 60-minute races on Saturday and Sunday.
The FIA GT3 European Championship is joined in Portugal by the GT4 European Cup for the final races of the 2009 season. Britain’s Joe Osborne is the current championship leader but there are seven other drivers that have a mathematical chance of becoming the 2009 GT4 European Cup Champion.
Single seat action is provided by the Cooper Tires Bri
tish F3 International Series and with just four rounds left Daniel Ricciardo holds a 45 point lead over his nearest rival Walter Grubmuller. Since 1964 British Formula 3 has been the proving ground for the future stars of Formula One and last year was no exception when Spain’s Jaime Alguersuari was crowned the youngest ever British F3 champion and is now driving for Scuderia Torro Rosso.
Expect plenty of on track action during the weekend as the teams and drivers from three of Europe’s top sportscar and single seater championships compete under the Portuguese sun on one of the world’s newest, and technically demanding, race circuits.