FIA GT1: Hexis Aston Takes the Spoils in Germany

Hexis Aston Takes the Spoils in Germany

Andrea Piccini and Christian Hohenadel took their Hexis Aston Martin No.4 to victory in the Championship Race at Sachsenring. The Hexis pair started from fifth on the grid and stayed clear of a spate of early incidents to secure their first win of the 2011 season. Second place went to the No.37 All-Inkl Münnich Motorsport Lamborghini of Dominik Schwäger and Nicky Pastorelli while third was the Young Driver Aston Martin No.8 of Stefan Mücke and Darren Turner. The nr 41 Marc VDS Ford of Maxime Martin led the field into the first turn with Stef Dusseldorp in the nr3 Hexis AMR Aston Martin on the outside of the Ford as the pair vied for the lead. The nr3 was pushed wide and onto the gravel by the Ford, allowing the nr8 Young Driver Aston of Stefan Mücke to nip through and take the lead. At Turn 2 the nr5 Swiss Racing Lamborghini of Karl Wendlinger and the nr7 Young Driver Aston Martin of Tomas Enge collided, tipping the Lamborghini into a spin. The unfortunate Max Nilsson in the nr6 Swiss Racing Lamborghini t-boned his teammates car and was left stranded on the circuit with severe front end damage. Both the nr5 and nr7 cars pulled off the circuit into retirement two corners later and the safety car was deployed to recover the stricken Nilsson car. The race was restarted at the end of lap 5 just as rain began to fall on to the circuit. Christian Hohenadel in the nr4 Hexis Aston was challenging the nr8 Young Driver Aston for the lead. However it wasn't until lap 10 that Hohenadel took the lead into Turn 1 but as soon as he was free he opened up a gap to Mücke's car. Meanwhile the nr41 Marc VDS Ford slowed with a punctured right rear tyre, with damage to the bodywork. Martin pulled into the pitlane but the car retired and took no further part in the race. Mike Hezemans was making progress in the Exim Bank Team China Corvette from 14th on the grid, moving up to 8th and challenging the nr21 Sumo Power GT Nissan of Jamie Campbell-Walter for 7th. On lap 11 Stefan Mücke lost another place as he was passed at Turn 1 by Dominik Schwäger in the nr37 All Inkl.com Lamborghini. Meanwhile the rain had stopped and the teams put away their Michelin wets and prepared for the pit stop window to open. The leaders came in and went back out in the same order, with Andrea Piccini now leading in the Hexis Aston from Nicky Pastorelli in the All-Inkl Lamborghini and Darren Turner in the Young Driver Aston. The main beneficiary of the pitstops was the nr3 Hexis Aston of Clivio Piccione, which emerged in 5th place in between the nr20 and nr21 Nissans. Piccini had a comfortable lead but Pastorelli was under pressure from Turner for the first few laps after the pitstops but the Italian started to pull away from the British driver by lap 23. Championship leader Marc Basseng's weekend finished on a low note when the nr37 All-Inkl.com Lamborghini went straight on at Turn 8 with a problem with the rear tyre. Back at the front of the field Piccini was managing to maintain a comfortable gap to Pastorelli's Lamborghini, who in turn was a comfortable two seconds ahead of the third placed Aston Martin of Darren Turner. Further back Nicky Catsburg in the nr11 Exim Bank Corvette was challenging David Brabham in the nr20 Sumo Power Nissan but the Australian just held his line and his position until the chequered flag. At the flag it was Andrea Piccini who took the first win for the nr4 Hexis AMR Aston Martin DB9, taking the lead in the Driver's Championship for himself and Christian Hohenadel in the process. Hohenadel and Piccini now have 61 points to Marc Basseng's and Markus Winkelhock on 57. Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke are third on 56 points. The result also means Hexis AMR extend their lead in the Team Championship to 17 points over All-Inkl.com Münnich Motorsport. Christian Hohenadel also becomes the first FIA GT3 European Champion to win an FIA GT1 World Championship race. 2008 FIA GT3 Champion James Ruffier won a race in the FIA GT Championship at the wheel of a GT1 class Corvette in 2009 but Hohenadel is the first GT3 Champion to win a GT1 World Championship race. The next race is at Silverstone on the 3-5 June when the drivers in the FIA GT1 World Championship will compete for the world famous Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy. The Championship will also be the first to use the new pits complex at Silverstone, which will be officially unveiled on Tuesday 17th May. CLICK HERE for the result of Round 4 CLICK HERE for the Race Facts CLICK HERE for the Championship Positions after Round 4 Christian Hohenadel nr4 Hexis AMR Aston Martin DB9 "I saw that there was a bit of a mess at the start and I ended up second. The car was very good and I was able to push a lot to get passed the No.8 (Young Driver Aston Martin) and then when I got the lead I pushed again to open up the gap as I was quicker than him. It's my first win in GT1, I didn't expect it so soon. To win in Germany with all my friends here is just fantastic." Andrea Piccini nr4 Hexis AMR Aston Martin DB9 "It's never easy when you are first because so many things can happen, and the weather was unpredictable. Christian did a good job and he did most of the work for me. The car was OK, the tyres were fine and the pit stop was fantastic. I just got the car to the end. It's very nice to be leading the (drivers') championship but there is still a long way to go." Dominik Schwäger nr37 All-Inkl.com Münnich Motorsport Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-SV "At the start I just focussed on staying out