Report: Free Practice Quotes, Mugello 2006

Free Practice Quotes

 

GT3 NEWS #2
FREE PRACTICE QUOTES

Morgan Moullin-Traffort – nr 6 Auto Sport Promotion Porsche 997 GT3 : “ It’s going well, but it’s a shame we can’t drive much as there are so many incidents.  It’s my first time here, and in my fastest lap, when I could have moved up into the top ten, and been first Porsche, and then just a few hundred metres from the finish, one of the Italian Vipers crashed, the red flags came out, and afterwards I handed over to my team-mate.  So between this morning and this afternoon, I’ve only done about seven laps, which isn’t much.   But I think it’ll be good – we might struggle against the Ascari, Aston Martin and Corvette cars, which are getting steadily stronger, but we need to count on the consistency of the Porsche cars and the team.”

Paul van Splunteren – nr 8 Tech 9 Motorsport Porsche 997  : “The Porsches are doing well here, we’ll see in the dry.  I love the circuit, the layout is fantastic.  I’m hoping to finish in the top ten, with my new team-mate Andrew Purdie.”

Steve Zacchia – nr 11 Racing Box Dodge Viper Competition Coupe : “I did a lot of running this afternoon. The circuit is magnificent.  I’ve never been here before, and I have no regrets whatsoever at being here.  It goes up and down, there are some beautiful corners.  But the race could be difficult, overtaking is not easy, and there are lot of fast sections. Our aim is to score as many points as we can for Racing Logistic.”

Michael Bentwood – nr 22 Barwell Motorsport Aston Martin DBRS9   : “We were initially the quickest Aston in the session, but we were playing around with dampers, and I’m not sure if it was the right way to go.  Tom (Alexander) has not been in the car for a few months, so he’s getting to grips with things.  We’ve had some problems with pick-up on the tyres.  But this is one of the most fantastic circuits I’ve ever driven on.  In the wet, it’s almost like a Sunday drive.  But in the dry, it’s totally the opposite, you never get a break.  There appear to be plenty of place to overtake.  I really don’t care what the weather is like this weekend – the track is great in all conditions !”

Max Mugelli  - nr 23 BMS Scuderia Italia Aston Martin DBRS9: “I did the first stint in the car, and then Marcello Zani took over in the dry section. Zani set the fastest time in the session; the Aston Martin is quite difficult in the wet, as we have no ABS, no traction control.  With the weight at the front, it is very difficult to go through the corners, we have a lot of oversteer.  The Porsches are much better in these conditions.  I live very near to the circuit, about six kilometers away, so it’s very important to me to race here.  I have many friends and family who will come to watch me race.  I hope to have a good race tomorrow and Sunday.  If it’s dry, we should be able to get a good result.”

Ian Khan – nr 32 JMB Racing Ferrari 430 Challenge GT3 : “The Ferrari was good in the wet; we were about seventh fastest in the first part of the session.  But as it dried, everyone got faster and faster, while we had to pit with a broken front splitter.  But if it’s wet in the races, we could do well.  We haven’t got the power in the dry.  Our rear tyres are smaller than the front tyres on the Viper…”

Anthony Reid – nr 29 Pouchelon Racing Dodge Viper Competition Coupe : “I am really enjoying the ambiance around here.  Tuscany is beautiful.  I know the circuit well – I did a 24-hour test with Nissan here some years ago. The circuit has barely changed.  It was very hard work.  The Viper is pretty good, it’s the last race so we have to make the most of it.  We lost an engine in Dijon so had to start from the back, but now we’ve got a new engine, so we should be fine !”

Robin Ward  - team manager, Damax Ascari KZ1R : “We’re back with a vengeance !  We missed Dijon, regrouped, sorted out a few problems, and the cars are going well.  The drivers did well; there’s still a bit more to come.  We have 100 kg penalty weight plus raised ride height and hard tyres, and you do have to drive the cars hard to get this sort of time.  The drivers all like the circuit – second only to Spa.  And the food’s good  !”

 

2006-09-16
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