A close and interesting race around the tight and technical Valencia
circuit saw BMS Scuderia Italia claim their second one-two of the
season, with Fabrizio Gollin and Luca Cappellari (Ferrari 550M) extending
their Championship lead with their third consecutive win. Their team
mates, Matteo Bobbi and Gabriele Gardel were second. In N-GT, the
Ferrari 360 M of GPC Giesse Squadra Corse finished second in the category,
to put the drivers Christian Pescatori and Fabrizio De Simone in the
joint lead in the N-GT classification.
The circuit configuration ensured some very close competition throughout
the event. Two of the the light and nimble Saleens qualified on
the front row and led the race. However, after three hours, BMS
Scuderia Italia triumphed once again, despite the very different
track configuration to Monza, the venue for their previous win.
This was the direct result of their speed, reliabily and team work
- all of the the bits have to be in place to win consistently. Five
different types of car finished in the top six - the two Ferrari
550 Maranellos were followed by a Lamborghini Murciélago
(which lead the race and took its first international podium), a
Ferrari 575 M, a Lister Storm and a Saleen S7.
Fabrizio Gollin and Luca Cappellari took the lead after the second
set of pit-stops, having opted to change only two tyres on their
Ferrari 550 Maranello. They were followed by their team-mates Matteo
Bobbi and Gabriele Gardel, who finished a rather distant 23.8 seconds
behind. Gollin said : "We're very happy; the championship is
looking good so far." Cappellari agreed : "We were somewhat
lucky today, but luck is always important in motor racing. I have
to say that the car is fantastic to drive with the power steering
- very comfortable!"
After a difficult time in Monza, JMB brought its three cars home
in the points. The 575 Maranello of Wendlinger/Wolff/Lechner finished
fourth, after some close fighting on the track, with the nr 18 car
8th overall and 7th in GT, while the JMB 575 M of Gosse, Garbagnati
and Daoudi finished 8th in GT to take the final point. Karl Wendlinger
explained "The goal for us for this race was to finish, and
we got that. We learned a lot this weekend, I think, and I hope
we can use that experience for the next races. It was a good weekend
for us. I think we will be well prepared for Magny-Cours, and we
should be able to use everything we have learnt here for our team's
home race. We will aim to improve each time".
GPC Giesse Squadra Corse had a bad weekend, with neither of their
575 Ms finishing the race, one retiring with front suspension failure
and the other with alternator problems. They did however have their
second place in N-GT to lighten the gloom.
There was further attrition of the Ferrari ranks with Care Racing
retiring the 550 M of Livio/Calderari/Bryner after 33 laps after
a trip into the gravel. The Darro Motor Racing N-GT 360 M of Vivancos/Reyes
went out after 45 laps of a fraught race with repeated tyre problems,
a drive-through penalty and finally the car catching fire! The Wieth
Racing 550 M managed 58 laps before retiring with chassis problems.
Reigning Champions BMS Scuderia Italia now have a 25 point lead
over GPC Giesse Squadra Corse in the GT Teams' Championship. Gollin
and Cappellari having a four-point lead over their nearest rivals
in the Drivers' title race. In N-GT, GPC Giesse Squadra Corse's
Fabrizio de Simone and Emmanuel Collard are in the joint lead of
the Drivers' Championship, with the team five points clear in their
championship.
The next race is at Magny-Cours in France on 2nd May.
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