JUAN MARIA "EL UNICO".
TEXTO ORIGINAL.
The breath-taking new Portrero de los Funes circuit, in the Province of San Luis, Argentina, provided a perfect backdrop for the final round of the 2008 season of the FIA GT Championship – a thrilling race which saw PK Carsport’s Kumpen and Longin end an otherwise miserable season with a surprise win, an extremely popular home victory for Advanced Engineering Pecom Racing Team’s Argentine duo of Russo and Perez-Companc, and the GT1 Drivers Title for Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels, who finished fifth. With the sun shining down on the spectators packed into every grandstand and hillside around the spectacular circuit, it was truly a historic first race for this circuit, already a firm favourite with the drivers, and with the 52,000 spectators who attended over the weekend.
VICTORY FOR KUMPEN AND LONGINEvery run of bad luck must come to an end, and for Belgian duo Anthony Kumpen and Bert Longin it happened in Argentina, when their Saleen S7R finally showed what it could do, crossing the finish line just 0.5 seconds ahead of the Phoenix Carsport Corvette of their former team-mate Mike Hezemans and 2004 Champion Fabrizio Gollin. A good day for Belgium was competed by the presence of SRT in third place, their Corvette C6R having been shared by Maxime Soulet and Argentine newcomer Christian Ledesma, who had already finished on the podium in the TC2000 race earlier in the day.Victory for the PK Saleen had not appeared to be on the cards earlier in the race. Frédéric Makowiecki took the lead at the start in the Larbre Saleen and, chased by pole setter Marcel Fässler, began to open up a lead. Fässler retook the lead after 19 laps, but the Saleen remained close behind. However, shortly after the driver change, Berville touched the wall with the nr 7 Saleen. The team attempted a repair but the car eventually retired. This left Fässler with a strong lead, and the Swiss driver, sharing with Ricardo Risatti of Argentina, looked like claiming a second win of the season. Unfortunately, his race also ended in the wall, just eleven laps before the end. The PK Saleen was then in the lead, chased by the nr 6 Phoenix Carsport Corvette, which needed to win and hope that the nr 1 Maserati finished out of the top six in order to claim the title. Hezemans took the lead, but Longin kept in contact, and when the Dutch driver went wide at the first corner, regained the advantage. Hezemans kept on pushing, but Longin resisted, crossing the line 0.561 in front of the Corvette to claim a fine win – and one of the closest on record in the FIA GT Championship. “It was a terrible season but to finish the last race in first place is very important for us two, as this is important for next year. The car and tyres worked very well, and for the first time we were really competitive, and neither Anthony nor myself made any mistakes,” Bert Longin commented. Hezemans was philosophical about his Championship loss : “With 90 kg in the car it was always going to be difficult. We were in the lead but I made a little mistake coming into the first corner.” Having started from the back of the grid, SRT’s third place was a fine reward for the Belgian team. Fourth went to local heroes José Maria Lopez and Esteban Tuero in the ACA Argentina Ferrari 550 Maranello, with the new Champions Bertolini and Bartels fifth. Fâssler and Risatti were classified sixth and last, in a high attrition rate around this magnificent circuit.
BARTELS AND BERTOLINI CLAIM GT1 DRIVERS TITLE AFTER EXCELLENT SEASONFifth place today was sufficient to guarantee Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini’s second FIA GT Championship Drivers titles, after their previous win in 2006. The duo have put in an amazing season, finishing in the points at every race, and winning the Total 24 Hours of Spa as real season highpoint. “This was a fantastic day,” Bartels said. “We knew, coming here, that it looked easy on paper, but these are the most difficult races you can do, when you nearly have the Championship in your pocket. In the end it comes down to a very motivated group of people, with very strong cooperation between Maserati Italy and the German team, as well as a fantastic combination of drivers. It has been a fantastic experience to work with Andrea this year.”Today’s second place guaranteed second for Phoenix Carsport drivers Gollin and Hezemans, while the second Maserati crew of Negrao and Ramos took third in the 2008 GT1 Drivers classification despite not finishing today’s race.The team’s title had been decided in Zolder, with Vitaphone Racing Team claiming their fourth consecutive title ahead of Phoenix Carsport Racing and Jetalliance.
