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Monza

Eurosport Super Racing Weekends

01/04/2001

Race

Report

15,000 spectators was an encouraging attendance, indicating that the latest format for the two major championships has caught the imagination of Italian race fans. The fine weather helped.

On the number stickers of all the cars there was a little black triangle with the words: A tribute to Bob Wollek. On the bonnet of the two red Haberthur Porsches there is a white heart and the words: Adieu Bob. He'll be missed by many people.

JC-W in the #1 Lister Storm set the fastest time in the warm-up (1:48.143). “The car is OK at last,” he said. “We're going to have to push hard in the race to catch up with Bouchut,” added Tom Coronel. “We've gone for the best top speed, as starting from 13th, we need everything we can.” Christophe Bouchut was a threatening second quickest.

Luca Riccitelli in the #77 RWS Red Bull Porsche was fastest in N-GT. “Everything is fine now, and I'm happy for the race. It'll be interesting to start in the middle of the GT cars, so I hope everyone will be careful at the first chicane.”

The #24 Racing Box Chrysler Viper crashed and did not start the race, so we were down to 32 starters, which ironically is the original number destined to be allowed into the series. Perhaps 38 was a good idea all along. The #2 Lister Storm was 12th, suffering from misfire problems. The team decided that, rather than risk an incident on the way through the field from 12th place and then have to retire anyway (which was inevitable), they would have to come in on the warm-up lap if the misfire was still present – which it was. Laurence Pearce explained that it was exactly the same problem that halted the car in the Superpole. That made 31 starters.

Christophe Bouchut was away well from pole, ahead of a train of (surviving) Vipers, but it was Campbell-Walter on the move, from 13th. He avoided any real trouble, and was a strong second after just five laps. By the end of lap one, he had already reached sixth. Lap five through to the end of the stint saw a great race between the Lister and the Larbre Viper, the Lister briefly leading on lap 16, Bouchut thereafter resuming ahead.

Campbell-Walter briefly moving into the lead on lap 16, but Bouchut overtaking again soon afterwards. JC-W: “I had a small incident with a back-marker, so I backed off instead of risking going on the oil, so Christophe passed me again, and I decided to follow him until the pit stops.”

Bouchut pitted first, but a slow wheel change at the back cost the Viper time. Coronel led by 17 seconds, which grew to 30 by the end of his stint. The Dutchman apparently couldn’t resist setting the best lap of the race, a 1:47.545. That was a full second and more faster than any of the Vipers. The 550 Ferraris couldn’t beat 1:50.

“In my second stint we had a reoccurrence of the misfires we've been plagued with all weekend,” commented Jamie Campbell-Walter after the race. “We decided to take it easy towards the end of the race to save fuel and brakes, and we're very happy with the final result. If he hadn't had problems, I think Christophe would also have been backing off to save fuel, but we would have been closer and pushing harder. As it was, we could make it look a lot easier than it was. But Larbre Competition are new to the car and I think they will be a force to be reckoned with.”

Vosse / Derichebourg and Belmondo / Defourny finished third and fourth, the better placed Belmondo car half a minute down on Bouchut / Belloc. The #10 car (Kumpen / Gosselin) went out with engine trouble late on.

The Rafanelli Ferraris had a very encouraging first race, Marc Duez and Günther Blieninger finishing fifth in #6. “I'm really happy,” Blieninger said. “The car has shown its potential today, and it is certainly the most beautiful on the grid!” That comment cannot be disputed. The #5 of Naspetti and Schiattarella ended up in the gravel. The latter seemed disgruntled: “Third or fourth would have been possible. We need to test a lot. The car really has potential, but we're here to win, not just to finish.” It depends on your point of view. Blieninger was happy with fifth, the other pair wouldn’t have been. They'd lost four laps anyway, repairing the underside.

One of the two Porsche 911 GT2s took the last point, and that just about sums up what Porsche’s ageing GT2 car is worth these days – on a good day. All the other finishers were N-GTs.

Johnny Cecotto and Philipp Peter took the N-GT class for the Orlando team. Peter: “You know, we really didn't expect to win, or even to be able to finish the race after the way we struggled in the practice session. We tried to work for the race yesterday, and Johnny made a good set-up in the warm-up today. He had a good stint and was able to make up some positions, and thanks to the Pirelli tyres, which were really consistent, we could make up time in the pits. I pushed hard from the first moment to the last, and we're really happy with the race.” Pirellis? Winning the class? What a turnaround.

Larbre Competition and RWS / Red Bull had initially fought over first place, just like last year. Jürgen von Gartzen led from the recovered Luca Riccitelli until a blown tyre and a fire eliminated the # 51 Larbre Porsche. Riccitelli led until the first round of pit stops, but a change of all four tyres cost them time. Thierry Perrier then led, but was passed by Fabio Moccia in the Art Engineering Porsche. This one still led after the second stops, but a stop and go (cutting out a chicane) dropped it to fourth in class, just 15 laps from home. That left Orlando at the head of the class.

Michel Neugarten deserved second, but had a puncture on the last lap and lost the place to Riccitelli (at the Parabolica), providing some pleasure for the recovering RWS team. Kaufmann and Ortelli finished fifth: “We're expecting more and hope to finish in the top three in normal conditions,” said Wolfgang Kaufmann. Goueslard and Dumez finished sixth, while Ferrari fans had something to cheer early on in this class too, with Christian Pescatori rising to third place, until brake problems ended his race on lap 26 - in the gravel. “We're pleased with the progress, and look forward to Brno, which will suit us better,” Pescatori said. His best lap was only a tenth slower than Riccitelli's.

The N-GT 'show' continued during the Press conference. Already during the GT press conference, Neugarten had shot the cork of a champagne bottle toward the GT Pilots, who were responding to the journalists' questions. Then Peter had the first shower of the press conference - from Neugarten, of course. After all this, they actually started the N-GT press conference. With Neugarten about, dull it isn't. Neugarten, Perrier, Riccitelli and Quester were very entertaining, while Peter had his second big shower (this time from all the other five drivers), and after him it was time for the Cecotto shower.

Franco Tedeschi - who was very appreciative of all those who helped him at Monza.