Marc Sourd Corvette and Matech Racing Ford GT claim Monza poles

The weather proved to be the most important factor in qualifying for the weekend’s two races in the FIA GT3 European Championship. Light rain was falling and the track was wet when the first 20-minute session got under way. The outcome was two sessions with numerous spins and incidents; in the second session the No.20 Matech GT Racing Ford GT claimed pole, but the first session was actually decided some time after chequered flags flew, when the stewards disallowed the best time of the No.44 Gravity Racing Ascari KZ1R GT3, promoting the No.28 Marc Sourd Racing Corvette Z.06R GT3 to pole position.

 

FIRST QUALIFYING – STEWARDS DEMOTE ASCARI, CORVETTE TAKES POLE

The first 20-minute session got under way on a wet track, and drivers struggled to come to terms with the changing conditions. Almost every minute saw one car or another spinning or going straight on at the two chicanes. At the halfway point of the session it was the No.11 JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT3 on provisional pole, but just a couple of minutes later the No.28 Marc Sourd Corvette went almost two seconds quicker with a lap of 2:08.818, with Johan Charpilienne at the wheel – a remarkable performance at his first ever GT3 meeting. Then Michael Greenhalgh, in the No.44 Gravity Racing Ascari, did a lap in 2:07.242 – but the stewards determined that the time had been achieved by cutting across the second chicane, so the time was later disallowed – along with those of thirteen other cars!

 

The decision dropped the Ascari back to ninth, so the No.36 Prospeed Competition Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S will start on the front row alongside the Corvette. Third, fourth and fifth places were monopolised by the Matech GT Racing trio of Ford GTs, the No.21 car taking third ahead of the No.19 and No.20 entries. Sixth was the leading Lamborghini Gallardo GT3, the No.47 Tech 9 Motorsport car; seventh and eighth went to the No.11 JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT3, with the No.5 Kessel Racing Ferrari less than 0.03s behind.

 

Despite all the incidents, there was only one significant casualty – the No.23 Matech Mustang Racing Ford Mustang FR500 GT, which spun into the barriers on the approach to the Ascari chicane. The driver, Christos Pagiazis, was unhurt but the car was too damaged to take part in the second qualifying session.

 

SECOND QUALIFYING – ANOTHER POLE FOR MUTSCH IN FORD GT

Just as he did at Silverstone Thomas Mutsch put the No.20 Matech GT Racing Ford GT on pole position, putting in a lap of 2:07.083 just before the halfway-mark of the session. He was clearly pushing hard – on the very next lap he outbraked himself and went straight on at the first chicane. Nobody could get within half a second of the championship leader’s time – second quickest was Bruce Lorgere-Roux, in the No.11 JMB Racing Ferrari, 0.653sec slower.

 

The Ford GT was clearly the car to have in the tricky conditions – just as it did in the first session, the No.21 car took third, while the No.21 car was eighth. Between those two came the No.2 Martini Callaway Corvette, No.43 La Torre Motorsport Dodge Viper Competition Coupe, the No.26 Team Berlanga Ascari and the No.6 Trackspeed Porsche.

 

“That was a great session – the circuit was really tricky, but we had a good set-up,” said Mutsch. “The team did a great job on the car, and now I hope this afternoon’s race goes like that.”

 

Just as in the first session, there were numerous incidents, this time with no real damage being sustained. The No.47 Tech 9 Motorsport Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 was hit from behind by the No.6 Trackspeed Porsche, and spun into the gravel at Parabolica; and just as the session came to an end, the No.2 Martini Callaway Corvette pulled off the circuit and had to be towed back to the pits.

2008-05-17
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