RUSSO AND PEREZ-COMPANC WIN AT HOMEWith a duo of Argentine racers claiming their first-ever FIA GT victory on home ground at a brand new Argentine circuit, there could hardly have been a more popular result in San Luis today. Advanced Engineering Pecom Racing Team’s Matias Russo, who had claimed pole on Saturday, kept the advantage at the lights and began to build up a good lead. During the middle stint, his team-mate Luis Perez-Companc was overtaken by the new GT2 Champion Toni Vilander, whose nr 50 AF Corse Ferrari had climbed back up from the very back of the grid, despite the 75 kg penalty weight. In the closing stages, however, Russo was able to retake the lead. Bruni and Vilander took second, with the second AF Corse car of Montanari and Biagi third after a late-race collision between the nr 56 and nr 60 cars, which had been fighting for the final podium position. “This is our first year in the category, and we learned little by little, making progress all the time,” Russo said afterwards. “I don’t think we have fully realised that we’ve won today yet. But I am very pleased with this incredible result”The nr 56 CR Scuderia Ferrari and the nr 60 Prospeed Porsche finished fourth and fifth respectively; the nr 61 Prospeed car, which had qualified second, was an early casualty of the Potrero de los Funes walls. Malucelli and Ruberti finished sixth to secure second place in the GT2 Drivers Championship, and to help their team BMS Scuderia Italia to finish second in the Teams Championship, ahead of Prospeed Competition. Seventh went to Scuderia Ecosse, with Kessel Racing taking the final point in eighth.
And so the 12th season of the FIA GT Championship, which started in the Silverstone fog and finished in the San Luis sunshine, has drawn to an end. Congratulations to the Champions, Bartels and Bertolini in GT1, Vilander and Bruni in GT2, to Vitaphone Racing Team and AF Corse, as well as to all those involved. And an especial thanks to the people and Government of the Province of San Luis for providing such a wonderful circuit for the tenth round. As Andrea Bertolini said “I hope this track will be on the calendar for the next ten years !”
VICTORY FOR KUMPEN AND LONGINEvery run of bad luck must come to an end, and for Belgian duo Anthony Kumpen and Bert Longin it happened in Argentina, when their Saleen S7R finally showed what it could do, crossing the finish line just 0.5 seconds ahead of the Phoenix Carsport Corvette of their former team-mate Mike Hezemans and 2004 Champion Fabrizio Gollin. A good day for Belgium was competed by the presence of SRT in third place, their Corvette C6R having been shared by Maxime Soulet and Argentine newcomer Christian Ledesma, who had already finished on the podium in the TC2000 race earlier in the day.Victory for the PK Saleen had not appeared to be on the cards earlier in the race. Frédéric Makowiecki took the lead at the start in the Larbre Saleen and, chased by pole setter Marcel Fässler, began to open up a lead. Fässler retook the lead after 19 laps, but the Saleen remained close behind. However, shortly after the driver change, Berville touched the wall with the nr 7 Saleen. The team attempted a repair but the car eventually retired. This left Fässler with a strong lead, and the Swiss driver, sharing with Ricardo Risatti of Argentina, looked like claiming a second win of the season. Unfortunately, his race also ended in the wall, just eleven laps before the end. The PK Saleen was then in the lead, chased by the nr 6 Phoenix Carsport Corvette, which needed to win and hope that the nr 1 Maserati finished out of the top six in order to claim the title. Hezemans took the lead, but Longin kept in contact, and when the Dutch driver went wide at the first corner, regained the advantage. Hezemans kept on pushing, but Longin resisted, crossing the line 0.561 in front of the Corvette to claim a fine win – and one of the closest on record in the FIA GT Championship. “It was a terrible season but to finish the last race in first place is very important for us two, as this is important for next year. The car and tyres worked very well, and for the first time we were really competitive, and neither Anthony nor myself made any mistakes,” Bert Longin commented. Hezemans was philosophical about his Championship loss : “With 90 kg in the car it was always going to be difficult. We were in the lead but I made a little mistake coming into the first corner.” Having started from the back of the grid, SRT’s third place was a fine reward for the Belgian team. Fourth went to local heroes José Maria Lopez and Esteban Tuero in the ACA Argentina Ferrari 550 Maranello, with the new Champions Bertolini and Bartels fifth. Fâssler and Risatti were classified sixth and last, in a high attrition rate around this magnificent circuit.
