2012 GT1 WORLD CHAMPIONS CELEBRATED AT ISTANBUL GALA

2012 GT1 WORLD CHAMPIONS CELEBRATED AT ISTANBUL GALA 07.12.2012

The 2012 FIA GT1 World Champions received their title trophies and the plaudits of the international motor sport community at the annual FIA Prize-Giving Gala, held in Istanbul this evening. German duo, Marc Basseng and Markus Winkelhock proudly accepted the awards after their consistency and battling spirit secured their drivers’ title triumph in the ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport-run Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 model. They took a remarkable 10 top-three finishes in the 18-race Championship, outscoring their nearest rivals by just a single point. Indeed, just one point separated the top three finishers in one of the closest seasons in GT history. As always it was a year of high intensity action in the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2012. Represented by the GT1 teams were some of the world’s most iconic automotive and motorsport brand names, including; Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Ford and McLaren.  In a season that saw seven different winners, representing seven brands, the ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport team finished every race in the points, with Nicky Pastorelli and Thomas Jäger playing a significant role in claiming the prestigious team title. The delighted champion driver Marc Basseng, said: “I am very proud of the team, and of myself and my team-mate Markus. Our attitude to the races was to be patient, consistent and for the team to do the fastest pit stops, which they did.  These ingredients were what allowed us to secure the 2012 titles. This showed the good performance we have had all season, scoring points at every race. We are very proud to be here to accept the awards and to represent the FIA GT1 World Championship.” Runners-up in the FIA GT Championship in 2012 after taking five victories was Frederic Makowiecki (FRA) and Stef Dusseldorp (NLD) in the Hexis Racing-run McLaren MP4/12C. On the same points, but placing third due to the number of wins, was the Vita4one Racing Team BMW Z4 of Michael Bartels (DEU) and Yelmer Buurman (NLD). They were challenging for the drivers title during the final dramatic race at Donington Park but were eliminated after a controversial accident with the eventual champions. FIA PRESS.