First report from Silverstone

PADDOCK RUNDOWN
44 cars are due to line up for the first FIA GT3 European Championship race on Saturday afternoon at Silverstone.  The varied grid includes nine Porsche 997 GT3 Cup cars, eight Dodge Viper Competition Coupe, six Aston Martin DBRS9, five Lamborghini Gallardo, five Corvette Z06 GT3, five Maserati GranSport Light, three Ascari KZ1r and three Ferrari 430 Challenge GT3 cars.   The rest of the 51 cars entered for the full season are due to make their appearance for the second round, in Oschersleben, in early July.

PERFORMANCE TESTING
The GT Bureau of the FIA finished its process of balancing the performance of the GT3 cars with a final test session on the Silverstone International Circuit on Thursday, the day before the event got underway.  The decisions were taken that the Dodge Viper Competition Coupe cars were awarded two restrictors of 48.56 mm, an additional 110 kg and the requirement to use hard tyres only.  The Corvette Z06 GT3 cars were awarded one 75 mm restrictor, 90 kg penalty weight and hard tyres.  The Ascari KZ1r was awarded 100 kg and hard tyres, and the Porsche 997 GT3 Cup cars were awarded an additional 20 kg.

FREE PRACTICE
The inaugural meeting of the FIA GT3 European Championship got underway at Silverstone today with the first-ever free practice.  The one-hour session, on Silverstone's Grand Prix circuit, was led by the nr 29 Pouchelon Racing Dodge Viper Coupe, driven by Gilles Duqueine and Anthony Reid.  Second was the JMB Racing Ferrari 430 Challenge car of Allen Simonsen and Hector Lester, with Tech 9 Motorsport's Porsche of Deverikos and Edwards third.  The leading Aston Martin DBRS9 was fourth, driven by Mugelli and Zani, with the Ascari of Collins and Scott seventh and the leading Corvette ninth.  With four different makes in the top four, and six in the top nine, the Championship is off to a good and varied start ! Only one car was not able to take part in this session. Indeed, the nr26 Racing Box Dodge Viper Coupe were still working on their brakes when the session started.

During the second session, at the end of the afternoon, Morgan Moullin-Traffort set the fastest time of the day in the nr 6 SOFREV - Autosport Promotion Porsche 997 Cup, with a lap of 1:55.375. The leading Corvette, the nr 19 Riverside driven by James Ruffier and François-Xavier Terny, was in second position but had to stop before the end of the session because of an oil leak. Fred Makowiecki and Jean-Yves Adam, in the nr 12 Racing Logistic Dodge Viper Coupe, were first of the Dodge Viper Competition Coupe cars , and third overall. With four cars in the same second, this session was extremely close.  The nr 16 Carsport-Callaway Corvette of Uli Berberich-Martini and 1998 FIA GT Champion Klaus Ludwig, was fourth.
The first Aston Martin DBRS9, nr 23 BMS Scuderia Italia driven by Massimiliano Mogelli and Marcello Zani was 5th, just in front of the first Ferrari 430 Challenge GT3, the nr 34 JMB Racing.
Once again, five different cars in the top six proved that the FIA GT3 European Championship is close and already exciting.
A few cars suffered minor problems during this session, but there were no major troubles,  which is quite an achievement considering the number of brand new cars present in Silverstone.

DODGE BRAND TO SUPPORT FIA GT AND FIA GT3 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Coinciding with the introduction of its vehicles in Europe, the Dodge brand has been appointed 'Official Cars Supplier' to the FIA GT and FIA GT3 European Championships for 2006. Dodge will provide a fleet of six vehicles for use on and off the race circuit at each round of the FIA GT and FIA GT3 Championships during the coming season, which starts on May 6 and 7 with the 'Silverstone Supercar Showdown' in England. The Dodge fleet will consist of an 'Official Safety Car', an 'Official Pace Car', one 'Official Medical Car' and three additional Dodge vehicles that will serve as VIP and Media shuttles during the series. "The Dodge brand has an historic affinity with motorsport and a series like this complements many of the attributes of the brand such as bold design, capability and affordable power," said Stéphane Labous, Director of International Marketing and Communications, Chrysler Group. "So, this is a natural tie-in for the Dodge brand and we are delighted to be appointed as official cars supplier to this exciting racing series."
Commenting on the agreement, Stephane Ratel, Chairman of SRO, the race series promoter, said: "I'm thrilled that SRO and Dodge have entered into this agreement to supply the official cars for the 2006 season of the FIA GT and FIA GT3 European Championships.  Over the years, Dodge cars have played a major role in the FIA GT series, with the Viper winning five Championships between 1997 and 2002, as well as two editions of the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa.  In 2006, a new era of Dodge participation is just starting, with nine Dodge Viper Competition Coupe cars entering the all-new FIA GT3 European Championship, making this collaboration particularly relevant and timely."

QUOTES

Morgan Moullin-Traffort - nr 6 Auto Sport Promotion Porsche 997 GT3 Cup: "We already know our Porsche quite well because we are using it in the French Porsche Carrera Cup. But it is my first time on this fantastic track, I learnt it quite fast and I love it. All the cars are very close; it is hard to overtake the others. I'm sure that this Championship is going to be interesting, and most of the drivers are here for pleasure."

Albert von Thurn und Taxis - nr 13 Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo GT3: "Like all the others, we are working on the car, and we need to get used to it. We practice a little bit before, the car is fun and we are happy to be here. I raced in Silverstone in the Maserati Trofeo last year."

Klaus Ludwig - nr 16 Team Carsport Callaway Corvette Z06 GT3: "We are using this car for the first time today. We had to work a little bit on it, and we still have to adjust our driving position. I'm quite happy with our time this afternoon."

Enzo Calderari - nr 25 BMS Scuderia Italia Aston Martin DBRS9: "We had to get used to this car that we really discovered yesterday. We need to practice more, and it should be OK. This car is very different from that which we drove before."

Stefano Zonca - nr 26 Racing Box Dodge Viper Competition Coupe: "During the first session we were still working on the brakes so we were not ready. This afternoon we had a little electric problem, but we are going to fix it. Today I have to discover the track, first and foremost ! Now I know where the corners are, tomorrow we are going to increase our level."

Ben Collins - nr 45 Ascari KZ1R : "I've got a really good team-mate in Aaron [Scott], and considering the Ascari car turned its first wheels not so long ago, so the guys have made good progress. We're quite positive about our chances for the weekend.  As a whole, I am pleasantly surprised by the Championship. When it was announced, I was not quite sure how it would work, but all the manufacturers seem to be involved, with a huge grid, and all running in one class.  All the cars are at the same level. The cars are impressive,  fun to drive and we can fight for a win."

Diego Alessi - nr 77 AF Corse Maserati Gransport Light: "We need to work on the car, we are not fast enough currently, but we are going to work on the set up ! We are using the car in the Maserati Trofeo but the car specification is quite different from one competition to the other."

Allan Simonsen - nr 34 JMB Racing Ferrari 430 Challenge: "The two sessions were both very good. We have found a good solution, but currently our tyres are too narrow at the front. I know the Ferrari 360 Modena very well, the two cars are similar so it is an advantage, it is the same environment!"

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