of trouble, not hitting anyone but still making up positions. It's not that easy, you can see on TV that our starts are much closer than GT3 starts because everybody is really on it and its sometimes millimetres between being kicked out of the race or getting a good start. Under braking, I made two or three positions, then I had the two Astons in front of me. I made a move on the Young Driver car and it worked out perfectly. I was quite happy that the rain didn't come too heavy because with the slightest mistake in the wet and you're off on this track. I am happy that we finally have our podium. We missed so many I can't count them anymore. I'm not jumping for joy but it's a start, we collected decent points and I'm really looking forward to the next race." Nicky Pastorelli nr37 All-Inkl.com Münnich Motorsport Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-SV "It was easy because I didn't have to fight with any cars behind or in front of me but it was difficult because I had to really push on the limit to close the gap to the car in front (Hexis Aston Martin No.4). Some laps I could close a little some laps not. In the end we are happy with this result after all the bad luck we have had. Hopefully we can continue like this now." Stefan Mücke nr8 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin DB9 "At the start, I tried to stay on the inside to avoid any contact. Initially the Ford (Marc VDS No.41) missed its braking point so he locked up his front tyres and he went a little bit wide and I was able to overtake both of the cars ahead (the No.41 Ford and the Hexis Aston No.3) and take the lead. After the safety car it was a struggle to get the tyres up to temperature. It was quite a tough race because we had some success ballast (20kg) but we are happy to be here on the podium and score some important points." Darren Turner nr8 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin DB9 "We know that the Lambo (No.37) finds it quite difficult to warm up its tyres so I was pushing quite hard on the first lap out of the pits. But after that he was able to pull away. We could both see the Hexis car ahead but we weren't able to close it down but it was only really a car-length at a time. Being a German team, we had a lot of guests here. It certainly seemed quite active in the box, it was a busy place. Hopefully they all had a good day." Jamie Campbell-Walter nr21 Sumo Power Nissan GT-R “It’s nice to have a result, and while it’s not a win or a podium I think it’s a great result for the Nissan GT-R, the Sumo Power team and the JRM team to have all four cars in the top ten. Realistically it isn’t a great track for us so we’ve pulled out a really good result for ourselves. I’m personally really happy: Brabs has driven amazingly, the pit stop crews have done a fantastic job and we’ve produced a nice result and a good haul of points.” David Brabham nr21 Sumo Power GT Nissan GT-R “We knew coming in that it wasn’t going to suit us, especially with the extra weight we got from the Algarve. We had a few issues in Qualifying, but in the races we kept going, the guys did a great job in the pit stops and we gained a few places. The team has improved massively: they’re a brand new outfit for this year, but they have just got better and better and it’s been great to see. I think we got it right today, and Jamie did a great job towards the end. For Sumo Power, fourth and fifth is a great result.” Mike Hezemans nr11 Exim Bank Team China Corvette Z06 “The race was good, the car was good on new tyres but then towards the end we struggled with understeer on new tyres – like a lot of cars. We were a little bit quicker than the Nissan, especially at the beginning, but you cannot pass, it’s too difficult on this track. The pace was really good on new tyres and quite good on old. I should have been on pole (yesterday), and then the weekend looks a lot different – that’s the main problem.” Bas Leinders nr40 Marc VDS Racing Team Ford GT Matech “We should have been on the podium today, but we got hit on the first lap which completely knocked the suspension geometry on the right rear and made the car very tricky to drive. Actually we were quite lucky to finish the race because it made the tyre wear so badly. There are some positives: for us it was easy this morning to finish fourth fastest, and the No.41 car was fast all weekend. This track suits the Ford quite well though, and even here we had trouble fighting with other cars. Everything that could go wrong seems to – I just hope our luck changes soon.” Stef Dusseldorp nr3 Hexis AMR Aston Martin DB9 “We lost 25 points today. I had a good start and was on the outside, but then I don’t know what (Maxime) Martin did – he just pushed me off big time. After that we didn’t really have a chance: the car wasn’t straight and we had bad understeer. It was not easy, so I just tried to keep the gap and then we had a perfect pit stop, really fast so we went into P5. Then we had the puncture, which was caused by the first corner collision, and that was that.” Tomas Enge nr7 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin DB9 “I had a pretty good start, and going into turn one it was pretty tight. I think as Johnny Herbert says we are like a magnet to accidents. It was unfortunate, I didn’t know Karl Wendlinger was there and there was no space for two cars: he touched me once and then spun, and hit me on my rear wheel which completely broke the rim. It was a bad weekend for us, so now we just look forward to Silverstone, a track I have been fast at last year. I hope I can repeat that.” Jeff Carter Media Delegate, Fotos: DPPI/Fia GT1.