BARTELS AND BERTOLINI CLAIM GT1 DRIVERS TITLE AFTER EXCELLENT SEASONFifth place today was sufficient to guarantee Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini’s second FIA GT Championship Drivers titles, after their previous win in 2006. The duo have put in an amazing season, finishing in the points at every race, and winning the Total 24 Hours of Spa as real season highpoint. “This was a fantastic day,” Bartels said. “We knew, coming here, that it looked easy on paper, but these are the most difficult races you can do, when you nearly have the Championship in your pocket. In the end it comes down to a very motivated group of people, with very strong cooperation between Maserati Italy and the German team, as well as a fantastic combination of drivers. It has been a fantastic experience to work with Andrea this year.”Today’s second place guaranteed second for Phoenix Carsport drivers Gollin and Hezemans, while the second Maserati crew of Negrao and Ramos took third in the 2008 GT1 Drivers classification despite not finishing today’s race.The team’s title had been decided in Zolder, with Vitaphone Racing Team claiming their fourth consecutive title ahead of Phoenix Carsport Racing and Jetalliance.
RUSSO AND PEREZ-COMPANC WIN AT HOMEWith a duo of Argentine racers claiming their first-ever FIA GT victory on home ground at a brand new Argentine circuit, there could hardly have been a more popular result in San Luis today. Advanced Engineering Pecom Racing Team’s Matias Russo, who had claimed pole on Saturday, kept the advantage at the lights and began to build up a good lead. During the middle stint, his team-mate Luis Perez-Companc was overtaken by the new GT2 Champion Toni Vilander, whose nr 50 AF Corse Ferrari had climbed back up from the very back of the grid, despite the 75 kg penalty weight. In the closing stages, however, Russo was able to retake the lead. Bruni and Vilander took second, with the second AF Corse car of Montanari and Biagi third after a late-race collision between the nr 56 and nr 60 cars, which had been fighting for the final podium position. “This is our first year in the category, and we learned little by little, making progress all the time,” Russo said afterwards. “I don’t think we have fully realised that we’ve won today yet. But I am very pleased with this incredible result”The nr 56 CR Scuderia Ferrari and the nr 60 Prospeed Porsche finished fourth and fifth respectively; the nr 61 Prospeed car, which had qualified second, was an early casualty of the Potrero de los Funes walls. Malucelli and Ruberti finished sixth to secure second place in the GT2 Drivers Championship, and to help their team BMS Scuderia Italia to finish second in the Teams Championship, ahead of Prospeed Competition. Seventh went to Scuderia Ecosse, with Kessel Racing taking the final point in eighth.
And so the 12th season of the FIA GT Championship, which started in the Silverstone fog and finished in the San Luis sunshine, has drawn to an end. Congratulations to the Champions, Bartels and Bertolini in GT1, Vilander and Bruni in GT2, to Vitaphone Racing Team and AF Corse, as well as to all those involved. And an especial thanks to the people and Government of the Province of San Luis for providing such a wonderful circuit for the tenth round. As Andrea Bertolini said “I hope this track will be on the calendar for the next ten years !”
ESPAÑOL.
