Aston Martin ahead of Corvette in both Dubai practice sessions

 

PREVIEW, HANDICAP CHANGES

For the second year, the destiny of the Drivers’ title in the FIA GT3 European Championship will be decided at the Dubai Autodrome, where the two 60-minute races will determine which of the seven drivers in contention will be crowned Champions. The drivers have been universal in their praise for the circuit, its wide 5.4km track, sweeping turns and large run-off areas a dramatic contrast to the previous races at Nogaro, in France. For the final round of the season the Performance Bureau has made various changes to the weights – but none of the rivals for the title are affected.

 

The Ferrari, Lamborghini, Morgan and Porsche teams have all had their minimum weights reduced by 30kg; this leaves the Porsche carrying 10kg of ballast, while the Lamborghini is now allowed to run 10kg below its homologated weight, Morgan 30kg below and Ferrari 60kg below. Jaguar had its minimum weight lowered by a full 60kg – however, some cars are already running without ballast, so they may not be able to run as light as permitted.

 

The first practice session was the first time any cars had run on the Dubai circuit this weekend, and the incredible amount of construction going on in the surrounding area had put lots of dust and sand on the track – and overnight rain had not washed it clean. In fact, there were threatening clouds in the area during the first session, but the rain stayed away. Not that it mattered to Lagniez and Makowiecki in the No.10 Hexis Racing Aston Martin DBRS9 – they topped the timesheets at the end of both sessions. And in both stints, they were ahead of the No.1 Martini Callaway Corvette Z.06R GT3 of Championship leaders Peyroles and Ruffier. Third in the first session went to the No.17 Brixia Racing Aston Martin of Zani and Frassineti, while the No.21 Matech GT Racing Ford GT of Ellis and Mortimer was third later in the day.

 

FIRST FREE PRACTICE: PLENTY OF SPINS AS TRACK CLEARS

With lots of sand and dust on the track, conditions were tricky as the cars headed out for their opening laps – the hairpin turn 14 near the end of the lap catching many drivers out. It was no surprise that early lap times were slow – it took almost 15 minutes before any driver got below 2 minutes 10 seconds, the No.5 Kessel Racing Ferrari F430 GT3 being the first to achieve it. On the very next lap, the No.5 Ferrari went a full second quicker, showing how much conditions were improving.

 

After 21 minutes of the 60-minute session the No.33 APEX Motorsport Jaguar XKR pulled off at the main straight after what appeared to be part of the exhaust system fell off the car – and three minutes later the No.29 AutoGT Racing Morgan Aero 8 GT3 limped around the circuit on three wheels after the right rear wheel became detached. It would seem the problem was more than simply a loose wheel-nut – during the second session the car was shown in its garage having had the entire rear axle removed.

 

As the session progressed the times came down – usually by a few tenths each lap, but then the No.8 Hexis Racing Aston Martin of Accary and Mena lapped in 2:05.474, over 1.2sec quicker than the previous best. Over the next ten minutes, it seemed the main contest would be over who could take second-quickest – but inside the final ten minutes, drivers made their final push and the time was soon eclipsed. The No.10 Hexis Racing Aston Martin snatched the top spot with two minutes remaining – then went even quicker, finishing a lap in 2:04.087 after the chequered flag had gone out.

 

SECOND FREE PRACTICE: ASTON MARTIN AND CORVETTE QUICKEST AGAIN

With the track much cleaner, times in the second session were immediately down in the 2min 05sec bracket; the No.5 Kessel Racing Ferrari putting in a 2:05.065, but then spinning at turn 7 on the very next lap. Despite the track being cleaner, there were more spins than earlier in the day, as drivers tried to extract the most from their cars; thanks to the wide tarmac run-off areas, everyone was able to continue without damage.

 

For a time, it looked like the Ford GT would be unbeatable – at one stage the top three places were taken by the No.20, 19 and 21 Matech GT Racing cars. But less than a minute later they were split by the No.10 Hexis Racing Aston Martin, which then put in a stunning 2:03.033 on the very next lap, almost a full second faster than the quickest Ford.

 

With the session drawing to a close, it became clear that the Hexis time was not to be beaten – although the No.1 Martini Callaway Corvette came agonisingly close, just 0.036sec slower. The No.21 Matech Ford GT put in a final spurt to claim third, ahead of the No.3 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Kuzmynikh and Cadei.

 

In both sessions, the drivers still able to claim the Drivers’ title were in the top ten; the No.20 Matech Ford GT of Khan and Mutsch was tenth in the first session, eighth in the second, with Mutsch complaining of oversteer. Peyroles and Ruffier, who have an eight-point advantage, were cautiously confident after being second in both sessions – they are the only duo who can secure the title in Friday’s opening race, with their rivals determined to ensure the title race goes right down to the wire, and Saturday’s finale.

2008-12-04
Subscribe:   Subscribe with small images:   Subscribe with medium images: