Driver Quotes from Round 7 and Round 8 Qualifying

Walter Salles (#1 Matech GT Racing Ford GT) - Pole Position for 1st race
"Of course this is great but an unexpected feeling.  The circuit is really unique and I tried to understand it on the first practice.  Thomas (Mutsch) was very generous on the second practice as he let me drive almost for the whole time and this has allowed me to understand what the limit could be in different corners.  My thanks also go to the team because the car was really on the ground, which allowed me to push in certain sectors where this morning it was more difficult to transmit power.  Portugal certainly feels like a second home to me, at least I can understand the language, and it certainly feels good to take pole position here for the first time."

Christopher Mies (#26 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS) - 3rd place for 1st race
"Qualifying was very good, we are in third position now and we only have a gap of one tenth.  I made a little mistake in the first corner on my fastest lap and I lost three tenths so it is looking good for the race. The team did a very good job and we hope to win the races tomorrow."

Eric de Doncker (#2 Matech GT Racing Ford GT) - 13th place for 1st race
"Dino (Lunadri) and I worked very hard on the set up after losing the first practice session and we found a really good set up.  I was blocked in my quick lap and I'm sure I could've been one second quicker, so I very confident for the race because the car is really good. I'm happy because Dino and I work really well together and we should be able to do a good job for the race." 

Christian Mamerow (#37 Zakspeed Racing Viper Competition Coupe) - pole position for 2nd race
"It is great to stay in front of all the others.  I'm not sure how the car will behave for the whole race, so when I get in the car tomorrow in the first race I will get a first impression.  We found a pretty good setup but the conditions were very difficult.  I had a lot of traffic on my first flying lap so I slowed down to keep my tyres for the second lap but everything worked out fine and P1 is good, we will see what happens tomorrow."

Dino Lunardi (#2 Matech GT Racing Ford GT) - 2nd place for 2nd race
"I think the team, Eric (de Doncker) and me did a fantastic job especially after the mornings started very badly when we didn't get any time on track in the first session due to a drive shaft seal failure. I discovered the track in the second session and went a little loose but the track is fantastic here, it is very exciting. I'm pleased to be on the front row but also to be ahead of Thomas (Mutsch) who won the Spa 24 Hours (G3 Class) and to be ahead of him is very good for me."

Frederic Makowiecki (#4 Hexis Racing AMR Aston Martin DBRS9) - 3rd place for 2nd race
"It was a good performance but I made a little error in the last part of my best lap and I tried to do another but another driver stayed on the line and I had to lift to avoid a crash.  I'm not very happy about that. After this morning the gearbox was OK, the team did a really good job. This year we have a really good car for all the circuits, we are always very good at the end of the race and the car is very consistent to enable us to finish the race."

Julien Rodrigues (#3 Hexis Racing AMR Aston Martin DBRS9) - 10th place for 2nd race
"I know from that session taht I can do better, I lost around five tenths I think.  I made a mistake on the last turn but I think it will be OK for the race. We will start in the second position for the race and for us it will be good. The car is very good this year and I'm in a good team and I have a good teammate in Thomas (Accary).  It is a very high level championship and it is very good to drive here."

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