El nuevo circuito impresionante de Portrero de los Funes, en la provincia de San Luis, la Argentina, con tal que un contexto perfecto para el final redondo de la estación 2008 del campeonato de FIA GT - una raza que emociona que consideró el extremo de Kumpen y de Longin de PK Carsport a la estación de otra manera desgraciada con un triunfo de la sorpresa, una victoria casera extremadamente popular para la ingeniería avanzada Pecom que competía con el dúo de Argentina del equipo de Russo y Perez-Companc, y los conductores GT1 titulan para Andrea Bertolini y Michael Bartels, que acabaron fifth. Con el sol brillando abajo en los espectadores embalados en cada grandstand y ladera alrededor del circuito espectacular, era verdad una primera raza histórica para este circuito, ya favorito firme con los conductores, y con los 52.000 espectadores que atendieron sobre el fin de semana.
La VICTORIA PARA KUMPEN Y LONGIN cada funcionamiento de la mala suerte debe acabar, y para el dúo belga Anthony Kumpen y Bert Longin sucedió en la Argentina, cuando su Saleen S7R finalmente demostró lo que podría hacer, cruzando la línea de final apenas 0.5 segundo a continuación de la Phoenix Carsport Corbeta de su campeón anterior Mike Hezemans y 2004 Fabrizio del equipo-compañero Gollin. Un buen día para Bélgica fue competido por la presencia de SRT en el tercer lugar, su Corbeta C6R que era compartida por Maxime Soulet y el recién llegado Ledesma cristiano de Argentina, que habían acabado ya en el podium en la raza TC2000 anterior en el día. La victoria para el PK Saleen no había aparecido estar en las tarjetas anterior en la raza. Frédéric Makowiecki tomó el plomo en el comienzo en el Larbre Saleen y, perseguido por el setter Marcel Fässler del poste, comenzó a abrir un plomo. Fässler volvió a tomar el plomo después de que 19 regazos, pero el Saleen siguieran siendo cercanos detrás. Sin embargo, poco después el cambio del conductor, Berville tocó la pared con el nr 7 Saleen. El equipo procuró una reparación pero el coche se retiró eventual. Este Fässler izquierdo con un plomo fuerte, y el conductor suizo, compartiendo con Ricardo Risatti de la Argentina, parecían demandar un segundo triunfo de la estación. Desafortunadamente, su raza también terminó en la pared, apenas once regazos antes del extremo. El PK Saleen estaba entonces en el plomo, perseguido por el nr 6 Phoenix Carsport Corbeta, que necesitó ganar y esperar que el nr 1 Maserati acabó fuera de los seises superiores para demandar el título. Hezemans tomó el plomo, pero Longin mantuvo contacto, y cuando el conductor holandés fue de par en par en la primera esquina, recuperado la ventaja. Hezemans guardado en empujar, pero Longin resistió, cruzando la línea 0.561 delante de la Corbeta para demandar un triunfo fino - y una del más cercano en expediente en el FIA GTCampeonato. "era una estación terrible pero acabar la raza pasada en el primer lugar es muy importante para nosotros dos, como esto es importante para el año próximo. El coche y los neumáticos funcionaron muy bien, y para la primera vez que éramos realmente competitivos, y ni Anthony ni mismo incurrió en cualquier equivocación, "Bert Longin comentó. Hezemans era filosófico sobre su pérdida del campeonato: "con 90 kilogramos en el coche iba siempre a ser difícil. Estábamos en el plomo pero incurrí en una pequeña equivocación que venía en la primera esquina." El salir de la parte posteriora de la rejilla, tercer lugar de SRT era una recompensa fina por el equipo belga. El cuarto fue a los héroes locales José Maria Lopez y Esteban Tuero en el ACA la Argentina Ferrari 550 Maranello, con los nuevos campeones Bertolini y Bartels fifth. Fâssler y Risatti fueron clasificados en sexto lugar y por último, en un alto índice de desgaste alrededor de este circuito magnífico. TÍTULO de los CONDUCTORES de la DEMANDA GT1 de BARTELS