FIA GT1: Marc VDS and Ford Fly to Qualifying Race Victory in Germany

Marc VDS and Ford Fly to Qualifying Race Victory in Germany

Frederic Makowiecki and Maxime Martin claimed an emphatic victory in the Qualifying Race in Germany, storming from 14th on the grid to a winning margin of more than seven seconds. That owed much to a remarkable opening stint from Makowiecki, who passed a succession of cars to sit fifth as the pit stop window opened. The team then elected to stay out for a long first stint, and Makowiecki's pace - coupled with a rapid stop - allowed the team to just jump the No.3 Hexis Aston Martin of Stef Dusseldorp and Clivio Piccione for the lead. The Aston itself had benefited from a fantastic stop, but came out moments behind Maxime Martin in the Ford and, after one lap of heavy pressure, gradually lost ground to finish second. Third was eventually claimed by Stefan Mücke and Darren Turner in the No.8 Young Driver Aston Martin, with Mücke passing series returnee Warren Hughes in the No.20 Sumo Power Nissan GT minutes before the chequered flag fell. Makowiecki and Martin's win was a welcome respite in an otherwise unfortunate race for the marque, which saw the No.40 Marc VDS and the No.9 Belgian Racing GTs ruled out in an opening lap incident also involving the second No.10 Belgian Racing car. The collision brought out a safety car for the opening four laps, with the No.37 Lamborghini leading the No.3 Hexis and No.8 Young Driver Aston Martins when the green flag restarted the race. As Makowiecki worked his way through the order, the top three stayed the same and all three cars pitted at the first opportunity. Hexis once again excelled, the No.3 jumping into the lead, but the No.37 All-Inkl Lamborghini lost critical time and eventually dropped down to ninth as a result. It fought back to sixth, before a late spin dropped it once place to seventh. The No.8 Aston Martin of Turner and Mücke meanwhile lost one place during their pit stop and fell to fourth, only to clinch the final step of the podium in the final minutes as they passed the No.20 Nissan Sumo Power GT of Warren Hughes and Enrique Bernoldi. Several drivers were caught out by the tricky, undulating Sachsenring circuit, including the No.11 Exim Bank Team China Corvette which spun out of the race on lap five as Nicky Catsburg vied with the No.23 Nissan JRM for seventh place. During the race the FIA Stewards received reports that both cars 41 and 3 cut the white line at the exit of the pitlane. After viewing the evidence and speaking to the competitors representatives the FIA Stewards decided that no further actions were needed (Steward’s Decisions nr7 and nr8 apply). The Championship Race will take place at the Sachsenring on Sunday 15th May at 14:15 (local). CLICK HERE for the result of Round 4 Qualifying Race CLICK HERE for the Race Facts CLICK HERE for the championship positions after the Qualifying Race Frederic Makowiecki nr41 Marc VDS Racing Team Ford GT Matech "The start there was a crash in the first corner, and when the Safety Car came in that’s when I really started to push. The car is actually really good on this track, and it was possible to overtake further. Also, the team made a really good pit stop when I came in, and that allowed us to exit in first place. “Max (Martin) was really safe, and he finished on top so it was perfect for us. The team informed me I could do three of four laps, so I continued until just before the pit window closed and we were able to jump into the lead. It’s really important for the team, for everybody, because they worked very hard for this and after our difficult start to the championship, we hope to fight for the rest of the season.” Maxime Martin nr41 Marc VDS Racing Team Ford GT Matech "I saw the Aston Martin in my mirrors, so I knew we were in front. It was a little bit tricky with cold tyres at first, but we had good pace so I got a little gap and continued to push. We have to thank the team though, because without this pit stop I think it would have been more difficult. We were a little bit quicker at the end of the race, but at the beginning I was pushing very hard on cold tyres. We know we can win, so we look forward to tomorrow.” Stef Dusseldorp nr3 Hexis AMR Aston Martin DB9 “I didn’t expect the Ford to be in front of me after the pit stop – when we did our stop we went on new tyres and I pushed hard to get a big gap behind me. I knew the Ford was lapping quickly, but I was quite surprised to see them in front of me. Let’s hope for another nice race and good point for the championship tomorrow.” Clivio Piccione nr3 Hexis AMR Aston Martin DB9 “The start was okay, I missed my timing a little bit but otherwise the run was good. I paced myself on the Lamborghini in front, and with the Aston Martin behind me we had a big gap so I was not expecting to be fighting with the Ford at the end of the race. We did it in Abu Dhabi and now here though, so I think we’ll be fighting them more in the future.” Darren Turner nr8 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin DB9 “My start wasn’t particularly great, I couldn’t see the lights at all, so I nearly got nailed into the first corner but just managed to hang on. Then it was a little bit touch and go with Enrique (Bernoldi) for a few laps, until thankfully I managed to break away and then towards the end of the stint managed to join the battle for third. Overall very happy, the guys did a good job in the pit stop and Stefan did a great job getting us into third.” Stefan Mücke nr8 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin DB9 “I was a bit surprised to see the Nissans come out in front of me after the pit stop. I managed to get one back in the first lap, but the other one was quite strong and it was fast on the straight, so it was difficult to catch up. I was slightly faster but couldn’t really overtake, and then two laps to go he ran a bit wide and I went down the inside. I am absolutely happy that we are third, it’s a good place to start for tomorrow so let’s hope we have a clean race and get some points.” Jeff Carter Media Delegate,/acreditated and autorized media press. Fotos: DPPI/Fia GT1.

FIA GT1: Sachsenring Pre-Qualifying: What the drivers say ...

Sachsenring Pre-Qualifying: What the drivers say ...

Frederic Makowiecki, Marc VDS Ford GT No.41

“We are really quick on this track, but we need to wait until Qualifying to find the proper performance of every car. Nissan and Lamborghini are very quick in Qualifying. It’s really important on this track to start on the front, so starting on the front is a priority. I’m happy to racing here with Maxime (Martin), and I think pole position and victory are possible – why not?”

Maxime Martin, Marc VDS Ford GT No.41

“It’s better here than Portimao for sure. We have to see tomorrow how Qualifying turns out, because we don’t know who is doing what, what strategies they are on. We will see but we are quite confident for tomorrow. It’s also nice to have Frederic (Makowiecki) back – we are friends and we have the same driving style, which gives the car and the team a good balance.”

Mike Hezemans, Exim Bank Team China No.11

“The car is good for the circuit, and we have 20kg less so now I hope we are looking good. We didn’t try for lap time, we just really concentrated on set-up for Qualifying because we desperately want to get into Q3. We have less weight and hopefully that will make it better for us in Qualifying and the race.”

Alex Muller, Young Driver Aston Martin No.7

“We are thinking positive for the race, and I think we have a good set-up for it. For Qualifying tomorrow I don’t think our performance will be as great, but we will see tomorrow morning. I think the top six in Qualifying will be possible, and with a nice clean start and a good pit stop we hope to be in the points - maybe even a podium, which would be great. We look in good shape, but you need good traction around here and the Ford in particular looks very strong.”

Tomas Enge, Young Driver Aston Martin No.7

“This is a completely different track to Portimao, and we will definitely be fighting further up the field. I think realistically we are looking for P5 – both Marc VDS cars look really strong and the Corvette looks good as well. We feel positive, but I think the midfield differences in Qualifying will be really small and every tenth of a second will count – it could make all the difference. We are definitely more positive than we were in Portugal, but Qualifying and pit stops will be crucial so we will see how tomorrow works out.”

Karl Wendlinger, Swiss Racing Lamborghini No.5

“First of all I was here once but it was more than ten years ago, so I had to get used to the track. It’s an exciting circuit, you have to find the right line, find the right set-up and everything. I think we’ve made good progress so far, so I’m happy, especially with our performance in Pre-Qualifying. It’s difficult to say what we are capable of, but I think we showed well in Portimao and this track should suit our car even better. Anything can happen, the weekend can be over after one corner, but I hope we can improve the performance a little bit and have a strong result.”

Warren Hughes, Sumo Power GT Nissan GT-R No.20

“It’s great to be back. I’m here to do anything I can do to help the Sumo Power effort. That’s very much at the forefront of our minds. JRM have had the lion’s share of the Nissan glory so far and I’d like to do my bit to change that.”

Info: FIA GT1/Jeff Carter/Media Delegate/acreditated press media.