Quotes from Race 1

Dino Lunardi (#2 Matech GT Racing Ford GT) – 1st place
“This is my first win in FIA GT3.  Eric and I tried a different strategy for this weekend.  I did the pole position for this race.  At the start of the race my job was to create a big gap to the other drivers and to give Eric a good car with good brakes and tyres.  It was a crazy race because we were lucky with the safety car when we changed the driver and we were lucky with the stop and go penalty for Thomas.  Eric did a fantastic job at the end and we are very, very happy.”

Eric de Doncker (#2 Matech GT Racing Ford GT – 1st place
“The decision for Dino to go first was good because he is quicker than me.  The goal was to give me a 15 second advantage and he did a fantastic job.  I knew a faster driver could catch me by the end of the race but I was confident that I could go for the win.  I was scared when I saw the safety car go out when Dino came into the pits and we’d loose our advantage.  But when the safety car went in I had a 15-second lead, which was good enough to win.  It is going to be more difficult tonight because I’m starting in 23rd position but we’ll see.”

Walter Salles (#1 Matech GT Racing Ford GT) – 2nd place
“Dino got a good start and the other Ford was totally underneath him into the first corner.  But the race is 60-minutes; I might not have much experience but I do know that.  There was time to catch up little by little and the other Ford was clearly not as fast as Dino.  But he was extremely clean in letting me overtake him; he never closed the door, so I want to thank him for that.  I tried to keep up the pace but there was an Aston very close behind me, so I tried to deliver the car in P2 and play with the strategy of Thomas being such a fast driver and be able to recoup the time.”

Thomas Mutsch (#1 Matech GT Racing Ford GT) – 2nd place
“I have to thank Walter and the team.  Walter did a great job with the car and gave the car in P2, which was really great.  I was a bit too fast during the pitstop, just one second out, and was the reason we got a stop-go penalty.  I went back in under the safety car because you have to go in to serve the penalty within three laps and I have to ask where is the priority?  So we went in of course.  I did some fast laps and at the end I could overtake, so we were still second at the end. I think we could do more but with two stop and go penalties I’m quite happy.”

Frederic Makowiecki (#4 Hexis Racing AMR Aston Martin DBRS9) – 3rd place
“I am very happy for Manuel and for the team because this track is not very good for the Aston Martin.  It was very difficult because at the end the slower drivers didn’t respect the blue flags and we loose our pace. But this is a good result and I’m very happy to be on the podium.”

Geoffroy Horion (#12 Prospeed Competition Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S) - 4th place
“At the start the car was very good from the beginning to the end of the stint.  I had to come in a little bit early because I had a lot of dust in the car from the Ferrari in front of me and I couldn’t see anything.  So I asked to come in which maybe was a mistake because after that we had the safety car.  But maybe it was good for us.  The team did a perfect job for the weekend, so I’m happy.  Niki did a very good job, he kept his place.  He wasn’t fast enough to keep the Ford and the Aston Martin behind him. But it is OK.  It is only his second time in GT3; he did a great job.” 

Christopher Mies (#26 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS) – 9th place
“After the restart someone hit me in the back and the car was like driving on slicks in the rain.  Ninth place, it’s OK but we have to see.  Because it is so hot and the brakes are very hot it is a very hard track for our car.”

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