Y de BERTOLINI DESPUÉS DE QUE el quinto lugar de la ESTACIÓN EXCELENTE fuera hoy suficiente garantizar los segundos títulos de los conductores del campeonato de FIA GT de Michael Bartels y de Andrea Bertolini, después de su triunfo anterior en 2006. El dúo ha puesto en una estación asombrosa, acabando en los puntos en cada raza, y ganando el total 24 horas del balneario como highpoint verdadero de la estación. "esto era un día fantástico," Bartels dicho. "sabíamos, viniendo aquí, que parecía fácil en el papel, pero éstas son las razas más difíciles que usted puede hacer, cuando usted tiene casi el campeonato en su bolsillo. En el extremo viene abajo a un grupo de gente muy motivado, con la cooperación muy fuerte entre Maserati Italia y el equipo alemán, así como una combinación fantástica de conductores. Ha sido una experiencia fantástica a trabajar con Andrea este año." El segundo lugar de hoy garantizó en segundo lugar para los conductores Gollin y Hezemans de Phoenix Carsport, mientras que el segundo equipo de Maserati de Negrao y de Ramos tomó tercero en la clasificación de 2008 conductores GT1 a pesar de no acabar la raza de hoy. El título del equipo había sido decidido en Zolder, con Vitaphone compitiendo con al equipo que demandaba su cuarto título consecutivo delante de Phoenix el competir con y Jetalliance de Carsport. RUSSO Y PEREZ-COMPANC GANAN EN EL HOGAR con un dúo de los corredores de Argentina que demandan su primera victoria de FIA GT en la tierra casera en un nuevo circuito de Argentina de la marca de fábrica, allí habrían podido apenas ser un resultado más popular en San Luis hoy. La ingeniería avanzada Pecom que competía con Matias Russo del equipo, que había demandado el poste el sábado, guardó la ventaja en las luces y comenzó a acumular un buen plomo. Durante la restricción media, al nuevo GT2 campeón alcanzó a su equipo-compañero Luis Perez-Companc Toni Vilander, que nr 50 AF Corse Ferrari había subido respaldo del muy trasero de la rejilla, a pesar de el peso de la pena de 75 kilogramos. En las etapas de cierre, sin embargo, Russo podía volver a tomar el plomo. Bruni y Vilander tomaron en segundo lugar, con el segundo coche del AF Corse del tercero de Montanari y de Biagi después de una colisión de la tarde-raza entre los coches del nr 56 y del nr 60, que habían estado luchando para la posición final del podium. "éste es nuestro primer año en la categoría, y aprendimos poco por poco, haciendo progreso toda la hora," Russo dicho luego. "no pienso que hemos realizado completamente que hemos ganado hoy todavía. Pero estoy muy contento con este resultado increíble "El CR Scuderia Ferrari y el fifth acabado Porsche el cuarto del nr 56 de Prospeed del nr 60 y respectivamente; el coche de Prospeed del nr 61, que había calificado en segundo lugar, era una muerte temprana de las paredes de Potrero de los Funes. Malucelli y Ruberti acabaron en sexto lugar para asegurar el segundo lugar en el campeonato de los conductores GT2, y para ayudar a su equipo BMS Scuderia Italia a acabar en segundo lugar en el campeonato de los equipos, delante de la competición de Prospeed. El séptimo fue a Scuderia Ecosse, con Kessel compitiendo con tomando el punto final en octavo. Y la 12ma estación del campeonato de FIA GT, que comenzó en la niebla de Silverstone y acabó en la sol del San Luis, ha dibujado tan a un extremo. Felicitaciones a los campeones, al Bartels y al Bertolini en GT1, Vilander y Bruni en GT2, a Vitaphone que compite con el equipo y AF Corse, así como a todo el ésos implicados. Y gracias especiales a la gente y al gobierno de la provincia de San Luis por proporcionar un circuito tan maravilloso para el décimo redondo. Pues Andrea Bertolini dijo "esperanza de I esta pista estará en el calendario por los diez años próximos!"
Entradas
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario